Our December so far...

So, with or without a camera, I'm doing my December Daily! Because I prepped all the inner pages before December 1st, it really doesn't take me longer than ten minutes to slap this together - not counting the photo printing time. That is taking a bit longer, the way I've got it set up is a bit laborious (at some point, ask Andrés for the iPhone when he's not using it or the computer -- link up the iPhone and load the pics I want -- edit them if I have Instagram pics I want and then save as PDFs and then as JPGs -- get onto the flash drive -- go upstairs and print them out on the mini printer my AWESOME sister Amy gave to me last year). That is the part that takes a good 20 minutes or so, although I do try to multitask while waiting for things to upload and whatnot. But it is SO. WORTH. IT. to have the pictures ready to go and print at home. I am feeling quite spoiled...

So here is a bit of our first week of December, starting on the second, where I left off! (If you click on the picture I think it should open bigger if you want to read the journaling. Not super inspired but sometimes it is more about getting it done! And in a year I never notice or think of it as "uninspired" - even if it's just a line or two I have loved looking back on the last four years. So many memories, big and small and even minuscule.)

Day 2: A few pictures from our Nativity scene, upstairs on the third floor (before we got Mary and Joseph in there. Oh, we also have the Baby Jesus - but he's covered up because he cannot make his appearance until the 25th!).

Day 3: A little bit of the everyday homework side. It seems repetitive now, but someday it won't look like this anymore, so I want to get the little details. And I think it's kind of fun to read each year and compare - what was different, what was the same, what repeats and what doesn't. (I suspect the days of being able to help Agustín with Math homework are numbered.)

Day 4: New haircuts for everyone, and a much happier Mommy. I really do not like having long hair. And I don't think I ever will. Hello shoulder-length hair - I heart you!

If you open the little flap that the "4" is on, there is a bit more journaling and a picture of the Christmas basket we received tonight.

Day 5: A Christmas movie night. I really love "Elf". And I always get a little teary-eyed at the end. (I know, I am such a dork! I can't watch a movie anymore without crying - either because it is tender or sweet or really so very horrible - recently saw "The Candidates" and "That's my Boy" and lost hope for the human race for a good two or three hours. Sorry.)

Day 6: Viva Quito! Quito celebrates the foundation of the city today and while Andrés and I had vacation, the kids - strangely enough - did not. So while they slaved away at school, we went downtown. All the museums were free and there were a lot of people by 10 a.m. We made it to the City Museum for the first time and really wished the kids had been with us. Very cool. Didn't really feel like Ecuador :)

Day 7: I love sitting by the tree with candles lit and just staring at it, or reading (of course). Today was one of those days. We had to go back to work after yesterday's holiday, but it's the weekend, so it didn't matter. Of course the weekend will be busy, but tonight...just me and Andrés and the boys and the tree. (And the Osmonds - always the Osmonds.)

If you open the flap where the journaling is, I have another (repeated) picture underneath. Looking at this right now I suppose I need something on the back side of that goldish paper...