Mr. Snowman Always Smiles

There's a hole in our house where the Christmas tree used to be. I don't mean it burned through the floor. It just feels empty there without the happy glow of lights.

Our happy snowman.

No worries, though. We still have happy Mr. Snowman at our front door. And Kara has one of the strings of lights from the tree in her room. The ceramic tree still shines out from our bay window. Not ready to take down all the lights yet.

Kara started in on the tree job today, then Kal joined in with her supervision. He's not always grateful to have his little sister directing him and being another mommy. This scenario usually descends into some form of sibling fight, each claiming to be right and beating that perspective into the other person.

Were my brother and sisters and I this bad when we were growing up? (Blush of shame.) I'm sorry, Mom.

Invariably, the kids are later laughing and loving each other. They really are good kids.

Kris made yummy nachos for dinner tonight. It came down to a verbal tug-of-war between the kids about what to have. Kal wanted stir-fry; Kara wanted nachos. I had enough and handed down the edict that tonight would be nachos and tomorrow is stir-fry night and don't say another word about it.

Mr. Bunny, Leo the bunny, is landing himself in bunny jail much more frequently. His zest for life is showing up all over the house, whatever isn't closed off, and I have to run behind him with a pail of soapy water cleaning up all that zest.

We're holding out through February to wait for his zest removal surgery, also known as neutering. If reports from other bunny owners are accurate, he should settle down once he's neutered.

I'm trying to keep from making hasenpfeffer before then.