Making merry!

G: "Hey you wanna get together one night this week?"

B: "Yes! Maybe we can make cookies or something with the kids?" 

And then I began to think about the last time we got our kids together to make Christmas memories....

TWO YEARS AGO!

Look how little they were.....

Amazing the difference two years makes. 

It's pretty sweet how they never skip a beat when we get together, they just get right to being buddies.

They do however get wilder than a room full of monkeys.

But wild monkeys that always have fun.

And now we have a new monkey.

She sat next to me during craft time, and I'm sure she wondered who the crazy lady was.

But trust me, we broke it down together. I may be the only one who looks looney, but Emie is going to be my dance buddy.

Britt bought some ornaments for the kids to make.

They did a pretty good job

But of course, they turned silly at some point.

And my 16 10 year old was tripping me out with his smooth faces.

So glad we are still making memories together.

And I can't wait to see how Emie fits in with the group. (Horribly blurry, but holy guacamole Hope is so smitten)

I can't wait to compare this photo next Christmas and see how they have grown.

Good times making merry!

Hard work pays

When a voice awoke me at 4am Monday morning, "mooooom my stomach hurts, and my head hurts"  I went immediately into the mom process mode...

Is this a vomit situation?

Is there a fever? 

Please don't give this to your sister. 

Please don't give this to ME. 

How early is too early to text my boss?

AINT NOBODY GOT TIME FO THIS

And, so on, and so on, with the mom thoughts.  

Once I came to my senses and realized this would require a day at home, I remembered that Pierce was supposed to receive a certificate for a math contest and would have to miss it. SAD FACE. 

But isn't that life with kids? Totally unpredictable. I sent teachers messages and asked that they send it home with his sister.

So we had our own little awards ceremony at home, I took pictures and I went on about how proud I am. Because I am.

This was an online math contest that was for the entire county, and out of 836 players, Pierce came in FIRST. 

And Hope? She came in FIFTH! Sad face again, because I missed her getting it!

COLOR ME PROUD.

They both work so hard at school, and their work pays off.

And FYI: 4 more days....

Get the prize

Ever have to endure something to get the prize at the end? 

I can think of one very specific thing: CHILDBIRTH. 

Hideous pain, horrible pushing, sweats, cussing, gnashing of teeth, but of course in the end it's all worth the prize. 

Well for one specific child of mine, he recently had to endure something painful to get the prize....

We had our awesome work party last week. We ate delicious food, we hung out, we laughed, we ate more delicious food, basically eating is what we did. Eating is what we always do.

But then the big guy showed up!

I was screaming and clapping, but I looked over and saw Pierce sink in his chair. Santa isn't exactly his cup o' tea, but presents are, so he knew what he had to do. ENDURE TO GET THE PRIZE.

I seriously couldn't quit laughing.

But he did it, and he survived.

Hope also made a trip up to his lap...

She was a little embarrassed by it all, but she enjoyed it.

Little sweetie.

I work with a great group of people.

Thankful for bosses that make things fun.

Merry Christmas from Warren East!

Every time I remember you

It was this time last year that our dear Aunt Linda was struggling to hang on.

 When I think about that whole situation I still don't understand. Why did she have to suffer for months, just to die? That I will never understand. 

 I see this picture and I see her sitting there behind Hope, with her little hat on, and it just makes me miss her. I want her to walk through the door at my parents, with one of her crazy outfits on, talking ninety miles per hour, throwing hugs around, just being Linda. That's what I want, but those days are gone. 

Instead of dwelling there, I will just think on who she was, and how she made me smile.

I thank my God every time I remember you-Philippians 1:3. 

Tis' the season.

Tis' the season to just sit in front of my tree, all day, errrrrrrday. 

I WISH. 

Actually like it is for everyone, it's such a busy time of year. Crazy how much stuff we pile up in one month, then January rolls around and it's like, LET'S DO NOTHING FOR DAYS.

Tis' the season to leave the kids with the babysitter, so mom and dad can go out with the small group for a Christmas shin-dig.

But I cannot call Olivia, "the babysitter" because she's so much more than that. Olivia is Brittany's cousin, and we've had the pleasure of getting to know her over the last three years. But now? Well, she's moving away, and we are all highly upset about that. This is probably the last time she will watch the kids, unless Brittany and I can implement a kidnap plan, which trust me, we are contemplating it.

Tis' the season, for the kids to begin working on their Christmas gifts for everyone, and the fifty-eleven meltdowns that follow because "THE PICTURES AREN'T GOOD ENOUGH!"

Tis' the season for us to serve others.

Even though that should be every season...

Tis' the season to have a big ol' Christmas kickoff at church.

And tis' the season for little friendships to develop.

Emaline's hand on Hope's hand? I die.

This was Emaline's first event at church, and she did SO GREAT! And if you can't tell by Hope's face, she's in love with her.

And tis' the season for me to be happy to spend time with these sweet girls. (I am so awkward in this picture, and look like I might fall over.)

Have I mentioned I love this season?

Yes. Yes, I think I have.

TIS' THE SEASON!

Turn it up for 40.

Finally it was time. 

Time to get gussied up, and turn it up for 40! 

Tracey had been planning this evening for a long time, and of course we had been talking about it for weeks, so we were pumped.

I decided to leave the big camera at home and just bring the ol' point and shoot. Funny taking a selfie like this felt old school.

Our friends Matt and Melanie met us for the evening, which considering they were missing a Thanksgiving with her family, I know it was a sacrifice for them. I so appreciated them deciding to spend their time with me.

We decided to try out a place we had never been before, Varanese.

Let me just say, DIVINE.

The food was wonderful, the service was great, and this little jazz duo played Happy Birthday just to me.

Not gonna lie, I felt pretty special.

A group photo was a must before we left the restaurant. For some reason Matt and Paul decided to do a little switch up back there, you know cause they think they are hilarious. But please check out the guy photo bombing us back there.

You can really see it here. Dork.

This was such a special evening and some of the most fun I've had in a long time. 

The weeks leading up to my birthday Tracey said over and over, "I just want your 40th birthday to be special." She put so much thought and energy into the whole event, and I don't ever take for granted having that kind of person in my life. 

Along with Paul, my parents, Paul's parents....all of them played a role in the evening, and I'm thankful for them ALL.

Without a doubt, 40 is good.