November's end

I am thankful that Dennis was fine today, eating like a champ, running and playing at school. His eyes looked tired and a bit red, and he was a trifle quiet, I think. Those who know him well asked if he'd been sick or if he was feeling okay. But he really was fine, he kept insisting, so we treated him as such!

We filled in the last pocket of the Thankful Tree tonight, with Dennis saying he was thankful for "my school, my family, my cousins, and my school friends." He asked where pockets 31 and 32 were. I explained that we were now finished with the tree, and tomorrow we'll start the Advent calendar. He's already been using his Santa counter to count down the days until Christmas, turning the blocks each morning at breakfast and today happily informing me "there are 25 days til Christmas, that means tomorrow it will be 24 days." And "what if there were twenty-hundred days until Christmas? That's way too long!!". I agree! We are noticing the Christmas lights going up all over town, and he's delighted to point out new ones each evening. It's the best time of year!