A little of this and that...

The last time I blogged was a preview of our vacation to Gulf Shores in OCTOBER. Geesh. Our lives have been like a crazy whirlwind since then and the blog took a much needed back seat. Over the last few weeks, I've wished, on more than one occasion, to be back at the beach where the world seems to slow down. 

It is quite possibly my favorite place on earth. Especially when I get to spend it with my family. SO MANY people have asked us how we do a "family" vacation for a WHOLE WEEK. I just kind of figured this was the norm...it isn't. I guess the answer to that is we like each other. Do we get on each other's nerves? Uh YES. Do the kids fight? Uh YES. But, I guess we just make it work. Mostly, there is a lot of teasing, laughing, inside jokes, and just fun! There are the few times when your sibling is working your nerves so bad that you just have to leave for a while. And that is okay. ;-)

I would love to go back and do a post about vacation. Like with pictures and funny stories. I'm sure you are DYING TO KNOW what we did all week. But, that will be sifting through hundreds of pictures, so it will have to wait just a bit longer...

Okay, so back to our busy life. As we were on our way home from Gulf Shores, we got a call for a showing on our house. It was THE call. They saw the house and made an offer the next morning! From that point on, we began packing and it seems like it took FOREVER to pack up. We decided to buy some land and build, which means one thing -- we needed a temporary home. HELLO MOM AND DAD! Yes, the week after Thanksgiving, we moved in with my parents. (I wish I could insert one of those emoji with the big eyes...) They have been so incredibly gracious by letting us invade their space. Everyone keeps asking me in a hushed whisper, "Soooo, how's it really going at your parent's?" I can honestly say, it has been good! Now, if you ask them, you might get a different response. ;-)

So, between all the hours and days spent packing and moving boxes to storage, we have managed a few fun things! 

We celebrated my bestie's 40th birthday! 

We had SO.MUCH.FUN!! It was one of those things we had talked about for so long and once the night came, we just lived it up. And, we stayed out past 11:00 PM. Holla.

Great night. Great friends.

There was also the annual Christmas baking day. Even though it doesn't appear so, we DID scale back this year. Ha! I usually send goodies for teachers, bus drivers, and for the staff at Eric's office. I'm pretty sure they enjoy it. Around the 1st of December, they start hounding asking him when we will be baking. ;-)

We also celebrated my mom's birthday. LOOK AT THIS ADORABLE CAKE!!

I thought it was SO cute! And, it represented my mom perfectly. It was made by a friend of my sister's from church. She did awesome!

We spent her birthday going on the Polar Express train ride through Charlestown. It was so much fun! The kids loved riding the train and seeing all the lights. Maggie was especially fun to watch this year. She loved belting out the Christmas carols and just really thought all the Christmas lights were "amazing"! I love her age!!

 And, speaking of Maggie...isn't this precious?!

Yes, we do Santa. She got to sit on his lap one day when we were visiting my grandparent's assisted living home. It was so sweet. He's not a huge part of our Christmas, but the kids sit out milk and cookies and they get one gift from him and Frank (our elf). It's pretty cute!

I haven't had time to sort through our Christmas photos yet. In fact, since we moved in over the holidays, we are just now trying to figure out our new normal. Some days are a little overwhelming, but we're just trying to have fun with this whole process! I'm excited to get back into blogging and to share updates on our new home. :-) 

Christmas 2013

I've been receiving some pretty nasty hate mail about my blog not being updated since December 15th.  Okay, so it wasn't hate mail as much as hate texts.  And, by texts, I mean text...one text.  I won't name any names, but if I were to name names, it would be something like Jami Lee.  So, since we are in the new year, I'd better finish up last year!

The Christmas season came and went and to be honest, it already seems like a blur!  Our Christmas is usually very busy.  We start Christmas Eve morning and don't stop until Christmas night.  Sometimes, we don't know if we are coming or going.  That's the way it has always been, even since I was a child, and I can't imagine it any other way.  Except this year, our Christmas was very, very different.

It started out the same - Christmas Eve morning with Eric's family.  We had brunch at Eric's brother's house and it was SO YUMMY!  My sister-in-law is very pregnant and still managed to put out a lovely spread: Eric and I brought biscuits and gravy and she made a yummy egg casserole, french toast, and a fruit bowl.  We loaded up our bellies and then let the kids go at it!  They opened all their presents and just when they thought they were done, Papa pulled out one last gift...  

They got their first bows and were THRILLED!  I think Papa was pretty thrilled, too. ;-)

Maggie got an overload of princess stuff, Minnie Mouse stuff and stickers -- she was in HEAVEN.  I love how simple little things please the heck out of her.

And, then, our Christmas started to take a different turn.  I got a text from my mom that my dad was sick.  Like, really sick.  She was pretty sure he had the flu.  So, that meant we were cancelling Christmas Eve dinner.  It also meant that we needed to cancel our annual Christmas morning breakfast.  My parents have never cancelled breakfast in 42 years.  I've never NOT had breakfast at my parents on Christmas morning.  THE WORLD WAS COMING TO AN END.  Oh, wait...that's not the worst of it...

By the time we were headed home from my in-laws, Maggie was pretty pitiful.  She had been getting sick, too, and it was only getting worse.  She was crying, telling me her ear hurt.  {This is the part where I BRAG ON MY PEDIATRICIAN WHO CALLED IN AN ANTIBIOTIC FOR US ON CHRISTMAS EVE!  She is awesome like that.  I sent her a text and within a couple of hours, we had medicine.}

For the next 48 hours, this was Maggie:

She was burning up with fever and slept.  A lot.  She was up at night, crying, which meant Momma was up too.  Not fun.

The horrible part is that, as sick as she was, we also had to keep up our energy for Levi, who was SO EXCITED FOR CHRISTMAS!

I felt so bad for him.  Eric and I were depressed about our plans being cancelled, but we decided to make it a fun Christmas at home...sickness and all!  

Levi woke up at 4:30 Christmas morning.  Uh, no.  We sent him back to bed and he woke up again at 7:30.  That was doable.  We held him off for a while and then let him wake Maggie.  They tore into their gifts and I LOVED watching them.  

Eric stayed home with Maggie and I took Levi to open more presents have lunch at my aunt's house.  I'm so glad he was able to go and have some cousin fun!

FINALLY...a week late, we were able to celebrate Christmas with my family!  My parents (and by "my parents", I mean my dad...) fixed their awesome breakfast - biscuits and gravy, bacon, sausage, fried potatoes, eggs, and pancakes for the kids.  It was sooo good!  And, for the umpteenth time, the kids tore into their packages.

Last year, Griffin and Levi were initiated into the knife club.  This year's knife from Papa was a Swiss Army knife.  ;-)

Maggie got her "American Girl" doll.  (She won't get her real AG doll until she turns 5 and my mom takes her to Chicago.  This is a trial to see how she does with it! Ha!)

As I sat there in all the craziness of the kids opening their presents, I couldn't help but feel so blessed.  

Even with all the new presents, the kids just seemed content playing and being together.  And, I was so thankful that my grandparents were there for another year to celebrate with us.  So sweet :)

It didn't matter that we were celebrating late.  Christmas wasn't what we expected, but that's okay!  We stayed home Christmas day, away from the busyness, but I liked it.  I liked doing puzzles and playing Guess Who.  I also like the busy.  It's what I grew up on.  It's who we are.  We are all up in each other's business.  We are loud.  We are crazy.  And, no matter when we celebrate, we have a great time together.  You know why?  Because Christmas isn't about the presents.  It isn't about the food, even though it is so good.  It is about celebrating Jesus.  It is about a Savior who loves us so much that He came to earth to die for us.  THAT is something to celebrate EVERYDAY...not just on Christmas Day.       

It snowed. We played. I'm done.

The anticipation began on Tuesday.  The news channels kept telling us to prepare for snow and on Thursday evening, Eric's phone was going bazonkers!  The call was made somewhere in the wee hours of the morning that school was cancelled for Friday.  Is it weird that when we woke up, school was called off and there wasn't even a flake on the ground?  Maybe a little.  But, it was in anticipation for what was coming.

And it came.  

It came in all its glory!

FIVE inches of beautiful, white snow.  

It was the good kind, too!  Great for sledding and building snowmen.  

The kids played their little hearts out for over an hour.  It was SO COLD!  

While the kids played, this ghost buster look-alike wondered around clearing off driveways. ;)  Eric was cracking me up with his snow gear!  Couldn't help but sing the theme song "Who you gonna call..."!

No-nap, worn-out-from-playing-in-the-snow Maggie went to bed early {praise Jesus!} and the three party animals settled in for our first viewing of ELF for the season!  We love that movie and Levi giggles the entire time.  So cute!

Fun snow day, but this momma is already done with the bitter cold!  I'm ready for the 60 degree temps again. ;)

How 'bout dem lights...{title courtesy of Eric}

Tuesday evening, we got all spontaneous and headed to Charlestown to see the Christmas lights!  Sometimes, it's those little impromptu outings that end up making the best memories. 

Despite my kids looking pained that I am making them get their picture taken...again...they really had a great time!

Charlestown is the bomb diggity when it comes to a small town light show.  They do it up right!

The kids were in awe of all of the lights and just seemed to jabber with each other the whole night.  It was really precious. 

  

There's just something about Christmas lights that takes me back to my childhood.

This year, Charlestown added a train ride through town.  YES, PLEASE!!

The kids begged and pleaded to go on the train and we were happy to oblige.  

During the ride, they played all kinds of Christmas music -- Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, We Wish You a Merry Christmas...Maggie was so adorable when she said, "How did they know all of my favorite songs?!"  Love.   

There is even a new park and activities building where they've built a skating rink.  Um, I will be going back soon to show off my ice skating skillz.  {Notice I spelled that with a "z" as to appear more gangsta.}

Not only did we have some hot chocolate to complete the night...

...but we ran into Levi's kindergarten teacher!  Our talkative little boy immediately turned shy and giddy.  It's safe to say that Levi loved Mrs. Summers!!  ;)

What a really great night!

The first of a zillion Christmas festivities

I think that one of the reasons I like to decorate so early for Christmas is that once Thanksgiving hits, our Christmas festivities start right away!  On Saturday, we headed to Indianapolis to celebrate Christmas with my mom's sister and her family.  I'm pretty sure I will say "this is one of my favorite things to do" about 38 more times on my blog before Christmas actually arrives, so just bare with me. ;)

This is one of my favorite things to do.

My aunt always has her home decorated to a tee and it's just gorgeous!  

This year, we celebrated in their brand new home.  My aunt has impeccable taste and I love snooping looking around to see the new things she has decorated with.  Oh, and she always does the cutest favors for everyone.  Love!    

This is my mom and my aunt, two of my very favorite people on the planet.  

The second we arrive, the kids all do what they do best: find their cousins and drag out every single toy they can find.  Our crew doesn't get to see their northern cousins very often, but when they do, they act like no time has passed at all.  

As for the "big people", it's pretty much the same.  We cut up, tease, laugh, reminisce and the time goes by way too fast.   

This year, my uncle found THE PERFECT Christmas gift for my dad.  Even my dad chuckled.  Priceless.

After lunch, we had a surprise for the kiddos.  A trip on the Polar Bear Express!  They were sooo excited!

I'm gonna let you in on a little secret.  When we get together, there is a lot of craziness!   

And there is SO.MUCH.LOVE.

Occasionally, there is some sarcasm thrown in for good measure {{DAD!!}}.

A perfect way to kick off the Christmas season...with my crazy fun family!