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Jingles the elf has arrived at our house. She came with a letter saying that she is here to watch over the boys and to see if they’re naughty or nice during the day. At night, she returns to the North Pole to report to Santa. I’m not sure how well it will work, but the boys have a good time seeing where she pops up the next day! I’m going to play the Jingles card as much as possible!
I figured I could post some pictures from our weekend. Here’s a sampling:
We really had a good time, despite the chaos. And the long drive could definitely have been worse. Although it would have been nice if the boys had fallen asleep on the way home before getting to Madison. That’s only an hour away from home. And it was a 6.5 hour trip! Ah well. Miles driven: 750 Calories consumed: 10,000 Hours shopped: 10 Being home after a great Thanksgiving weekend with family: priceless I did it. I ventured out with my mom, aunt, 2 cousins-in-law, and my first-cousin-once-removed on Black Friday. Yes, I’m a little crazy. We left the house around 6:00 am. After a stop at Panera for one of their yummy quiches, we went to Kohl’s, JCPenney’s, Joanne’s, Best Buy, Target, lunch, Home Goods, Toys R Us, and Barnes and Noble. We were home by 5:00. Whew! I think I’ve dropped. It has been chaos around here today. There are 10 adults and 9 children, and one dog running around. Well, the kids and dog are doing most of the running. We’ve had several bumps, scrapes, and bruises (mostly to Noah!). There has been a lot of screaming, mostly in fun. But overall, this has been a great day, so far. There has been a lot of laughing, a lot of teamwork, and a lot of really good smells coming from the kitchen. There’s even a light dusting of snow outside (we are in Minnesota, mind you!). There is a lot to be thankful for today. Too much to mention here. But I’m thankful for every ounce of my life. The good and the bad. Most importantly, I’m thankful for my boys-all three of them! I hope everyone has much to be thankful for today. Enjoy your dinner, all 5000 calories of it (according to the Today Show)! I’m going to stuff myself silly, unbutton my pants to make room, and savor the chaos of my family. I’m so lucky. It only took 7 hours! We made three stops: one bathroom break, one dinner break, and one gas/bathroom break. We kept entertained: the boys watched two movies, I played the alphabet game 3 times (“Q” in Dairy Queen, “antiques,” and KQ-something for some radio station), Andy played the alphabet game once (it took him about 20 minutes to just find a “Z”, I kept track of the numerous different states represented on license plates (including Florida, Alabama, and Connecticut), and Andy had the brilliant idea to play some game where he would name the NBA player and I would have to come up with where he played in college. Yeah, right. I barely know any NBA players! We got here in one piece and joined the chaos. We finally got Caden to bed at 10:20, and Noah at 10:45. We’re really hoping they’ll sleep in! I’m planning on trying to post before the turkey coma kicks in tomorrow! We leave tomorrow for our road trip to Minnesota to spend Thanksgiving with my extended family at my cousin’s house in Orono. I’m starting to get a bit nervous. Nothing big. This is the first time we’ve really had to travel a good distance for a holiday. It’s just a little stressful making sure that we have everything with us: the directions, clothes, diapers, and the portable DVD player! If we forget everything else, but remember the DVD player, we’ll be just fine! What did we ever do before the DVD players? Oh yeah, the license plate game. Whoopee. We braved the mall on Saturday. It’s already crazy busy. I’m really not a huge fan. But we promised we’d take the boys to see Santa. Noah came prepared. He brought one of his toy catalogs. This year, I’ve been asking him what he wants from Santa. I hate to admit it, but I’ve been sort of trying to steer him away from things I know we’re not interested in getting him. Thankfully, on Saturday, he decided he wants construction vehicles that he found in his catalog. (We won’t necessarily buy him those specific ones, but maybe something similar). So he brought the picture along to show Santa. I also asked Caden what he wants from Santa. “Hmm,” he said. (That’s his response to most questions lately!) Again, a little coaching from Mom and Dad. “Maybe a new fire truck?” “Uh-huh! Santa, fire truck!” As we waited in line, Caden stood sort of behind and to the right of Santa (but really not near him) and said, “Santa, fire truck!” He was set. Now it was our turn. Caden walked right up to Santa and said, “Santa, fire truck!” Noah climbed up, and proceeded to show Santa the catalog. Santa thought the trucks looked very cool. But then he said (bless his heart), “Sometimes the best present from Santa is a surprise! Something you weren’t expecting!” Have they been coached? Maybe. Does he have a ton of kids of his own and he knows exactly what we’re going through? Maybe. Whatever the reason, this man knew the right thing to say!
We’ve been having a problem with flies lately. In our bathroom. Our upstairs, master bathroom. About one each day. Where on earth do they come from? I wondered this often, until I saw one fly out of our heat register. Huh? That’s a new one. Or maybe not. Whatever the case, it was bizarre. And they just keep coming. Oh, and we’re starting our ladybug infestation as well. Good times around here! For Noah’s 4th birthday, we got him a kiddie camera. He has been having a really good time with it ever since. It’s not anything really fancy, but it takes decent pictures. Here’s a sampling:
The upside-down picture of Caden is actually a self-portrait-he tends to hold the camera upside-down! The picture of Noah is also a self-portrait-very serious! And as you all can see, we now have our Christmas tree up in our living room. It’s undecorated (it’s pre-lit), but it’s there nonetheless. Caden got up from his nap and said, “Santa tree!” |
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 This is the front door to their house. This picture doesn’t do the house any justice. It’s beautiful inside! Craftsman/Frank Lloyd Wright influences throughout. And windows galore! It’s amazing!
  
 The kids played Wii quite a bit. Noah beat his two 5-year-old cousins in Cow Racing, twice each. I’m so proud!
  
 Dinner was served buffet style, but we were all able to sit at one table. I love that.
  
 
 There really wasn’t any shortage of things to keep the kids entertained: air hockey, foosball, a “multicade” where we introduced Noah to Frogger and Pac-Man, a pinball machine, and toys, toys, toys!
  
 This is Colette, aka Coco, my goddaughter. She’s 5. She’s hilarious. And adorable.
 
 
 
