It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas

“Mom, today I was throwing up red throw up and green throw up and is that because it’s getting close to Christmas? Is that why?” -Brady

Brady's 5th Birthday!!!

Brady is FIVE!  holy cow!  part of me feels like he's been five forever (since he's only been talking about it since his fourth birthday) and part of me literally feels like he was just born this morning because that memory is so clear and fresh feeling.  time is so crazy.

Brady's birthday is somewhat cursed.  there seems to just always be something that gets in the way of just a regular birthday celebration at home with our family.  I mean, on his first birthday, we left him with a babysitter.  his second birthday, we may have done the same thing?  or I scheduled dentist appointments that night or something? I'd have to go back and check.  we had a great birthday at my parents' with baseball cupcakes and baseball themed everything at the table.  I loved that but I was still kind of sad that it was born out of necessity because we were traveling and out of town on his birthday.  well, this year was our year.  we were in town, we kept the night totally free (Chris had asked me a week or two ago if he should keep the hockey tickets for tonight and take Brady to the avs/penguins game, but I told him that I thought it would be better to all be home as a family), and we had awesome birthday gifts we were soooo excited to give him.

so of course he came down sick on his birthday eve.  was totally fine until he sat down at dinner and just mentioned that he didn't want to eat.  and then kept true to that. within an hour or two, he was a crying mess because having even the most minor sickness means that he is just a few short breaths away from death.  but I gave him drugs that eventually kicked in (which was great because we barely finished that last reading lesson since he was an emotional disaster, but the Motrin made him feel great and giggly again) and he went to bed happy.

so today I had kind of low expectations because Brady was sick (same as me... sore throat, congestion, achey head/neck) and Andrew was still throwing up but the day was actually pretty great all things considered!

so sick and sad.

he watched a lot of shows.  frosty the snowman was the favorite... that got a few viewings.  especially while ms. stacey worked with Elizabeth and I was in the shower, it was good to have some Christmas shows on.

I asked Elizabeth to grab me a diaper and pjs for Andrew and she actually did! and quickly!

came out to find this.  I know it looks like he's watching tv... he's not.  sometimes when he's really tired, he just like to find a patch of sunlight and lay down to rest.  I think if I had left him, he would have fallen asleep even though it was only 11am.

I'd promised him forever ago that he could have a big treat (like a trip to get ice cream or something) when he finished his entire reading lesson book.  it worked out well that he finished last night and he chose a chick fil a milkshake as his treat.  so I waited until after 11 to load us in the car and we went through the drive through (at first he was sad when I told him we wouldn't go inside to play but I told him that he and Elizabeth could stay in their pjs for the car and he was good with it).  we got two chocolate milkshakes (Elizabeth and I could share) and two chicken sandwiches (thanks again for the calendar cards, mother! and poor Christopher that he let me borrow it one month and I've never given it back.  whoops.  it's just been so nice to have two because I always have at least one kid with me) and then picked up our Walmart order on our way home.  I asked Brady if he was sleepy (it was obvious) and he said no.  two minutes later... this.

and I gazed longingly at the chick fil a.  so then I decided to wake him up so we could all go inside to eat.  totally worth it.

Brady said he wanted a hockey cake.  a cake that looked like a hockey rink.  this image was VERY helpful for me to reference.

eventually I got to this point.  it was more time consuming than I wanted it to be (the whole process of baking and making a cake) because it took all of my time that Elizabeth was napping, but it was fun.  Brady helped me with the cake baking and with frosting the whole thing white (tip: heat the frosting and then pour it over... it spreads evenly like a glaze and it doesn't even matter that the top half of your cake was ripped in shreds (because it was really the bottom that didn't come out of the pan evenly)... not that that happened to me.  anyway... it all came together better than anticipated and I let it be when I got to this point.

when honey came home, I had him place the players in a way that made sense to the play of the game.  because one of the goalies was broken, we used that one... the one that wasn't broken still had the long piece attached to his back so the player can move him around... I told honey I only wanted to use the broken one (since he didn't have a stick coming out of his back) and he'd need to craft a situation in which the yellow team pulled their goalie to get an extra player on the ice.  he did a great job.

that puck is a raisin.

honey wrapped all of Brady's gifts and then stuck them on the entertainment center. his family tradition is on the fireplace but ours is full of Christmas stuff right now.  and mostly because we were SO excited for Brady to open his gifts and didn't want to take any chances about the surprise being ruined.

 got some pjs from the Kelsey grandparents.

starting with elbow pads, Brady unwrapped an entire hockey outfit (minus hockey socks though... he'll tell you he got everything except hockey socks) and I may be even more excited than he is because he's been wearing Chris's elbow pads on his arms and his legs (Chris has two sets... two different sizes) and it is the biggest pain ever to try to get those just right.  now Brady has everything for the size he is.

he was soooo happy.  and during presents and throughout the rest of the night, he would just stop and tell me or Chris "thanks for getting me my own hockey stuff" or some variation of that.  my heart was warm at how truly grateful he was.  maybe my favorite moment was when he opened one of his first gifts that wasn't identified (Christopher didn't label anything... he would just tell Brady when he gave it to him) and he was all "dad, who gave this to me?"  it was precious.

he kept putting it on piece by piece... here he's still wearing his little basketball shorts and one set of Chris's elbow pads on his knees.  this was also the point in the night where Elizabeth decided to strip down and denounce clothing for the rest of the night.

we all played hockey together in the basement multiple times before bed.

it was basically just a dress rehearsal for Christmas next week.  and oh my goodness I love my honey so much.  he completely cleaned up this entire room and all the kitchen and dishes and started the dishwasher and put our three kids to bed while I helped Andrew and really, this is my love language.  and then we watched a hallmark Christmas movie together.  well, the end of one and beginning of another... we can't seem to sit through a whole one in one night.

but for real.  I made this cake.  from a box, but whatever.  I didn't even eat any because I don't like cake.  unless it's an amazing cake.  funfetti doesn't count.  also, I was able to surprise Brady with the cake because he didn't see it after I did the initial blue lines.  I think it was better than he thought it would be.

with his gifts.  this was definitely a hockey heavy birthday but he did get nuggets tickets for Wednesday night (Chris and I are going to take him and his best friend, Zack) and a soccer ball toy from brian and Kelsey.  and then dinosaur pjs from the Kelsey's.  mom and dad sent him this cute baseball card (the envelope even had a little circle baseball stamp!) but they cancelled it out by face timing him and giving him roller hockey lessons.  I'll sign him up at the rec center and I can't wait until it starts in march.

hi there, barfy.  strategically placed next to the hardwood, easy to clean, floor, should that projectile vomit come when I'm not holding you.

happy birthday to you!

the avs scored a goal and he was so excited.  and they had an awesome game and WON.

happy birthday Brady!  from all of your favorite people and this little girl wearing a stuffed dog's coat.

what makes a best friend?

thinking of my friends, I've realized they all have characteristics from the same small list.

they're funny.  I sure do love being friends with funny people.  it's like every interaction is just a real treat.  the other day, I caught myself reading through months of text message conversation that I'd had with weed.  it just reads better than a good book.  everything was making me smile and laugh out loud all over again.  we've been friends since birth (mine, since I'm younger) and she's still the funniest person I know.

they're candid.  I love a little tmi.  when I can sit down with someone and have a conversation where almost nothing is off limits, I naturally feel so comfortable.  we can talk about our less than glittery feelings, how rarely we actually do those less desirable chores, and any bodily function or weirdness that comes up without having to redirect the conversation.  my friend Sarah that's in my ward... this is 100% her.

they're loyal.  I have another friend from birth (hi Diana!) that I'm horribly crappy at keeping in touch with.  despite that, we are friends.  I feel confident that even if we talked for five minutes a year, for the next 20+ years, I would still consider her family and be totally fine asking for a huge last minute favor or crashing at her house if I was passing through her neck of the woods.

just these three characteristics hit most every person I consider to be a close friend.  still, there's just one more category that was hard for me to pin down.  and, as weird as it sounds, it's the people that I'm not truly good friends with... people that may not even consider me a friend.  one person in particular comes to mind... we were visiting teaching companions a few years ago and she's still in my ward.  I'm sure she thinks I'm fine and nice and just another person at church, but I have such huge respect for her as a person.  she is so kind and so hardworking and never feels sorry for herself and she's so satisfied with her life and her situation in a way that I just didn't even know was possible.  I look up to her so much and I know she has no idea.  despite this... I would be willing to make huge sacrifices for her.  so... not sure exactly how to sum up the last category.

they're just good people.  if I can watch them from near or far and see their overwhelming goodness, I can't help but love them and consider them a true friend, regardless of if they even have me on their radar.

so that's it.  this was my thought process a few weeks ago while I was driving home from the gym and thinking about why some people stand the test of time or why someone can go from stranger to best friend basically overnight.  I'll have to edit this is something changes, but basically this is it.  these four things are the best indicators of who I'll consider a friend... and if they've got multiple or all of the characteristics from the list, they're likely on the very top of my best friends list.

I'm so thankful for my friends and all of the great relationships I have in my life right now.

two kinds of sick

when it comes to kids, I feel like there's really just two kinds of sick. the kind of sick that makes them easier, and the kind of sick that makes them more difficult.

I mean, most people are familiar with how kids are crankier or up at night or crying a lot when they don't feel well, but we don't as often get to experience some of those most prime experiences of parenting when the sick kid is just calm and humble and sleepy and cuddly.  that's how Abigail was earlier this year when I had to take her to the ER for what we thought was appendicitis.  it also makes me think of one time when Abigail was little (she's never been cuddly) and she climbed in my lap and fell asleep on me while I was watching general conference or something.  both times were so obvious.

last night though, I chalked it up to Andrew just being really tired and worn out from being awake for the whole ward Christmas party.  he fell asleep with no problem without a binky (normally he falls asleep with a binky for daytime naps but not during any night wakings) and just seemed soooo extra calm.  during the night, he slept for extra long and I even heard him cry a bit up settle himself back to sleep which isn't terribly common.  I thought maybe something might be up but he's typically just an easy going baby so it wasn't a dramatic difference from his norm.  but make no mistake, he's got his first stomach bug.  he threw up once during the night and then first thing in the morning before I got him up.  then he threw up when I was about to put him down for nap (standing on exact spot of crunchy carpet that is left from when Elizabeth threw up there on Wednesday) and it luckily was all contained on the two of us and my bathroom sink (since I sprinted there).  then I got him all changed and cleaned up and reswaddled and was standing in Chris's office about to put him down for nap and it happened AGAIN and luckily I made it to my bathroom sink again and so neither of us got messy at all.  so third time was the charm... I finally put Andrew down and he instantly fell asleep without a binky and without a peep.

so we'll see how the next 24 hours play out.  I'm hoping it can all get out of his system today since tomorrow is Brady's birthday.  cross your fingers for that one!  in the mean time, my biggest goals and accomplishments revolve around keeping vomit out of our carpet* and preferably in a sink.

*on Tuesday night/wednesday morning, Elizabeth was throwing up in her crib.  upon waking for the day, I knew she was still sick, even though she was acting mostly normal.  but that's a hard combo... to have a mobile playing kid that could throw up at any moment.  it's not like she was laying on the sofa for hours on end where I could just surround her with towels and blankets.  I left her in the kitchen while I went to chris's office (we have Andrew's little travel bed in there for the time being) to put Andrew down for a nap and Elizabeth came in fussing and crying and I couldn't understand what she was saying until she started burping and looking like she was about to throw up.  but at that point, what could I do with a nursing baby in my arms?!  so, we have a big patch of crusty carpet still. and that's exactly where I was standing (about to put Andrew down for a nap) when he started burping and I sprinted to the hardwood and then again to my bathroom sink.  and then SOMEHOW it happened the next time I went to put him down again... standing on that very spot and hearing the burping start.  so I'm starting to wonder if that spot is cursed.  seriously... what're the odds?

the Saturday of Christmas festivities

holy cow... I thought I was doing so great only selecting just a portion of my pictures from the day but there's still a lot.  whoops.

so, we started out the day with me taking Brady to make a bunch of returns at Walmart that I'd been procrastinating for two-ish months.  I never go inside Walmart anymore (still loving Walmart grocery to go) and thought it would be crazy only ten days before Christmas.  well, I'm gonna go ahead and say that amazon must be rocking it this Christmas season because Walmart was not at all busy.  we parked on the second row and didn't have to wait long in line.  and the only thing I had to purchase was a new set of headphones for Abigail for at school.  I finally got smart and bought three pairs instead of my usual one pair.  she bites through the cord every couple of months so it just makes sense that I should probably keep spares on hand.  so hopefully this will get us through the rest of second grade.  ; )  the greatest part though was that these headphones were on a special rack that was locked (you had to have an employee come and get them off for you) and they were carried by the employee to the register that's in the electronics section so that you could purchase them there instead of the front of the store.  I thought this was all comical since I buy the cheapest headphones that only cost $4.88 each but it was awesome because that was my only purchase so, after that, Brady and I just walked right on out of the store.  woohoo!

and then we were on to more important things... like the dollar store.  two years ago, I'd taken Abigail to the dollar store to pick out Christmas gifts for everyone in our family.  it's great because it's a kid friendly environment and you can just say "you get to look at the entire store and pick the ONE BEST item for each person in our family."  it's great to see a kid get into the spirit of giving.  

so I took Brady to do that after Walmart.  it wasn't as awesome as I'd hoped.  mainly because he was soooo hung up on stuff he wanted and he became instantly obsessed with this sword.  but he was able to find some things for his siblings (and Chris) and... when he got home he told Abigail all about his shopping trip and how he really wanted a sword but that I wouldn't let him get it.  well guess who's turn it was to go to the dollar store next? later, Abigail was all "I'm so glad Brady told me that he wanted that sword so that I could get it for him! I hope I got him the right one!"  so cute.

Brady has been DYING to go ice skating ever since Chris took him skating at the Pepsi center a few weeks ago.  he wanted to show me and Abigail how well he can skate without holding on to anything.  it's true... he's picked it up quickly.  we all had a good time.  Abigail liked skating with assistance, Elizabeth enjoyed cuddling with me, being held by Christopher while he skated (until they told him he wasn't allowed to do that), and then "skating" in her shoes with the big plastic thing.

eventually I took the girls and Andrew in the library to warm up for a bit.  the library is my happy place.  there are just so many inviting books!

I think this is a little above my children's level right now but this would be amazing in future years.

Abigail ran out to keep skating so I just had the little two.  Elizabeth wanted to walk up and down these stairs.  well, when you're the oldest kid present, sure, go ahead.  so I hung out with Andrew while Elizabeth walked upstairs, explored a bit, and then came back down.  she was so pleased.

when we came out, Chris and the kids were finishing up.  they were hungry and didn't want to wait for the zamboni.  Chris took them to Texas Roadhouse.  I wasn't in the mood to eat out so I took Elizabeth and Andrew home with me.  we had scrambled eggs on toast.  it was delicious.  I also asked several neighbors if they would go caroling tomorrow at the house up the street... their little boy just got home from the hospital.  he is almost four and has leukemia and one of my friends from church is organizing the caroling.

when Christopher and the kids got back, Elizabeth took a nap and we helped the kids wrap presents.  it was so great.

Fiona came over to play for a bit... honey warmed up ham and turkey for our ward dinner.  he took Abigail and Brady to the church to help set up and decorate and I brought the littles and the meats when I came.  the Christmas party was a sit down dinner with no formal program... just musical performances as [mostly] background music.  it was perfection... I liked it way more than years past and it was a lot of fun.

every day recently I've just been so surprised at how much I'm enjoying myself this Christmas season.  last year when I was pregnant, I just hated Christmas.  everything about it seemed like such a pain and I was just anxious for it to be over and the whole time was just wishing that it didn't even exist.  this year? I'm totally digging my heels in because I'm so sad that we only have one week left until the magic takes off for another year.