1. We visited Santa Claus yesterday. Of course #4 wanted nothing to do with him. Hence, she is not in the picture with Santa. She only looked at him from afar, tucked safely in her dad's arms!
After the girls visited with Santa, I stuck them all four together for about 20.2 seconds. This was the best I could do.
And yes, #3 is wearing her princess tiara. She does not take it off. EVER. SERIOUSLY. She sleeps in it. She only takes it off when I wash her hair and then puts it back on. Immediately. For reals.
2. We are doing our advent calendar again this year. It is actually getting much more difficult to come up with things to do as a family due to our busy schedules. Well, the girls' busy schedules. But we're still trying and they still enjoy it. So far, here's our list:
Dec. 1st: Decorate our Advent Wreath for the dinner table. (We used our own holly bushes and native grasses.)
Dec. 2nd: Make a green and red chain garland for our staircase. I have used fake greenery for the last, umpteen years. This year I was ready for something different! This is just the trick and all three of the older girls helped make this!
Dec. 3rd: Movie night - the Polar Express (a new DVD) This is where busy schedules came into play! #1 was gone at swim practice and #2 was gone at a sleepover. But we forged on ahead. #3 and #4 stayed home with me to watch the movie. Of course, #4 only watched it for about 20 minutes while she drank her bottle. But after she was in bed, I was able to get in some precious snuggle time with #3. That was magical because I don't get a lot of one-on-one time with #3. (Ignore the chords. We just got a new DVD player and that was the only way I could get it to work!)
Dec. 4th: Pick out food to take to church to donate.
Dec. 5th: A riddle with a special Ghirardelli brownie mix at the end. I knew I wasn't getting a birthday cake, so I'm not gonna lie... I planned this one. That's just how I operate. After all, a birthday only comes once a year. Right?
3. #4 is driving us nuts these days. NUTS I tell you! She likes to pull me around the house and show me where she wants to go and what she wants to do. And she likes to take baths. A lot of baths. Like, every hour on the hour if I let her. And she likes to walk up and down the stairs. And up and down the stairs. And up and down the stairs. Are you tired of reading that? Because I am tired of DOING IT!
On the other end of the spectrum, she is hilarious. She loves to play with her sisters. And she really does play with them - not just next to them. She is in the middle of the heap. They all like to play airplane. #1 is the airplane and they all take rides. It's so fun to watch. (And a little scary.) She also likes to do what #3 does. That includes wearing "fancy" shoes. Check this out!
Yes, those shoes actually belong to #2. And #4 can wear them. She can even WALK in them!
4. Next weekend is going to be all about cookies. I am going to dedicate my entire Saturday to baking! I might even start out Friday night:)
5. I am partaking in putting together a December Daily again this year. I didn't do one last year. Probably because I was just overwhelmed with four kids. I'm still overwhelmed but used to it now! I will try to post some pictures. My skeleton is put together, but now I have to start since I already have five days to add in there.
6. Today was my birthday. There wasn't any one, particular thing that made my day special but there were a lot of little things, all added up:
I was supposed to go for a run with my friend, Stacey. However, she woke up sick. I didn't find out that little fact until I was all dressed and ready to go. I figured it was a sign that I was supposed to go for a run. So I did. And it was cold. Brutally cold - I'm not gonna lie. But you know what? It wasn't bad and I actually enjoyed it. It was a really nice way to start off the day. Anytime I get to wear sunglasses while running is a good thing!
After my run my hubby had blueberry muffins all ready to go. And he even made me scrambled eggs to go with them. How perfect is that? Since we were out of coffee, he stopped by Starbucks and picked me up a cup. Delicious.
I dropped #1 off at a birthday party and then did some Christmas shopping. I am now nearly finished. I feel good. I just have to get to wrapping now.
The best part of my day? Two hours of uninterrupted "me" time. What did I do with that time? I spent it on the computer. I ordered some pictures, ordered some cards, edited family pictures, and worked on my December Daily. That was very cherished time because with a one-year-old around, I never get "me" time while the kids are actually AWAKE!
My two oldest each made me a special card. And #1 talked her dad into taking her to Target tonight so she could buy me a gift with her own money. I thought that was immensely thoughtful. She picked out a beautiful silver necklace with a heart and some yummy chocolate. I am DEFINITELY wearing my necklace tomorrow! And I was showered with tons of hugs today - simply wonderful.
Lastly, my hubby made the dinner tonight. That was a special treat. It was only burgers, but at least I wasn't the one who had to make them.
All in all, the 16th anniversary of my 21st birthday was a success.
Have a wonderful week!
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