I cry the day I take the tree down

Today was a busy day for me. I finished taking down Christmas decorations (which believe me is no small task). I started yesterday with the village and misc decor, but today I tackled the tree. It's definitely not as much fun to take down as it is to decorate. I was able to get everything done and Ryan & I took everything back to storage (also no small task).
I love how clean the house feels after Christmas. (well, it will feel cleaner after a little housework) Don't get me wrong, I also love the cozy Christmas Decorations. I just feel like I didn't get to enjoy them as much this year. Definitely need to figure out what to cut out for next December.

So all this week the kids have been home entertaining each other. We did go to National Treasure on Wednesday night and I took them out to lunch and a little shopping on Thursday, but for the most part they have been left to self entertainment. So today they both got together with some friends. Parker went to the park with his friend Ethan to ride their new scooters, then to Ethan's house to play. Miranda invited a new friend from one of her choir classes over to our house to "hang out". For Christmas, Miranda got a book from American Girl that shows how to make tiny treats. So this is what the girls decided they wanted to do. I went to the store and bought a few ingredients and they were on their way. Here is some of their final creations.
Fried eggs, donuts, cinnamon rolls, crescent rolls, pizza, smores, pb&j rolls, and mini sandwiches.

They had so much fun creating these mini treats. After cleaning up, I took the girls out for a bit of shopping. They had a fun time trying on different fancy dresses and shoes. They both ended up buying a little something for themselves too.

It was great to see Miranda having such a great time. She's had a hard time finding a friend she can really connect with. Perhaps Tess will be that friend. Unfortunately she attends a different school. Well, at least they'll still be in choir together.

Tomorrow after church, we are leaving for Cedar to spend some time with Ryan's parents and a party at the Websters on New Years Eve. I'm making homemade salsa for the event. Yum-o!
We haven't been to visit since last August, so I guess it is about time. It gets so hard to leave town when the kids are in school.
Hope everyone has a wonderful New Year!