{On} My Grown-Up Christmas List

21 strands of light, 3,150 bulbs, and 12 extension cords later, this girl's childhood wish of a house with Christmas lights has finally come true.

{Welcome Christmas, bring your light...}

Eek, December starts tomorrow!

Lazy Saturday

We seldom have a Saturday morning doesn't start off on a hectic note, but this Saturday happened to be one of those rare gems where nothing was on the schedule for several hours It was a great real Saturday end to a week's worth of fake Saturdays. 

I will admit, initially I went into the living room for a quiet place to eat my breakfast and escape the noise of Netflix blaring in the other room. The children soon followed, though, as they are wont to do, and after crabbing about it quietly to myself for a couple minutes, I realized that I was glad that they had. It is truly rare that we are all in the same room this way, playing and chatting together with the television OFF. There may or may not have been electronics involved during our family time, but hey, we're still human.

The peace and calm didn't last forever, of course, because we had some things going on later in the day (stringing Christmas lights for Craig and Beauty and the Beast with Grandma Linda for Lex and me...and, incidentally, lots and lots of Phineus and Ferb for J and Van) but it was a wonderful, lazy morning etched into a life that is getting increasingly more busy with each passing year.

{well, these guys are still human, anyway.}

{best Christmas toy ever} 

{best Lexa ever}

{Lexa love}

{ I can always tell that Craig is concocting some sort

 of plan when he gets this dreamy look in his eyes.}

{snuggled up in front of the tree...until Lexa stole her blanket back from me}

{here Lex is emphatically telling Spencer to leave the ornaments on the tree}

{her new favorite phrase: "Seriously, Mommy? Seriously?"}

Season of the Sick

I spy, with my little eye...

5 medicine cups and a syringe.

Spencer got a pre-Thanksgiving ear infection, which turns him into a grouchy little bear any time he doesn't have some ibuprofen in his system. The girls and Craig all have coughs and colds. It's time to get the humidifiers back out of their boxes.

Is it sick season yet at anyone else's house?

Thanksgiving Scenes

Thanksgiving 2014.

It came. We ate. It conquered.

Ours was a lovely {BUSY} holiday. (If you haven't tried to decorate your Christmas tree on the same day that you are hosting Thanksgiving, then you haven't lived, my friend.)

I don't believe that there is any such thing as a stress-free Thanksgiving, especially when you are hosting and you have four beautiful children that don't enjoy the house being clean. But it can sure be wonderful when you have the perfect combination of loving family and friends (and delicious food, of course) at your table.

Lucky for us, all of the above was in order, and it was a perfect, exhausting day. Our hearts and tummies are full, and we are truly feeling incredibly blessed.

Happy Thanksgiving. Hope yours was a day of love and comfort, too!

On My Thankful List

It's true.

The things that I am most thankful for are the same every year: my husband and my children.

That is not to say that I am not also thankful for myriad other things, including (but absolutely not limited to!) a healthy body and mind, caring parents and awesome siblings, hard things, easy things, agency, faith, the Gospel, Pero, fireplaces, elastic-waisted pajama pants, contact lenses, freckles, the Internet, fake winter, grandparents, photographs, notepads, nail polish, gum, books, apples, Target, cream cheese, a minivan, somersaults, drive-thru pharmacies, dental floss, asphalt, mashed potatoes, Christmas trees, family history, pillows, singing, cell phones, dishwashers, Little People toys, deodorant, pens, etc., etc., etc. (Seriously, I could do this all day.)

The things that I am most conscious of absolutely loving and being most thankful for, though, are those incredibly wonderful (and occasionally infuriating) people in my life that happen to make up my little family: Craig, Julia, Savanna, Alexa, and Spencer.

And here's why.

Craig:

He mows the lawn and takes out the trash and does a million other invisible things so that I don't have to. He's the best hugger, a wonderful listener, and an excellent source of sympathy and support. He loves me, he gets me, he makes a laugh a hundred times a day, and he appreciates and adores me exactly as I am.

Julia:

Oh, this crazy redhead number 2. Julia can do anything she sets her mind to. She is incredibly ambitious and self-motivating. She often displays an impressive level of wisdom and understanding. She loves lengthy hypothetical questions, is brilliant, fun, and hilarious. She totally has my sense of humor. She is like her dad in every way, which is probably why I love her so much without understanding her at all.

Savanna:

This girl. She's a helper extraordinaire, a hugger extraordinaire, and has such compassion and depth of love and feeling for others. She's an incredibly smart, fun-loving, and all around excellent little person. She encourages and supports, rallying around others every chance she gets. She is grateful and appreciative, makes friends easily, and loves everyone.

Alexa:

Alexa is my fun little buddy. She is a wonderful partner to shop with, cook with, and clean with. She is so delightful and fun to be around. She has an incredible memory, a knack for rhythm and rhyming that surpasses that of her older sisters, and an adult-like personality that is both wonderful and startling coming from her little 4-year-old self. Plus she's kind of a Mommy's girl, which is pretty irresistible since she's the only one who is.

Spencer:

Where do I begin with Spencer, whose hands I just extricated from the toilet not three minutes ago? This kiddo is so darn cute, energetic, and curious. At a mere 19 months, he is already interested in how things work. He loves all buttons, dials, knobs, and wheels. He is freakinshly strong and sneaky, smiles easily, jabbers constantly, and loves to be with his people. He's is such an exhausting little joyful, this boy.

Well, there it is. The same peeps who drive me crazy and test my patience and energy to my very core are also the ones that love me, help me, encourage and sustain me. I am so grateful for the privilege of knowing and loving them all.

Translation: Achieved

Sometimes Craig sends me little love notes via email. One of his most recent messages said this:

"Soda is on sale at fry's. 4 for $8.88. yummy."

What he really meant was this:

"Please, please, please buy me some soda at Fry's. Then I promise I will stop drinking yours. And also you are a wonderful, funny, hot wife who is too good to be true."

I'm so glad I have learned to translate Craig's secret love language. It sure makes for more flattering emails, I can tell you that!

I sure love my handsome soda stealer and his little accomplice.

When You Just Don't Wanna

Do you ever think about how much of life is made up of doing things that we don't want to do? Like getting up in the morning. Or going to bed at a decent time. Or exercising. Or not eating all of your children's Halloween candy. Or folding laundry.

 Believe it or not (and I say this to myself as much as I say it t anyone else), doing things we don't want to do is actually good for us. It keeps things in perspective. It helps us to be strong. It puts us in a position to help others. It grounds us. It makes us appreciate those fleeting moments of ease and rest. It prepares us for the challenges of life.

I didn't want to get up before the sun this morning, but I knew I needed to. And I'm so glad I was able to make sure the girls got safely to school with a real lunch in their bags. (And their hair brushed.)

I didn't want to run this morning, but I knew I needed to. And I'm so glad I got a chance to get out and do something for myself before focusing on other people all day.

I didn't want to go on three errands with Spencer and Alexa in tow this morning, but I knew I needed to. And I'm so glad I got those three things done at the beginning of this crazy week.

I didn't want to sweep up Spencer's Cheez-It mess this afternoon, but I knew I needed to. And I'm so glad I didn't have to step on cracker crumbs for the whole rest of the day.

I didn't want to sit here and blog tonight when I have a hundred other things to do to get ready for Thanksgiving, but I knew I needed to. To remind myself that just because I don't want to do something, that doesn't mean I shouldn't. And one day I will be glad I took the time to record something about a normal day in the life of a Mom With Small Children.

A mom who doesn't want to do things. But does them anyway.

And now, I don't want to go tackle the formidable pile of laundry awaiting me in the other room. But I know I need to, so I'll do it anyway.

And tomorrow, I'll be so glad I did.

Bing Crosby, Are You Listening to Me?

"It doesn't often snow at Christmas,

like it's meant to do.

But I'll still have a glow at Christmas,

because I'll be with you."

There's nothing like The Pet Shop Boys to get me in the Christmas mood. Now all we have to do is get through Thanksgiving and it's smooth sailing 'til December 25th.

Travel Weary

It's hard to imagine that it's possible to actually sleep like this while traveling.

When was the last time you slept this well in a car?

Me? Probably 1984.

Holiday Faking

We are contemplating putting our Christmas tree up this weekend. What that means is that we felt ambitious and dragged it into the house tonight, but after moving furniture around and dealing with a couple hours of Standard Family Chaos after what was already a really long day for both Craig and I, we ran out of steam. So, the tree remains on the floor in pieces, and we are hoping that we can tackle the job tomorrow with a little more Christmas spirit than what we were able to muster tonight.

I have to know: Does Christmas decorating get any funner and/or easier as children get older? Every Christmas I think I understand more and more why my dad was always in kind of a rotten mood when it came to pulling out all the decorations and putting up the tree. I feel like this should be a wonderful, magical time. And it probably is...for the kids, anyway. (At least I hope it is, despite my grumbling.) Me? I'm usually simmering a little bit inside because the whole process completely stresses me out. (This should be made even more interesting this year because I have a feeling that our little Spencernado is going to be haphazardly removing ornaments from the bottom half of the tree for 30 days or more.) 

Do all parents just have to fake it every year? Please tell me it gets better.

In the meantime, I am going to reminisce as I look at these photos from last year and soak up all of the cuteness I see while blissfully forgetting the stress that I was undoubtedly feeling at the time. 

Okay, that's better. Thank goodness Santa brought me selective memory for Christmas last year. I use it almost every day.

Beating the Christmas Rush

Spencer is trying to get his holiday shopping done early this year. Hopefully everyone on his list wants a pull-back car for Christmas. (If that's the case, then no one should be disappointed.)

Three Years of Crazy

Since the holidays are not hectic enough, we usually like to throw a wrench in things and try to come up with some huge projects to do in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving and Christmas. You know, since dust, messes, holes, and the rearrangement of household furniture are such key contributors to the spirit of the season.

So, this year, if you are getting anxiety about hosting parties, or decorating, or getting your Christmas shopping done, hop on over to this blog and you just might feel better about the things that you do (and do not) have going on at your place of residence this time of year.

November 2012:

In 2012, when we first moved into this house, we were still finishing up the room that 

would be Savanna's, framing the closet and assembling the bunk bed. (For your

 information, this and all future usages of the word "we," actually mean, "Just Craig.") 

November 2013:

In 2013, we were disassembling that very same bunk bed and moving it into Alexa's room because the older two girls had decided that they wanted to share a room again. (Aside from the inherent messes, this room sharing business of Julia and Savanna's is pretty much the best arrangement ever.) 

November 2014:

Now, in 2014, it's the backyard. We are making progress, but it's slow going since Mr. Project Doer only has time to work on it some Saturdays and maybe an hour or two in the mornings before work.

Maybe this time next year we will just decorate and Christmas shop like other folks without the added excitement of a garage half-full of building materials and a constant stream of mud and dirt into the house.

There now, don't you feel better?

We Miss Daddy

Okay, Craig, my heart has grown fonder. 

I have discovered just how much I rely on you. And I have desperately missed how much you support me, make me laugh, and keep me snuggled up and warm at night. 

Oh, and also how you take out the trash.

You can come home now.

{getting some Daddy love over the phone}

{Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love ya, tomorrow...}

Please please please please please have a safe journey back. This single mom business is not for me.

Fan Mail

Dear Target,

You are pretty much the best store ever. You smell like popcorn. Your shopping carts are a cheerful color. Your floors aren't sticky. And I love the secret clearance items that you stash away at the back-end of your ample aisles, like this delicious Golden Apple that I didn't even realize I needed until I saw that it was marked waaaay down. (And also Apple's friend, The Pear.) Those little orange price tags just tug at my heart strings every time.

 Thank you for being you. And not...well, you know.

Love,

The Very Tired Mom Who Needs Some Perks Every Once In A While

Nature: Alive and Well in the Phoenix Suburbs

Since Craig is gone for a few days, Laura and Amy came to hang out and help me for the weekend. Although the original plan was to watch Christmas movies all weekend (and what a lovely plan it was, too!) we soon found out that the kids' attention span did not match our own. On to Plan B: a walk in the neighborhood. Not as exciting as watching "Home Alone" three times, but hey, you gotta roll with the punches, right?

(Rollin' in his 5.0 with his rag-top down so his hair can blow)

On our way to the park, Laura found this crazy, huge caterpillar thing on a bush. I never would have even seen it there because it matched the leaves so perfectly, but she's got an eye for these things. 

 Of course, the kids were equal parts thrilled and disgusted. We still aren't quite 

sure what kind of caterpillar it was, if it was a caterpillar at all; any guesses? 

It was a cool science-y experience, second only to staying inside and quoting "Home Alone" all afternoon. ("If it makes you feel any better, I forgot my reading glasses.")