Holidaze

Last Saturday we drove to Mike and Eric's annual Christmas party at their home outside of Chicago. We went three years ago, when I was secret-pregnant with Josie! (In the know then: Elise, who had tried to make me go on a roller coaster about a week after I found out I was pregnant).

We woke up at 5 am with the idea that the girls would sleep in the car (they didn't). The front of Luke's jaw had been hurting for a week or two and he had a Monday appointment with the dentist. Early Saturday morning, though, he pressed gently on the fluctuance he felt at the base of one of his front teeth AND PUS SPURTED OUT. Should we go to Chicago?! The ER?! Feeling much better after the pressure was relieved, we picked up some antibiotics (it's good to have your own personal ER doctor on call) and headed out.

Doughnuts and the Daniel Tiger soundtrack. On the road I realized I had no activities for the kids but I found some sticker sheets in the diaper bag and they happily stickered away for a while.

Josie was here. She also eats pizza upside down.

After a pizza lunch the girls napped - luckily, amazingly.

The party! Santa and Mrs Claus read The Night Before Christmas and distributed the kids' gifts.

Maleficent and Sleeping Beauty costumes.

The children (35 of them!) played downstairs...

Or ate the frosting off of two cupcakes...

Plotted.

My sis and BIL drove over for the party.

Josie got one person to toss her in the air

and then another.

The bar set up in the pool room.

We had a great visit with the Finolans! Not only are they some of my parenting (highly engaged but chill) and lifestyle (real effort put into friend and family relationships) role models but I realized this trip that Mike is the person who has introduced to so many things I'm crazy about (Hanna Andersson, baby Bogs boots, towels from Frontgate). I love you Mike but you're expensive! ;)


It began snowing as we left Elgin and then stopped - I thought we were in the clear. The snow started again and slowed down our drive by about 90 minutes. Stopping for lunch --

Since she was little C's eyebrows make a perfect semicircle when she raises them. I think it's the cutest thing in the world.

I bargained with the girls to nap in the car in order to go to a movie. And they did! 

Back at home, we saw Moana. This was Josie's very first movie in the theatre. During the short film preview she busied herself eating popcorn off the floor and I was certain the two of us would walk home, but she stayed focused for all of Moana (which is so good - strong female protagonist, no romance, great music, visually gorgeous.)

When the girls were down we watched the Westworld finale or as Luke (lukewarm about the show) deemed it, the finally.

Checking off one STL holiday to-do: the lights in Tilles Park on Monday evening, preceded by dinner at Signature Indian Kitchen.

Spurting pus update: Luke went to the dentist on Monday who sent him to another dentist for a root canal on Tuesday. The procedure was uneventful (writes the person who didn't have a dead nerve drilled out of their face) and his recovery is going well except for the antibiotic which is giving him terrible heartburn.

It was a very long workweek and on Friday Luke had a gig at the Four Seasons. I was thrilled to order a pizza and snuggle up with the girls (it's been freezing) and have a quiet night at home.

Craft fair on Saturday morning at a brewery close to home. Later I went to Costco (so busy, hated it, but I did restock all of my favorites: organic milk/cheese/bacon/cream/chicken-pork-beef, Good Food guacamole, meatballs + marinara, organic eggs in the shell and hardboiled eggs. I love egg salad but boiling and peeling eggs is such a pain. Organic peeled eggs? Yes please.)

Dinner at Brooke and Jen's. Picking out a movie (the selection: Polar Express).

Toby keeping an eye on things.

Cutest men in plaid.

Strum stick. After dinner I took the girls home and Luke Uber'ed to Delmar Hall for a concert by a band who has a studio in his building.

Sunday was a catch-up day for me at work followed by a trip to Nordstrom to pick up my refurbished wedding ring. Another mistake because the mall was so busy. Back at home, Clem (who was an absolute terror all day long for some reason) helped me pour the meatballs and marinara in the slow cooker and salt the flank steak, potatoes, and brussels sprouts. They both like helping in the kitchen - reminding me we need to decorate cookies soon!

Meal prep, many spins of the Best of Disney, laundry, many timeouts for a certain three year old, one reading of Corduroy's Best Halloween Ever and Sleepy Time. Her "no-no-no" when I try to turn a page that she's not finished with always makes me laugh (...except when it's late and all I can think is: go to sleeeeeeep, pleaasssssse.)

It was a great day.