Here it is few days into the new year, and I am amazed it is 2014 already. It has been non-stop for months now. Non-stop full with a lot of the good stuff - family, friends, husband having Christmas off for the first time in 6 years!!
Our computer bit the dust... or it finally gave in to the abuses inflicted upon it. A toddler pounding the keys like he is performing life-saving CPR right after he found it sitting on the couch and shoved it on to the floor... can't be good for its durability. We knew it was coming but there were still a ton of decisions to be made and rehashed and remade again.
This last week, Michael has been working nights and home more than usual. He still had a 60+ work week, but a lot of that was while we were sleeping. He is such a trooper, napping for a few hours and spending the day with us. We haven't been doing much, more visiting of family and checking out all the new toys, but is has been so nice. I am going to hate to see it end.
I have been really attacking the house and getting things all clean. I forget what is like to have an extra set of hands and eyes around so much. I can get the load out of the washer and start a new load without running upstairs to remove Theo from what ever new high-thing he has climbed up on. My floors are clean, grout is scrubbed and I don't have enough dirty clothes to wash a load tonight...
that folks is epic.
So here are a few photos from the holiday. It was a good one. Eva really was into getting and giving presents this year. We made a last minute call to skip the long-lasting, open-ended, gender-neutral, non-battery operated toys and get Eva the princess people and sparkles she was asking for...
it was the best move ever. She was so excited. Theo was just excited because Eva was. He is a great brother like that. Squealing in delight over Ariel and Rapunzel almost as loud as his sister.
A Friends-mas on Christmas Eva. It was the first ever, but we hope it becomes annual. We had a great food, made gløgg, played a game and laughed a lot. We even managed to recruit their help in with a wrapping party after the kids went to bed. Thanks guys!
Ready and waiting. Notice the clearance at the bottom of the tree? We only put up a few ornaments this year... all the way at the top. The candy canes are plastic ones and the kids took them on and off all month long.
And a candy cane was the first thing Theo went for... not the presents.
A mermaid like her besties.
One and done...
Well maybe not!
"He got it, Santa got it for me!"
The resulting chaos... this kids loving their gifts and mosty sharing. Michael and I kept sitting back and watching them play. It was a great morning.
Grandma and Grandpa's. Round 2.
Food and cousins. Presents and pie.
Poppy and Goggy's. Round 3.
More food and more cool toys. Theo found more candy canes. He is a collector.
Right after this one, I forgot to take any more photos. Poppy brought in a new, bigger bike for Eva. Theo immediately started clapping and cheering, completely unaware he wasn't the owner of these new wheels. Eva climbed on and Theo started pushing her off. "Me bike, me bike!!!" He even threw in some caveman chest pounding and foot stomping for emphasis. "ME bike, ME bike!" Pound, stomp, pound, stomp!! It was hysterical.
I wish I had taken pictures of him shoving his sister into the floor to get his chance. Trying to get his stubby legs high enough to get on, anywhere, even on a wheel was just fine for him. I wished I caught Eva's laughing face because she thought it was just hilarious. And some of mom pushing him up and down the hallway over and over and over... because if she stopped he started pounding and stomping again. Video would have been even better. All Eva kept saying was, "Silly Theodore." Instead of taking the pictures, I was belly laughing and wiping tears from my eyes. These kids crack me up.
It was a very Merry Christmas.
