A nice break from work

We are having such a nice break! It is going to be hard to go back on Monday. We have been spoiled this month – there were only 14 ½ school days/work days for myself and the kids. December we have 3 full weeks and a ½ a week before our next break. How will we cope?? Just kidding. With all the fun that December holds, I am sure it will go by quickly.

Wednesday was a quick work day for me. It was a half a day, and before I knew it, I was on my way home to get the kids from school. Arlington didn't have afternoon Kindergarten, so she was glad to see me. It was still nap time for the babies, so I just took Arlington with me and we went to the library. We browsed and killed time there, and then we went to Subway to grab some dinner for Mat and I (it wasn't dinner time, but I was just picking up early) and then went to the service station for some snacks. (Hey, I live in the sticks, there weren't many places to venture to kill some time!). We went back to the daycare about 1 hour later and got the two little ones and headed home. It was nice to come home and have some daylight still visible. It has been getting dark here around 4:30pm, which is about the time we normally get home.

The picture that comes next is for my family and friends who know me.



Yes, folks, we had Thanksgiving dinner at home! For the last 7 years, Mat and I (and then us with the kids) have eaten OUT on Thanksgiving day. For those last 7 years of our marriage, we have lived too far away from Family to have anyone come to us for this short weekend holiday, and too far for us to travel. So, we have always found a restaurant that serves PIE at the very least, and we got out. It is our tradition. Well, this year, we are closer to family, but since we are making a large trip at Christmas to visit them, we are staying home this year for Thanksgiving. BUT – since we now live in the sticks - I mean, a very NICE small town - there really isn't a place to eat out. So Wednesday, Mat went to the store and got a ham, some rolls, and a pumpkin pie. We already had mash potatoes and veggies at the house. So, we had dinner.......at home (GASP!!). Now, my family knows I don't EVER cook. EVER. I heat. But, we sat down together and made this meal, and it was fun! Of course, the ham was pre cooked and I only had to warm it, and everything was pretty easy. But STILL! For us – this is PROGRESS! I was proud.

Anyway, we had a great Thanksgiving day. We have a tradition that we get up, we watch the Macy's parade (we are so close that I am hoping when the kids are older we can GO to the parade), and we put out the Christmas decorations. We don't put up the tree, (because we get a real one), but we do everything else. The kids LOVE this day. So do we – it is probably my favorite day besides actual Christmas day. After the parade, Arlington and I then pick out one of her Christmas movies to watch and while the babies nap, we wrap presents. It really is a fun day. Mat took the kids outside for awhile today since it was fairly nice. Although, the ground is frozen and he did fall on our slippery hill and cut his leg. He was lucky he wasn't hurt worse! After the babies nap, we got our dinner ready and ate, and before we knew it Thanksgiving day was over.

Friday was fun too. I WANTED to start out my day at 6am at the stores, but I was vetoed. Nah, in all honesty, it is becoming so easy to shop online these days, that I didn't see the need to go out this year. So I didn't go in the morning. I did miss it, though. I usually go – all alone, and am back before 9am. I just do a few stores. I NEVER do electronics or toys. I am not insane. But I do get great deals on clothes on Black Friday. This year, no one really asked for clothes, so I didn't have a reason. BUT we did head out this evening. We went to Target and it wasn't so bad. With the mad rush over, we weren't in there too long. And we did go out to dinner at the Olive Garden. We have kind of stopped going out to dinner, and we held our breath, but the kids did great! Dinner came really fast – someone was looking out of our sanity today. Everyone ate, which was also a first in a really long time! So I am glad we went out just for a little. We are not used to being so cooped up all the time!

While we were at Target, though, Finley was so funny. We were browsing the toys just looking, and there was this dinosaur:

It is large, and very expensive. There is a “try me” button. Arlington pushes it, and her brother and sister (the real scardy cats of the family) froze in place. It roars, it moves, it is fierce. Not for the faint babies hearts! When it was done playing, Cainan did laugh and Finley seemed okay. We walked away, and Finley wanted to go back and see it again. So back we went. I pushed the button and she scrunched into me saying, “I don't like it”. Great. So we go to walk away and she says “no!”. So I tell her - “you want to watch it? It is okay – it isn't real. It is just pretend.” It is in a big plastic box, so I tell her it is trapped in there and can't get out. When it was done, we left, and for the REST OF THE NIGHT, she told me over and over, “It pretend. It can't get me. It is stuck in the box”. I mean, for HOURS she repeats this every couple of minutes! She is obsessed with convincing herself the dinosaur is not going to eat her any time soon. Too much!

Anyway, Friday was also “Christmas picture taking day”. With us being cheap, (and photoshop being awesome), we have stopped going to the store to have professional pictures taken of our kids at Christmas. When we had one child, it was fine. But with three kids and two of them at the wonderful age of 2, we don't dare subject strangers to their antics of getting them to take a decent picture. So, we suffer in silence at home. No, I kid. It wasn't too bad, but the pictures are not the best we have ever taken. Mat is fixing the final pictures in his computer to make them great, but I posted some of my faves below for you to see. The kids didn't misbehave, really. They were super silly! Especially Finley. She was making all kinds of weirdo faces, and doing little dances. That girl has ants in her pants 24/7. Arlington did her best to sit very still while we begged the babies to cooperate. We took 120 pictures, and I think we have maybe 5 ones that are decent enough for our card this year. Ah well. :)

Saturday was another fun day. We spent the morning hanging pictures around the upstairs of the house. After being here fro 6 months, we are finally starting to hang pictures! Took us a long time, I know! But it was a start. We need to get some new frames before we can finish up and then move to the downstairs. In the afternoon, after the babies took their nap, we went to a neighboring small town, Niantic for a “Holiday Stroll”. They were serving hot chocolate and cider, and treats for free while you could stroll down their mainstreet and listen to carolers and look at their stores. They had horse drawn carriage rides. Although when Finley saw the horses, she first say, "ooo, horses!" But then, we started to walk past, and the horses started forward on their walk, she got upset and said, "no horsie! Don't eat me!!". What???? She doesn't like to be snuck up on that is for sure!! Then Santa arrived by Firetruck into the town green (Gilmore Girls flashback!!!) and was available for the kids to talk with and take pictures. We couldn't even get close (so we promised Arlington we would take her to the mall to visit him). I tried to explain to Finley who he was (Cainan has no interest). Finlely finally said, "see Santa - get presents". Thata girl. They played Christmas music and then a fireman climbed the ladder on the truck and did a “snowball drop” where they dropped 1000 ping pong balls down and each one had a different discount you could use at one of the local buisnesses. The kids enjoyed watching them climb the ladder and try and catch the balls. Afer that we were pretty cold, so we walked down the main street for awhile and then headed home. But it was a fun way to spend a few hours.

So that was our Holiday! We hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and enjoyed time with family and friends. Happy Holidays to all!! Enjoy the pictures and we will see you Tuesday! Oh, and in the near future my blog will be getting a little facelift, courtesy of Mat, and a new name!!