Not the best weekend ever

This weekend was our church Christmas party.  The Primary presidency was put in charge this year, so basically me and 3 other ladies.  I am so not creative so I was really worried about this party.  We went Friday night to set up tables and chairs and to decorate.  Then, Saturday was the party and everything went great.  We had more than enough food and a great Santa...that's all you really need. As soon as Sam was done visiting with Santa, he started asking me to go to a different church so he could see another Santa.

Sunday morning, we all woke up feeling under the weather.  Well, everyone except Sam.  He felt well enough to unwrap a few presents that were under the tree, pour orange juice all over the table and floor, and dump out several baskets of toys (from the 2nd floor balcony).  All the kids felt well enough in the afternoon to build gingerbread houses.  Well, Sam ate most of his, but he decorated one wall.

This morning Jack was crying about his stomach hurting.  I was all set to call in sick to work when Ellie asked if that meant Jack was ungrounded from electronics.  I assured her that he was still grounded and that he would spend his day resting in his room.  Suddenly Jack decided he felt well enough to go to school.

I also got a really upsetting text this morning from Ellie's best friend's mom.  Ellie was in charge of feeding their sugar gliders this weekend while they were out of town. They must have knocked off their water bottle and when the family got home late last night, they found severely dehydrated gliders.  They rushed them to the ER vet, but one died and the other is expected not to make it.  I can't even tell you how sick I feel about the whole thing.  I am dreading telling Ellie when she gets home today because I know she will feel terrible.  Also, I know our friends loved their gliders so much and they are really hurting right now. I feel like their pain is our fault and there is nothing we can do to make it better.  We will never pet-sit for anyone again.

Birthday Weekend Shenanigans

Last Sunday was my birthday! So, of course I started celebrating on Friday.  A group of us girls went to an escape room.  I've done an escape room before, but this one had a zombie.  The zombie added a whole extra layer of excitement. It was chained to the wall and every 15 minutes, the timer would beep and the chain would get longer.  If he touched you, then you were out and you had to go stand on an X against the wall.  We ended up not getting out, but we were on the last clue of the last puzzle and probably would have escaped if we had one more minute.  At least that's what we told ourselves.

Afterward, we went to the Flying Saucer Draught Emporium which turned out to be a glorified bar.  We all got carded going in. Dianna didn't have her purse so they almost didn't let her in even though we all promised no one was going to be ordering a drink! The food was surprisingly good, though.

Tom and I went to dinner and the Improv on Saturday.  I realized that it had been a long time since Tom and I actually dressed up, got a babysitter, and went out.  It felt really nice.  Plus, the comedian (Owen Benjamin) was hilarious.

Gotta love a good photobomber

Sunday was church, but Tom offered to keep Sam home with him so I could actually enjoy church for a change.  Not that I don't enjoy it, but Sam always adds a level of stress.  Plus, he refuses to go to nursery so I have him with me at all times and I feel like I can't be as effective at my calling.

After church, my parents brought over dinner.  Grouwing up, we always got to pick what we wanted for breakfast and dinner on our birthdays.  I always chose french toast for breakfast and scalloped potatoes with sausage for dinner.  My sweet mom made me scalloped potatoes and sausage yesterday.  She also brought over her chocolate cake that she makes from scratch.  So good.  I know, I know...I was totally spoiled all weekend...and I loved every minute of it (except for last night when Sam refused to go to bed for like 3 hours straight and that 3 hours was filled with tantrums and spankings, but we won't talk about that).

Sunday Best: Not so best edition

I take a picture of my kids every Sunday and post it to social media (#sundaybest).  It is kind of a carry over from when I used to do it for this blog. Anyway, sometimes I think those pictures can be misleading as to what Sundays are usually like so I thought I would share the events of this past Sunday. 

I could not find Sam's shoes anywhere Sunday morning, so I decide to just put his dress socks on and call it good.  He always takes his shoes off anyway.  If you look at the picture, you will see his little shoeless feet.  You might also notice Jack holding a pair of scissors.  Those will come into play shortly.

So, I snap a few pictures and then load the kids into the car.  We get to church with plenty of time to spare and as we are walking in, Sam trips and smacks his head hard on the cement.  (Sidenote: last Sunday he fell at church and hit his head on the edge of a coffee table so he already had a bruise).  I go to pick him up when Jack starts yelling something about scissors.  Don't ask me how, but he had dropped the scissors while opening the church doors and the scissors got jammed underneath.  The door wasn't opening and the scissors were stuck fast.  A friend was outside at the time and dropped down to help get the scissors out while laughing at the circus that is my family.  The two of us are still unable to work the scissors free, but then another friend's husband walks up and yanks it free.

I finally make it into church and file into the pew when I look down and realize Sam has ripped a huge hole in his sock.So, sometimes (many times) we are not at our best on Sundays, despite what my hashtag says.

What I Did Over My Thanksgiving Vacation

I was so excited for a nice relaxing week off and, for the most part, I was not disappointed.  We kicked off our vacation by going to see "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" as soon as the kids got out of school on Friday.  Naturally, we dressed the part and received compliments about our commitment.  There was a potentially embarrassing moment where I rushed out to go to the restroom and accidentally walked into the men's room.  I was walking into a stall before my brain registered all of the urinals on the wall.  I would like to say that is the first time I've made that mistake...but it's not.

 Saturday morning I discovered a Harry Potter movie marathon on TV so the plan was to stay in our pajamas and watch the movies all day.  We lasted for about 3 hours before going on TV overload.

 Sam was having fit after fit so I decided to put up the Christmas tree to distract him.  He was so excited.  We went ahead and decorated it that night, but I swore I was going to leave the rest of my house decorated for Fall until after Thanksgiving.

Sunday was church as usual, but after church Ellie and I went over to Rosie's house to make candied apples.  They were delicious and fun to make.

Monday, the kids were driving me nuts by 8:30am so I texted a friend and met up at the school playground to burn off some energy.  That night we went to Ellie's end-of-year soccer party...something that I always find incredibly awkward.

Tuesday, I took the kids to see Trolls.  The movie was cute, but Sam was no so cute once the popcorn ran out.  I was reminded why I don't take him to the movies.

Tuesday was also the day that I let the Christmas spirit take over and replaced all Fall decorations with Christmas decorations.  I just couldn't help myself.

Wednesday, we were back at the playground with friends.

Thursday morning, I was up early so I could go pick up our Thanksgiving meal from Luby's.  It was surprisingly affordable and delicious.  We found out that morning that my mother-in-law didn't have any Thanksgiving plans so we invited her over for an early meal.  Dinner was at 11:00am and we were on the road to San Antonio by 12:30.

I looked back and saw Sam wearing two pairs of goggles.

We checked into the hotel and then walked down to riverwalk to explore.  Thursday afternoon was awesome.  We had the best time just walking around the riverwalk as a family.  Everyone was getting along and the weather was perfect.  You know how sometimes pictures make things look more fun than they actually were?  Well, on this day the pictures don't lie...we really did have fun.

  I was surprised to discover the Alamo was open so we took a little self-guided tour.  Ellie explained the whole Alamo back story to Jack because y'all know how I am with my Texas history.

This was right before Sam took the flag out and threw it on the ground.

We got a lot of comments on our shirts. We dress for game day!

We had to be back at the hotel by 6:00 so we could eat the free dinner (love Drury) and be back in our room in time for the A&M game.  I got a suite so Tom could watch the game uninterrupted and I could get the boys to bed.  Why do keep forgetting how TERRIBLE Sam is in hotels? He just gets too excited and cannot settle down to sleep, keeping his siblings up as well.  They fell asleep way too late and then of course Sam woke us up way too early.  I took the kids down to the free breakfast buffet so Tom could sleep in.  Once Tom woke up, we decided to walk around a little more since SeaWorld didn't open until 1.

Tom took Jack into this church and showed him how to pray Catholic-style

Let me explain why we go to SeaWorld so much.  Teachers get free season passes.  So do preschoolers.  We only had to buy passes for Jack and Ellie (we ended up spending about $170 for the two passes and parking, but still not too bad). Anyway, the free passes are probably the biggest draw because SeaWorld (especially now that the waterpark is separate) is not really that awesome. Sam loved SeaWorld, but he was pretty challenging after two days of no naps and a late night.  He had a few epic meltdowns about waiting in line and for other reasons that I still can't fathom.  He loved the little rides more than the shows.  SeaWorld only has two big rollercoasters, the rest are little kiddie rides.  Ellie got to ride each big roller coaster once, but she was pretty disappointed not to get to ride them more  (Tom and I each rode a ride with her and we each got sick. Poor Ellie has such lame parents).  Jack seemed happy about everything...the lights, the rides, the shows...everything.  I think the highlight for Sam was getting to sit on Santa's lap, something he has been begging to do since Halloween.  We left the park around 8 and drove straight home. 

Saturday we decided to take away Sam's pacifiers because we like to make life difficult.  He only uses them to sleep, but let's just say that Saturday and Sunday were nap-free and both nights he sobbed for almost two hours straight, begging for his pacifier.  The pacifier fairy did bring him a present in exchange for his pacifiers, but he still was not having it.  I am just so glad he is my last child and I never have to take away a pacifier again.

In which Trump takes away video games

This past weekend was Jack's last soccer game.  All of the boys on the team played better and more aggressively than I had ever seen them.  Jack did awesome!  He score a goal and when he was goalie, he made some incredible saves.  It was a great end to the season.

Ellie had a tournament game Saturday and another one last night.  They lost both so soccer season is over for her, as well.  Even though her team did not do well, Ellie seemed to really enjoy the season.  The girls all got along and had fun together so I would call it a successful season.

Last night, in addition to it being Ellie's soccer game, it was also election night.  Tom and I let the kids watch some of the election coverage with us and they were surprisingly interested in it.  I tried to stay awake til the end, but I kept dozing off on the couch.  This morning, when I woke up and realized who our new president was, I felt a little down.  But then Jack came in and we had the following conversation which really made me laugh.

Jack: Mom, who won the election?
Me: Donald Trump
Jack (tearing up): Noooooo, not Trump! I don't want him to take away all of my video games!
Me: Who said he is going to take away your video games?
Jack: Ellie

I'm glad to see Ellie is still taking her role of big sister and head instigator seriously.

This is Halloween

Another successful Halloween is in the books!  Our neighborhood has a street that is known as Halloween street. They go ALL OUT for Halloween every year.  It gets really crowded and crazy on that street, but we are fortunate enough to have friends who live there.  They invite us over for an early dinner party each year so we can hit the street before all the crowds arrive.  I didn't take enough pictures to really do it justice, but one house was clown-themed and they had cotton candy and popcorn machines and even hired a person to do balloons.  Our friend always does a light-up dance floor that is a huge hit.  Their next door neighbor does a haunted house that is really scary and being the responsible parents we are we took our 3 year old through.  Sam was a little scared, but loved it.
Sam was blown away by all the Halloween decor in everyone's yards and he insisted on touching everything.  One person had the inside of her house decorated and he just walked right into her house to get a closer look. We were home by 8:00 last night, but the kids have enough candy to last them all year because they have a mean mom who only lets them eat 2 pieces of candy a day (and who also steals from them).

In which I am too slow to catch a 3 year old

Y'all know how I always like to document the various ways I find to embarrass myself. Well, last Saturday I found myself in a particularly embarrassing incident.  Tom was at the regional cross country meet, so I had Ellie and Sam with me at Jack's 8am soccer game.  Sam wants so badly to play soccer on the team with the big boys and so I let him run around on the field while they were warming up. However, when it came time for the game to start, Sam refused to come off the field.  I walked out to get him, but he took off.  This is where it gets bad.  I have gotten quite chubby (even more than usual) as of late and I am really out of shape.  Plus, Sam is FAST.  So, picture this: all of the parents on the sideline waiting to start the game and watching me lumbering after my 3 year old who continues to evade me.  I realized I was beat so I walked over and had Ellie chase him down and grab him. Once she had him in hand, I picked him up and carried my giant, screaming preschooler off the field.  He continued screaming and flailing about until a parent brought over a bag of candy and gave him the entire bag to keep him content.  Not my finest moment, but good motivation for me to get in shape.

Sam is so challenging.  He has so many meltdowns and he continues to be the family tyrant.  I have mad love for the kid, but I must admit that he can be exhausting. He pushes every one to their breaking point. However, I stayed home from work with him on Friday because he had a high fever on Thursday.  It was just the two of us (starting at 2am since that is when he woke up fever-free and ready to go) all  day and, honestly, it was such a great day.  Sam on his own is manageable. I really enjoyed my day of just the two of us hanging out and watching TV together.  I'll have to try to remember how much I enjoyed hanging out with him the next time he is screaming at the top of his luncgs and refusing to come down the stairs unless all of us walk down AFTER him.

Thursday - a sick Sam passed out on my bedroom floor

Friday - folding laundry and watching "Poldark" at 2am with my miraculously healed child

Sunday Best

Trunk-or-Treat: Where's Waldo style

So, I have never been one to get it together enough to have a coordinated family costume thing going for Halloween.  I always admire the families that do it and think they look adorable, but I am just not that creative. Plus, I am cheap and costumes are not. But...like 6 weeks ago...Target was doing a BOGO sale on their Halloween costumes.  I ordered Tom and I some cheap Where's Waldo costumes and then kind of forgot all about it.  I also "forgot" to tell Tom since he isn't big on dressing up. 
Well, Trunk or Treat at our church was last night and it just kind of popped up out of nowhere.  The plan was to also have purchased or made Where's Waldo costumes for the kids already, but yesterday had me borrowing one costume for Ellie and buying one for Jack.  Sam, who has been obsessed with Halloween for over a month, dug through his bin of dress-up clothes and picked out his own costume.  I was just glad it color-coordinated with the rest of us.  Anyway, the whole point of all this rambling is to show you our picture from Trunk-or-Treat last night.  We were *this close* to being one of those cute, costume-themed families!

Weekend recap: get your religion on

The weather was gorgeous this weekend! Friday evening, the family all got together at the park to celebrate Mark, Sabrina, and Daniel's birthdays.  We played ultimate frisbee and Bocci ball while the light held out.  Then we had pizza and dessert in the dark.

 Jack had an 8am soccer game and we bundled him up since it was 60 degrees outside.  I had to laugh at my little Texan because when I was growing up in frigid North Dakota, 60 degrees was shorts weather.

As soon as Jack was done with his game, I took him and Sam to church for the baptisms of two young friends.  Tom stayed behind because Ellie had a later soccer game.

  Then, in the afternoon, I took Ellie and Jack back to church to practice for our Primary program.  The 3-12 year old kids were going to be performing in church on Sunday and we wanted to make sure they were all ready.  I was in charge of bribing them all with pizza so they would attend.

 

Sunday was the program.  Tom came to church with us so he could watch and also keep Sam under control.  I had to be up on the stand with the kids since I am in the Primary presidency.  All in all, the program went well.  Kids singing and talking is always cute, right?  But I will say, this was a very church-y weekend for us!