Christmas!

Anna woke around 6:45, but didn't come in our room until 7.  Luke was already awake and Kara came in a few minutes later, so we were left to wake for Jack. We hung out in our room for about 20 minutes until he got up (we were going to wake him at 7:30 regardless). Everyone looked cute in their matching pajamas. Me and the kids were elves and Thomas was Santa. 

Like last year, we tried to cut back a bit (eventually, we will get down to negative presents, on Christmas morning they will have to give us their toys). But, with 6 people in the house, it still adds up. 

We opened our gifts at a leisurely pace, Everybody would open something, then we'd take a break. Thomas and I aren't big on equality, so while we made sure everyone had roughly the same number of gifts (and value) we didn't exactly count. This turned out to be a bad idea, because when we got to the end and told everyone they could open all their remaining presents, Kara was left with 1, Anna had 5 and Jack had 4. This was the result of me accidentally putting Anna's name on one of Kara's gifts and wrapping all of Kara's clothes in one box and putting Anna's in two boxes. So, next year, I may be forced to count. I am okay with things being a bit off, but when you look at your sibling with a giant pile of presents and you only have one, well, that doesn't seem quite so fun. We gave her the two gifts from the Mottas to open and she was a good sport about it. 

Luke spent the morning climbing in and out of his Cozy Coupe.

Santa Daddy

We stayed in our pajamas for most of the day. The kids had some outdoor gifts, but it rained for most of the day. We had a ham dinner and that was pretty much it. Anna's favorite gifts were her roller skates and a Discovery Kids book.  Kara says her watch and the Adventure Time Everything Burrito Game. Jack picked his army men and a Great Battles of the Civil War book. Thomas liked his Tigers sweatshirt. For Luke, I would say his counting bears, or maybe his shopping cart. I got a lot of great gifts, but the first that comes to mind is a little chef chalkboard that I can use to write what's for dinner. I swear I answer that question 10x a day, so now I just write it down and point to the board.

The day after Christmas, we went to Walmart and stocked up on the clearance wrapping paper and a few outdoor decorations. I also got a case for my new iPad. Then, we finally got to play outside. The girls both got roller skates, which they spent hours practicing with. Jack got a remote control helicopter, that he immediately landed on our neighbors roof (we got it down with a ladder and golf club). I got a bike that I took for a spin around the neighborhood. Luke had both a cozy coupe and a scooter and Thomas got to help all of us try our new toys (picture him walking behind the girls and preventing numerous falls). We played all our new games. I think my favorite is Minion Life, we have played that a dozen times already and had another relaxing day at home.

Luke quickly got the hang of his scooter.

On Sunday, we invited Jennifer and Jacob for dinner and then to see the lights at Ann Marie Gardens (Chris was working). It was another day with record highs and it was nice not to have to bundle everyone up to be outside, although it definitely takes away some of the feeling of Christmas.

Since it was dark, we didn't bother taking many pictures.  

Overall, I think it was a good Christmas, not our best. As is usually the case, the gifts I thought would be hits (like Jack's video walkie talkies or Kara's LPS plane) weren't, but we all know it's not about the gifts anyway. We enjoyed our time as a family and hope we are building good memories for our kids.

Star Wars, ICE! & Christmas Eve

Star Wars was great! Thomas and Jack got there very early, as in almost 3 hours before start time. The wait time paid off, Thomas got our favorite theater seats (center of back row). I met up with them a couple of hours later (after the babysitter arrived to watch the other 3). Thomas had bought Jack a hotdog for dinner and they were sharing a large tub of popcorn. Jack also had a big lemonade. We refilled the popcorn right before the movie started. After all the food and drink, Jack went to the bathroom 3 times during the movie! Then, he got sick that night. I hope he will always treasure the memory of going to the theater with his dad to see Star Wars on opening night. And, I will be there to remind him about that time he went to the movies and ate and drank so much that he made himself sick :)

blurry selfie shortly before the movie started

The movie was really good. It might actually be my favorite of all the Star Wars. Of course, I am a casual fan, so I am not sure that my opinion really matters. In fact, Jack often tries to ask me questions or discuss obscure (to me) things that he has read or watched. I NEVER know what he is talking about. One funny thing he said recently was that he didn't like that Disney had bought the franchise from LucasFilms because now none of the books are "real". I guess Disney has said that everything released in the expanded universe (books, cartoons, comics, etc) prior to their purchase can't be taken as Star Wars fact. Such a shame to see it all turned to fiction ;-)

My sole disappointment with the movie was that the crowd was not more enthusiastic. Obviously, you have to be a big fan to see a movie like Star Wars on opening night, or, at least be with a big fan. I expected cheering when major stars appeared or some sort of audience reaction, but it was just like seeing any other movie, except more crowded. But, we all enjoyed it and are excited to see it shatter so many box office records. We hope the big bucks mean Disney will invest even more in Star Wars (attractions at the theme parks, more Star Wars on the cruise ships, etc.). I also want to see it beat Avatar because I hate, hate, HATED that movie. (Let's make a film about a treasonous Marine who sides with the opposition and blindly murders his former colleagues, the same ones he fought alongside days ago and hasn't made any effort to peacefully educate about his new found knowledge--that will be a huge success!!!).

On Christmas Eve, we had big plans. We were going to surprise the kids with a trip to ICE! at National Harbor, followed by a picnic lunch and visit to Mount Vernon. Unfortunately, the weather was not cooperative. It was a warm, rainy, day. We didn't tell the kids where we were going, but told them to put on their thermal underwear, warm clothes and to bring heavy jackets. We went through the McDonald's drive through for breakfast and were on our way! I brought hats and gloves and we layered up when we got there. I had read a lot of negative reviews, but it was still something we wanted to experience. The bad reviews gave us low expectations, but we loved it! I agree that it was pricey for a relatively short event, but it was amazing to see. I don't think we'll go every year, but I definitely want to go back if they do another theme we like (this year it was Santa Claus is Coming to Town.

All bundled up for the 9 degree temperatures

Looking Somber in Sombertown

The Wilsons have been imprisoned!

Luke on the toddler slide (it took him about 45 looong seconds to get down)

The last ice display was a Nativity

Since Mount Vernon was out, we just headed home. Everyone was still kind of full from breakfast, so we decided to skip to dessert and get Blizzards from Dairy Queen. Luke was sleeping, but he woke up when we got to the drive-through (I think he smelled it). It was a dilemma on what to do, if we gave him ice cream, he'd make a huge mess, if we didn't, he'd scream until we got home. We got him the ice cream and he made a huge mess (we've taken out the seat next to him in the van, so sitting with him was not an option. And, it didn't occur to us at the time to get him a shake). But, it was the right call, because as soon as we started handing out ice cream, he started getting excited and would have been devastated to be left out.

We got home and made our traditional sugar cookies. For dinner, we decided to start a new tradition of breakfast for dinner (french toast and eggs). Each kid opened up a gift of matching pajamas and we managed to get everyone in bed at a decent time. Then, Thomas and I did all the last minute assembly and wrapping and eagerly awaited the morning.

Kara is always ready to help bake (we did the dough the night before so it could refrigerate)

Next, we all rolled and cut out our shapes

The kids decided to change into their new pajamas before frosting (Luke had to wait)

They take the process very seriously!

Finally, we said goodbye to Twinkles. For his final spying spot, he decided to insert himself into all our family photos and hang out on our picture wall. See you next year, Twinkles!

Early December

Thankfully, everyone is healthy and ready to resume our December fun. I always try to fill our calendar with fun activities and in December that is incredibly easy.

We did not do our annual Norfolk trip this year. We are looking for ways to save money and that was an easy expense to cut. There are always so many fun things happening here that I was happy to forgo the trip and try something new. Specifically, I wanted to go to the Festival of Trees, which always takes place on the Saturday we are out of town. This year I was excited to finally go. Then, it happened on the day when Kara was sick and Anna was complaining about her throat. I missed it again! But, it would have been so much worse if we had been away. We also missed the Victorian Christmas at the Mudd House thanks to illness, something else we have been talking about for awhile. Maybe next year.

But, we have still done some fun stuff. We went to a craft show at the Hollywood Fire Department and Cookies with the Clauses at Solomon's.  The kids "babysat" some of the preschoolers in our neighborhood to earn money for their gifts to each other (we drew names). We had peppermint blizzards at Dairy Queen and Peppermint Shakes at Chick-Fil-A. We did a nighttime neighborhood walk to see lights.  So, while not as busy (or fun-filled) as usual, we have still kept them, and us, entertained.

I thought it was so cute how Anna was sitting with Luke.

The obligatory pictures with Santa.  As usual, I forgot a real camera, so just some blurry phone shots.

Luke did good! He wasn't thrilled, but he didn't get upset either.

Jack was happy to show him how it was done.

Last, but not least was sweet Anna.

We made Gingerbread Houses at home and of course we decorated the tree. For their teacher gifts the kids wanted to make something. We decided to go to All About Beads. They got to choose beads and make the necklaces themselves. I think they turned out really nice. Hopefully, the teachers will appreciate the effort (it took us 2 hours!). Just in case they don't, we got some Target gift cards too.

From left: Anna's, Jack's and Kara's creations.

Thomas and I were fortunate enough to be on the guest list for the Darrow's Christmas party, which is another of our favorite December traditions. We won the award for best Christmas jammies (sort of by default, I think we were the only couple who both had on Christmas-themed pajamas--thanks to the Pajama Grams Thomas' grandmother sent our family a few years ago) and we won the "Name that Christmas Movie" quiz. We did not win the lip-sync battle, despite going full-out to Pentatonix's "Joy to the World" with the Ainas.  But, it was a blast to see everyone acting goofy and having fun. And, I got a Simon during the gift exchange! I have wanted one ever since I saw them making a comeback. Unfortunately, I can't get past 10. Thomas currently holds the record at 13 and he's only played once. The kids can also do 10 in a row. I am sure we will all get better with time and practice.

I really don't know how we didn't win.  I thought about demanding a recount, but the Winning Weists were pretty awesome (they had a rap).  Regardless, we had fun and I was glad we were paired with the Ainas.

Still on the agenda are a trip to Mount Vernon and hopefully the zoo. We will definitely do Ann Marie Gardens (the kids did Flat Iron on the night Thomas and I did our painting). It has nothing to do with Christmas, but Thomas, Jack and I are going to see the new Star Wars tonight. I don't think I've ever been to a popular movie on opening night, so it should be interesting.

Completely unrelated, but something I want to mention is that Luke has a strange inability to say thank you. Instead, he responds with you're welcome to mean both thank you and you're welcome and who knows what else. It cracks me up! If you sneeze, he says "you're welcome". If you hand him something, he says "you're welcome". If you say good job, he responds "you're welcome".  I was trying to teach him to say thank you yesterday and every time I asked him to say thank you, he said you're welcome instead. You're welcome sounds like yurwawa, but we all know what it means. He's a funny kid. He loves all the Christmas lights and activities. He is even a bit into our Elf on the Shelf. He is always surprised to see him hanging out in the morning in a new spot and points him out with a bewildered look.

I took Luke to have lunch with the other kids. I brought him food, but he really wanted a lunch of his own. Kara was happy to buy it for him!

Jack asked me to take his picture and "put it online" this morning.He had on 2 Christmas hats and the reindeer headband. I told him I would add it to the blog :)

This and That (Thanksgiving, job update, anniversary, sick kids)

I really like having a blog. I enjoy looking back and seeing what we were up to in past years. However, I can't say that I really like writing the blog.  I feel like it is one more thing I should be doing. Hence, I am always behind. So, here's the latest "catch-up" post.

First, I did not get the job. I didn't even get a second interview. Although expected, I am still pretty disappointed.

Thanksgiving was great. This was the first year in many that it was just the six of us. At first, we felt kind of sad that no friends or family were able to join us, then we quickly got on board with the idea of a quiet holiday. We watched the parade, lounged in our pajamas, and ate a very early "dinner" at 12:45pm (so we could let Luke nap close to schedule). It was very low-key. Thomas and I cooked together and made fewer things this year, but still included everyone's favorites. Jack was thrilled when he got to eat the turkey leg. Since it was like 2 weeks ago, I actually don't remember anything significant about the day. We did get one of the neighborhood teenagers to come over and watch the kids that night so we could do some Black Friday shopping. I stood in the longest line ever (okay, Thomas stood in line while I continued to shop) at Kohls. It went from the registers all the way to the back of the store. Meaning the line was pretty much the length of the store! But, it went fairly quick and there were a few things we (okay, again--I) wanted. We also went to Belk, where the lines were short and Target. At Target, the line was so long, we walked in and just walked back out. We didn't need anything there and were just enjoying the freedom of being out. It was a few hours after the stores opened, so we weren't expecting the crowds. But, I was actually glad to see people out shopping. I think it is a good sign for the economy and Thomas and I had a good time.

On Black Friday, we maintained our tradition of going to St Mary's City Hearth and Home. It was beautiful weather and we really enjoyed being outside and learning more about how the early settlers prepared food.

We were hit with a lot of sickness last week.  Kara woke up on Thursday (December 4th) with a terrible headache. I gave her Motrin and sent her to school. She still wasn't feeling well that afternoon and actually fell asleep on the couch. The next morning, she didn't want to get out of bed. I let her stay home, but didn't think anything was too wrong. Thomas and I went on our date night as planned (Wine & Design) and the babysitter said she seemed a little run down, but okay. Saturday, she had a tiny rash on her chin and above her lip. We figured it was dry skin related, but she also had another bad headache and a low fever.

Then, Anna started complaining her throat hurt when she swallowed. We kind of figured she was angling to stay home. Anna always feels left out when someone gets to stay home sick and wants to join them for a day of unlimited t.v. time. So, we kind of took her complaints with a grain of salt. By Saturday night, Kara's rash had spread all over her face and we made the decision to take her to Urgent Care in the morning. We got there 10 minutes before opening and there were already 5 people in line in front of us. One hour and 20 minutes later, we got her diagnosis of Impetigo.

Monday morning, Anna was still complaining her throat hurt, although, she had no trouble yelling at Kara (who felt much better, but needed to be on antibiotics 48 hours before she could return to school). I decided to let Anna stay home, just in case her complaints were legitimate (I told her she would have to take a nap and she accepted my terms). That afternoon Thomas was making the girls hot chocolate. He was talking to Anna and had his back to the stove. The next thing I knew, he was yelling that he was on fire. I turned and saw that his shirt was indeed on fire, literally there were flames on his back! I screamed, Anna screamed, Thomas asked me to help him, I grabbed a pot holder and was ready to beat the fire, when Thomas was able to get it out himself. He burned a hole in shirt, burned his finger (putting it out) and got two big burns on his back. I had to scrape off the shirt pieces that had burned into his skin. It was very scary and as bad as it was, I know it could have been so much worse.

Around 4pm, Anna was really complaining, so I finally looked into her throat. Obviously, I'm not a doctor, but it looked awful! It was the reddest, most swollen, pus-filled throat I have ever seen. We immediately got in the car and headed back to Urgent Care. They were down a doctor and even though they didn't close until 8, they locked their door at 5:30 (minutes after we arrived) because the wait was 2.5-3 hours.  Her diagnosis was strep throat. The doctor said her throat looked awful and even without the positive test, she would have known it was strep. I felt bad that I hadn't taken her seriously when she first began complaining. In my defense, she didn't have a fever and other than saying it hurt when she swallowed, she was acting normal. It was after 8 before we got home and Anna enjoyed another dinner of ice cream.

That night, we noticed some spots on Luke that looked like Kara's impetigo. Tuesday morning, I called his doctor and told her office that I suspected he had impetigo and possibly strep (he wasn't eating and seemed unhappy). They had no available appointments and suggested I take him to Urgent Care. So, off we went for my 3rd visit in 3 days. This time the wait was about 2 hours (start to finish) and his diagnosis was both strep and impetigo. I suspect Kara may have had strep as well, they didn't bother to swab her since they said the antibiotics for the impetigo would take care of both regardless.

Jack and I have managed to avoid any illness or mishap. I think Jack's immune system marches to the beat of it's own drum. He had a stomach bug for several days in November that one else caught and now he managed to not get sick when all the other kids were. We got home notes from all of their classes last week reporting that they had been exposed to strep, so I know it is running rampant at school. I am really hoping to avoid any more trips to Urgent Care in the near future. When I was there with Anna some people came in talking about how their other family members had been in earlier to be treated for scabies and they needed to get the same treatment. The poor kids were scratching like mad and I suddenly became convinced that their family members must have sat in the same chairs Anna and I were in. When we got home, I made Anna put everything she'd been wearing (including her heavy coat) into the washing machine. I did the same and we both took hot showers. I am convinced we get sicker every time we visit the doctor and Urgent Care is even worse. Hopefully, we've gotten all the Winter's illnesses/injuries out of the way for the 2015/16 season.

As mentioned, for our anniversary we went to Wine and Design. First, we went to Panera for dinner (I had a free You Pick Two waiting for me). Our design was a Starry Night Christmas, but Thomas and I decided to leave the stars out. I think we are done with Wine and Design for awhile. It was fun, and the paintings came out nice, but we didn't really have fun. It was actually kind of frustrating. Our other outing was seeing Hunger Games. In a pretty dark series, I found it the the darkest of the books, and the movie was true to the story. But, I was glad to see it. We actually saw all four movies in the theater, which is unusual for us, so it it was nice to bring the Hunger Games to a close.