White Christmas

Well, we still have a few days until Christmas. The shopping is done, the presents are wrapped, and the menu has been selected. All we need now is some snow on the ground! 

We've actually had snow the past few days. And it has been beautiful! Sadly, it never sticks around-- most of it melts on contact. But it was, in fact, snowing today, and we were feeling particularly festive. AND, since I just registered the kids for ice skating lessons last night, we thought it might be fun to go skating at an outdoor rink in the nearby city. The kids loved it!! It was freezing, though, with the temperature dropping down to around 27 degrees by the time we left. And there were times when it actually snowed on us pretty hard while we were there. As the only member of our family who does not own fleece- or flannel-lined jeans, I was dying! I should have worn my thermal pants underneath my jeans! Oh well. We didn't stay too long, because it was REALLY cold (for us). But I did get a few pictures, at least!

Then, at dinner time, we went out to one of our favorite restaurants and gorged ourselves silly. In lieu of a company Christmas party, Gus' company decided to reimburse everyone up to a certain amount to go out to a nice, family dinner. Such an awesome idea! So this dinner was on their dime, and we enjoyed every bite. Plus, the ambiance is just perfect... warm fires burning in the fireplaces, perched over a rushing stream, with unpretentious decor and a big, beautiful Christmas tree. It was perfect!