Ahhh...

Christmas vacation is over and the children have gone back to school. The house is so quiet, my ears are having a difficult time adjusting to the lack of noise. I keep expecting someone to start wailing from the basement, "St-o-p!" or hear the sounds of small children pummeling each other as they jockey for space at the computer.

Two weeks in a house where four children were sick did not make for the happiest of vacations. They did not go outside to play. They barely cracked the spine on any of the books lying all over the house. (Ian, when asked if he'd read any books, informed me that he didn't have to do any homework on his vacation. Apparently, he doesn't yet see reading as profitable for its own sake...). They did, however manage to gorge themselves on candy and cookies and on all the other treats that are ever present over the Christmas holidays.

Yesterday, the tree and all the decorations throughout the house came down. Since Brian and I were the only ones originally involved in "striking the set" (ah, good, old theater days), I suggested we should inform the kids about what we were doing, because if they came up the stairs and saw everything gone, they would go into conniption fits the like of which has not been seen since we left the terrible twos behind.

Emma decided she wanted to help take the balls off the Christmas tree and put them in the plastic storage bin, informing us that she could do "three at a time, Daddy", and Avery and Jamie both came to help pull a few things off the tree. I called Ian to join us, and he adamantly refused to help the rest of us. "Why?" I asked.

"This place looks so boring without Christmas decorations. I can't take it!"

If only this would be the worst problem he will ever face...

He's right, though. The house does look a little sad right now, denuded of all its glorious Christmas finery.

Luckily, Valentine's Day is just around the corner...which means hearts and cupids and chocolate, oh my...

Is it too soon to start decorating?