8.

eighth?  December 8th?  already????
That is impossible.
I mean, yea... sure.. Thanksgiving came and went....
but,
really??
are we in December already?
I feel like I am in some sort of time warp.

Wasn't it just Halloween?
I mean... it feels nothing like the Christmas time of year.
In Oregon there is a crisp cold, a rain, a few freezing mornings and plenty of fires in the fireplace already ~ Those cozy snuggle nights where you see your breath in the air.
In all honesty, I just am not use to this Southern California life.
A few things that I have noticed that are different~

• just this past weekend the boys had a water balloon fight in the neighborhood....
• the kids have only needed to wear a jacket in the mornings once ( and that was because I made them!) and by noon they were hung back up in the closet.
• my sweaters are still packed (and may not come out)
• the artificial Christmas tree to real tree ratio is 3 to 1 (easy!)
• real snow is considered man-made and in a small area of a parking lot for one weekend only.
• the Christmas lights are EVERYWHERE!  alongside blowup ginormous snowmen and Santa (In Oregon the winds and rain would be the death of one of those things the first week it was out on the lawn).

when do you eat soup? drink cider? enjoy hot coco?
why do you have fireplaces?

It is these reasons that December crept up on me....  it still feels like summer here.  

California is no longer a vacation spot for us.....

lucky for us the kids keep me in the spirit with Advent, our nightly activities.... and this weekend the decorations and books were taken out.  We put some lights up outside.  We bought a poinsettia or two.  And yes, today is the 8th.  17 days until the 25th.... and it is just now.... today.... that I can say "its beginning to look a lot  like Christmas.

By the way.....  here was the boys on Halloween.... because... well,  I am just not with it.

the Scary Pumpkin and Steve 2014