Christmas countdown has begun. I think we're in good shape to have everything ready. The kids finally decorated the tree. Forrest put the lights on the house. Shopping is done and most of the presents are wrapped. Alyssa and I need to find some time to do some baking and make some fudge.
Now if only I can survive the frenetic energy of the children in my class for two more days. There's a continual hum in the room. Alyssa has been coming to work with me. She's been working with the kindergarten and first grade students. She's been helping them complete some Christmas projects, and today she helped complete some math assessments with the first graders.
Noah is in the middle of spirit week at the high school. He has worn cheetah pajamas to school and a furry sweater that made him look like the Cookie Monster from Sesame Street for ugly sweater day. His freshman basketball team continues to be successful. They've won all five of their games by 15 to 25 points.
Christmas break will be a busy time. We have a family wedding in Spokane, a quick trip to Portland, and Noah will continue to have basketball. He has one game during break and practice on most weekdays. I'm hoping to get some good books read by my fire with a cup of tea and some Christmas cookies.
I love weddings, and it's been quite some time since I got to attend one. My cousin Margaret's son, Ryan Presho, got married to his high school sweetheart in Spokane on December 19th. The wedding took place at the historic Davenport Hotel in downtown Spokane. The Christmas decorations were gorgeous. Holly Howard is now Holly Presho and part of the family. This trip allowed us to also spend some time with Forrest's relatives. Alyssa helped out by babysitting some of the younger members of the wedding party before the ceremony. She got to spend a little bit of time with her favorite girl cousins, Ryan's sisters, Nicole and Mikala. Noah had to dress up in something other than basketball shorts and a t-shirt. I think he cleans up pretty nicely. 
