Counting Down the Days

I am counting down the days until the end of the semester.

The kids are counting down the days until Christmas.

Brian is not counting down the days until the Alcan / Bemis sale closes - primarily because he has no idea when (if?) it will be.

The kids have two ways to celebrate the advent (a.k.a. counting down) season. First, they have the advent Santa made by Grandma Sue, which they get to hang felt ornaments on every day. So far, they have been remarkably good at taking turns - probably because they are too young to do the math to figure out which one gets to hang the LAST ornament - which is of course the 'best' one.

Secondly, we got them these little Playmobile advent calendars. We did this last year and the kids had a lot of fun with it. Each day they pull a little box off the poster and it contains a small piece of a playmobile set. Allison's is Santa woods and Jacob's is knights. Some boxes have really neat things in them - like a deer, or a treasure chest. Some days are less exciting (yesterday, Allison got two small leaves in hers - presumably to "feed" the as-yet-undiscovered deer). But the kids open each with enthusiasm. "Wow - look at this... this... what is this Mom?" "A tree stump." "A tree stump!! WOW!"

I hope, hope, hope that the kids hold on to that exuberance for a long time. To soon, we find ourselves with a smile on our face saying "oh thanks for that American flag shaped candle holder lamp, I know just where I can put it." But not yet, and maybe (hopefully) not ever.