disney on ice

it was a busy day.  Andrew and I went shopping from morning til 1:30 and we all left for Disney on ice at 2.  got home at 6 and then did dinner and bedtime.  everything just flew by.

I found this coat at ross.  originally $100 and the person who tagged it, mistakenly tagged it as an "athletic top" (the brand was fabletics) for $13.  I probably should have bought it but I already have a black puffy coat and didn't want to buy something just to buy it.  I decided to leave that good deal for someone else and hopefully they'll be overjoyed to find such a great deal.  sadly, looking at this picture just makes me wish I had it though.  eh.

the weather was so nice... I came home from shopping to find the kids playing outside with a lady bug.

honey redeemed some season ticket points for Disney on ice tickets and they came in pairs, but since Andrew didn't need a ticket, we had an extra one and decided to invite our new neighbor friend.  she's just six weeks older than Abigail.  I don't know how we keep lucking out with such great neighbors.

I felt so bad for Andrew all day.  he kept getting crappy naps in his carseat and getting woken up when I needed to take him out of the car for something.

can you tell by Abigail's short sleeves and flip flops how great the weather is? we've been having the most mild winter.  only two snows so far (just a couple inches) and one dusting.

waiting for the show to start.

honey kept telling me beforehand how underwhelmed I would be.  he took Abigail to Disney on ice when she was 2 and he said it just wasn't that great.  maybe it was my low expectations but I thought the show was actually really good! Chris says they change it year to year and that this year was just better than the previous time.  it worked out great though.  Brady liked the hockey part (Riley from inside out) and the girls liked the princesses and Elizabeth was always so excited to see Mickey and Minnie when they would make appearances.  it was so cute to see her wave and yell "HIIIIIII!!!!!" at them.  like melt my heart.  I wish I could replay that forever.

she heard me take a picture of her and turned her head to smile and say cheese.  I'm trying to figure out if she just likes her picture being taken or if I've trained her like pavlov's dogs.

when we were here on Tuesday night for the avs game, Brady really wanted his picture with the headless hockey player but there was always a group of people standing nearby and he was too shy so we took the time to do that before we left.

and the other kids got on board too.

holiday party at boondocks

I went to my Friday barbell class and then my Christopher was texting me about how it was his Friday to get together with his sushi group (some guys from church that all work in the same general vicinity and get together for a sushi lunch one Friday a month) so I texted him a picture of my calf raises I was doing and told him he better keep up. neither of us are big on exercise but the tables have turned for the time being.

back when Elizabeth didn't have her own helmet, I would let her wear this hat while she rode her bike.  she still calls it a helmet.  this is the best age... I really do miss when they start dropping these weird quirks.  (like how she thinks multiple items are always "three")

also, for the first time, Elizabeth was able to open the door from the garage to the kitchen.  this is going to be so useful for helping her not get trapped in the garage!

we've been doing reading lessons again with the plan to finish by Brady's birthday.  cross your fingers for us!

Brady is making great strides on drawing people.  this is a picture of Abigail, himself, and Elizabeth.

we went to a holiday party for one of honey's clients.  this is the first year they've had it at boondocks.  the environment was definitely easier with kids in tow (the past few years, it's been at moe's and they have bar height tables/chairs) because it was in it's own private room with bowling lanes and tables, but I won't lie.... the food was nothing to write home about.

the Santa, as always, was legit.  execept that he listened to Brady's request and told him he could probably make that happen and when I asked what he asked for, he was all "it's so loud in here, I can never hear."  COME ON, SANTA!  luckily Brady told me later.  ; )

elizabeth sat on his lap but refused to make eye contact.  it was subtle enough that I'm sure people were confused why I was laughing.

this was the closest she got.  later in the night, Santa was handing out teddy bears and Elizabeth went back to get one.  apparently she walked up and saw him and just busted out crying.  then she ran up juuuuust far enough, grabbed the bear, and ran away.  I was so confused when she came back and looked like she'd recently been crying and why Julie also looked like she'd been crying from laughing.  that girl.  always something.

I think this is our first year of no crying since Brady was born.  Abigail has never cried with Santa, and Brady did every year until he could pass that torch to Elizabeth.  Elizabeth was peer pressured into not crying this time and Andrew was just fine.

Elizabeth was devouring everything from cauliflower and cucumbers and celery (I don't know that I've ever just given her a stick of celery before... I don't like it... but she stole one from Brady's plate and went to town on it) to onion rings and French fries and honey's pizza to my pastas and garlic bread.  and of course orange soda and purple soda and popsicles.  watch your plate when she's around... she will almost never ask permission first.

it was a fun night.  it was also fun that I saw a girl there that I knew.  she goes to the same weight class that I go to on Wednesday mornings, and I've seen her around Parker before, at the library mostly, but this was the first time that we formally met.  so that was exciting to make a new friend!

Shanahan's

when you're driving and you just happen to catch a glimpse of a little boy in the backseat with a miniature Santa hat on his head.  I was so startled, I laughed out loud.  and Brady, who had forgotten he'd put it on, was so shy and confused why I was laughing at him.

PSA: these are at Costco and they are soooo delicious.  I am not a huge fan of pretzels, white chocolate, or peppermint candy canes... but something about these and that combination is phenomenal.  although I will say that Chris doesn't think they're that great.  but I love the sweet and salty and crunchy and smooth and everything about these.  they've been my drug of choice lately.

dinner at shanahan's for the hospital board Christmas party.

the hostess on the way out saw our walking selfie and offered to take a picture of us.

and let's be honest that basically these look the same as the night before except for my hair.

the red pants dress rehearsal

I let Elizabeth ride in Abigail's carseat on the way home from the gym.  she thought it was amazing.  

I time all of Brady's reading lessons.  because I'm weird.  I even sometimes pretty the lap button with each section.  right now all the sections are to read the words, read the words again, read the story, and then read the story again while answered comprehension questions.  I think this lesson was something like 3 minutes, 1 minute, 8 minutes, and 7.5 minutes.  the various parts of the lesson vary but we were almost right at 20 minutes!  I will say though that I've started doing tickle breaks in the middle of the lesson which helps Brady stay engaged and motivated and I pause the timer while we do our tickle breaks.  but the actual learning part of the lesson was 20 minutes.

I'm not sure if it's because it's just her nature or if it's because she's watched and learned from Brady, but Elizabeth is starting to be sooooo cute with Andrew.  even the way she says his name is adorable. she's kind of a punk (like giving him a binky and then taking it away again once he's stopped fussing) but it's just really fun to watch.

when he's not being neglected, Andrew is just the happiest kid.

I started stressing about what I would wear to the hospital board holiday party.  I had an idea in my mind (pretty much the only option I could come up with from my closet) and was curious if it was weird (so out of my comfort zone) or if it was something other people would wear.  what would we do without google?

these brothers have a strong bond already.

I love that Andrew looks like he's doing a gangster pose.

have I mentioned before how Chris gets jealous that when he and Brady and Andrew are all together, Andrew mostly just looks at Brady and not really at Chris?  I told him it was nothing to be offended about, just that Andrew probably preferred Brady and thinks that's his father since he's always around.  ; )  my honey loves me.

don't mind this kid.  just doing his hair before heading up for bed.

also, this is his hockey outfit.  he literally wears it for every moment we are at home... even while sleeping.  I thought for sure it would taper off after he got tired of the long undressing/redressing process involved in going to the bathroom... but nope.  going strong still.  Abigail wore princess dresses, Brady made up a hockey uniform.

I texted weed and asked if she would help me with my outfit.  luckily she was an enthusiastic yes.  jacket was a gift from aunt libby, shoes from target, pants inherited from grandmother.  thanks, granny!

and because I love before and after pictures...  just kidding.  kinda.

I considered this black clutch.

until I realized that the teeth marks would be super visible if I set this on a table.

enter Chinese wallet!  I really just needed it to fit my phone and lip gloss so it was the perfect size.  mother... do you remember where grandma got this?  I was sure I'd remember but of course I've forgotten.

and my completed outfit.  since the clutch is from grandma and the black shirt I wore under the blazer was actually purchased for me by my mother... I felt very well dressed by the strong and giving women in my life.  still an outfit totally out of my comfort zone, but I felt special getting to wear and use these items from some of my favorite people.

and that concluded my dress rehearsal.