News and Notes, Out of This World Edition

Another busy weekend is coming to an end, but thank goodness for a bonus day today because I never would have been ready to go back to work today!

On Saturday the boys and I were up pretty early to drive to Buffalo for my cousin's bridal shower at noon.  That wouldn't have been a big deal except that Craig was working and it was snowing.  A lot.  The roads actually ended up being okay for most of the way, just getting a bit messy off the Thruway.  The shower was great--what more can you ask for than good family time, catered Olive Garden, and a chocolate fountain?  It's amazing to think my youngest cousin is a couple months away from getting married!  Thankfully the boys were good for Grandpa, and we had a little time at my parents' after the shower to relax.  My mom and I worked on the challenging 2,000-piece puzzle she has been chipping away at, which made my dad marvel since he hasn't completed a piece yet!  Even Jacob managed to put together some pieces outside the main puzzle that can be moved in when more of it is together.  But just as we were getting in a groove, it started snowing harder, so we got on the road.  It was a pretty exhausting drive.  I was able to go about 45 mph most of the way, but lane changes were harrowing and it just felt slow.  It was about two hours, though that included a short stop, but still considerably longer than the usual 1:20.  We finished off the night with a three-person shoveling effort to clear about four inches out of the driveway.  It was starting to rain a little (but it would turn back into snow), so I wanted to clear it out before it got any heavier.  The boys did a great job!

On Sunday Craig was on the road, and of course Jacob had two basketball games 35 minutes away.  At least they weren't at 8am this time.  His team once again struggled.  One game was at least a little close, but the other was pretty rough.  Jacob scored four points in the first game and should have had a fifth except that his foul shot bounced off the rim, supposedly hit a cable above the hoop, and dropped through the net, but didn't count due to the cable interference.  I felt like in a game like this, for kids, if it goes in, it should count.  It's not his fault it bounced crazy, but even without the cable it most likely would have gone in.  But anyway...in game two Jacob got injured early.  Someone stuck out their leg on a screen, and when Jacob ran into it, it somehow twisted his leg and pulled something in his hip.  He sat out for a while and finally made it back in during the second half.  He scored one basket and played well, but he was sore afterward.  He seems better today.  The rest of Sunday ended up pretty lazy, though it was much needed.

Craig came home around lunch time today, and another lazy afternoon was in order for all.  Before he arrived home, Carter finished up his big project from the last week or so.  Because I flaked and decided I didn't trust the Five Below rock tumbler that he got for Christmas and didn't want to commit to the lengthy process, I got him a replacement gift that also incorporates the "jewels" he likes so much: a dig kit.  It was a giant block that had 15 cool rocks hidden inside it.  He started working on it last week, and in the picture below you can see a little patch of bright blue by his hand, which was the first one he found.

He got out a couple, but lost a little steam when he couldn't find any more.  I chiseled away at it over the course of the week to find areas where he could keep digging, and over the last few days we managed to find the rest! 

His favorite is the geode (the larger gray one on the left), but there were some cool crystals, some fool's gold, and a bunch of pretty, smooth stones

Another highlight of the week was Carter's first night of basketball.  We now have both boys practicing on Thursdays about an hour apart, so those will be busy nights for the next couple months.  Carter did pretty well at his practice.  He could use to be a better listener when the coach gives drill instructions, but he scored one nice basket and particularly loved running sprints!  His first game is next Saturday, and while it will be a very different version of basketball than we're used to with Jacob, it will be interesting to see how he does.

The highlight of the week was Carter's field trip!  A couple weeks ago his teacher sent a message about an upcoming field trip to the planetarium.  I got very excited because I have never been to the planetarium.  As I recall (and I don't think my childhood mind just made this up), when I was approximately Carter's age or a little younger, my class was supposed to go to the planetarium.  I missed it due to illness, though I'm not sure if it was a normal illness, or maybe tonsils or chicken pox, since they both happened in that age range, too.  I just remember being disappointed I couldn't go, and despite loving everything space back in third grade (thanks to the best long term sub ever while my teacher was out with tuberculosis) and always having an affinity for constellations and the like, I've never made it to one.  But this was my chance!  I messaged his teacher to ask about chaperoning, and (probably after hearing my story, both from me and from Carter) I was lucky enough to be selected as one of the three for the class.  It definitely perked up my Friday morning!  Of course, after some snow to complicate the day on Thursday, it was once again snowing on Friday.

At least I came out to sun later!  Too bad it was still only about 15 degrees!

I arrived a few minutes before the kids, so I wandered around checking out some of the lobby exhibits, including a secret space camera that was used to spy on Russia back during the Cold War.  This directional marker on the floor has the year the planetarium opened, in possibly the most 60s font ever.

This Paley sculpture of Halley's Comet has a time capsule in the head that will be opened up in 2061, the next time the comet passes.  I only vaguely remember the last passing, and it's crazy to think I might not make it to the next to hear what's in that capsule!

It was fun to see Carter's face when he saw me there upon his arrival.  I'll admit being in a place with nearly 100 first graders was a bit of an assault on the senses, but it was fun to get to sit with him and experience this together for the first time!

Other than things I've seen in scenes from The Big Bang Theory and Friends involving planetariums, I wasn't sure what to expect.  And even still, this one ended up being totally different than I expected!  All of the seats were on the same level (and they were like nice, reclining lawn chairs rather than theater-style seats) and set up in a full circle.  The dome screen had a tree image when we got in there...

...and Carter made himself right at home!

Before the show started, they pointed out the planetarium's old projector, which has a home in the middle of the room.  It lowers into the floor as the show starts!

It was hard to get good pictures of the show, but I tried, just for fun...

The Sun

The orbits

Saturn!

It was a really cool show, and it was pretty amazing to hear Carter say what certain things were before the announcer did.  He knew which planet was Neptune because it was blue, and he knew that an odd shaped rocky thing was one of Mars' moons.  He clearly has been listening in class, and I can't wait until we get a clear night so we can look for Venus and a few constellations!

It was a short but fun show, and before we knew it, the kids were hopping back on the bus.  As I headed back to the lobby, I noticed a little tunnel exhibit off to the side and ventured into there.  It had video and 3D style images of various space bodies like planets and galaxies and quasars.  It was definitely a bit of a throwback to museum exhibits of the 80s, but the earth looked pretty cool from deeper inside.

There was also a large spherical moon (?) hanging outside the tunnel.

I very much liked this stained glass style art back out toward the lobby.

I wish it could have lasted longer, but it was so much fun to experience this with Carter.  I would love to go back with all of us, though I doubt this is really Jacob's thing.  I really shouldn't have waited 35+ years to get to one, though!

Onward to another week, but at least it's a shorter one!  Craig is also home this weekend, which is always helpful, as well.  But how are we almost through this month already?

Random Ramblings of an Overtired Mom

The lack of posts this week pretty much indicates what you would think it does--the week was simultaneously super busy and quite boring.  Craig came down with a cold, which left me mostly on duty for the evening activities--two basketball practices and one confirmation/bible study night.  Then Craig left on the road Friday so it's been a couple days of keeping the boys from killing each other while also de-Christmasing the house.  To make matters worse, instead of Jacob's usual Sunday basketball games, which Craig would have been back for, we ended up with two games on Saturday, starting at 8am.  That meant I'd have to get both kids out of the house by myself, earlier than Jacob and I usually get out on a regular day, which is hard enough.  Ugh.  All I wanted for Saturday was to sleep in and recover from getting back to the grind this week.  But I guess that was too much to ask, and Craig was also disappointed to miss games.  Knowing the weekend was going to be a little weird with the early games, I was extra determined to get a strong start on de-Christmasing.  I did manage to take down both Christmas trees on Friday evening, which was impressive.  Of course, that meant very little sleep heading into a very early morning.  We did get out of the house close to on time with minimal yelling, so I guess we'll call it a win.

Oh, and might I add that when I took a moment to vent about the early morning on Facebook on Friday, I got the usual "Oh, you'll miss this someday" comments, and it made me pretty crazy, actually.  Sure, there are parts of my kids' childhood that I will miss, but I will not miss lack of sleep, nor will I miss dragging my kids out of bed and screaming at them to get out the door.  I am a much happier basketball watcher while rested and with a happy miniature co-watcher.  I know they mean well, but let's face it--most of us don't miss the actual stuff, but the "idea" of the stuff, the good stuff we blissfully remember over the crap our brains mercifully filter out.  Hence why our immensely challenging Disney trip when Jacob was five and diagnosed with Celiac on day two still has pleasant memories associated with it.  So lay off--I will totally miss basketball, just not at 8am on a Saturday.

Anyway, Jacob's team's rough spell has continued (four straight losses), and we're not sure what's going so wrong suddenly.  He actually had two great games today despite his team getting doubled up in both.  He scored 12 points total.  After some tough love from the coach to the team, the coach pulled us aside to let Jacob know that it wasn't directed at him--he's a great player and he's very pleased with him.  It's just unfortunate that the rest of his teammates aren't listening.  I was proud of Jacob--not just his play today, but being a very coachable player.  It's amazing what he can do when he puts his mind to it.

Today I took down the rest of the decorations and move the furniture back into place.  The only thing left to do is bring up the new toy table (my old TV stand, since our coffee table is back on coffee table duty).  I lost momentum this evening because it has become quite apparent that I'm getting Craig's cold (Carter seems to have it, as well).  We did have to run out and grab 100 pounds of sand tonight, as winds are coming overnight and we didn't know that until after Craig had gone to Toronto.  So, instead of putting it away like we often do when gusty winds are coming, we had to opt for some extra weight and some prayer.  We shall see.  Oh, and did I mention that today I managed to gash up my forehead with a car door again, for the second time in about two months?  Impressive, no?  Only this time it was my own familiar car door and I can only blame distraction by arguing kids.  Two small punctures and a scrape this time.  The other one did scar so I'm guessing this one will too.  What is wrong with me?!  Is this the start of old age?  I was also sore after de-decorating, so maybe it is. 

Carter starts basketball on Thursday, so our Thursdays will be extra jammed up for the next few months, and Saturdays could get complicated.  I guess we'll make it work.  But if week one back to the grind is any indication, it could be a bit daunting.  Well, at least we just have to get through one more week of work/school before we get a four-day week.  That's something, right?  We're fine.  Everything's fine.

Anyway, I guess I can take solace in my much calmer, less busily decorated house.  Haha.  Happy weekend!

New Year, Same Old

Seems like I do a version of this post every year.  The calendar flips, but not much changes.  The kids are still fighting like crazy, the house is a mess, I'm dreading Monday, and the Bills are blowing another game (a playoff one, this time, but still).  Even still, I guess all things considered it's been a good two weeks.  We had a great Christmas, we had some quality extended family time, toys have actually been played with, and we even snuck in a movie and some Glow Golf.  But forgive me for a being a bit bummed about the other stuff above.

The kid battles have been brutal.  The boys literally will not stay away from each other and it never ends well.  Jacob is constantly picking on Carter, and Carter is constantly fighting back in some sort of physical or verbal way that infuriates Jacob even worse.  It's a terrible cycle, and neither will give in or even admit that they're part of the problem.  I honestly don't think it will get any better until we start family therapy, and maybe someone else telling them that might help get through to them.  Jacob thinks he's just joking around, but Carter never takes it that way.  I think it's a combination of being too young to fully grasp sarcasm and tiring of the constant barrage of shots Jacob takes at him.  He's just over it and it would not be funny to him under any circumstances.  I tried to explain it to Jacob that if a guy in the office makes seemingly innocent but still uncomfortable comments to a woman (saying she's pretty or expressing interest), if the woman finds it uncomfortable, it automatically becomes something that should not be said.  So, if Carter is taking his comments as offensive, then he needs to stop.  Maybe Carter is overreacting a little, but it happens constantly and at this point it's like a PTSD reaction.  It's awful, but Jacob can't help himself, especially in the morning before he takes his medicine, which regulates his decision making a little.  I'm tired of yelling, and so is Craig, but letting them work it out themselves doesn't work either.  Someone gets hurt or comes whining to us about being wronged and we don't know who started it so it's hard to punish both over and over again.  We're just over it but there's no end in sight right now.

In other news, it wouldn't be a Christmas break without another reorganization effort.  I went through and scooped up a few toys to try to sell, but there are still more around that I know could probably go.  Hopefully soon.  Additionally, Carter mentioned to me a few weeks back that he wanted to get rid of the table in his room.  He rarely sat at the table, but instead it became a catch-all for all sorts of stuff--there were army guys camped out underneath and piles of trinkets and books on top.  It was a mess and admittedly made me a little anxious to even look at.  His room is small, so the idea of taking out the table wasn't awful, and over the last couple weeks it grew on me.  I realized that if we replaced it with a shelf we could move overflow books out from a crate they were shelved on, which would release even more floor space, and toy overflow could probably fit on the shelf, too.  It did mean it was time to pack up the Mega Bloks in a storage bin since they lived in a fabric bin underneath (they're now in the crawl space but still accessible if we desperately needed them), but it felt good to clear everything out and see a nice open space.  I moved the table to the basement, where it's now holding the Lego tabletop my mom had given us to use with it years ago.  It takes up no more space than the tabletop did sitting on the floor, so that's nice.  Carter even sat at it longer tonight than I think he ever did when it was in his room.

I bought a bookshelf with Walmart's next day delivery, but when it showed up it was actually a bit smaller than I thought (I guess I didn't look closely at the dimensions--I thought it was similar to one I got Jacob last year), and the color was different than I expected.  At that point my plan started changing.  I decided I could move our office bookshelf (also a three-shelf, which I've had since I moved out on my own) to Carter's room since the wood matched better, and use the new one in the office.  The books definitely didn't fit as well on the new one, but it turned out fine.  My old one was actually narrower (so not as good for kid books), but it definitely had a lot of room and fit the space even better than the other one.  So it all worked out just fine in the end, and Carter has much more floor space.

Next up (if I can get Craig to work on it tomorrow) is organizing Carter's Legos, which are all over the place.  Bits and pieces are in his room and all over the living room toy area, and many haven't been touched in ages, so they're starting to get on my nerves.  If we can get those under control, that will help things feel a bit less messy.  Next weekend I'll take down the Christmas stuff, at which point I will bring up my old TV stand (also an original to my first apartment), which will replace our old coffee table (which is now once again our coffee table) as the toy table in the living room.  Adding to the urgency to rethink the toy situation was that Jacob actually gave Carter all of his old Playmobil stuff, which had been taking up space in his closet, and I think the two castle towers will fit nicely in the "speaker" sections of the TV stand.  More can go up top, and little bins should fit in the DVD/VCR/cable box spots.  Once that's set up, we can reconsider what else should move around.  Carter has some extra space in his closet and on his new shelves now, too, but we'll see.  At least it makes me feel like I have a project that makes progress.

I feel like I got around to most of the pesky projects I needed to do while I was home.  The house itself needs a cleaning, but that's not happening during this break.  We have church and two basketball games tomorrow, so time is limited and I'm definitely not spending it doing that.  I'm seriously dreading Monday morning, with getting back to early wake-ups and lunch packing.  Carter has been routinely sleeping until after 10 lately (!), so his 7:30 wakeups will be challenging, even if we do manage to get back to a normal bedtime.  Jacob is dreading getting back to school, too, so I'm sure he'll be lovely in the morning.  I have a hellish January waiting for me at work, with lots of projects that need to be done ASAP--two rounds of sending out thank you gifts, one major mailing for multiple units, and one smaller mailing, just to name a few things.  It's good to be busy, but maybe not like that.  It might make the month go quicker, though, which is always a good thing in January.  And before we know it, Carter's birthday will be here!  And yes, I'm already scouting gifts for him--though hopefully light on the toy side since we seem to have plenty of those.  I can start planning his party (and cake) pretty soon, too.  Anything to make winter go faster.

Speaking of which, Jacob gets back to basketball tomorrow, and Carter starts practice next week for his Upward team.  That should be interesting since he's very competitive but hates to lose.  Let's hope he learns some sportsmanship...quickly.  Those games could be a little painful, however, with 6 and 7-year-olds still trying to master dribbling, let alone shooting.  We're also a bit spoiled after watching Jacob's team play, so this might feel sllloooowww.  We will definitely get our fill of basketball over the next couple months with both boys playing, and then transition right into Jacob's travel season.

Between the holiday, time with my family, and three half days of work, we haven't really had sustained down time with many full days at home.  Added to the mix yesterday was that Jacob's annual brain study, which was a full day.  We got there at 10am and didn't leave until nearly 5pm.  The highlight was our Chipotle lunch, but filling out surveys for a couple hours, and then spending two more hours reviewing more than 300 emails (mostly gift notifications, which is a good thing) was exhausting.  It's two hours less that I'll have to spend doing it Monday, but still--it was rough.  However, I can tell that I've rested up pretty appropriately over this break, though I'm still not at the point where I'm looking forward to Monday's structure.  It takes a lot to get me to that point, though.  This time of year I tend to have flashbacks to my unemployment and my maternity leave, which were both during cold, snowy winters and represent the only extended periods of time that I've had at home in this house.  I crave that kind of down time, even though each of those experiences had stresses and busyness of their own.  I guess I just do better with some structure, but not a lot?  But I can tell that I'm feeling better--I even managed to get on the elliptical twice in three days, which hasn't happened in ages.  Let's hope I can keep that up.  I have a lot of catching up to do on the fitness front after two months of sickness and a month of Christmas eating.  But after not taking extended vacation over the summer, I'm pretty sure I was overdue for a true break, and this fit the bill despite its interruptions.

So, the Bills' season is over (OT loss) and so are the holidays, and real life reality is coming quickly.  Not exactly the best feeling on this Saturday night, but better to have it still be Saturday than Sunday!  I know we need to get back in the groove, for many reasons, and I'm thankful for the time we've had...but I'm still not ready.

Family, Functioning, and Finishing a Decade

Well, it's been a blurry handful of days since Christmas.  It's hard to believe a week ago we were in the midst of the halfway point of our two days of Christmas, already three gift-opening sessions in.  I'm not even sure where these days have gone, but let's see if I can remember...

The day after Christmas Jacob had to be at basketball training bright and early, so Carter and I did some Walmart clearance shopping while we waited to refresh my bags and wrapping paper.  Beyond that, it was a lazy day.  I currently seem to have a problem staying awake in the afternoon, which I think I can blame on changing my allergy medication.  I tried Zyrtec (Certirizine) years ago and felt it helped my allergies a bit, but felt it made me extra tired.  Friends had raved about Xyzal (Levocetirizine), and with lingering allergy congestion after my sinus infection was done, I figured maybe I should try something new.  Despite the similarity in the name of its active ingredient, I figured I'd give it a shot.  But I'm pretty sure it's making me drowsy.  Either that, or two months of illness followed by a month of constant Christmas planning has seriously exhausted me to the point that I can't stay awake for most of the afternoon.  I think I need to switch back if I want to maintain any sort of productivity.  I have managed to do some laundry and put away most of the presents during my time at home.  The days after Christmas have really been a struggle, honestly.  Whether it's the allergy medicine, or general tiredness, or what, I don't know, but everything has taken massive effort.  Dragging myself off the couch, planning meals, disciplining the kids (for the millionth time), and general cleaning up has been very difficult.  I haven't been able to get myself back into working out, either, which is starting to get problematic given a plentiful, food-filled holiday.  I am really struggling with a lot of aspects of life--and I'm sort of freaking out that come next Monday I need to start getting up at 6am (and getting Jacob up early again as well).  I really need to use the next few days to get my you-know-what together, but more on that in a bit.

I had to go into work on Friday for half the day, and then it was home to hang with the boys.  Also a sleepy day, although we did get to try out one of Carter's main gifts, an anti-gravity car.  I'll admit it looked too good to be true in the as-seen-on-TV commercial, but you know what, it worked!  Check out this thing climbing the living room wall!

On Saturday Craig had to work, so the boys and I headed back to Buffalo to hang out with my brother and his kids, who arrived on a redeye the morning after Christmas.  My mom was throwing a family get-together so people could see them while they were in town.  When we arrived, the kids got to open their Christmas presents, which they all very much enjoyed.  Carter got a bunch of Beyblades, which he'd been wanting--and which cousin Max was more than happy to show him how to use.  Jacob got a Raptors shirt and a basketball he's been really wanting (as in, he asked me repeatedly over Christmas which family member I gave that item to off his list).  Both kids were thrilled.  Kate loved her unicorn hoodie (which she put on immediately), her unicorn robe (which she put on that evening), and her sparkly leggings (which she wore today).  Max was like a Lego master builder putting together the two fancy car sets we got him (along with a Minecraft t-shirt).  They all made out well--and I even got a gift, an ornament with Kate and Max's picture on it.  

After last year's photo fest with the kids (and recent fun comments when my mom reposted a funny shot from that day), we had to get another one.  I think Kate gained a little ground on Jacob, but for the most part they were proportionately similar in height...but so much more grown up!

We had a nice time at the party, and I even got to see a cousin on my mom's side that I probably haven't seen in person in a couple years, as well as her dad, who I see pretty rarely as well.  I got to spend more time with my cousins' baby girls, Emmy and Lucy, and relished seeing my other cousins twice within four days!  The boys and I headed home that night, because we had a couple commitments over the next couple days.

Sunday morning we headed to Craig's boss' house across town for brunch.  His boss and his wife are the sweetest people (with the cutest kids) and they were hosting brunch in their gorgeous (but homey) new house for a bunch of the lacrosse staff.  We had a very nice time chatting with everyone (including a couple coaches (one of whom is a former player) that I've known for nearly 20 years but rarely get to see now).  The food was fabulous!  We headed home to watch the Bills game (boo, they lost, but at least it didn't matter--they had already clinched their playoff berth) and relax.

I had to go back into work Monday to finish up my last set of data for the year, and came home a little before noon so Craig could fit in some work.  We were heading out late in the afternoon to come back to NT to spend more time with John and the kids.  We arrived in time for dinner, had an entertaining meal (particularly when my dad offered Max a bribe to try lemon juice on his broccoli and Max negotiated like a pro), and then had a fun time of gaming.  The kids (and my mom and me at times) tried to solve puzzles in Carter's new "Invasion of the Cow Snatchers" game, and we all took turns playing Yamslam, which is a dice game similar to Yahtzee but with some fun little twists.  Jacob was hesitant to play, but of course he rolled the best rolls twice in a row to start and then pretty much ran the table for three straight games!  John has played it a bunch and was floored!  We actually had a lot of fun with that game--which we've owned for a year or so but never got around to learning, mostly because Carter's a terrible sport and games rarely go well.

The four of us shacked up in the basement for the night, which was interesting but probably better than I thought--Carter on his usual crib mattress, Jacob on a loveseat (not as successful), and Craig and me sharing a full size air mattress.  We had a pretty slow morning, though Kate and I had fun painting her nails with rainbow sparkles, which she had admired on my nails last night and I happened to bring with me for touch-ups.  The kids alternated between playing and devices for most of the afternoon, but Kate, Max, and Carter did go outside when we got a random freak snow squall that dumped an inch of snow outside.  They had a blast chasing each other around and throwing snowballs.

Carter chasing Max

Three-way showdown

Kate laughing after getting some snow down her back

If you zoom in, you can see Kate's snowball hitting Max in the back!

We also took a new family picture, since the last one was three years ago!

And yes, Carter was a complete sourpuss.  Not sure what his deal was, though he was insisting he forgot how to smile.  Ugh.

After that, it was time for us to go home and let John's crew spend New Year's Eve at our cousins' house, where they always have a blast.  We came home to do our now-traditional choose-your-own-takeout dinner (Mighty Taco for Carter, Chipotle for Jacob, and Chinese for the adults).  We eat in the dining room, and I got sparkling grape juice for the kids (though Carter opted for root beer instead).  I lit some faux candles and tried to make it fancy.  Now we're all just sort of killing time until midnight.

As for me, I can barely believe we're heading into a new decade.  Thinking back, we really sent the last decade out with a bang.  We had an 18-month-old at the time, and on New Year's Eve 2009, we put an offer in on our house and said good-bye to Jacob's first daycare, which closed.  It was quite a day, and then we started the decade with a truly heinous stomach bug that took down Jacob, then Craig, and then sort of battered me to a lesser degree.  It even delayed Jacob's start at his new daycare.  That was followed by a nasty cold for Jacob, as well.  It was not a fabulous start, but at least the house thing worked out--although the gas leak caused by a pre-sale furnace inspection was what made me realize my smell had disappeared, which means that it's been nearly a decade since I had any meaningful taste or smell.  Crazy, huh?  Anyway, it's hard to believe we've been here almost 10 years now.  I still love so much about this house, but apparently there's some sort of 10-year itch for needing to get projects done because some things need to happen soon to keep me happy here!

Given my aforementioned struggles these past few days, I have all sorts of resolutions for this year (unofficially, I guess), which is way more than my usual none.  Beyond the house projects that need to move forward, I need to get myself back in shape (two months of illness and a month of Christmas have killed me), and I need to get my meal planning on track.  This past week has been a real struggle for any sort of eating at home, which throws everything else off, so I need to start figuring out how to make that better on a regular basis.  Craig's new lactose intolerance combined with the gluten issues we've dealt with for six years have made my struggles even more pronounced.  I either need to get more ideas or just plan better, which is always hard given sports schedules and work schedules and shopping coordination.  I'm also looking forward to starting family therapy at some point soon, because we need to get our family challenges on the road to recovery.  Between kid behavior/disrespect and general communication issues, we have a lot to tackle and need it to happen ASAP to keep all of our sanity.  We have a lot of improvements to make all around, that is for sure.

I hope for great things in this coming decade, but odds are it will have its ups and downs.  A lot will change for us--both kids will become teenagers, and one kid will not only graduate from high school, but also hit his 20s!  We'll both hit 50 (!), though, and unfortunately chances are we'll lose some family members as we all get older.  But hopefully many great things are ahead and we'll start this decade much better than the last!  Happy New Year, everyone!

Christmas!

I finished all of the Christmas prep right around midnight, which is pretty much par for the course.  I took a few minutes to settle in on my new furniture to enjoy the lights and the pile of presents.  I love my new star LED lights on the fireplace.  They're so cute--wrapped gold wire.  They are perfect, actually.

Only the gifts on the far left are for the kids.  Most were for the rest of the family!

I had to get tree #2 in on the fun.  I've really enjoyed my angel tree and its multicolored lights.  It looks so pretty in the dark dining room as I sit in the living room at night.

It was hard to believe all of the prep was finally done (short of one jello fruit salad and some packing).  Every year when we bring out the Advent calendars, they seem like an insurmountable climb.  But every year, the little tree one goes from sparse to filled, and the doors on the rest are opened one by one, and before we know it, we're there.  It ended up being a weird year for me, as even when I got to the end point, I was sort of in disbelief that it was over.  I barely felt ready for it all.  Even in the middle of our celebrations, it didn't seem like it was the real thing.  Not sure why.  Too much busyness and not enough emotional preparation?  Not enough seasonal events prior?  Bigger kids?  Subconscious emotional detachment since I know that these happy Christmases won't last forever?  Something just felt different.

Anyway, after a shorter-than-ideal but reasonable night's sleep, Jacob tried to convince us to get up around 7:30, but we held out until after 8 because Carter was still sleeping!  Jacob was all too happy to wake him up, and he perked up pretty quickly.  I made them wait a few minutes until I got our cinnamon rolls in the oven, just because it makes things flow better if they cook while we open gifts.  And, of course, the traditional picture...

They got right into opening their stockings, which as usual were filled with mostly candy.  Carter had the bonus of a small pack of Legos--a popcorn cart vendor that I couldn't resist.

It was sort of a weird gift year, too.  In addition to the shipping debacle, things were pretty minimalist.  Jacob had one big gift, and in the end, Carter did, too.  Jacob loved his special pair of sneakers--his next basketball shoes!

He also got a basketball ornament (a shiny, orange, glass basketball), some Nike gear to wear under his basketball uniform, and a basketball nutcracker from Carter.  I'll admit that I panicked a little bit once I had wrapped all of the gifts that there just wasn't much.  Honestly, it's not about the stuff...it's really just that we get to do this once per year, and if it only lasts five minutes, that's sort of sad.  I cherished those moments as a kid and I wanted to stretch it out as much as I could.  So Craig got the Nike stuff at the last minute, and I tracked down a reasonably priced lucite basketball display box for Jacob's special basketball that he got signed by a Raptor last year when he went to a preseason game.  He was pretty surprised to see it!

Carter was very excited to get his big gift, the Treasure X King's Gold Tomb.  It's basically a playset that starts out with a bunch of puzzles to solve to find the treasure hidden in the set.  Jacob gave him a little add-on to go with it--basically a little coffin to dig through and find treasure and a figure.

He also got an ornament--a Grinch one since he watched the newest movie a ton this season--along with some Call of Duty-themed army guys and a rock tumbler.  However, upon further investigation, I think the tumbler is going back.  I went the cheap route (just in case it didn't go well) but I didn't realize that once you start them you have to leave them running lest they turn to cement, and they have to run for days.  I'm not comfortable leaving it running all day and night unattended, so I think it's going back.  I'll get him a rock dig thing instead where he can dig out nicely polished rocks instead.  Oh, well.  He also got a last minute panic gift--a snow block mold.  In the end it was sort of strange only having one thing with lots of little pieces needing assembly, but Carter and Craig had fun figuring it out.

We had our traditional cinnamon rolls, I made some fruited layered jello, we and started to ready ourselves to leave for Buffalo.  We got on the road just after lunch.  Our first stop was Craig's Aunt Marie's, and we had a very fun time there with his aunts, uncles, and cousins.  The boys got pool floats, this crazy inflatable "pouch couch", and a small "Guess Who?" type game.  I got a couple nice little things, as well.

Then it was on to do gifts at Craig's parents' house.  Unfortunately, Jacob's biggest gift (another pair of sneakers) didn't arrive in time, but he got some clothes he was pretty happy with.  Carter got a ton of snow toys, some clothes and pajamas, and this crazy anti-gravity car that can drive up walls!  Craig got some clothes and socks, and I got a cozy Sherpa throw, among other things.

Since there's no longer space for us to sleep there, it was off to my parents' house for the night.  It was a rather late arrival, but luckily Carter already had his pajamas on and stayed asleep.  I slept on the air mattress in the office and didn't sleep awesomely well, but I guess it was good enough!  As we did last year, I had the boys sit at the top of the steps like my brother and I did, before coming downstairs to open one gift from Santa left at Grandma and Grandpa's.  Jacob got a shirt (he's excited about clothes now--yay!) and Carter got one of those pin art things that you can mold your face or hand in momentarily.  He was eyeing one of those up a couple weeks ago, and it was also a last minute add!

After church and a delicious ham lunch, it was time to open presents!

Carter got some clothes and a cool game called Invasion of the Cow Snatchers, and Jacob got yet another pair of sneakers (don't ask--at least these were really cheap) and more clothes. 

Craig got a new Braves shirt (since his others are too big now), and I got a very cool new angel ornament, a Christmas decoration that's almost exactly what I'd been looking for this year, and a meat thermometer, along with some other small things.

After some down time to figure out Carter's game (and then a panicked cooking of my dish to pass after the playing went a bit too long), it was off to the "family homestead", a.k.a., my uncle and aunt's house that used to be my grandparents', where we've spent every Christmas evening ever.  After another fabulous spread of food, it was on to gifts there!  Craig got a gift card, Jacob got a shirt (but also delayed shipping!) and a beautiful handmade yo-yo from my masterful woodworker uncle.  Someday maybe he'll appreciate it!  Carter got a cool addition for his Hot Wheels collection--a little bank valut playset--along with a few cars.  He happily played with it while everyone else opened.  I got a bottle of wine, my yearly Chihuly wall calendar, and a rather large blanket scarf that's so soft and pretty but I haven't figured out how to wear it yet!

While everyone was opening gifts, I had the pleasure of being on the floor with my cousin and her 20-month-old daughter.  She's always been really wary of other people, shaking her head at them or even growling.  It also took her a little extra long to talk, but she's finally pumping out a couple words, which is fun to see.  She also is into giving high fives to everyone and hamming it up with silly faces.  It was fun to have a front-row seat to her now very animated antics!  After presents, I found myself on the floor with her little cousin, Lucy, who you may remember me hanging out with a little over the summer when she was a newborn.  Lucy is now six months old, and she was such a cutie to play with!  She really wanted to grab my phone, so we opted for some pictures instead.  Alas, she moved a lot so most of the good smiles were blurry, but seriously...she is so sweet!

Such a doll baby!  Part of me misses those days, and part of me doesn't...but it was fun to pretend for a bit!

We had originally planned on sticking around until the morning of the 26th to welcome my brother and his kids in from their redeye flight, but by the time they'd get in, we'd have to be on the road so Craig could get to work, so we opted to just come home Christmas night and start the day fresh.  But before we took off, I made Craig drive by a house a couple neighborhoods over.  You may remember this house from its Halloween light show a couple years ago.  I didn't take video, but between these two shots you can get an idea of how elaborate it was.  The blocked out area on the right is a tree.  Sorry about that.  The show was really impressive, though!

All in all, it was a good Christmas.  Not particularly notable on the gift front (well, aside from Jacob and his sneakers), but I think it went pretty well.  I mean, Carter probably spent too much time on electronics at most family functions, and there were a few oddball gifts I haven't yet figured out what to do with, and the kids still fought more than we would have liked, but I really can't complain. And it's still not quite over yet.  The kids and I will be going back to my parents' house tomorrow to visit with my brother and the kids at a little family get-together (with kid presents before!), before all four of us go back early next week for a little more time.  It's amazing how much the kids' break is filling up.  I just have one half day of work left, but with the new year's holiday, I know everything is going to go so fast!  It's been a couple lazy afternoons since--busy mornings with basketball yesterday and work today, but equal amounts of rest and attempted productivity in the afternoons.  Not such a bad thing once in a while!  Onward to the rest of break...and coming soon, a new decade!

Pre-Christmas Everything

We had quite a busy week before Christmas...so busy that I barely thought to blog, let alone actually sitting down to do it.  And now, as predicted, Christmas has come and gone in the blink of an eye.  But let's get to all the stuff before Christmas first.

Carter got to make a gingerbread house at school on Wednesday.  He was very happy to show it off at home.  The roof became a little detached en route, but he still did a nice job.

The following day was Carter's big March of the Toy Soldiers, which Jacob also did in first grade.  He had been very excited about it, but very nervous!  They worked hard all month and he wanted to do well.  

He did awesome!  He actually led his whole class, and his form was amazing.  They did two different marches and he had them down pat.  They also had to be serious and not flinch for anything, which he did so well at, too!

I got a short video of the first one...


His class looked great in their hats!

We were so proud of our little marcher!

Each kid designed the crest on their hat, and I was very impressed by Carter's!  It has an "R", two basketballs, and what's supposed to be a trophy.

When I left off on my last post, Jacob had two basketball games on Thursday evening.  The games were actually on the U of R campus, which I think marked the first time I had to be on campus for something unrelated to work.  My work parking pass came in handy to get us a decent parking spot, which was helpful considering it was frigidly cold.  His team went 1-1, and probably should have won the second game.  Unfortunately, Jacob had a really rough night.  He couldn't get any shots to drop.  His team had similar problems, particularly at the foul line.  The loss was tough, but Jacob's rough night really ended the day on a sour note.

Jacob at the foul line

That made for a couple rough days around the house, with Jacob left to think about his performance for two days, until he played again on Saturday.  Craig left on Friday to go on his first road trip of the season, ironically to Halifax where the Knighthawks moved.  I had a fun day at work, thankfully, which kept me in a better mood.  We had catered Olive Garden for lunch, along with cookies people brought in for dessert.

Hello, giant box of breadsticks!

Later that afternoon was our office-wide gingerbread display.  We'd worked on it during the week and each department displayed their final products.  They were all so amazing, but I was partial to our creation, with a Christmas Vacation theme!

Jacob's Lego collection provided the RV and the characters.  Note the cutout of cousin Eddie near the RV.  The hand-placed lights on the side of the house were especially cool. 

If you look closely, Clark is on the right with licorice cords to plug in, and then his wife and kids are next to him.  It was all pretty outstanding.

I was stuffed from lunch, but couldn't resist the awesome hot chocolate bar!  It was a filling but fun way to finish off the work week!  

Saturday Jacob had another game at U of R, and rebounded fabulously with eight points!  I was so proud of him, and his team got a big win.  He had another game on Sunday morning that caused us to miss church (as we only had one service in preparation for Christmas Eve), this time at his usual gym.  His team had a big last-minute win, and he got two points and made a couple great plays that helped them make the comeback.  They finished second in their group in the tournament, which actually was fine with me because we probably would have had a game on Monday, which would have completely blown up our already busy day.

Most of the weekend was spent getting all of the last details done.  I was finally able to pick up our Christmas cards on Thursday, so those went out Saturday.  I tried to squeeze in shopping wherever I could, and started my wrapping.  Craig came home mid-afternoon Sunday and I pretty much ran out that night to finish shopping.  It was a challenge but aside from a couple things that needed to happen Monday, I finally got the last things figured out.  I even managed to get some cookies baked.

On Monday morning I had to go to work for a half day.  The tree looked extra pretty in the bright morning light before I left.

I got my work done almost in time, survived terrible traffic, and did my last two errands.  Then I met the boys at home so Craig could run into work, and I dragged the kids off to Jacob's last therapy appointment.  We're wrapping up his individual therapy and will hopefully be transitioning into full family therapy soon.  Both kids seem to be equal contributors to the problem now, so I think that's the route we need to go.  I knew when I made the appointment (because it was about the only time we could do it) that I would have about a million other things to do that day, but I did it anyway--and it was pretty much as stressful as I imagined!  But we got through it, and then it was home for a quick dinner so we could head out to Christmas Eve Eve church, since we'd be on the road the next day.  As is standard for us, we could not get out the door on time, and of course church was jammed.  Not only did we have to park pretty far away, but we ended up in the overflow in the gym, which was still pretty but not quite the same effect as the main church.  I started out the night very grumpy and frustrated, but thankfully church chilled me out a bit.  But I still had a ton to do--including last minute wrapping, cinnamon roll prep, and so much more.

Before I get into the good stuff in my next post, I'll leave you with our Christmas card from this year...Merry Christmas from all of us!