P(arty) Minus 6 and Counting

So we're at P minus 6 and counting. 6 days until the 2nd Annual Flamingo Christmas Frolic and we're diligently ignoring all that needs to be done before Saturday. I've got all those dead plants to take care of, windows to clean, and piles of telephone books, CDs, random computer cables, and other miscellany piled up on the desk in the front room that has to be put away in the proper place (i.e., hidden in the hall closet on top of the pile I hid in there last year). Not to mention all those paper bags I have to fill 1/3 full with sand for the luminaries. At this very moment, Joe is finishing putting up the lights on the second story -- but I promised Winnie I would not post any more pictures of the lights on the house so that she could be surprised when she gets here on Saturday.

Aside from the fast approaching festivities, this is a really big week in the Flamingo house. Grandma Elsie came home tonight -- she's been gone since October 1st for a hip replacement in Idaho (all the best hip doctors are in Idaho, in case you didn't know). And Friday is Casey's big debut in his Kindergarten Christmas play. Casey treated me and a complete stranger to a preview of the entire performance yesterday afternoon in the front yard. He started off with his line in the play and then sang all three verses of Away in the Manger (do you know all three verses?), Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and The Gift Goes On. The complete stranger was somewhat taken aback by all this spontaneous performance, but Casey comes from a long line of (melo)dramatic people (on my side of the family).

In the meantime, we are business as usual here at Casa Flamingo. The children are eating super healthy dinners:

(Don't you love the irony of the disposable placemat here?)

Performing routine Goggin maintenance:

(That's right, baby, you show 'em who the tough tractor repair guy is! It's you baby!)

And reading scary dinosaur books to impressionable young children:

I know she doesn't look scared, but that book scares me.

So as you are wrapping up your Christmas shopping this week, or just getting started, as the case may be, please keep in mind that if you need to pause for a moment to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas, there is at least one Flamingo in the house who can sing you all three verses about the reason for the season.