Last weekend would have been our first weekend in the house, but because we had to go to Detroit for K’s parents’ 40th anniversary, and because we decided to drop by the downtown Holiday Parade first (underwhelming – I think that NYC has ruined parades for us), we haven’t really had a weekend at home yet. When I say a weekend at home, I mean a weekend in which we have nowhere to be at any specific time, and we can wake up and stay in PJs and just be present.

Last night I sealed and stamped our Christmas cards (I’m getting them out early this year because our change of address is on them) and as I sat at the counter it occurred to me that I’d normally listen to Christmas music while completing this task, but I wasn’t in the mood for it yet. I was excited to get the cards out, but the time didn’t feel quite right for holiday tunes. Then this morning happened. Last night was a night of musical beds (although I slept through most of it, apparently, which I feel somewhat guilty about). I woke up with Jonah in our bed and Kristin mysteriously absent. When he noticed the sliver of outside visible below the shades, he gasped. “Mama D! Look what I see! Snow!” The kids have spent a lot of time at the windows today, and I’ve been smiling so much. Immediately I felt like putting up Christmas lights, and Jingle Bell Rock is playing as I type (before that it was the Ghostbusters theme, because Jonah, and families are about compromise). Jonah has been sweet to the twins today, even going to get them both step stools so that they could see out the living room window with him.

I love this house so much. I just keep walking around with this sense of wonder and amazement that we get to live here, and how perfect it is for us. A night or two ago Kristin said “I’m so glad we didn’t get the Treehaven house” (the house we put an offer in on before this one, and lost). For ages I’ve heard friends make similar comments, that all of the houses they lost were clearly not the right ones, and I’ve always assumed it was revisionist history. Now though, I think that I finally understand. It really does feel like this house is so much better for us than any of the others we considered.

We have some truly wonderful neighbors here too. Our next door neighbor just came by with her 11-year-old niece (who brought books for the kids and played with them so lovingly), and our neighbor across the street saw Kristin’s car parked on the street one night after 11 p.m. and wrote a long note to public safety explaining our mistake and asking that we please be excused from any ticket (we didn’t get one!).

I can’t wait to get our Christmas tree and to put up lights on our bushes outside. That’s the kind of thing I’ve dreamed of doing for so long. Here’s to many more sleepy weekend mornings in this house, the house that Jonah announced that he wants to live in forever.