2017: Week 46

Sunday, November 12
This morning we ran to the Evil Empire to look for cheapo sneakers the girls could wear at Disney (I found some, too--only $8!) and while we were there, got some Christmas lights for the yard and more glitter glue for our slime-making redux. In the afternoon, the girls watched a movie and then we tried out their slime. Good news--it was a total success! Luckily we had the right kind of contact solution this go-round and everything came together very quickly. They had a great time playing with it.

Monday, November 13
When Josh got home from work this afternoon, he surprised the girls by heading right outside and working to install our new Christmas lights. They were quite excited, and the festive additions to the front of our home have been lovely to see every night since.

Tuesday, November 14
When we got home from Pearce this evening, the girls insisted on making shadows in our Christmas lights. We were happy to oblige.

Wednesday, November 15
Mario and Rita will be watching Yuna for us while we visit The Happiest Place on Earth, so we took her over this evening so she could become acquainted with Maya, their new dog. Yuna was quite wound up, but thankfully Maya is so laid back they soon got along alright. Minimal growling and lots of sucking up for treats. We think they'll be just fine while we're gone.

Maya calmly looking and Yuna; Yuna panting from her excitement

Thursday, November 16
The girls cuddled up on a chair together while we waited for Josh to come home so we could run to Pearce. I don't recall what most of their conversation consisted of, but I do remember lots and lots of giggles.

Typical 1: Ellie goofing off while Elaina explains her "annoyance" with her hands

Typical 2: Elaina goes back to her pre-annoyance reading; Ellie keeps up the giggling

Friday, November 17

Josh and I took today off--for all of those weeks where we didn't have a break, it sure is glorious to wake up on a cold November morning and not have to rush out to the office. After we got the girls off to school, we relaxed for a bit which included running to Costco, Target, and Hy-Vee. We found the girls a Snoopy Christmas coloring book, which they were both very excited about, and about which I felt the claim of "jumbo" was a bit overreaching.

Saturday, November 18
This morning got off to a cold, gloomy start outside, but inside our hearts were quite warm. Josh and I woke up and heard whispering down the hall, so I got up to investigate. The girls were busy making shadow puppets with their new Christmas lights and were putting on quite a show. It was so sweet I almost didn't want to stop them for breakfast. After relaxing for a short bit, Josh and I went to Pearce, and then I went to have my hair done while waiting to see if the Santa Parade would be cancelled or not. Upon finding out it was, I ran over to the mall and happened upon two dresses for the girls' Christmas program, plus new shoes. Lou got her very first pair of mini-high heels; she is so proud!

2017: Week 45

Sunday, November 5
After sleeping in to the glorious hour of 8:00, Josh and I declared ourselves geniuses for having planned a sleepover for the girls on Daylight Saving Time. We had a relaxing morning before picking them up, and they had also had a wonderful time, so it worked out well for everyone. In the afternoon I ventured out to take some pictures of our trees, which have finally decided to cooperate and change colors like they're supposed to. The lighting wasn't great, nor was the leaf output from my birch tree (cursed japanese beetles!), but still pretty and autumnal all the same.

Monday, November 6
Today was a long day--while I had the privilege to be at home with the girls this morning, I had a late meeting that didn't get out until nearly 5:00. Thankfully it was a meeting close to home, and not downtown, and even more thankfully, I am blessed by a husband who takes good care of me. When I got home, he had dinner bubbling away on the stove, the girls had their homework done and put up, and he'd come back from the store with a couple of Thanksgiving decorations, including my beloved owl. After dinner, he called Elaina up on his lap and cuddled her like a baby. (She is getting soooo big....sigh.) Yuna decided to get in on the action, too.

Tuesday, November 7
Timehop reminded me today that the girls' bus accident happened one year ago. I think of it often, consciously as I drive through the intersection every day, and unconsciously when my chest tightens if the bus is running late. Thankfully, the bus showed up right on time and I got to experience one of my favorite every day moments.

Wednesday, November 8
Another trip to the library, another moment in fine foam architecture. All of us came home with books, too, which I enjoyed briefly before falling asleep early (thanks, tonsillitis!)

Thursday, November 9
Although my alarm went off at the normal time, I was apparently moving at a slower speed from feeling unwell, and got to work about 10 minutes later than usual. It turned out to be a great thing, because I got to enjoy a beautiful sunrise. Rushing to make my coffee before my two hour 7AM meeting was somewhat less enjoyable, haha.

Friday, November 10
Josh and I had today off, which meant not hearing an alarm until 6AM--amazing. We got the girls off to school and set out to do a whole lotta relaxing--coffee, reading, video game playing--before heading to Peoria for lunch and a couple of errands. We stopped at Menards to get outdoor lights and came away with a Christmas hat for Yuna. Totally worth the $3 investment.

Saturday, November 11
Today was a home day--after heading to the gym, we came home and didn't leave. We had plenty to do, including working on Elaina's family school project (whilst jamming to the Frozen soundtrack) and catching up on yard work that has waited due to the cold. It wasn't exactly warm today, but once the blood got pumping, it was pleasant enough to tear out the garden and rake up a big pile of leaves for the girls, which they enjoyed just as fully as children their age should. (Josh and I were tempted to  take a shot as well, but decided better of it.) When the yard work was mostly wrapped up, they headed indoors and were treated to warm chocolate by the fire. Such a life they lead!

2017 Week 44

Sunday, October 29
Today our precious Elaina Marie turned 8 years old (how that's even possible I'm still trying to figure out). She and her Daddy went out for birthday donuts, and after a bit of relaxing, she got to open her presents from us and Ellie. The rest of her big day was spent buried in new books and toys, until it was time to go meet Gramma Rita and Arcadia for sushi. She practically purred all through dinner, and Ellie surprised all of us by deciding that she does, in fact, like sushi after all. It was a great day for such a special girl.

Monday, October 30
This afternoon the girls cozied up on the couch with Elaina's new Owl Diaries books and read quite contentedly until it was time for us to go to Pearce. As their evening wound down, I decided we needed to watch It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! one more time. They love Snoopy and acted out his scene with Schroeder from the stage of the coffee table.

Tuesday, October 31
A very exciting and busy day indeed. This afternoon, the girls had a Halloween parade followed by parties in their rooms. Since it was a balmy 40-ish degrees outside, Josh and I opted to enjoy the parade in the cafeteria and then split up to spend time at both parties. The girls had a good time and were in good spirits coming home. They were also quite excited because the latest Owl Diary book was waiting for them. After dinner we layered-up and headed out for Trick-or-Treating. Our first stop, as custom dictates, was to Mario and Rita's, where the girls got their pick of goodies from the treat basket. We then continued our candy gathering in a nearby neighborhood. It should be noted that the temperature had dipped into the upper 30s at this point--not a particularly pleasant experience, but at least the wind wasn't blowing. We finished our evening up by stopping by my old boss's house--Christi had hot chocolate and a plate of goodies waiting for the girls, and blessed heat for me and Josh. When we got home, Josh and I sighed a big breath of relief--it was the last busy obligation we had for fall, and we'd nailed it.

They each took turns reading pages...so sweet

Cold enough that my birthmark made a rare appearance

Wednesday, November 1

Yuna and I played tug of war while dinner was cooking. Her tenacity is endlessly amusing to me. I must have done a decent job wearing her out, because she wasn't too growly about being cuddled awhile later. Not to be outdone, Ellie muscled her way next to me for some cuddles, too.

Thursday, November 2
Today was a very fallish day--cold, wet, and foggy, but pretty in its own way. I took the first picture as I left work in the afternoon. At home, I found Ellie giving Chappu some extra love. Lately both boys have been stretched out on the bed when I get home from work. Chappu was quite content to receive some extra attention. When Josh got home a bit later, he opened a mysterious package we'd received in the mail. It turned out to be our Magic Bands for Disney!

Friday, November 3
Today was a really, really good day. Work has been stressful, and many days long, but today was productive while being a lot of fun. I had a couple of meetings where I spent much of the time laughing; I had help moving to my new desk; a friend helped me Photoshop a picture about which I laughed till I cried; I got to leave a bit early and get some fresh roasted coffee from 3030. The day got even better when I got home--Josh got off early, too, and we got to meet the girls at the bus stop together. We had an afternoon coffee, ordered BookIt pizzas for the girls, and got to meet Mario and Rita's new dog, Maya. After dinner, Elaina unwittingly entertained me with what she'd learned in school today: about Columbus clouds, and about greenhouse jellyfish that eat allergy. Josh and I capped off our evening with a snack and a drink--and then the girls let us sleep in till 8 Saturday morning. A very, very good day, indeed.

BookIt tickets

Maya 

Pizza!!

Saturday, November 4
We had a relaxing morning together today, got in a Costco run and some video game playing, and finished off the season of Halloween Baking Championship before Rita came to get the girls for a sleepover. Josh and I made the most of our time together. We ran to a couple of stores before going up to Grand View Drive. It was our 12th year doing so--even when we lived in Rockford or had new babies, we've always stolen away for a few minutes to drive through the neighborhood in awe of the richie houses as well as the view. The day was quite foggy and dreary, but the view just as spectacular (and nothing a little post-processing can't brighten up a bit). After our drive, we had dinner at Kelleher's and came home for a great night together. It was a wonderful day.

I was, perhaps, ready to get back in the car while my photog husband ignored my pleas. So I took matters into my own hands...