January 2014 Recap

January was a lot of fun for us.  We managed to get quite a bit of play time in through various activities and outings, which was a nice change after the hectic pace of the holidays.

On the first Saturday of the month, the four of us drove up to the Children's Museum INK and spent the morning there playing with the kids at all of the different exhibits.  They have little rooms set up as different real-life places and the kids can role play being a dentist at a dentist office, a waiter at a 50s diner, a beautician at a salon, a doctor at a hospital, a judge or lawyer in a courtroom, a shopper at a grocery store, etc.  They also have an indoor playground area, an old police car, and a huge old firetruck to climb all around.  It's a blast for them!  We packed our lunch and ate there before hitting the road.  It was a nice way to spend a Saturday doing something different as a family.

The next week Audrey started back to school, but before sending her we had a Mommy-Daughter date to conclude her winter break.  We went to the dentist (okay, that part wasn't as fun for me at least), then to lunch, and then I gave her a choice between painting pottery or getting a new stuffed animal at Build-a-Bear.  It took her .02 seconds to decide on Build-a-Bear and she ecstatically put together a new bunny she named Cutie Pie.

The following weekend we took a road trip to Lexington, South Carolina to visit our friends the Taylors who moved there about six months ago.  It was such a blast hanging out for two days and the kids enjoyed playing together nonstop.  Everyone got along very, very well and the only issue was Audrey having second thoughts about spending the night in the girls' room.  At 3am. When we were on the other end of the house and couldn't hear her. So, that meant waking poor Mrs. Kara who then had to come wake us. (It's not like she doesn't already have to get up to feed a baby.  What's one more time?)  David and Brian snuck away for a quick golf game on Sunday morning, which thrilled them to death.  We ate delicious food, played games, and talked nonstop about big issues, little topics, and everything in between.  Both Kara and I teared up when it was time to go on Sunday after lunch.  We miss them terribly and are looking forward to our next marathon catch-up session!

Of course we got some work done this month, too.  It can't all be fun and games (at least to this Type-A.)  We finally painted the guest room and worked hard cleaning out three closets in the basement.  We threw out 5-6 bags of trash and took a huge load to Goodwill.  I began consigning the kids' summer clothes from last year.  I also went through mine and David's old memorabilia, trashed stuff that neither of us had a clue about, and reorganized what was left.  We got a new roof put on, a new TV for the basement, a new TV table, and several other accessories/pieces of decor for the basement, which all required hanging/putting out/arranging.

The last weekend of the month, I got to cash in my Christmas gift.  I wrote about it in a previous TT post, but I'll give a brief overview again:  On Saturday the 25th, after the roofers woke us up bright and early putting on our new roof, David and I dropped the kids off at his parents' and drove downtown for the Hot Chocolate 5K/15K.  We went straight to the expo at the Georgia World Congress Center to get our race bibs then back to the hotel for naps and not naps.  ;)  We took a walk around Piedmont Park then through downtown before changing and going out to a delicious dinner at a local Italian spot called Pasta da Pulcinella.  We were in bed by 8:00 and after turning down a $17 in-room movie option, we snuggled and watched Modern Family reruns until turning out the lights around 9:30.  That next morning, we bundled up and drove as close as we could to Turner field and found a deck.  (Reminder:  Next time pay the stupid $10 for a parking pass in a lot there!)  We walked about 3/4 mile to the start line and jumped around in our corral trying to stay warm. I think it was about 25 degrees and David had the beginnings of a cold.  Nonetheless, we rocked it and crossed the finish line.  Maybe not super fast, but we did it.  They had our chocolate bowl "goodie bags" (fondue with various dipping foods plus hot chocolate) waiting for us after the race.  We walked back to the car, showered, and got ready to go get the kids.  It was a wonderful, much-needed break!

The next week we had a snow and ice storm hit that crippled the city.  The problem was that instead of happening overnight, it began mid-morning.  Then everyone decided to leave work early and dismiss school early and DOT workers couldn't do anything to help the frozen roads because millions of cars were on them.  People were stuck in their cars for 6 plus hours and kids in several counties had to spend the night in schools.  It made national news, mostly as the butt of Northerner's jokes.  I made my feelings clear on that in an earlier post, so I'll choose to point out that we were incredibly blessed to be safe and together and that it was awesome to hear of all the ways people, restaurants, stores, etc. came together to help one another out.  I'm proud to be a Georgia Peach, even if it means we don't handle snow well!  We of course played outdoors in it (Audrey loved it, Luke kind of just tolerated it).  We made a snowman, we made snow angels, we had a snowball fight, we "sledded" in our laundry basket, and we tramped through the gorgeous and scenic woods.  Then, when we couldn't stand the cold anymore, we did play dough and bubble baths and movies indoors.  It was just enough to get it out of our system.

Hmmm...what else this month?  I got new glasses, David went to Ohio for business for two days, we had two great play dates with our friends the Eries, and I had a lovely girls' night out dinner with a friend that lasted 3.5 hours.  It's been a wonderful month, but we are still very much dying for routine.  Even in routine in a single area would be nice!  For instance, Audrey started back to school on the 8th, then had MLK day off then missed a day for snow.  Kind of a big deal when you only go to school three days a week anyway!  Several of my runs got cancelled or had to be done indoors on a treadmill (YUCK) due to the weather.  David traveled, the kids fought colds, etc. etc. etc.  Maybe by the end of my February update we'll be able to report some normalcy.  Nonetheless, the amount of fun stuff we got to do and the few important projects we tackled balanced out the unpredictability pretty well.

We hope your new year started off well, too!  Enjoy the pics:    January Picture Gallery

Thankful Thursday

I have finally started my January Recap and had really hoped to be finished by now, but it hasn't happened.  So, I am interrupting my work on that post to bring you this week's TT post, because I'm just that dedicated.  You're welcome. 

Beginning Tuesday morning and continuing through this morning, we've had snow and ice in metro Atlanta to the tune of 6" + in our area.  Yeah, yeah.  We know.  That's nothing compared to what Northerners have to deal with, especially this winter.  Welp, that's a huge reason we live where we do.  Because we aren't huge fans of this kind of weather and we don't know how to handle it!  As one blogger put it, I invite my Yankee friends to meet down here in July and discuss ways we can better prepare ourselves for the snowy weather.  We'll do it outside without the nonsense of shade and it'll be so hot that within 4 seconds you'll want to peel your own skin off.  High temps and humidity?  Yeah, we can handle those.  Tornadoes?  We know just what to do.  Snow?  Not so much.  And that's okay.  (Yes, I get defensive about my South.  And that's okay too.)

Still, we did much better this go-round than a few weeks ago when it started coming down mid-morning and millions of people left work at the exact same moment and schools let out early.  People were trapped for 6, 8, even 12 or more hours trying to get home.  Kids spent the night in schools (none in our county, but many elsewhere), loved ones were separated with dead cell phones, interstates and roads were covered with abandoned cars.  It was awful!  So you can imagine that when this forecast came out, people did all they could to hunker down and stay home.  David worked from home yesterday and today, thankfully.  Audrey was out Wednesday and will be out tomorrow and we've all got cabin fever creeping in.  Truthfully, it hasn't been as bad as I expected though.  We really have had a great time together and soaked up all of the normal "snow day things", which brings me to my list:

1.  S'mores.  Eewwwy-gooey and oh so yum!  Luke enjoyed his first this week.

2.  Long bubble baths.  Not just for me, but for the kids too!  When all else fails, throw them in the tub to play!  

3.  Getting in a run.  I missed Tuesday's run because of weather and thought I'd have to skip today's.  I am so used to running early in the morning that it didn't really dawn on me to go this afternoon until, well, this afternoon.  David finished up work around 4:15 and I hit the pavement.  It was really weird to go that time of day (and to be surrounded by snow!), but I'm glad I did.  Half Marathon #3 is just around the corner!

4.  Playtime.  We are on the go a lot. These last couple of days offered us some time to slow down and play together for hours on end.  We did science experiments, pretended our living room was the beach, made snow cream, drank hot chocolate, had a snowman-building contests, watched home movies, and read a lot of books.  There was a bunch of giggling and laughter and only a small amount of yelling.  It was fun!  

That being said...

5.  That power stayed on.  Not only for heat and cooking and all that super important stuff, but also because...well, as I put it on FB:  Snow Days #1 & #2: "Let's play in it! Let's build a snowman! Let's make s'mores! Let's pretend we're at the beach! Let's have hot chocolate! Let's build a fort! Let's do some fun experiments!" Snow Day #3: "...Y'all wanna watch some more TV?"

Yeah, we're kinda done.  So long, snow!  You were beautiful, but we need to return to our regularly scheduled programming.  Try and make it back for Christmas, though!

Thankful Thursday

We're on the verge of wrapping up another busy week in the Sinyard household.  I had such high hopes of this one FINALLY being back to normal after the holidays.  It seems we haven't had a full week where Audrey has school on her usual days AND all my workouts get done AND David is in town and not working late AND things were just, well, normal since well before Christmas.  But alas, it wasn't meant to be yet.  Luke came down with a double ear infection on Wednesday and the poor baby is not feeling well.  He's had four doses of antibiotics, which is typically the magic turnaround for him, so pray he wakes up feeling much better and his appetite returns.  When his fever is gone (which still isn't happening without the aid of Motrin or Tylenol) he acts pretty normal, but I can tell he's zapped.  He's not sleeping well which means neither are we.  

The rest of us are hanging in there health-wise, though if AJ's cough doesn't hit the road soon, we'll be getting that checked out as well.  Ah, winter.  What a giant pain in the behind you are.  Aside from harboring germs, you are also absolutely ruining my early morning runs.  I truly have no use for you past December 25th.

But now to focus on the positive, here is this week's TT list:

1.  A surprise visitor!  My mom came out on Tuesday, which was very nice.  What was also super cool was that she brought my niece Annelise with her!  She and my SIL were in town for a few days, so my mom arranged to get Annelise and bring her to our house so Audrey and her could hang out for a bit.  It was such a treat and we loved seeing her.

2.  Preschool teachers.  Have I put them on this list before?  I can't remember because children ruin your sane mind, which is another reason I am so grateful for these sweet ladies who take a turn with my girl each week.  They do so many cool things with them to get them pumped up about learning.  Two weeks ago was Wild West Day and this week was Toastie Toes (pajama) Day.  Around here we usually just have Don't Kill Your Sibling Day and Laundry Day, so it's definitely a plus for her to get to be a part of such a neat program.

3.  My children's sense(s?) of humor.  I can tell already they are funny.  Audrey gets and uses sarcasm like a champ and Luke will do just about anything for a laugh.  His latest hilarious trick is to do the "sad trombone" noise that David sometimes makes when things go wrong.  His timing and use of it is right on.  For example, when he and I were loading the dishwasher the other night, we closed it up and then I said," Oh no, we forgot to put in Mommy and Daddy's plates."  He immediately responded with "Waaa, Waaa, Waaa, Waaaaaaa." Another night David flipped the switch on the nightlight and it didn't come on, so Luke piped up with his sound effect.  Hilarious.

4.  The one Wolf Camera in metro Atlanta.  If you've known me for any length of time, you know I used to single-handedly provide a paycheck to at least half of our local Wolf Camera's employees.  Sadly, my contributions were not enough and they closed it down along with every other store in Georgia.  Except one.  And I found it.  And I drove over an hour to get there and print some pictures to frame.  I realize there are services that do this online, but I wanted it done now and in person.  I'll be back, Wolf Camera.  I can't promise you the kind of faithfulness I gave before, but you'll see me a few times a year, I assure you.

5.  Deep conversations.  I know it's quite cliche to say so, but in this technologically-driven society our "conversations" can be brief, surface, and fake.  Lately I've had several real talks with real friends and it's been a breath of fresh air in my life.  The subject matter isn't really what has made the difference, it's just that there was a level of connection and understanding that fosters real relationships.  And with all of the Pinterest and Facebook facades, I'll take more real.  

Pray for health and a good weekend!  I'm dropping off all of my consignment stuff (YES!) and we're hosting our first small group this weekend (YIKES!), so we'll have a lot going on these next couple of days.  Happy Friday! 

Thankful Thursday

1.  Snow!  Though it reeked HAVOC on our city, we were blessed to be home together, safe and warm.  David worked from home on Wednesday (and I actually mean worked), so we didn't play outside a ton because I didn't want to handle two kids in those temps and conditions by myself.  Still, we got in enough for our taste and did the usual snow-y stuff: snowman building, snow ball throwing, and snow angel making.  We were out about an hour each day and even trekked to the lake then back through the woods to enjoy all of the gorgeous scenery.  Audrey loved it, but Luke just kind of tolerated it.  Me?  I like a little play time, but mostly prefer watching it from the inside while drinking hot chocolate.  

And with that, we're done with it.  Where's Spring?

2.  A (new) roof over our heads! And just in time for the snow! After several of our neighbors filed claims with their insurance companies and were getting granted new roofs, we decided it was worth a shot.  Sure enough, our insurance company determined there was enough wind and hail damage to cut us a check and our new roof went on last Saturday.  It looks awesome and really boosts the appearance of the whole house, especially since the garage had a different roof on it altogether.  At 15 years old, we knew we were going to have to bite the bullet in the next couple of years, but are so, so thankful it only cost us our deductible.  

3.  A WONDERFUL weekend with my husband.  For Christmas, David gave me the gift of an overnight stay downtown and the commitment to run in the Hot Chocolate 5K/15K.  We dropped the kids off of at his parents', went to the expo, walked around downtown and in Piedmont Park, then had a delicious dinner at a nice local Italian place.  The next morning, due to my lack of training and the cold temps being an awesome wife, I decided to do the 5K with him instead of the 15K.  It was a great route similar to what we've done before during the KP Corporate Challenge.  We finished and enjoyed our delicious hot chocolate, fondue, and various dipping treats then walked a mile back to the car, showered at the hotel, and ate breakfast.  On the way home we stopped to buy David's late Christmas/early b'day/early anniversary/early next Christmas gift of a new TV.  This was our second time buying a TV around the Superbowl and I, along with Clark Howard, highly recommend timing your TV purchase likewise.  We got an incredible deal on an open-box model someone brought back to exchange for a larger one.  We picked up the kids and went home to set it up in the basement.  We're waiting on the wall-mount, but it looks sooooo cool.  So, in conclusion, awesome weekend full of sweet, precious time with my husband...and cool gifts. :)

4.  Audrey's new bravery.  In the last week, we've gone to two Monkey Joe/Catch Air-type of indoor play places.  Audrey used to be very timid about trying many of the things there, but no more.  Now she runs fearlessly from giant inflatable slide to giant inflatable octopus to giant inflatable pirate ship.  I love watching her come out of her shell and enjoy it all.

5.  Luke's unchanging laugh.  We were watching home videos the other day and came across one from our old house when Audrey was cracking Luke up with a game of peek-a-boo.  He was probably about seven or eight months old and his laugh sounded exactly the same as it does now.  It was and is the sweetest sound to my ears.  

So, that's this week's update disguised as a Thankful Thursday list.  Hope you and your families didn't have too much trouble with the weather and that you enjoyed your snow days!

Thankful Thursday

1.  My oldest brother, Brian, who turns...well, older...tomorrow.  Love you and thankful for you, B!  

2.  Outdoor playground time.  We got to get out a little while on Monday and play at one of our nearby parks.  It seems a distance memory considering the low today was 15, but we soaked it up while we could.

3.  "Right now" moments.  Today the kids and I ate lunch at Subway.  Luke really wanted to sit with us in the booth instead of his usual highchair spot.  Audrey wanted me to sit with her.  So, naturally, we all sat on the same side of the booth.  I asked Audrey if she thought we'd always be able to squeeze in together like that.  "I don't know.  Maybe not.  But we can right now."  Wise words that made me grateful for that "right now" and many others that won't always be possible.    

4.  Toddler time at the library.  Because of my Bible Study schedule I haven't taken Luke to a toddler/story time more than once or twice.  We went this week and he really enjoyed it. He didn't participate much, but I think he will once he goes more often.  He did show a lot of independence when it came time to get his "activity toy" (a lettered beanbag) and hand stamped.  He made his way through the crowd up to the front and back to me without hesitating.  Oh my big boy.  Slow down!

5.  That I have 1/4 of the amount of stuff to consign than I've had the last two big sales.  Since I'm only doing the kids' previous season of clothes plus toys that don't get played with, it's going much faster than usual.  I'm also doing maternity this go-round, but it's still not as all-consuming as it typically is.  I'll miss the bigger check, but having a life the month before drop-off is nice too.  

Happy Belated New Year

Well, Happy New Year, folks!  I mean, I'm only 22 days late with my wishes, but at least I made it in January!  

Oy.  I hope this isn't an indication of how well my blogging is going to go this year.  I had so hoped to do better and even - yikes - start back up my Imperfect Perfectionist site?!  I know, I know...one thing at a time.

We had a great December and Christmas and, so far, 2014 isn't kicking our tail.  Audrey and I are both fighting off little colds, but other than that and a few more ear infection worries for Luke (but no actual infections), we're doing well.  My running has slacked off considerably with these cold temperatures, but I'm still doing at least 5 miles 2-3 times a week.  A far cry from my 20-25, but it's something.  My ever-shrinking jeans beg to differ that it's enough, though.  I could just lay off my cookie habit, but I'm not willing to go that drastic just yet.  I'm anxious to get back into a regular exercise routine.  

David and I have a race coming up this weekend downtown.  I was originally going to do the 15K and he was going to do the 5K, but then I decided since it was a date weekend and the 5K started almost an hour earlier, I'd go ahead and do it with him.  Yeah, yeah.  That's it.  It has absolutely nothing to do with my inadequate training and my being totally over running in 20 degree temps.

I haven't been a slacker in all arenas, though.  We've been tackling some projects around the house that we've been putting off for quite awhile.  As in, boxes in the basement closets that David never unpacked from our move and junk that had been stuffed in our old attic since we got married.  We've been cleaning out and cleaning up.  Normally there are few things I enjoy more, but too many projects at once mean I'm not making a lot of headway with any of them.  Cleaning out 3 basement closets + painting and decorating the guest bedroom + decorating the basement + consignment sale pricing + Luke's birthday party + cleaning out the master bedroom linen closet and all our memorabilia = a whole lot of physical and mental clutter and very little progress.  But, it'll get done eventually.  Beginning February 9th, we'll be hosting a couples' small group so that is my deadline.  And then there's Luke birthday and party later in the month, which will be my "okay-for-real-deadline deadline."  

So, busy business as usual, but we wouldn't know what to do with ourselves otherwise.  

I'll save the rest of the updates for my monthly recap, which if you're lucky, may get written sometime before May.  :)  

Hope to see you back here for Thankful Thursday!

December Recap/Christmas 2013

The month's festivities started out with my Bible Study ending and a brunch social to close out the semester.  Then, on the first Saturday, we had David's company party at Chateau Elan.  It was the first we'd been to in several years due to either moving, lack of sitter options, or I'm-too-dang-pregnant-to-have-to-shop-for-a-fancy-dress-and-find-other-people-interesting-all-night syndrome.  It was really nice to get dolled up and go meet/see some of the coworkers I hear so much about.  David wasn't thrilled about the dressing up part, but it's a small price to pay as far as I'm concerned.  Endless adult conversation + free food + a night off from cooking/cleaning/bathing/bedtime?  Yes, please.  We were wild and crazy and even stayed until about 10pm.  Then we remembered kids don't care how late you stay up and we had a 9:00am church service to get to the next day, so we went home and got in bed. 

The next morning my mom, who had been awesome enough to stay over and keep the kids the night before, joined us for church and then some window shopping at the mall before lunch.  It was nice to have so much consecutive one-on-one (one-on-four?) time with her.  After lunch, she headed home and we got ready to go to Cookies and Cocoa with Santa at our neighborhood clubhouse.  When the kids woke up from naps, we changed them and headed down for our appointment.  It was so much nicer than having to wait in line forever at the mall and pay $30 for a terrible 5x7 shot.  We walked right up, he read Audrey's list and talked to her, the professional photographer took a couple of shots, and then we quickly threw Luke on his lap as she snapped a few more.  David and I even jumped in the last one and it turned out great.  See for yourself:

We ate a couple of cookies, drank hot chocolate, and the kids colored pictures while we chatted with a couple with two boys that we'd met at the pool over the summer.  The mom and I swapped numbers and email addresses and promised to schedule a play date soon.  We made good on our word the next Wednesday when we met at the neighborhood park for a little while.  

The next week things started to pick up as they tend to do this time of year.  Audrey and I went out for a Mommy-Daughter dinner and shopping date one evening, which was so nice.  I rarely get one-on-one time with her anymore and it's such a treat...not to mention immensely easier than having both or just Luke at his age.  

That Wednesday was Audrey's Christmas program at school.  She was dressed in a star costume, which was very big and awkward on her.  Bless her heart, she didn't sing hardly a word and looked scared for her life the whole time.  She did ring her handbell at the appropriate times during "Silent Night" (which was anything but silent in that room with 50+ 4 and 5 year olds ringing bells!)  After her performance, I raced back to the room to finish setting up the refreshment table and then fix her a little plate.  She showed us some of the artwork she'd been working on and told us about different areas of her classroom.  Later that night I asked her why she didn't sing when I knew she knew the words.  She explained that it was because it was her first time on stage.  I told her it wasn't...that she'd done a Grandparents' Day performance at her old school.  She said, "Yeah, Mom, but that was only hundreds of eyes looking at me.  Today, there were THOUSANDS of eyes staring."  Poor baby.  I do hope public performances get easier for her!  

That Thursday, the kids and I drove up to Greenville SC to meet my friend Kara and her three kids for a play date at a children's museum.  Kara and her family moved to Lexington in July and, though we've seen each other a few times since, we have missed them terribly.  Greenville is about halfway between us, so we decided to meet up there and I'm so glad we did.  The kids had a great time exploring all of the cool exhibits and Kara and I actually managed to catch up in between keeping an eye on everyone.  At one point she took one of her girls to the bathroom while I held 3 month old Reid and watched the other kids.  I was thinking, "man, this isn't so hard!  I got this" for a full thirty seconds before I realized I'd forgotten to keep an eye on Luke and had no idea where he was.  He was just around the corner playing, but I guess if you're going to lose one, it's better to lose your own.   

The same day also marked our one year anniversary in our house.  I had spent hours and hours putting together a video for David of all the before/after photos and a typed-up project list of what we'd accomplished in that time.  We watched it that night after the kids were in bed and were both really amazed at how much work we'd done and the changes that had taken place.  Truth be told, it still doesn't feel 100% like home, but it's much, much closer than it was a year ago and with each brush stroke, nail hole, and grout line, it's getting there.  

The second weekend of the month we spent Friday night at Christmas in the Park which is a cute little festival put on by a local church.  They had different tents set up to look like a village and each one had a different activity - making an ornament, playing a game, writing a letter to a soldier, hearing a Christmas story, etc.  They also had live music and ballet/dance performances on stage.  It was really cool and got all of us in the Christmas spirit.  We ate dinner out and went home to prepare our house for a party the next day.  That Saturday, we finished cleaning, did some wrapping, and baked cookies until our friends arrived around dinner time.  There were 8 adults and 8 kids, so we wised up even before we had committed to host and decided to do pizza.  The adults chatted as much as we could in between paper airplane retrieval, helping with sticker crafts, and sibling disagreements.  It is always so good to catch up with this group whom we've known since high school.  For just a little while we can all pretend we're as young as we were back then.  Until someone bursts our bubble with "Mooooooom!  He took my book/toy/airplane and won't give it baaaaaack!"  Oh well.  

The next day we had my dad and stepmom over to celebrate my dad's birthday.  We ate lunch (that they were generous enough to bring as they drove all the way out, no less!) and visited for a little bit.  We had cake and ice cream, let Dad open his present, and then Audrey squeezed her way in between them and showed off her new reading skills.  They left around nap time and David and Audrey left to go on a Daddy-Daughter shopping and dinner date while Luke and I hung back to clean up from the party, wrap books for Audrey's class book exchange, and sneak leftover birthday cake.  Audrey and David got back just after dinner time and she was gushing about how awesome a time they had.  She did a great job of not telling me anything about my gifts, which was impressive.  

The next week, the third in December, was a very busy one.  During the days I ran around buying gift cards for Audrey's teachers' gift card wreaths, went in to her school to get the kids' fingerprints on the teachers' cards, finished up last minute shopping, shipped packages and cards, cut 102 rectangles and prepped for a craft for Audrey's class party, and hit the grocery store at least three times.  The evenings were busy too.  I delivered a meal to a friend recovering from surgery on Monday night, we hosted one of David's customers from work for dinner on Tuesday night (a first in nearly ten years of marriage!  Guess my lucky streak ran out!), and Wednesday we snuck away for a dinner date complete with a stop at Toys R Us then Target to find just the right baby doll that Santa would leave for Audrey.  

Thursday was a self-imposed chill-at-home day.  We worked on a craft gift, finished putting together the teachers' wreaths, and had a lunch picnic in front of the Christmas tree.  We went to the park that afternoon and played our hearts out, literally closing the place down. After meeting David for dinner at our favorite mexican restaurant, we drove around to check out Christmas lights while eating candy canes and belting out carols.  It was one of those great nights that make the season.  

On Friday, David's mom kept Luke while I helped out at Audrey's class party.  We did centers, then I went to pick up pizza while the kids had Play Ball and did their book exchange.  I came back and helped serve the class then cleaned up while they went to the playground.  I was meeting my co-room mom to give the teachers their gifts with her, so I got to hang out and be a part of most of the day.  After we gave the teachers their presents, I checked Audrey out a few minutes early.  I was so looking forward to a night of resting and a Christmas movie, but it was cut short because I insisted on taking Luke to a Minute Clinic to get his ears checked.  I was almost positive they were fine, but my relentlessness wouldn't let up and I was worried about being in the same boat as last year when we spent 3-4 hours in after-hours care two days before Christmas.  So, instead, we spent two hours in a CVS to hear, "yes, they're red, but they aren't infected right now."  Obviously I was thankful for that news, but more than a little mad at spending one of our last free evenings before Christmas there.  No matter...we made it home in time to have scarf down a late dinner and watch Frosty the Snowman.

The next morning I did a short-long run before we packed up the van and headed to our first Christmas celebration at David's grandparents in Alabama.  Since we were trying to pack so much in before hitting the road, we let the kids open their gifts before lunch.  They got some adorable stuff and did a great job savoring each gift.  We ate and ate and ate and then put Luke down for a nap while we ate some more.  He woke up just in time to let us adults do our gift card swap, visit another minute, and then load the car for the ride home.  Our visits there always go too fast, but we so enjoy seeing everyone.

The next day we went to church and then came home to clean house, help Audrey wrap her gifts, and make a gingerbread house.  We pulled out the gifts for celebration #2 and loaded up the car in preparation for our next day's trip.  David had started coming down with a cold, so I was trying to simultaneously rest up and get everything else finished in case it wiped me out too.  

On Monday morning, we left early to drive to my brother and sister-in-law's house in Villa Rica.  We got there around 9:15am and ate a delicious brunch of sausage balls, cinnamon rolls, hashbrown casserole, and fruit.  The kids started opening presents and played really well together (at least the older three) and with the new puppy and new kitten my brother's family had gotten a week earlier.  They were so fuzzy and cute!  (The pets...not the cousins.)  I took a lot of pictures, but forgot to do any video which annoys me.  Regardless, the gift exchanging, catching up, and loving time with family marched right on and was as crazy and awesome as you can imagine with five kids five and under.

Christmas #3 began the next morning on Christmas Eve when David's parents came over to celebrate with us at our house.  They came bearing gifts galore for all of us, but my favorite thing they gave me were four published annual books of this very blog.  I have been wanting to have them forever and it meant so much to see them in print.  Of course I can read through past entries online, but being able to flip through them and see the words in my hands is really special.  I hope they will be something my kids treasure in the future.  

My in-laws humored my request for an easy lunch and we ordered pizza and ate on paper plates.  I know how to treat family right, don't I?!  We ate and played with the kids' new toys and listened to them serenade us on the sunporch with Jingle Bells and the Pledge of Allegiance because, sure, why not?  Around nap time they left and we put Luke down and gave Audrey a stack of books to read quietly in her room.  We wanted to make sure she stayed awake so she'd go right to sleep at bedtime and Santa could come promptly.  :)  While they rested, David attempted to sleep off some of his cold while I prepared sausage balls, monkey bread, and corn pudding for the next day.  

After the kids woke up, we baked and decorated Christmas cookies, fixed our traditional Mexican dinner of tacos and cheese dip, bathed them, and put them in their new Christmas pajamas.  They each got to open up one present (always an ornament) and then chose a cookie to eat by the fire, which consequently caused an infiltration of wasps, so we turned it off and shut the flue.  We laid out the cookies for Santa and poured out the bag of reindeer food she'd made at school in the front yard.  All the boxes were checked - we were ready!  We read the Christmas story from the Bible and The Night Before Christmas, said prayers, and put them to bed.  Then Santa came and worked quite loudly putting train tracks together on the train table he'd previously assembled.  His helper may or may not have had a tough time keeping the ponies-on-a-stick and Tickle-Me-Elmo from going off, but somehow the kids slept through it all.

The next morning dawned bright and early for me as I preheated the oven, took a shower, and then began cooking our traditional holiday breakfast of sausage balls and monkey bread.  By 7:30, David, Luke, and I were ready to go but Sleepyhead Audrey was still sacked out.  We woke her up and waited for the cue from Daddy that it was safe to come down the stairs.  When they rounded the corner, the site that was laid out before them was a kids' dream:  a fully assembled train table that took up most of the family room floor and a pony-on-a-stick for each of them.  For Audrey, there was a Cabbage Patch Doll, a set of Fancy Nancy books, and a stuffed pink poodle just like she requested.  For Luke, there was a Tickle-Me-Elmo, a new book, and a set of Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood sticker scene.  Their stockings were brimming over with new DVDs, suckers and candy, crayons, and activity packets.  They jumped on their "horses" and ran around the train table in excitement.  Months of imagining that scene paid off while I watched their joyful faces.  

The rest of the day was wonderfully predictable:  open present, play, eat, rest, repeat.  The kids went down for naps and David and I exchanged our usual gifts of dates.  Long story short, I wanted to surprise him with a new TV for the basement but decided not to.  Instead I gave him the choice of renting a sports car for a day or putting the money towards a new TV.  Like the rest of the male population would have chosen, he picked the latter.  He gave me an overnight stay at hotel downtown for the Hot Chocolate 15K run later this month.  What's more, he gave me the gift of him doing the 5K portion of it!  I love this new tradition we have going of date exchanges.  At this stage in our life, what we need most is time together and taking time to plan something the other would like and then getting to anticipate it with each other means so much.  

After the kids got up, we played some more and I started dinner.  I'd made corn pudding the night before, bought potato salad, and had leftover beans I cooked for my brothers', so all we had to do was the ham, some rolls, microwave mashed potatoes, and mac and cheese.  I had never done a ham before, but the deli lady at Publix sold me on a Boar's Head glaze that seemed really easy.  I finished setting the dining room table with china plates and crystal glasses and lit the taper candles.  Audrey asked if we could stay in our pajamas for our fancy dinner and it took me approximately .02 seconds to say, "absolutely."  For all the work being a grown-up is, it sure pays off when you get to pave your own way sometimes. I wanted to do a "nice" dinner in the dining room this year but who cares what we wore?!  I may have them dress differently when they can dress themselves, but for this season in our life, eating microwaved mashed potatoes beside our first home cooked ham while in our pajamas equaled absolute perfection.

After clearing the dishes, we let the kids each open their final present.  They only got three each from us but the opening of them lasted all day because we stretched it out and played so much in between.  Audrey got a Spiral-graph art maker, a set of walkie-talkies, and an Ariel and Prince Eric doll set.  Luke got a Little People merry-go-round set, a ball and hammer toy, and a tool belt with tools.   We played some more and then changed out of pajamas into fresh pajamas - ahhhhh - and read one of my favorite children's Christmas book "Spirit of Christmas" by Nancy Tillman.  What an awesome way to end an awesome day.  

The next morning, I got up super early and was at Kohl's by 6am.  Since we've celebrated Christmas with my family on the day after for the past couple of years, it's been awhile since I've hit the post-Christmas sales.  I thoroughly enjoyed it!  I made returns without standing in line and didn't hit a crowd until my third store - Parson's Christmas Shoppe.  I went to Kohl's, Target, Parson's, and Belk and I was home by 11:30 for lunch with everyone.  Even better was that I only spent about $50 thanks to gift cards and returns and I got a ton of great finds!  Later that afternoon, Audrey and I hit Home Depot for a return and then Hobby Lobby, but didn't get anything from either one.  We ate leftovers for dinner and enjoyed another night of just hanging out. 

David went to work that Friday and then, on Saturday, we dropped the kids off at Pam and Ed's to spend the night while we ran some errands and went out to lunch.  We came home and began undecorating our tree while catching up on our DVR.  We were productive, but it was especially nice to do so by just sit on the couch wrapping up ornaments.  We got down all the boxes from the attic and I packed up the family room before deciding that was enough work for the day.  So, we sat around and vegged some more.  At one point I asked David what time it was and then we quickly realized we didn't care!  We'd eat when we got hungry and go to bed when we got tired.  SUCH a nice feeling. 

Unfortunately, the kids, and therefore the grandparents, had a tougher night.  Audrey was coming down with David's cold and Luke was still fighting his.  Still, they didn't want to come home early so they toughed it out and my awesome in-laws hung in there and then brought them home after lunch the next day.  I ran out for a pre-birthday pedicure during their nap time and then we settled in for a night of more undecorating and playing.

The next day was my birthday and we took off for some returns at the mall.  While there, we road the merry-go-round and window shopped a little.  We decided to head home for lunch and then, because it was my special day, David was a good sport and joined me in some closet reorganization before nap time.  The kids slept and we researched anniversary trip destinations and dreamed about where we wanted to go.  After the kids woke up, we went out for dinner at Five Guys and home for cake and presents.  The kids gave me a really cool floor lamp for the craft room and David got me a gorgeous new watch.  I don't cry over gifts, y'all, but I totally teared up at that one.  I had been wanting one for so long and dropped a few hints, but honestly didn't expect it.  I love it and felt really, really splurged on and spoiled.  He nailed it.  It was the icing on the cake of a day filled with family time, organizing, and...actual cake.  GREAT 31st.

David worked New Year's Eve, more so than he wanted to as he had a conference call at 11:30 that night.  He managed to get off at 11:57, though, and for the first time in several years, we stayed awake to ring in the new year.  Of course, we were asleep by 12:10, but at least we saw the start of 2014.  

Great holidays, great month.  Busier than I would've liked, especially right before Christmas, but I think that's just the reality of the holidays with young kids.  My motto this season seemed to be "at least it's not as crazy as last year."  Something about closing and moving two weeks before Christmas reminds you that it could always be busier.  Next year I'll aim to do a little more beforehand and commit a little less during, but best laid plans of mice and Type-A women and all that...

Sorry I don't have more details on the kids or any cute quotes for you in this update, but considering the volume and detail I just covered, you probably need to get back to whatever you should be doing anyway! :)  

I hope you all had a fantastic season and wish you a very Happy New Year!  I look forward to chronicling more of our adventures and sharing them with you in 2014.  God bless!