Seriously? It's December already?!?! Holy Smokes! That was fast.
Things are going well around here. Payton & Max are excited about the posibility of snow. They're enjoying the cold weather and all the holiday preparations.
We've adopted a new dog, Ringo. He's a 2 year old male pug who is absolutely perfect. He's calm and gentle and very sweet. He does make a lot of noise because of his "flat face", but we've gotten used to it and barely notice anymore unless he's really loud.
Matt is working a lot and with his military schedule it feels as if we are two ships passing in the night. My parents were here for Thanksgiving and my mom was super enough to stay with the boys while Matt and I went Black Friday shopping from 10pm on Thanksgiving until 6am on Friday. As crazy as it was, we both really enjoyed our time together that night.
I'm loving my job. The love of reading in our upcoming generations is important to me and so I love to share that and encourage the kids to read more. I'm getting a lot of great feedback this year, so that helps too. Volleyball ended back in November, but I am already looking forward to next fall for our next season.
Payton got his report card and, as usual, got amazing scores (they don't do "grades" at his school). He loves his teacher and most of his classmates. We're dealing with a bit of peer pressure this year, which is new to him. But he seems to be doing alright with it. He's becoming an AMAZING big brother. I told him today how much I appreciated that he helps with his brother and how loving her is. He said "Thanks, Mommy. You've never told me that before." OOPS! Guess I need to express that more often.
Max is doing super as well. He is being "home schooled" by his babysitter/my friend, Liz. She has a great love for Max that I cherish and appreciate. He's doing really well with her crew of 4 kiddos and finding his place in the mix. At home, he LOVES to play, build and learn. He has all this letter sounds down and is working now on blending the sounds to make words. He can do a lot of 3 letter words already.
Overall, life in our little bubble is going well. We are looking forward to the holiday season and seeing a lot of family and friends.
We've started our advent calendar again this year. Just like last year, I'm working in good act and not so much candy. It's about every 3-4 days that they get a piece of candy. We've watch a few Christmas movies and had hot cocoa so far, too. This weekend, they are going shopping for a boy in need from our school. They'll each make a gift choice for him with their own money. The following weekend, we'll be making treats for friends and family and delivering them. 
