After Christmas Recap

Yes, I am alive. I haven't felt like blogging and since we've been home I've been playing catch-up and just getting back into the swing of things. We had a great time in TX. The weather was unseasonably warm so the kids had a fun time playing outside a lot. We went to the park several times, they played and built a hideaway in the "swamp" as they like to call it (which is really just a big greenway in front of my sister's house that at some points has a tiny trickle of water running through it) they played in the backyard, etc. etc. We "helped" my dad move his office to a new location. I say this tongue-in-cheek as really the kids just basically dumpster-dived all the old boxes and stuff and built forts behind the office building and I walked around acting like I was trying to be useful.

Mom and all the grandkids

The boys at the park with an awesome sunset

We also got to see our friends the Danas while we were there. That was a lot of fun and they are great people we always enjoy seeing when we get the chance. I am in awe and slightly jealous that their little girl is both potty-trained and sleeping in her big girl bed, as I am still psyching myself up for both of those feats with Little Man. My first big transition needs to be getting him off his paci. Oh, the joys.

New Year's Eve was fun, as first, I got to help my littlest sister Ali get ready for a New Year's Eve dance. The theme was "Decades" and so she chose to go dressed 80s. Right up my alley! I had a great time designing her outfit and doing her makeup and hair, and serving as a consultant on her date's 80s outfit. She couldn't believe that we actually dressed that way on purpose.

After she left, we went to my sister's for our version of New Year's Eve Vegas style. She set up a "casino" in her front room. Luckily, we weren't playing for money, seeing as I've played poker like 3 times in my whole life. Tori ended up being the big winner. It was a good time.

Happy 2009

Earlier in the day we had shot off poppers and stuff at the park (fireworks were illegal) and we also did some crackers (little tubes with paper hats and prizes inside). When I lived in England, Christmas crackers were a big deal, and so when I found some at the store while I was down there, I picked up a box for us to do on New Year's Eve. It would have also been my sister Nicole's 30th birthday that day, so we took the boys to her gravesite and they put some "Happy Birthday" balloons up for her.

So here we are now in 2009. I have yet to do some great introspection on changes I'd like to make for this year. I did resolve over the holidays to start wearing some maternity clothes. After getting to the point that everytime I sat for any extended amount of time I had to unbutton my pants, I decided to just take the plunge. I didn't have any with me, but my mom had given me a gift card to a maternity store, so I went and used it, plus some of the Christmas money they gave us, to buy some clothes. So that means it should be about a month and people will start asking me if I am due soon, if I follow the same pattern as in the past... We will find out what we are having in a couple of weeks. Any guesses?