we left off on the girls' birthday. six. they are six. we had their big party at a place that "makes dreams come true." i was skeptical... but they were seriously phenomenal. the girls loved it, their guests loved it, and their guest's parents loved it. that's a lot of love. they started out with the fairy godmothers in training giving everyone pedicures and hair do's. then, the kids were entertained by the princesses via stories, games, dancing, gifts, and cake. it really was amazing.
after their birthday extravanganzas, we were in full force holiday gear. every day the kids had a theme for school... fancy dress up day and ugly sweater day were two of their favorites. the night before ugly sweater day, i was feverishly trying to whip up some ugly sweaters... i think i did okay, by the third sweater, i had learned a lot... mostly that i'm not going to be a cheapskate, and think that i'm martha stewart, and just buy them ugly sweaters.
another thing that I've learned this holiday season, is that we really need to watch lu. like a hawk. i mean, we always knew the kid was sneaky, but she is taking it to a whole other level. allow me explain... when the kids finish their homework, c and i have to sign it... well, one morning, lu proudly exclaimed, "hey, mama! don't you worry! i already signed your name for you!" well, at least she is telling me when she is forging my signature!
the rest of our break has been peppered with skiing and sled riding and frozen lake walking and cooking and eating and caroling and just being.
of course this whole break hasn't been fabulous. around c's birthday, our dishwasher broke... as in couldn't be repaired broke. so, we went shopping for a new one. it seems as though her birthday triggers a big ticket item breaking. last year was the washer and dryer. this year the dishwasher. lowe's is our best friend mid-December.
also, right before Christmas, sass had a stroke. we had just gotten home from the hockey game, and, while c was putting the kids to bed, i was loading the dishwasher, when my phone rang. normally, i wouldn't have answered it, but i told c to pick it up. my aunt linda was on the other end crying, telling me that sass was rushed to the er. i calmly finished loading the dishwasher, and went to the er. she seemed to be doing "ok". it turns out, that she is in a rehab facility, probably for another 3 weeks or so... her left side was/is paralyzed, but she is slowly making progress. it doesn't seem like her cognition has been affected- girlfriend remembers everything. we told her that we would celebrate Christmas when she got out... but, we did take some gifts for her and her roomie to open. everyone should have a few gifts to open on Christmas morning.
speaking of Christmas, on Christmas eve, we loaded up the car to embark on one of my favorite holiday traditions... we ordered lucky louie hot dogs, and drove around eating hot dogs and looking at Christmas lights. when we got home, the kids sprinkled magic reindeer food outside, we wrote santa a letter, and left milk and cookies out for the big guy. as we waited for the kids to fall asleep, i cozied up on the couch to begin watching one of my all time favorite Christmas shows... and then it was time... as c put together the d.m. vet clinic that i swore i wasn't going to get, but of course it was the ONLY thing that Quinn asked for, so i was stuck getting, it, i ate cookies (and hauled the rest of the gifts to the back family room).
since sass was in the hospital, i made the traditional sausage roll for Christmas morning breakfast. i took some to her, and she even approved! with sass recuperating, and my mom not here, it was a different Christmas. my mom always loved calling me on Christmas eve night to see if santa had left... and she would stay up all night, so that she would be the first person to call and wish me a merry Christmas... "merry Christmas, mags! let me talk to my grandbabies!" she would say. c tried so hard to alleviate my sadness. i don't like ham, and that's what sass and mom would always make for Christmas dinner... so, i would eat mashed potatoes with canned cheese in them (i know, i know- it sounds gross, but it's delicious!) and scoops and dip. i don't even like fritos, but i like scoops and dip... so, c put canned cheese and scoops in my stocking.
Christmas truly was wonderful, despite...
... which brings us to new year's eve and the kiss that almost wasn't. we spent our evening eating and playing games. after the kids went to bed, c and i snuggled on the couch, watching the normal new year's eve broadcasting. round about 11:45, c suggested that we hurry up and clean up and get into bed. that sounded good to me, so i cleaned off the dining room table, and somehow, one of the kids' glasses slipped from my grasp and shattered in the sink. ugh. of course shards went down the disposal. i cleaned up the sink basin, and then began to pull pieces from the disposal (yes, i know... not smart... but it was almost midnight and i had a kiss to attend to.) well, the disposal got jammed, and i was bound and determined to get it cleaned out and fix it. after a few more pieces being pulled from the disposal, my hand was scratched up and swollen, so i stopped... just in time to smooch my love at midnight. of course, i couldn't just let it go until the morning. after some research, i went and found some little l shaped wrench, or something, to rotate the disposal thing. of course i couldn't find the right size, so i just went to bed. this morning, c used the vacuum to get the rest of the shards out of the disposal (thank you, google), and i found the right sized l shaped thing. i am pleased to announce that our disposal is working fabulously!
today was a low-key day. we hung around the house, burning a bayberry candle, and just enjoyed each other's company. gosh, i need another week, or ten, of break!
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