Christmas Week

It has been a busy week. On Monday, I took Anna to a far-away orthodontist for a second opinion. I will write about that another day, since it doesn't fit my Christmas theme. But, it was a lot of driving, about 5.5 hours total in the car (totally worth it). On Tuesday, we went to Winter Haven to have another socially distanced family visit. Poor Thomas had to work. As in, actually go into the office. So, it was me and the kids. We left around 9:15 and went straight to the park. We packed a picnic lunch and had a good visit with my Dad, Kim, Kevin and Maggie. JD came a little later, much to Luke's delight. My kids definitely love their cousins! Amanda wasn't feeling well, so we didn't get to see her this visit. We left the park around 1:30 and met up with Marta and Elizabeth to get Pelicans (our favorite Hawaiian ice place). The girls went home with Marta for the night. 

The next day, I left in the morning again and dropped the boys off at Marta's to work on cookies. They built a gingerbread manger scene. It is a tradition Marta has done with her kids for years. And, this was the second year that she did it with my kids as well. They worked on the ingredients on Tuesday and put it together on Wednesday. While they did that, I went and had lunch with Kim. We went to Tropical Smoothie and ate at the park in downtown Winter Haven and had a good visit. Thomas was still working.

It was nice to spend so much time with family, but I was really sick of driving. The trip to Winter Haven is just over an hour each way, but traffic was heavy and it felt like a lot. Probably about 10 hours over the three days. However, I am thankful to be close to family. It is a large part of why we moved here and I love when it all pays off. The girls had a great time with Marta and Elizabeth. 

On Tuesday night, we did a neighborhood Christmas lights scavenger hunt. Someone in our neighborhood gave us a treat bag, including the clues for the scavenger hunt. Our house was a clue for our countdown decoration. We really enjoyed walking through the neighborhood and checking things off. It was a good ending to a busy few days! We also took turns reading the Charlie Brown Christmas book and then watched the cartoon to spot the differences. I am generally not a huge fan of Charlie Brown (too depressing), but I love the message of a Charlie Brown Christmas.

Christmas Eve was nice. We have two neighbors with girls in Luke's class, he has been playing with them quite a bit lately and they played for a while outside and came into our house for a bit as well. We had our big dinner (both ham and turkey--so many leftovers!!!) and watched Home Alone. The day went by quickly. We read The Night Before Christmas, opened our jammies, and took the kids' annual picture in front of the Christmas countdown. We had reindeer food to spread, put out cookies for Santa and called it a night. 

The kids wanted to get up between 6:30 and 7. We settled on 6:45. I got up a little early and started our traditional breakfast casserole. By 6:45, the kids were all up, ready and, of course, really excited. We went through our stockings and then began opening presents. We took a break at 8 and had our breakfast. Luke took another break after opening his cd player. He ran upstairs with that and some new cds and told us to keep going without him. I think he was overwhelmed by the number of gifts. The kids got each other, and Thomas and I, thoughtful gifts. For example, Anna is really into doing hair right now and Kara got her a hairstyling head to practice with and Jack got her a braiding book. She was very happy. They used their own money for gifts. It was nice to see them put some thought into their presents. I did miss Kara's tradition of making everyone a gift. Hopefully, she will do that again sometime in the future. Jack kept joking with Anna that he was getting her a Barbie Doll. And, he got her one of those too. And, she bought him one as well. I hope they regift them next year and it becomes a nice inside joke for the two of them. 

We all got some great gifts and spent time playing/using them. Jack got an inflatable kayak that he blew up and tested in the pool. He also worked on building a new Lego set. Luke got a Flashrider 360 that he spent a lot of time riding. Kara got a unicycle that she practiced. And, Anna went on a bike ride on her new bike and has been doing hair all afternoon. I got a Diamond painting that I started and Thomas opened up all his baseball cards. The older kids, Thomas, and I played a new game called "The Five Second Rule," it was quick and fun. We still have lots of other games to play--we got tons of new ones.  The house is a mess, but everyone is feeling happy and loved. I am not sure we could ask for more!

Favorite gifts: Thomas says it is really hard to choose, but settled on a newspaper from 1862. It's hard for me to choose as well, I got some amazing gifts! But, I will go with my new headband earphones. Anna chose the hair doll and her bike. She is also really excited that we got a basketball hoop. Jack said he thinks the kayak, but he hasn't used it for real yet, so Morgoth's Ring (a book). Kara said the Don't Talk to Me sweatshirt (from the Masked singer) and a bulletin board. Luke said the stuff in his stocking and his Flashrider 360.

Everyone but Jack got a Squishmallow (he didn't want one). They are kind of my new obsession. The girls first spotted them SeaWorld and they are so soft and squishy. I got one for family, friends, even myself. Then, I asked for a smaller one to hold and squish while working and Kara got me an adorable elephant (my favorite animal). They are just fun. I have been holding off on posting this until I get a picture with them, but I keep forgetting. So, if I think of it later, I will add it in.

Sports Wrap Up

Luke's soccer team won last week. The score was 3-0. Luke scored all 3 goals. He is really great at getting in the thick of things and staying with the ball. And, he can run like crazy. It is amazing to see, he is fast and just jets up and down the field. He obviously has a lot to learn skill-wise, but he absolutely loves it. We had his last practice on Thursday and they did a kids versus adults scrimmage. I played and it was fun. Luke wasn't the least bit intimidated by the adults. He would run right up to them and try and steal the ball. There was a teenager and a couple of adults who obviously knew what they were doing. It is amazing to see how a skilled player can manipulate the ball. The scrimmage was only 30 minutes and Luke started to cry when it was over. He wanted a full practice. He still wants to play baseball the most. But, I am glad he has enjoyed soccer so much. He is going to do flag football starting in January. We really like the convenience of the YMCA. We can walk there from our house, so it is just easy.

We signed Jack and Anna up for basketball beginning in January. But, after reading the COVID predictions for early 2021, we told them they couldn't play. They don't enforce masks and it is indoors. I think Anna is frustrated because we are letting Luke play flag football, but we feel a lot better about outdoor activities. We have explained it to her, but I still think she feels like we are favoring Luke. Both Thomas and I, and sometimes the older kids, go to his games. Only one parent goes to Anna's (Kara has gone to all of them too). But, honestly, it is not as fun and it doesn't feel as safe. We can space out on the field as opposed to the cramped gym. But, I understand how she feels. Today is the last day for both sports and I am planning on going to both games.

The rest of the week was okay. Remember when I thought I was going to be swamped over Christmas break? Well, I am not. But, Thomas got a protest. It is so disappointing. All year, we look forward to these weeks at work. Most people take time off, so there isn't a lot coming in. So, it is fun to take a break and not worry about all the work that is filling your inbox. I feel bad for him and I hope he is able to enjoy at least some of the break. 

We have been baking on Saturdays. I made the pretzel "candy" for neighbor gifts. But, I accidentally bought butter pretzels and the tops kept sliding off. So, we ate them. We have also done peppermint cupcakes and peppermint meltaways. This weekend we are doing a chocolate peppermint cake.

Finally, Marta and Elizabeth came up today (Saturday) to see Luke's soccer and Anna's basketball games. Luke's team won, although he didn't score either of the goals. They only lost one game this season. And, in fact, only allowed that single team to even score against them. It was a fun season!

End of year medals.

Anna's last basketball game was good! Anna scored her first basket and got several rebounds. They only had 5 kids, so she had to play without breaks, but she hustled up and down the court. It was definitely her best game and she had a lot of fun. They still got slaughtered (59-11), but her team had a good attitude and it was fun to watch. I have always appreciated that Anna is a really good sport.

It is hard (for me at least) to get a good action shot.

Love these ladies!

A few more pictures from the week:

Of course we went to SeaWorld.

Luke wanted to look festive for his school party.

Our delivery driver "thank you box."

Luke's Bad Morning, Allergy Tests, and Jaw Surgery Update

On Wednesday, I was walking Luke to school when he turned to me and said, "I wish it was Friday, so that we could start our long break." I told him that the long break was still more than a week away. He stopped walking, looked at me and asked if I was sure. I responded I was and then he said in frustration, "well, did they change it???" He was convinced I told him this was the last week before break and was quite annoyed. Then, he asked me to give him some math problems. I asked him what 70x2 is. He responded 1400, I told him that was 700x2 and that 70x2 was 140. He said, "well, at least I got 700x2 right." Of course, being a realist, I told him that wasn't the right problem, so he did not get the question right. He was further annoyed. Finally, he is grounded from electronics and chose that moment to ask me if the ban was for a calendar week or through the end of the week. I told him that because Dad imposed the punishment, we would have to ask him to clarify. That wasn't the answer he wanted and the trifecta was complete. It was a bad morning.

Anna had her oral surgeon appointment. The doctor said that she needs to get her 4 wisdom teeth removed plus 4 pre-molars. Then, six months after that, to allow time for healing, she could get the surgery. The surgery would involve breaking both the upper and lower jaws to align the teeth. Apparently, they are also slightly off center. After that, she would continue to wear the braces for another 6 months or so. So, it is a long process. The appointment was 1.5 hours, and it was a lot of information. We told Anna she needed to be 100% sure and we needed to talk about it. Thomas thinks we should wait. There is no real urgency and he thinks it is too big of a decision for a 13-year old. I agree with Thomas' concerns, but I am more on team "let's just get it over with." The timing right now is perfect, she could have the teeth removed over Christmas break and then have the surgery over the summer. If we postpone it, she will either be in braces for a very long time, or more likely, we will get the braces removed and then will have to get them put on again. I am fine with waiting, but I do want to ensure we time it so that she isn't missing school. Anna wants to do it. She doesn't like biting into the roof of her mouth and the doctor noted a popping noise that she hadn't previously noticed, but now bugs her. And, she really hates the idea of wearing the braces longer than necessary.

Jack had his peanut allergy test on Thursday. He failed. We had to be at the Children's hospital at 7:40, but it is only 15 minutes from our house (so much better than when we had to drive almost 2 hours to Baltimore!). They divided the peanut butter into 11 increasing doses. The first was so small, he could barely taste it. They were about 15 minutes apart, so it took a long time. We got up to the eighth dose and then he sneezed. Then, his nose began running slightly, his throat felt itchy, and his face turned a bit red. That was the end. The last time, I think he was 7, he had to have Benadryl plus two doses of epinephrine and I was glad it didn't go that far this time. It all started with a sneeze on both occasions. So, he is still allergic to peanuts. Based on his blood tests, there was a 95% chance that he would pass, but based on his history, we figured it was unlikely. Once he was up to the 8th dose though, I started to feel pretty hopeful. So, it was disappointing. He was looking forward to broadening his diet. But, even if he passed, he'd still have the tree nut and shellfish allergies, so no matter what he was looking at a lifetime with Epipens, but a peanut butter cookie on occasion would have been nice.

The nurse was shocked we had actual books to read. She said she hasn't seen anyone with books in a very long time.

The last three peanut samples. And, the emergency kit--Benadryl and epi pens.

Kara had her level 2 dance class and said it went well and wasn't too different from level 1--just more technique focused. Marta was in Orlando on Wednesday, so she came over for a little while. Luke was thrilled, that is the early day for school and it is hard for him to fill his time while Thomas and I are still working. They played board games and he was so excited. Then, she came with me to drop off Kara. I had to take a work call, so she drove and once the call ended, we got dinner at Pollo Tropical. The dining room was closed, so we ate in her car. It was really nice to catch up.

It was a good week. Thomas had an amazing interaction with some sandhill cranes. It sounded insane. Apparently, they were playing with a leaf, tossing it in the air and catching it. Then, they came right up to him! He thought he was getting it on video, but it turns out he didn't. I was so disappointed! 

I got most of our Christmas cards mailed, and even wrote a little newsletter. Maybe I will post it here after Christmas. I don't want to ruin the surprise of receiving it in the mail for my few readers :) We made a treat box for the delivery drivers, and are pretty much done with our Christmas shopping. Friday night, we went to SeaWorld, but didn't stay too long. We got dinner, fed the sea lions. got some treats from the food booths, watched the synchronized lights, and came home to watch The Great Christmas Light Fight.

They are very vocal about wanting fish.

There was a really cute Rudolph area. Luke isn't mad, that was his picture face (masks just came off for the picture, there was no else around)

First Week of December

It was a nice week. Kara had her first class at the dance studio. I think I mentioned this, but she is going to be going two days a week. On Mondays, she will do level 2 ballet and acrobatics. And on Wednesdays, she will do just a level 1 ballet class. The purpose is to get her caught up in ballet. Her class this week was the level 1 ballet. She said she really enjoyed it. She is pleasantly surprised that she likes ballet. She is nervous about the level 2 classes, so Monday will be a big test. 

Tuesday, we took a family bike ride to look at the Christmas lights in the neighborhood. It was cold! The average high this time of year in central Florida in 75, but Tuesday it didn't go above 60. So, when the sun went down, it was legitimately cold. Thomas said he will enjoy the day or two of cold we get a year. We had a great time on our bike ride, there are some awesome houses in our neighborhood! When we came home, we did a Christmas ice cream test to determine our favorite Christmas flavor (at least based on the ones we had). We had two types of peppermint, Blue Bell Christmas Cookie, and Hot Cocoa. Three people chose the cookie, two for peppermint and one for hot cocoa. It was fun! 

Publix peppermint won best in the peppermint category. But, Christmas Cookie was the overall winner.

Luke and Anna had their sports practices on Thursday. I am seeing improvement in both teams. Anna's coach has incredible patience. Those middle schoolers would drive me crazy! Anna is good and listens, but some of them are just so disrespectful. I think Luke's K/1 soccer team are overall better listeners. Luke's game was at 930 on Saturday. Luke scored his first goal and played pretty well. Unfortunately, they lost 2-1. But, Luke had a great time. He really loves soccer. Even after the practice, he told Thomas--"it doesn't feel like practice because it is so much fun!" He still wants to try baseball in the Spring. I hope he likes it just as much. 

Anna's game on Saturday was at a YMCA by a big park and near a large outdoor mall. We decided we would all go. We couldn't all watch the game, the gyms are small and it is already hard to social distance. So, Kara and I went to the game and the boys went to the park. Anna's team did better, but still got slaughtered. I appreciate that they all seem to be good sports. No one gets upset that they lose by such a large margin every game. And, I am seeing improvement. Anna hustled up and down the court, but did not attempt any shots, or even dribble. She was ready if someone passed her the ball, but immediately got rid of it. She did get a rebound. And, she put herself more in the thick of things than at the other game I watched. So, again, happy to see progress. 

After her game, we went over to the mall area. We got Jeremiah's, then went to Barnes and Nobles. The kids all enjoyed looking around. I think we will go back in January or February and give everyone a blank check to pick out one book. But, there was no way we were doing that in December! I still need gift ideas, at least for two of the kids. So far, the only thing Jack has asked for is books. So for him, I need different ideas. From there, we went to Target. We needed bread and milk and I always like walking around Target. Well, almost always. Note to self--do not EVER visit a Target on a Saturday afternoon in December. Ever. And, I forgot the bread! We seriously went in for 2 things and I forgot the bread. But, I did get some peppermint junior mints, so I guess it was worth it? 

Friday night we went to SeaWorld for their Christmas event. It was really fun! They gave passholders one free sample and we each enjoyed picking something from their Christmas treats. Luke, Anna and I got mini donuts. The others got cheesecake cones. We saw the ice skating show and enjoyed the lights. The kids rode a couple of rides. It was a fun night.

Ice skating show and such a pretty view!

I love this tree, but couldn't get the flash right

These rope jumping toy soldiers were really fun!

Finally, on Sunday afternoon/evening we went to Busch Gardens for their Christmas lights. Because we are platinum passholders, our perk for not canceling our membership was $50 in park dollars. Each. We don't need the money at Sea World, since we already have the dining plan and all-season Quick Queue. So, we decided to live the high life at Busch Gardens. We bought Quick Queues for the day, enjoyed a kind of pricey dinner, and bought hot chocolate and warm cookies. It was awesome (and we still have some money left)! Kara tried 2 new big roller coasters--Cheetah Hunt and Montu. She loved them! Luke tried two new things as well, a mouse coaster and a really old, slowish coaster that goes upside down. His first loop! He loved it. He rode twice, and would have ridden more if we let him. He was going to try Cheetah Hunt, but got scared waiting in line. And, that is probably a good thing, it is much more intense than other rides he's been on. He debated for a while whether to try again, and we took the matter out of his hands but saying he has to wait. I think he was relieved because he didn't complain. We watched the ice skating show, rode our favorite rides multiple times and had a great night. And, of course, the lights were amazing.

The 4 kids are on there somewhere. Thomas and I sat it out.

This tunnel was amazing. The lights were synchronized with music. Luke couldn't stand still.

This is going to be a big week. Kara has her first level two dance lessons. We have to make a decision on whether the big kids go back to school. And, biggest of all--we have Anna's appointment on Tuesday to get the treatment plan for her jaw issues.