We are sooooooo close!  Slowly but surely this bathroom is coming together.  It has been a year in the making and boy what a fantastic Christmas present this will be. 
 I put the old Kitchen Aid mixer to use today and baked some "Snowballs" for the family.  Oh my are they tasty. 

 Jo and Luke thought the "Snowballs" were pretty tasty too.
 Christmas Vacation Is Here! Let The Good Times Roll!  Eat, Drink, And Be Merry!  Tis The Season! etc.

The weather outside is frightful and so are my tonsils.  I should be at work today, but instead I am home with strep throat.  My tonsils hurt, my neck hurts, my ears hurt, my head hurts, even my teeth hurt.  I've refrained from complaining too much to Matt because he is trying his best to satisfy three very unsatisfiable children.  I don't think he wants to hear about the acorn sized glands in my neck or the stabbing pain I keep getting in my ears.  Being a sick parent comes with a certain amount of guilt.  That guilt is what pushed me to get out of bed this morning to pack three lunches for my children.  I have to say I did it more for Matt than for them.  He handled getting them off to school very well this morning, but I pray that I am well tomorrow because I don't think he could do two days of kid/school duty, but neither could I.   We have grown accustomed to our 50/50 marriage, so when something like strep throat or a migraine throws a wrench in our oh so perfect system, meltdowns undoubtedly follow.  Hopefully my antibiotic will kick in this afternoon so that I can help with homework and bath duty tonight.  If not, sorry Matt.  I'll write you an IOU when I feel better.

 Yes, it is real, and yes, it smells WONDERFUL.  We don't always buy a live tree, but this year we got a great deal at Home Depot. ($39 for a 7-8 ft tree)
Matt has been learning to play some Christmas songs on the piano. With two hands.  hehehe:) So talented.
We bought this artificial tree a few years ago.  You can't tell from the picture, but I blasted it with fake snow.  I was a tad scared when I started, but it turned out really pretty.  Matt hates fake snow, so we compromised.  He let me spray the tree, and in return I promised that I wouldn't start spraying all the windows. 
Hayden is officially hooked on Potter.  I don't mean to brag, but he is an amazing reader.  He has read the first three Harry Potter books in just ten days.  Potter goes with him everywhere: the grocery store, the bathroom, school, car, kitchen, etc.  I often wonder what kind of person I would be if I had developed a passion for reading as a child.
Matt refuses to let me buy new stockings.  "It's a tradition," he says.  So, 20 years from now I will still be pulling the same candy cane stained stockings from my Rubbermaid container. Traditions- gotta love em:)

The kids have been counting down the days till Christmas.  Opening the door is the first thing they ask to do when they wake up.  This morning Hayden opened it. Then I shut it back so that Josie could open it.  Then I shut it back so that Lucas could open it.  O' the Joys of parenting.

While I type away on the interweb, Matt is busy building this family a second bathroom.  What can I say, he is a go-getter.  When it comes to tearing down a wall or ripping up a floor, Matt has no fear.  He has what I like to call the "Let's get this **** done" mentality, which I find extremely sexy.  I wonder if he thinks my "This **** can wait" mentality is sexy.  Probably not.  The new bathroom will consist of a toilet and a pedestal sink.  We were hoping that maybe we could squeeze a small shower into the corner, but no luck there.  The space is just too small.  I have been dreaming about an extra bathroom since we moved in 5 years ago.  At the time, creating that space didn't seem so urgent, but now each morning our bathroom becomes an episode of "Survivor."  Those that get voted off have to spit their mouthwash into the kitchen sink, while the winner triumphantly swishes and spits into the bathroom sink and then for spite, swishes and spits one more time.  Okay, I'll admit it, I'm exaggerating slightly.  Although I do occasionally brush my teeth in the kitchen, only so as not to elbow a child in the face.  This half bath could quite possibly revolutionize the morning interactions between the Bergen clan.  No more Hurry Ups and door slamming.  No more shoulder bumping to get a glimpse of yourself in the mirror.  No more on purpose, I mean accidental elbows to the ribs.  I'm talking about a John Lennon sized revolution.  Who knew a half bath could be so life changing?  I guess I'm not even sure yet.  But really people, how could it not?

OMG.  All three kids are sick.  Super sick.  Flu sick.  Matt and I haven't slept in two nights, so we are beyond delirious.  On the bright side, at least all three kids are sick at the same time so we can get this done in one big shabang.  Oh, did I forget to mention, my dad is HOME!!!!  He was in ICU for quite some time, but his 13 year old transplanted kidney held up to the strain of bypass heart surgery.  The doctors bypassed two large arteries but left a blockage in a smaller artery.  The risk outweighed the benefit of bypassing it.  I can't say that I wasn't completely freaked by my dad's appearance after the surgery, and I did stress about the complications that followed, but I remained optimistic.  I felt the love that friends and family were sending, so thank you everyone.  The power of kind words is incredible. 

Enough about health problems, let's talk about something else.  Halloween is OVER!!! YEE-HAW!  I know what you are thinking But you were so excited about Halloween, and that is true, but I sort of ruined it for myself by decorating way too early.  The spiderwebs that covered every inch of my living and dining room were removed by 10:00AM on October 31st.  The remaining decor was placed inside a Rubbermaid container by noon.  A few fall leaves still grace the mantel, but the claustrophobic feeling has left the building.  I've come to the conclusion that my house is just too small for so much holiday cheer.  Come December 1st this realization my very well be forgotten or suppressed, so please feel free to remind me Katy, your house is 5 square feet larger than a playhouse, so go easy on the garland.  I promise I won't be offended, and if I am, I won't tell you to your face, I'll just talk about you behind your back and plot your demise during the wee hours of the morning.