2019 chapter 52

We had Christmas! We all got sick the week before, Wade missed some school and got back in time for the fun stuff, then the girls and I got it and before we realized we had it we shared it with my friend. Mostly we felt crummy, but not enough to cancel our regularly scheduled lives. Then Bryan got it and was on his death bed and was more of an inconvenience then when I had it. Then Nana came through for a quick 20 hour visit, said hi to everyone, started not feeling good, took a nap, woke up really not feeling good, went downstairs and slept + threw up, felt better in the morning, played/touched my kids, then went to the airport. She had come up from visiting Bryan's brother in TX and they all got it, then we got to live on puke watch for few days, but, luckily, we dodged the bullet. So we limped into and through Christmas week and I tried to make it magical. Then on Christmas I had a migraine and it all felt really rude. 

Santa came to visit on December 23rd. Girls got to hang out with him a bunch this year because I took pictures for him and then we went and visited dentist offices together - but Wade hadn't seen him yet! So he came over and everyone apparently wanted a tree house for Christmas, but their order wasn't put it early enough. I needed to share all the pictures of Jac. Stealing the show, Jac's eyes closed, Jac sneezing. 

Wade made an elf house, complete with wrapping station. 

Jac talking serious stuff with Santa. 

Got to go help with Wade's winter party at school - his teacher is amazing. She is so organized! Sent home a bunch of science experiments for kids to do over break + a pillow case with a bunch of their sight words to practice at bedtime. My friend watched the girls while I did this and that's when we passed on our sickness. Oops. 

I cut myself bangs. 

A hilarious and kind mystery person left this on my door with flowers on my birthday. Never figured out who. 

My friends threw a craft birthday party for me - everyone brought three items that we split up and had to used to make a craft. We were in teams. It was hilarious. Just spending time with friends was just what my overbooked, illness filled December needed. And they listened to my request for lemon bars instead of cake. 

December means roads of packaging to pop and play with and freak Stella out with. 

2019 marks the year that I started grooming Stella myself and half the time she looks like a chemo dog. But starting to get the hang of it. 

Sick week magic included making a gingerbread house. Most the candy got eaten off, but then we left it out for Santa and he ate it/took it away and I felt like a genius. What else are you supposed to do with an old gingerbread house? 

Puzzles have become a big deal around here. Wade got one for his birthday, Blake coughed really hard and threw up on it and all the pieces swelled, so we had to open a Christmas present early. Since we've ordered more and Blake is nonstop. 

When we all got healthy we went in for flu shots. We all still had colds, so had to wear masks. I made the mistake of saying they would get shots. Jac was a disaster. I gave them all suckers on the way over and they calmed down. Blake said she would be brave. Jac lost it again when I put a mask on her, and her realizing she couldn't eat her sucker while masked was so pathetic. They gave Jac a shot first and she was freaking out, I had to hold her down and Blake came up behind me and was screaming at me to let go of her sister, trying to push me out of the way, kicking me, then she ran out of the room and then Wade saw that escape was an option and ran out too...opposite direction for Blake. Right after Jac got shot she was fine, but the other kids were gone and didn't see it. I caught Wade first and as he got shot he kept saying "No thank you, no thank you, no thank you." Broke my heart. The build up is the worst part, he too was fine after. So then I got to track down Blake. A nurse was with her, but she was kicking and hitting, so I grabbed her and she was smacking me and kicking and screaming at me, so mad. Soooo mad. After her shot she was not okay, she was ticked. So mad at me. 

This is Bryan's fish bathroom. Was Bryan's fish bathroom. It's where he made water for his tank. For over 4 years we've all shared one bathroom cause this bathroom was dedicated for making fish water. On Christmas eve some elves came over to visit and help turn this bathroom into a functional kids bathroom! 

Put their old toothbrushes under the tree and a scavenger hunt to see where the silly elves put their new toothbrushes. Lead them here and they've been loving it. As I laid in bed with my migraine I heard the girls playing with their new earring on the floor of the bathroom. Hope Papa Billa is proud of the vanity color. 

Blake playing in their new teepee. Little things in quaint places is perfectly Blake.  

Now onto my favorite time of year - after holiday clearance shopping! Weather is awful and slippery, but still made it to Target where I got a tree collar basket that Jac immediately started using as her TV nest.