I don’t know why Lily has always used the name Melinda or Melindy for play names.  But our Nutcracker soldiers are a little bit different.  She has named them Salindy and Salinder.  She has performed “on stage” {up on the fireplace} with them.  She even moves them around when its necessary to move the song or play along.  Tody she moved them close together as they are now friends.   And then she took a photo:

But today I am most thankful for the unexpected.  It is 8 now.  Ollie has been working on sleeping in his big boy bed and not getting much sleep.  No one really has been getting much sleep.  Tonight Sam laid with him and I did, too.  And I told Lily she could sleep in our bed which will keep her from going into his room to talk to him.  But I came downstairs to nurse Emmy and as I was walking from the kitchen to the playroom,  I noticed that our neighbors have a brightly lit little Christmas tree in the backyard.  It was so unexpected.  And it made me smile.  I’m so glad I noticed it.  This place feel like home to me. Unexpectedly.