Ian and Clara sharing a peppermint marshmallow and a laugh or two.

DPP pics from past years: 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012

A group of lovely ladies came over tonight to make some freezer meals for a friend. We had a great time, but as you can see, that probably goes without saying. And also, nobody builds a tower of dishes like my friend Jen.

DPP pics from past years: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012

Drawers gonna draw.

DPP pics from past years: 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012

One of my favorite Christmas traditions is making a huge batch of my grandma’s ginger cookies. We decided that today was Simon’s fifth year, Ian’s third year, and Clara’s first year for helping.

Oh the weather outside is [not at all] frightful. This first real snow of the season is downright amazing — light and fluffy and brilliant. The boys and I scooped (shoveled?) our driveway in record time and then made snow angels to celebrate.

DPP pics from past years: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012

When this precious (smiling!) little one’s mama sent a message saying she had gotten a creative urge and invited us over to make simple Christmas ornaments, I was all over it. My boys and I headed over this morning and spent a delightful — and slightly chaotic — couple of hours scratching the creative itch and enjoying the fellowship of these dear friends. We hadn’t even gotten out of the driveway before the boys were asking when we could go again and declaring Kacy the Best Cookie-Maker Ever. Although we designated some to eat and some to hang on the tree, none of the cookies actually made it to the tree — maybe next year.

DPP pics from past years: 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012

Reading to Clara before school. Barefoot on the coldest day of the year.

DPP photos from past years: 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012

I love days when one thing leads to another, when time together is longer because you choose to just keep doing the next thing. Today was like that: carpooling led to hanging out led to dinner led to movie night at the elementary school led to my firstborn throwing a fit for the ages led to finally parting ways led to sweet, cheering-on, checking-in texts. This is how it is supposed to be.

DPP pics from past years: 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 

A warm car and a twenty-or-so-minute wait for big brother to get out of school make it pretty likely that a three-year-old will succumb to a little nap.

This sweet child has made me work for it today. His questions have ranged from big, huge, important wonderings — Will I be God someday? Did God make sin? and Will Jesus be happy with our Christmas lights for his birthday? — to the more mundane details, such as why the light is on in the checkout at the store and what that sign says and why they call it popcorn and why they call it a blinker and why the light is red and what “boring” means and if we went to the movie theater when he was a baby and why they call them camels and if I can make him a Franklin and Friends costume for next Halloween and why that baby is named Judah and what it says on the back of that sticker and what number comes after 47. I could go on. (In fact, I just heard him ask Jason at bedtime, “Why do girls don’t have penises?”) I want to take his questions — all of them — seriously. I hope he (and his siblings too) continues to ask me, even when he figures out I don’t have all the answers. I am consistently amazed at how much and how little these little souls understand, and I feel honored and humbled at the responsibility I have. Lord, help me.

DPP pics from past years: 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012

This child has been short on sleep for the last several days — abbreviated naps, late nights, and early mornings. Most of the time she keeps her sweet disposition, so I won’t worry about it too much. Today she procrastinated her nap by reading one of my favorites to her favorite furry friend, Mr. Bear.

DPP pics from past years: 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012

In other news, it is my dear mom’s birthday. We didn’t get to celebrate with her today, but we did make carrot cake cupcakes in her honor.