Since you guys seem to like the “real” posts the most, I thought I’d start there with our Christmas recap. For those of you who are my friends on Facebook, you might have already seen an abbreviated version, but this still shouldn’t disappoint.
Let me start by saying we had a fabulous Christmas and we are still very much enjoying our wilted Christmas tree and lazy days at home together. I’m off work until next Tuesday and even though Josh is working (locked in the bedroom while we have fun without him), it’s nice to eat breakfast and lunch with him and have a few moments throughout the day as he takes a break. The girls got everything they wished for this Christmas and it is all still strewn around the living room floor. This is the only week of the year when piles of toys and evergreen needles don’t seem to bother me. I don’t care when the laundry piles up or the girls skip naps. Instead, I enjoy snuggling on the couch underneath well worn quilts and blankets. We eat snacks for dinner and make yummy breakfasts every morning. We just might find ourselves taking a shower and putting on clean pajamas, but then again, we just might not!
Now for the bad. On Thursday I left work on time to find a flat tire on my car. Frustrated isn’t the right word. Oh how I wished I had noticed earlier in the day, because now I was stuck in the parking deck waiting on assistance while the cold rain fell and traffic on the expressway started to back up. The bright side to the saga was that the CAPS guys who changed my tire were bragging about their mad skills and rehashing their experiences of the day for one another while I waited. It was clearly all for me and it was all I could do not to laugh out loud. Thankfully, traffic wasn’t terrible and I made it home in record time. We had pizza for dinner and Ella & I made a late night run to Publix and Walmart for groceries and a few last minute gifts. Josh took Sophie to the doctor earlier in the day to make sure she didn’t have an ear infection before the holidays so we wouldn’t have to worry about spending any time at the pediatrician’s office. Foreshadowing, you say?
Friday, we were back to good. We cleaned house, baked, and wrapped presents. We watched movies and ate junk food and sat around looking at our tree. Ella complained late in the afternoon about an earache, but we ignored it because she said it was fine only thirty minutes later. Fast forward ten hours and she was getting up from her bed, screaming because of her ear. We barely survived the night, having her scream about it all night, and refuse to sleep anywhere but the couch. We finally found some numbing drops and she settled in for an eight hour respite.
Saturday was Christmas Eve and we were late to lunch with Josh’s parents. I don’t know what was wrong with me, but I could not get it all together and get us out the door on time. I had spent the morning trying to reach a nurse at our doctor’s office and we kept playing phone tag. I finally resorted to the after hours line and after realizing that they couldn’t call us in antibiotics without seeing us in person, we scheduled an afternoon appointment. The appointment was right in the middle of Christmas. She & I left early and waited for almost two hours to be told we had an ear infection and receive the prescription. Ella looked at me with a straight face and said, “You mean I was right? We didn’t have to come to the doctor?” I wish! We made it back in time to snuggle our grandparents for a few more minutes before heading out to communion. Communion at our church is my absolute favorite moment of the holiday season. I love being in the candlelit sanctuary with my family. I love seeing good friends just moments before the celebrate the best day of the year. Everyone is so joyful and full of excitement. It is the best thirty minutes of the year. We hurried home and wrote Santa a letter, arranged cookies on a plate and snuggled in for our annual viewing of A Christmas Story. I’m thrilled that Ella is finally old enough to laugh through it with us. My second favorite moment of the year occurred when Josh and I flung ourselves into bed at midnight, exhausted, but grinning ear to ear at the goodies nestled under our pretty tree.
Christmas was a great day. There were a few meltdowns, but that is hard to avoid at 5 years and 20 months. We had a lazy morning at home, enjoyed a wonderful service at church and then cooked enough for a small army before heading out to celebrate with my family. We ate and played cards, we watched little girls dance in their cowgirl boots and open more presents, we fixed a third and fourth plate and complained when the fudge disappeared. We stayed late and watched football and came home just in time to tuck the littles in bed.
Monday my parents brought over their gift for the girls. The coolest mini-trampoline that is big enough for the both of them, but small enough to fit on our porch while it’s cold and rainy. We were planning to spend the day enjoying their gift before heading to my parents house for dinner and stockings, but things got a bit derailed. We had our first major disciplinary problem out of Ella and she wasn’t allowed to jump the rest of the day. I felt horrible and it seemed harsh, but I’m learning how to be a better mother and sometimes sticking to my guns is the way to go. I also learned that it worked.
Tuesday, oh Tuesday. I woke up at 3:50 a.m. to baby squeals and when I opened the nursery door I almost fell over. Sophie had thrown up milk and Christmas candy everywhere. After calling in reinforcements, we stripped the bed and gave her a bath and finally all fell back asleep in our bed. We were right to assume it wasn’t a virus, just a case of too much candy on a sensitive stomach. Two hours later, she woke up with a raging temperature and we instantly knew. Another ear infection. We ran to the pediatrician, grabbed a prescription and headed back home. We are trying a new medicine, but if this one doesn’t work we might be headed for tubes in the near future. We can pretty much diagnose the infections ourselves at this point.
So far today has won the award for the least amount of drama. Everyone is feeling better, there aren’t any fevers and we have avoided any disciplinary action so far. Ella & I have been watching movies on the couch all day, Josh just went back to work after lunch and Sophie is sleeping quietly in her room. I’m uploading images from the weekend and trying my best to ignore the housework that is beginning to pile up around me. I’m trying hard not to think about the fact that my tree is dying and should probably be removed from our home even though I’m not ready. I think I’ll just eat some peanut butter fudge instead. Pictures tomorrow, friends.
What about a phone dump to tide you over?
{sweet friends at their first ever Nutcracker ballet / the view of our tree from my bed}
{my stinky flat tire / two sweet girls and their Christmas cowgirl boots}
{Ella’s trip to the after hours clinic}
{the viewing of A Christmas Story / I managed to catch Santa on the tracker app while he was in town!}
{the Christmas morning yule log video / baking with mommy}
