My children go today to a McDonald's that I went to as a child. Yes, I still live that close from home. Although, back when I was a child, the shopping strip mall was just being built and the McDonald's was the height of excitement to go to as a child. I remember going there as a special occasion after our fifth grade play. We played outside on the playground, ate our food and had sundaes for dessert.
When I was older, I went to that McDonald's with my friends. It had gone through some reonvations by that point and they had this new thing called a, "drive-through" that was very exciting. They had to retro-fit the building so that the drivers could move around the outside to order and get their food and the only way they could accomplish this was to put an overhead conveyor belt that passed through the dining area and went to the pick-up area. It was so fun watching the bags of food going overhead as you ate your chicken McNuggets.
When I got a little older, my next door neighbor got his license. He saved up money and got an old car. One afternoon he decided to take his brother, Joey, and me to McDonald's for lunch. We ate and had a nice meal and as we were leaving in the parking lot a man rushed out and was very upset because Joey had just dinged his car when he opened the door. Jeff, the older brother, was furious. How could Joey do such a thing he asked when we got back in the car after swapping insurance information with the man. Joey and I were younger and we didn't see why a silly door ding made any difference and who would care.
Today, that McDonald's has gone through more iterations. It was torn down completely at one point and rebuilt. The drive through works very well now and it's one of the most efficient McDonald's around. And while we've gone there many times, my children will have an entirely different memory of that store, because they never go inside. We always get our food to go.
The Big Boy Update: The newest Whovian. I have mentioned before how he gets easily scared of movies. The other night he wasn't sleepy and I decided to let him stay up a bit longer and watch my television show, "Doctor Who". I asked him if he liked the show--which is filled with aliens and robots attacking in the middle of a time war--he told me, "yes, mommy". He watched the whole, relatively scary, episode and never flinched. He's my little Whovian.
The Tiny Girl Chronicles: Spontaneous napper. Two days in a row she's decided quietly, and without saying anything to anyone, that she wants a nap. She disappeared a while ago and is now asleep in her bed.
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Monday, December 30, 2013
Backed Up, Again
I have a one page limit on blog post titles. When it gets beyond that, I have to play catchup and dump some thoughts in abbreviated form. This seems to be happening more and more lately. If only there was more time for typing. I think I might be getting that problem writers have where it's more painful to not write than it is to write.
Clean house, clean desktop, clean mind: I like to have things orderly. That can be a problem though when you can't relax until the things on your list are done. My list was long after the holidays and thanks to the understanding and helpfulness of my husband, we're getting closer to having many things completed. The holiday decorations will be up by new years, the pantry has been cleaned out, the condensate pans have been sanitized, the thank you notes have been written and hopefully in the next two days our web sites will be updated with new pictures of our children. That's the short list. There are more things but good grief, if the list is boring to me, it's got to be terrible for entertainment value here. Oh, and I cleaned off my desktop. Icons and folders do so pile up. I now have only four things on my desktop. And that is a nice feeling. So much screen real-estate to fill up with junk in the future...
Borderline Madonna: I haven't braved shopping since before Christmas. Today I hoped it would be somewhat better crowd-wise and made a trip out to the mall. It was busy, but not terrible. As I walked into my favorite department store, I had a flashback to my youth--specifically before I was of driving age--as Madonna's "Borderline" song played through the speakers. I went to that same mall as a child and I shopped in that same department store, probably to that very same song. Memories do have a way of flooding you at times.
If a man says he will fix it...
...there's no need to remind him every six months. And I swear, I try not to be a nagging wife but I am low on patience. I do try to be appreciative when things get done, however.
The Divorce Items: I didn't realize I had so many, "divorce items" until my husband started teasing me about it. It started initially when my husband wanted to get rid of an old towel in the kitchen and I cried out, "that was Erica's and if you get rid of that I'll have to divorce you!" Or I said something like that. Erica was a friend who had died in college and that one old, greasy towel is the only thing I have to remember her by, so it's important to me. And my husband respects that. It wasn't until several years later that he started telling me how many, "divorce" items I had that it became a big joke between us. Let's see, there's the piece of Tupperware from my childhood, the Harry and David plates from the Weems, the ruler from New Zealand, and the stick (don't ask about the stick, it's the silliest of the lot.) I appreciate him for understanding and teasing me about it.
The Big Boy Update: Tying the knot. He can tie knots. We didn't teach him, he figured it out from long practice, "hooking" and he's pretty good at getting anything tied up these days. Yesterday he had a balloon string tied to the blinds pull tied to his rockin' crock and he was trying to drag the left side of the house out into the hall when I caught him.
The Tiny Girl Chronicles: Guess who ate dog food? That's why she threw up at dinner the other night at our friend's house. The dog food was at a location she could reach and I guess she wanted to try it...more than once.
Fitness Update: Gym. Normal workout, possibly the last of the year. I'm still maintaining my weight, which is a nice thing.
Clean house, clean desktop, clean mind: I like to have things orderly. That can be a problem though when you can't relax until the things on your list are done. My list was long after the holidays and thanks to the understanding and helpfulness of my husband, we're getting closer to having many things completed. The holiday decorations will be up by new years, the pantry has been cleaned out, the condensate pans have been sanitized, the thank you notes have been written and hopefully in the next two days our web sites will be updated with new pictures of our children. That's the short list. There are more things but good grief, if the list is boring to me, it's got to be terrible for entertainment value here. Oh, and I cleaned off my desktop. Icons and folders do so pile up. I now have only four things on my desktop. And that is a nice feeling. So much screen real-estate to fill up with junk in the future...
Borderline Madonna: I haven't braved shopping since before Christmas. Today I hoped it would be somewhat better crowd-wise and made a trip out to the mall. It was busy, but not terrible. As I walked into my favorite department store, I had a flashback to my youth--specifically before I was of driving age--as Madonna's "Borderline" song played through the speakers. I went to that same mall as a child and I shopped in that same department store, probably to that very same song. Memories do have a way of flooding you at times.
If a man says he will fix it...
...there's no need to remind him every six months. And I swear, I try not to be a nagging wife but I am low on patience. I do try to be appreciative when things get done, however.
The Divorce Items: I didn't realize I had so many, "divorce items" until my husband started teasing me about it. It started initially when my husband wanted to get rid of an old towel in the kitchen and I cried out, "that was Erica's and if you get rid of that I'll have to divorce you!" Or I said something like that. Erica was a friend who had died in college and that one old, greasy towel is the only thing I have to remember her by, so it's important to me. And my husband respects that. It wasn't until several years later that he started telling me how many, "divorce" items I had that it became a big joke between us. Let's see, there's the piece of Tupperware from my childhood, the Harry and David plates from the Weems, the ruler from New Zealand, and the stick (don't ask about the stick, it's the silliest of the lot.) I appreciate him for understanding and teasing me about it.
The Big Boy Update: Tying the knot. He can tie knots. We didn't teach him, he figured it out from long practice, "hooking" and he's pretty good at getting anything tied up these days. Yesterday he had a balloon string tied to the blinds pull tied to his rockin' crock and he was trying to drag the left side of the house out into the hall when I caught him.
The Tiny Girl Chronicles: Guess who ate dog food? That's why she threw up at dinner the other night at our friend's house. The dog food was at a location she could reach and I guess she wanted to try it...more than once.
Fitness Update: Gym. Normal workout, possibly the last of the year. I'm still maintaining my weight, which is a nice thing.
Sunday, December 29, 2013
The Christmas Clock Experience
We have had this issue with a clock in a room I spend time in but my husband usually doesn't. It's got my craft and jewelry things in there and he'd most likely prefer to be anywhere else than that room, lest he get sucked into helping me wrap presents or do some other thing that's not high on his list of, "fun activities".
The clock was an inexpensive one but it seemed to have a problem with a power leak. We'd put in a new AA battery and in a short while it would be dead again. Or worse, it would start to slowly lose time until it wasn't even close to the actual time.
My husband and I were discussing one day how we hadn't gotten each other anything for Christmas yet and we were having that follow-on discussion about how neither of us really cared and that not to worry about it. My husband had just put the children to bed and I was working on earrings for staff gifts and about that time he looked at the clock and said, "is it really that late?" Then he realized it was the clock and one of us (and I don't remember who) said, "that's what I want/I'm getting you for Christmas--a clock that keeps time."
My husband then did some trips to Lowes and the Michael's and got some things to make me a clock. He didn't tell me this, only that he was working on a "secret project" he told me was for me. I wondered if it was a clock. I was sort of hoping it was.
Christmas morning I opened a box that felt suspiciously empty. It had a single piece of paper in it that was a picture of that room where the un-timely clock had been, only in the picture there was a new clock there, and it was orange. I love orange. Not only had he made me a clock, he had already hung it. How sweet!
Later in the day on Christmas, I went up to take some things upstairs and I saw the clock and thought how great it was in the room. Then I got to putting some things away and forgot about it. A bit later I looked up at the time and had a "hey, that's actually the correct time and no one is late for anything" moment.
I like my new clock.
The Big Boy Update: Two flights for toothpicks. My son was upstairs this morning doing something with a rideable train. And then I heard noises in the basement. That's two flights down. I discovered it was my son, who had gone down to the bar to get toothpicks (something I didn't know he knew were there). He had taken a child's chair down from the second floor, to the basement, to the bar, gotten three toothpicks and was heading back upstairs. His plan was to use the three toothpicks to detach the car part of the train from the engine part of the train--something toothpicks would in no way accomplish, but it was still some good ingenuity. Can I mention again that he carried a chair down two flights to get the toothpicks?
The Tiny Girl Chronicles: "Mommy, I need more party cheese." My daughter likes cheese. She really likes Havarti cheese and I think she thinks it's called, "party cheese".
The clock was an inexpensive one but it seemed to have a problem with a power leak. We'd put in a new AA battery and in a short while it would be dead again. Or worse, it would start to slowly lose time until it wasn't even close to the actual time.
My husband and I were discussing one day how we hadn't gotten each other anything for Christmas yet and we were having that follow-on discussion about how neither of us really cared and that not to worry about it. My husband had just put the children to bed and I was working on earrings for staff gifts and about that time he looked at the clock and said, "is it really that late?" Then he realized it was the clock and one of us (and I don't remember who) said, "that's what I want/I'm getting you for Christmas--a clock that keeps time."
My husband then did some trips to Lowes and the Michael's and got some things to make me a clock. He didn't tell me this, only that he was working on a "secret project" he told me was for me. I wondered if it was a clock. I was sort of hoping it was.
Christmas morning I opened a box that felt suspiciously empty. It had a single piece of paper in it that was a picture of that room where the un-timely clock had been, only in the picture there was a new clock there, and it was orange. I love orange. Not only had he made me a clock, he had already hung it. How sweet!
Later in the day on Christmas, I went up to take some things upstairs and I saw the clock and thought how great it was in the room. Then I got to putting some things away and forgot about it. A bit later I looked up at the time and had a "hey, that's actually the correct time and no one is late for anything" moment.
I like my new clock.
The Big Boy Update: Two flights for toothpicks. My son was upstairs this morning doing something with a rideable train. And then I heard noises in the basement. That's two flights down. I discovered it was my son, who had gone down to the bar to get toothpicks (something I didn't know he knew were there). He had taken a child's chair down from the second floor, to the basement, to the bar, gotten three toothpicks and was heading back upstairs. His plan was to use the three toothpicks to detach the car part of the train from the engine part of the train--something toothpicks would in no way accomplish, but it was still some good ingenuity. Can I mention again that he carried a chair down two flights to get the toothpicks?
The Tiny Girl Chronicles: "Mommy, I need more party cheese." My daughter likes cheese. She really likes Havarti cheese and I think she thinks it's called, "party cheese".
Saturday, December 28, 2013
That Story You Don't Really Remember
Have you heard the same story again and again over the years so many times you know the story and you feel like you were there, only you don't know that you really were? We had post-Christmas dinner with family friends tonight and one of the traditional stories came up. I think this story comes up at least once every other year. I remember the story like I was there, at least I think I was, only I'm not sure.
This year, I asked more questions. I found out the era in which this story happened (it was a cooking calamity). At about that time I was somewhere around thirteen to sixteen years old, and that explains a lot about why I don't remember it. A young teen doesn't care much about food. What I cared about in those days was not how well the turkey was cooked (or in this case the goose). I wanted to play video games with my friend or board games or do puzzles or make origami models or anything other than discuss the intricacies of roasting a goose.
I especially didn't care if it was a wild goose given to our friends by their friends who had shot it themselves. It didn't bother me that the pin feathers stuck out as the goose was roasted and I don't think I cared one bit that the meat was terribly dry. I had other pursuits that were more important. On the whole, I probably liked the cheese and crackers more than the goose anyways.
But it's a fun story and it was a mess and it was one of those "disaster meals" you remember for years that never goes out of style in the telling. Even though I have very little personal memory of the event itself, I remember back to that time and I have a warm feeling inside because I loved those times spent with our friends during the holidays at their vacation home.
The Big Boy Update: Sweat band muscles. We have some sweat bands. Like the old kind you wore if you were a tennis player in the eighties. My son has decided if he puts them on his upper arms, they are muscles. Sometimes he has to "put his muscles on" before he combats evil in the house.
The Tiny Girl Chronicles: "I got the mar malls. Look, it's a mar mall!" She has a new found fascination of not only the, "marbles" but the marble run puzzles we got for Christmas from our friend, Cam.
This year, I asked more questions. I found out the era in which this story happened (it was a cooking calamity). At about that time I was somewhere around thirteen to sixteen years old, and that explains a lot about why I don't remember it. A young teen doesn't care much about food. What I cared about in those days was not how well the turkey was cooked (or in this case the goose). I wanted to play video games with my friend or board games or do puzzles or make origami models or anything other than discuss the intricacies of roasting a goose.
I especially didn't care if it was a wild goose given to our friends by their friends who had shot it themselves. It didn't bother me that the pin feathers stuck out as the goose was roasted and I don't think I cared one bit that the meat was terribly dry. I had other pursuits that were more important. On the whole, I probably liked the cheese and crackers more than the goose anyways.
But it's a fun story and it was a mess and it was one of those "disaster meals" you remember for years that never goes out of style in the telling. Even though I have very little personal memory of the event itself, I remember back to that time and I have a warm feeling inside because I loved those times spent with our friends during the holidays at their vacation home.
The Big Boy Update: Sweat band muscles. We have some sweat bands. Like the old kind you wore if you were a tennis player in the eighties. My son has decided if he puts them on his upper arms, they are muscles. Sometimes he has to "put his muscles on" before he combats evil in the house.
The Tiny Girl Chronicles: "I got the mar malls. Look, it's a mar mall!" She has a new found fascination of not only the, "marbles" but the marble run puzzles we got for Christmas from our friend, Cam.
Friday, December 27, 2013
ElbOW!
I've mentioned my elbow, but I haven't written about it much because I keep hoping it will go away. It hasn't. It's gotten worse even. So I've had to take action because the ignoring thing is hard when you wake up at night yelling from the pain.
I fell while running last April. Not April 2013, April 2012. I landed on my elbow and did something to it at that time internally. It was a fine elbow before that, but afterwards it was inflamed for about two months and had a nasty thunk/clunk when I put it under tension fully extended (like when doing push ups, for instance).
It wasn't painful after the initial healing, but it didn't get much better. About three months ago I went to a yoga class with my neighbor and something changed. The clunk disappeared, but to there was pain. Lots of pain. It was strange, because I didn't fall or have any sudden change that I noticed in that one hour class, but something gave way or something.
Since that time it's gotten worse and I finally decided I'd had enough and I went to see an orthopedic surgeon. She called for an MR Arthrogram (an MRI with contrast) to see if it was a tendon, ligament or cartilage issue. She said I most likely also had tennis elbow and gave me a brace for that, as well as a prescription for an anti-inflammatory.
Yesterday, I went back for the MR Arthrogram results. The surgeon told me it looked like I had possibly torn a ligament, but that it had mostly healed. There was no visible cartilage floating around and other than some degenerative issues, he couldn't see anything definitive causing the problem. But he agreed the clunking issue and sudden change could be something he was missing on the scan.
Step one (and we're hoping the only step) was to give me a cortisone injection in the elbow and see if it will heal on its own. This happens many times and symptoms go away completely. If it doesn't improve and I'm still in significant pain, they would do exploratory arthroscopic surgery to see if some of the concerning areas are more damaged than they appear.
He gave me the injection and I left the office hopeful. I was preparing to go for a run when an hour-and-a-half later my elbow and entire arm was radiating in awful pain. I was shaking all over as the local anesthesia wore off and the pain ramped up. It was bizarre. I drove back to the office and asked if there was something wrong or if this was to be expected, because the doctor didn't mention anything about agonizing pain.
The technician came out in a few minutes and said it was an uncommon side-effect of trigger-point pain and that it should go away in hopefully a day. A DAY? I wasn't sure I was going to make that. Thankfully I had some left-over pain medication from my recent tooth issues. I went home, took one and an hour later took a second one. About six hours later the pain was mostly gone.
Today, I'm hoping the cortisone injection will solver the problem. I'll know in a few weeks.
The Big Boy Update: Scissors. My son wanted a Christmas present opened tonight and I was having a difficult time getting through the plastic. I mentioned I might need scissors and didn't notice he disappeared. The next thing I see, he's handing me scissors...from upstairs...from the knife block. I said at that point (because I am a genius) that the scissors might not work and I might need a knife. My husband watched my son go back upstairs, grab a knife and try to bring it downstairs. He's never gone near the knife block before and he knows they're not available to him, but he knew they were something I could use and I guess he wanted that present opened very badly.
The Tiny Girl Chronicles: "That's Eleanor. That's Eleanor. With the running." She said this to me today when I got a Gatorade from the refrigerator in the garage. The only time we get Gatorade out of that refrigerator is when we're done running, and my neighbor, Eleanor, and I are getting one out together. I didn't know she had been paying attention.
Fitness Update: Seven miles. It's been a long time. It was nice to run.
I fell while running last April. Not April 2013, April 2012. I landed on my elbow and did something to it at that time internally. It was a fine elbow before that, but afterwards it was inflamed for about two months and had a nasty thunk/clunk when I put it under tension fully extended (like when doing push ups, for instance).
It wasn't painful after the initial healing, but it didn't get much better. About three months ago I went to a yoga class with my neighbor and something changed. The clunk disappeared, but to there was pain. Lots of pain. It was strange, because I didn't fall or have any sudden change that I noticed in that one hour class, but something gave way or something.
Since that time it's gotten worse and I finally decided I'd had enough and I went to see an orthopedic surgeon. She called for an MR Arthrogram (an MRI with contrast) to see if it was a tendon, ligament or cartilage issue. She said I most likely also had tennis elbow and gave me a brace for that, as well as a prescription for an anti-inflammatory.
Yesterday, I went back for the MR Arthrogram results. The surgeon told me it looked like I had possibly torn a ligament, but that it had mostly healed. There was no visible cartilage floating around and other than some degenerative issues, he couldn't see anything definitive causing the problem. But he agreed the clunking issue and sudden change could be something he was missing on the scan.
Step one (and we're hoping the only step) was to give me a cortisone injection in the elbow and see if it will heal on its own. This happens many times and symptoms go away completely. If it doesn't improve and I'm still in significant pain, they would do exploratory arthroscopic surgery to see if some of the concerning areas are more damaged than they appear.
He gave me the injection and I left the office hopeful. I was preparing to go for a run when an hour-and-a-half later my elbow and entire arm was radiating in awful pain. I was shaking all over as the local anesthesia wore off and the pain ramped up. It was bizarre. I drove back to the office and asked if there was something wrong or if this was to be expected, because the doctor didn't mention anything about agonizing pain.
The technician came out in a few minutes and said it was an uncommon side-effect of trigger-point pain and that it should go away in hopefully a day. A DAY? I wasn't sure I was going to make that. Thankfully I had some left-over pain medication from my recent tooth issues. I went home, took one and an hour later took a second one. About six hours later the pain was mostly gone.
Today, I'm hoping the cortisone injection will solver the problem. I'll know in a few weeks.
The Big Boy Update: Scissors. My son wanted a Christmas present opened tonight and I was having a difficult time getting through the plastic. I mentioned I might need scissors and didn't notice he disappeared. The next thing I see, he's handing me scissors...from upstairs...from the knife block. I said at that point (because I am a genius) that the scissors might not work and I might need a knife. My husband watched my son go back upstairs, grab a knife and try to bring it downstairs. He's never gone near the knife block before and he knows they're not available to him, but he knew they were something I could use and I guess he wanted that present opened very badly.
The Tiny Girl Chronicles: "That's Eleanor. That's Eleanor. With the running." She said this to me today when I got a Gatorade from the refrigerator in the garage. The only time we get Gatorade out of that refrigerator is when we're done running, and my neighbor, Eleanor, and I are getting one out together. I didn't know she had been paying attention.
Fitness Update: Seven miles. It's been a long time. It was nice to run.
Thursday, December 26, 2013
Colds, Infections and Mucous, Oh My!
Tis' the season for runny noses. And mucous. And raw noses. Don't forget about the coughs and colds and fevers too. That's right, Toddler Plague is in full swing in our house. Just in time for the winter break too.
My son has a mild ear infection in one ear and my daughter has one of those runny noses that's so runny the skin can't hold up to the wiping necessary to keep it clean. She's not been happy with us but the nasal aspirator has come back out and it's giving her a little relief, even if she hates us when we hold her down to use it on her.
Both children have a cough that gets out of hand when they get in full cough swing, but thankfully that only happens a few times each day.
Maybe they'll be better by spring. The doctor said today when we took them in under the suspicion of ear infections, that they had bad colds and it might take a few weeks to clear up. Now, all we need is snow to cap of the winter.
The Big Boy Update: "Daddy, I have an ear issue." (Words my son said in the middle of the night last night over the monitor.) Then, a half-hour later, "Daddy, I have another thing." Okay, what could that be? I listened over the monitor but couldn't tell what the "other thing" was until my husband came down and told me. My son wanted to tell daddy a story. He whispered something about animals and a witch for a minute or so, my husband told me and then daddy said, "thank you for the story," and my son went back to sleep.
The Tiny Girl Chronicles: No nose! She does not want you messing with her nose right now, even it's to put on pain relieving antibiotic ointment. It's red and she's mad at anyone who gets near it.
My son has a mild ear infection in one ear and my daughter has one of those runny noses that's so runny the skin can't hold up to the wiping necessary to keep it clean. She's not been happy with us but the nasal aspirator has come back out and it's giving her a little relief, even if she hates us when we hold her down to use it on her.
Both children have a cough that gets out of hand when they get in full cough swing, but thankfully that only happens a few times each day.
Maybe they'll be better by spring. The doctor said today when we took them in under the suspicion of ear infections, that they had bad colds and it might take a few weeks to clear up. Now, all we need is snow to cap of the winter.
The Big Boy Update: "Daddy, I have an ear issue." (Words my son said in the middle of the night last night over the monitor.) Then, a half-hour later, "Daddy, I have another thing." Okay, what could that be? I listened over the monitor but couldn't tell what the "other thing" was until my husband came down and told me. My son wanted to tell daddy a story. He whispered something about animals and a witch for a minute or so, my husband told me and then daddy said, "thank you for the story," and my son went back to sleep.
The Tiny Girl Chronicles: No nose! She does not want you messing with her nose right now, even it's to put on pain relieving antibiotic ointment. It's red and she's mad at anyone who gets near it.
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
Well, That Was Fun
Today was Christmas. I had a wonderful day. Really. Truly.
We started with traditional Christmas morning where the kids come downstairs and the adults watch as they enjoy the sights around the tree. My children each had one large, unwrapped present they got to play with while the rest of us unwrapped presents. My son had an Emergency Responder building with various accoutrements (imagine a doll house a boy would go nuts for) and my daughter had a doll house replete with a fitness room, sewing room and outdoor lounging area.
We had my parents, my in-laws, Uncle Bob, Uncle Brian and our four all swapping presents. Everyone seemed to get something they wanted and we all had fun opening the presents we had gotten from each other as well as our relative who weren't able to be with us.
Phone calls and Skypeing ensued with those in other states and we wished everyone a happy day and said thanks for our great gifts. Then, my husband and I headed down the street for a secret Santa swap with other children on the street. And oh, that was fun. We have a great neighborhood and a fantastic street. The children all had fun opening their gifts.
After we came back, we got ready for what I think is one of the best parts of my year, Christmas Day Dinner. We inherited this dinner from my parent's best friends and it is always a good year when they're able to join us, and this year, they did.
We were joined by our Aunt Rebecca, Uncle Dale and cousin Olivia as well and the champagne, food and wine were almost as good as the company. My children were fun to be around (this means less hitting than there could have been) and dessert was delicious.
Baths were had (by the children) and the adults swapped stories. And then all too soon, the evening was over. I love Christmas day. I'll look forward to next year's starting tomorrow.
The Big Boy Update: Papa came into their room this morning to the sound of loud banging. When he walked in, my son said, "We're okay, we didn't make a mess."
The Tiny Girl Chronicles: Feeling so-so. She is feeling poorly still from this cold-thing she has. She is fine when she's had some ibuprofen, but not so hot the rest of the time. She napped on Mimi for a good while through the dinner tonight.
We started with traditional Christmas morning where the kids come downstairs and the adults watch as they enjoy the sights around the tree. My children each had one large, unwrapped present they got to play with while the rest of us unwrapped presents. My son had an Emergency Responder building with various accoutrements (imagine a doll house a boy would go nuts for) and my daughter had a doll house replete with a fitness room, sewing room and outdoor lounging area.
We had my parents, my in-laws, Uncle Bob, Uncle Brian and our four all swapping presents. Everyone seemed to get something they wanted and we all had fun opening the presents we had gotten from each other as well as our relative who weren't able to be with us.
Phone calls and Skypeing ensued with those in other states and we wished everyone a happy day and said thanks for our great gifts. Then, my husband and I headed down the street for a secret Santa swap with other children on the street. And oh, that was fun. We have a great neighborhood and a fantastic street. The children all had fun opening their gifts.
After we came back, we got ready for what I think is one of the best parts of my year, Christmas Day Dinner. We inherited this dinner from my parent's best friends and it is always a good year when they're able to join us, and this year, they did.
We were joined by our Aunt Rebecca, Uncle Dale and cousin Olivia as well and the champagne, food and wine were almost as good as the company. My children were fun to be around (this means less hitting than there could have been) and dessert was delicious.
Baths were had (by the children) and the adults swapped stories. And then all too soon, the evening was over. I love Christmas day. I'll look forward to next year's starting tomorrow.
The Big Boy Update: Papa came into their room this morning to the sound of loud banging. When he walked in, my son said, "We're okay, we didn't make a mess."
The Tiny Girl Chronicles: Feeling so-so. She is feeling poorly still from this cold-thing she has. She is fine when she's had some ibuprofen, but not so hot the rest of the time. She napped on Mimi for a good while through the dinner tonight.
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