Similar to the last two years, December began with a program for the kids to earn money for the opportunity to buy their siblings Christmas presents. They worked hard throughout the month and were excited about the gifts they bought for one another. (Other than one gift from us and one gift from the mysterious man in the North Pole, the gifts they buy each other are the only ones they get and we try to let them buy the gifts their siblings are most excited for.)
Also similar to the last two years, we all got extremely sick this month. One day four of us (including myself) threw up. We pretty much camped out in my room.
Rose had the worst of it and was a total trooper darting around as we took care of the other kids.
I'm thrilled to report that I went to four stellar parent-teacher conferences. I'm so proud of these kiddos and how they are all excelling at school. It was fun to see some of their work and watch the boys perform in the Christmas program (top corners). 
Joy continues to have fun with friends and bring color and drama to our home. (Color...literally, she insisted on coloring lip stick onto her lips with markers for nearly a week.)
Smith has loved the magic of Christmas and has written multiple notes to Santa. (In this letter he is asking for a pair of skis.) He also wrote me a darling apology card after a fit.
Rose is quickly aging me. She can damage any room of the house in a minute flat and stays seconds away from a life-threatening accident at all times. I'm embarrassed to admit that she somehow emptied a carton of salt on two different occasions, and she has made shopping nearly impossible. I don't know how I did it with three kids under two. Once she is finished with dinner, she insists on climbing onto Elias' lap to eat his, or at the very least, wipe it all over his shirt.
Elias was out of town for a few days but the kids and I kept busy with a giant gingerbread house.
We had so much fun coloring it.
I love the joy of the Christmas season.
For her birthday, Summer had asked that she and I throw a party together. We threw a darling "Mommy-Daughter Ornament Exchange" while Elias was out of town. We had a great turn-out and a lot of fun. I love my SummerGirl.
We had two "barely any snow-snow days". The kids and I stuck to traditions of snow cones, chilly runs around the house, and table hammocks. One day was an ice storm and it was so gorgeous to see every little blade of grass covered in ice. The picture doesn't do it justice.
I'm thrilled to report that ice skating season is over! This was a labor of love on my end. We had to leave before Elias got home and return after bedtime. Summer is the only one who can get her skates on by herself and Rose, Joy and I have to wait in the cold arena the entire time. Not my favorite.
Total side note: I just filled this out at my OBGYN's office and wonder what the form will look like in 20 years.
The week of Christmas was filled with parties. A nativity at the Checketts' house,
a Christmas recital/sing-along at our home,
and a Christmas Eve party at the Durham's.
Christmas morning was delightful. The kids sang to wake everyone up and they were so thrilled to watch their siblings open the gifts they had worked so hard for. We spent the afternoon at a park and cuddling under a blanket.
On the 27th we headed out to Pennsylvania to visit our friends the Coxes for a night and then we spent a day in Baltimore before going on to DC to visit my family while Chelsea and her family were in town. We had a blast and loved all the museums. I especially enjoyed the new African American History Museum and all the important conversations I got to have with my big kids. (They all processed the experience so differently; Smith got furious if I told him to move along before we was finished reading about something that he was trying to process; Summer was so sensitive and couldn't understand how people could be so mean; Boyd was so uncomfortable with the injustice, he physically struggled being there. I'm so grateful to be able to help them navigate these big emotions.
Elias has been reading books to the kids at bedtime and once a book is completed, we have a movie night to watch the movie. We have read "Charlotte's Web", the first four "Harry Potters", "Swiss Family Robinson" and "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe". Elias took advantage of an after-Christmas sale to up our movie night quality. Now we just need a couch!
We enjoyed a fun new years eve celebration with friends and look forward to 2020.
Brittany et al.
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