Now where did December go? Is it just me who wakes up and the month is over?

December is nearly done, and my last post in this month was about November. What is it about this time of year that makes it seem like it barrels past and you're running at full speed just to keep up?

I suppose I should highlight December, now that it's practically over.

The second Tuesday in December Amelia participated in the kindergarten choir at a school performance in the evening. In the days leading up to the evening, she kept singing bits of songs about elves tap tap tapping and candy canes dancing, and I wasn't entirely certain what it was all about until a flyer came home to explain. I'm also not certain that on the night of the concert Amelia really knew all of the exact words, but she's great at looking like she's singing the right ones. And that's what really counts...I think.

Before the concert, she wanted me to take a picture of her in her new little jumper. She especially requested that I photograph the sparkling flower pin that we attached to the bow on the front to keep it in place. A quick ironing job would have probably been more efficient, but that somehow seemed too troublesome.

Amelia cannot resist hamming it up.

When we arrived at her classroom, she met up with some kinder buds and played in their classroom "kitchen" while they waited to file in on the risers and sing for us.

The actual singing was difficult to photograph with all of the heads and bodies in the way. We waited too long in the classroom taking pictures (an example is below) to actually get a good seat in the cafeteria.

So, here's a shot of Amelia's class waiting to begin with their teacher Mrs. Giroux.

That weekend, we participated in the Tempe Towne Lake boat parade. The boat was a bit crowded, but the weather wasn't nearly as cold as last year so our lips weren't blue and we could still feel our noses by the fireworks show at the end.

Here's my rather sad attempt to give you a glimpse of the decorated boats on the lake.

We squeezed in with the Griffins and Evan's parents and a few other cousins and friends. There were really too many people and we probably would have been cited had it been a regular boating trip, but we kept each other warm while we drank hot chocolate and ate cookies (all of which Holly Griffin, a.k.a Supa Holly, made that afternoon while she dressed her children in hats and coats and other warm things and loaded up several blankets.)

I actually took a picture of Holly and the kids sitting in the back, but Holly had a huge piece of chocolate in her teeth that I didn't see through the viewer on the camera. I figured she'd probably appreciate that I didn't post the photo.

Hmmm. Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned it either.

Dylan amused himself by playing with the lights on the boat and dancing to the music pounding from the speakers.

Evan's dad shared the hump that covers the motor with us in the middle.

Evan's brother Brad took several of the photos, including this one, while he stood holding on to the boom. There really wasn't a place for him to sit, unfortunately.

Here are the munchkins who squished in the front of the boat. Amelia made herself right at home.

And Evan's mom and Kailyn sat up next to Shad Griffin who played chauffeur for the spin around the lake.

The moon was huge. You can't tell from this picture where Rider Griffin is trying to point to it, but it was huge. Really.

More December highlights to come. Maybe I'll get up to Christmas...