Pretty from the outside anyway....

A couple nights ago I went to pick up Strider from work and when I came home, this was the scene.  I could see Pete back in the family room reading to the kids, probably "Tabitha's Travels," our Advent story for this year.

I paused, feeling the holiday glow, thinking about the apple crisp I had put in the oven right before I left, seeing the Advent wreath on the table that the kids and I had just made, happy we were all home in our new house.

Then I walked inside and was immediately barraged by little people asking me for things.  I could hear Pete in the other room yelling things like, "You guys are not doing a good job listening!  I'm not even going to read anymore if you can't be quieter!"  Strider was mad at me for an ongoing issue... and the apple crisp was completely missing!

Looks prettier from the outside sometimes...but life is happening on the inside.  These are still the days to remember!