A very good day

Some days just go well.  That was yesterday.  After church Greg announced that he was feeling all warm and cozy and family oriented and that we needed to make an afternoon of it.  So, we headed to the mall for some holiday sight seeing.  The kids got to walk (a big deal for Nathan when he always has to be in a stroller with mommy) and we took in the sights. We looked at Santa, gave Frosty the snowman a high five, pointed at beautiful bells and sparkly lights, took a ride on an ice cream truck (you know, for 50 cents the truck barely moves back and forth), played in the kids play area, rode up and down the escalator, looked up up up at a very tall Christmas tree, and were asked if Santa would remember the sparkly pink rubber ducky that Aubrey so badly wants (he did).  

Next it was home for some family cooking.  We made up a batch of homemade chicken and dumpling soup.  Greg and I had made rice pudding earlier and let the kids dye one batch red and the other green.  We at warm soup and bread, ate our beautifully colored pudding, and then got ready for Christmas lights.  We bundled the kids up in their jammies and blankies, gave them a Christmas cookie, and set out around the neighborhood.  We drove around until all the fun got the better of the kids and they were zonked in the back seat.  The night ended with Greg and I packing sleeping kids into the house and putting them to bed, then curling up for some Travel Channel, followed by reading with hot chocolate, foot rubs, and snuggling off to sleep.  And I wonder why Mondays always feel so hard!

On a side note, things in the pregnancy department are progressing.  I'm almost 37 weeks and am dilated to 1 cm.  I'm still measuring big which allows me to whine and complain to my fullest capacity.  The baby looks good, I'm not putting on an obscene amount of weight over the holidays, and my doctor things I will safely make it through Christmas and New Years without giving birth.  My ultimate plan is to have the baby around January 3.  You know, after Christmas festivities but a week before my due date.  Now if only it were that simple...