Christmas day was on a Sunday this year, which meant we had to coordinate the morning activities with church. Church starts at 9am but we also needed to be there 20 minutes early so Bubba could help prepare the Sacrament trays. My alarm was set for 6:30am, so thankfully the kids didn't wake us up until 6am. I was very thankful not be up super early. I was still super sick and trying to put on a brave face so the day was as good as possible. (Luke's mom was super sick too, so his parents both ended up staying home from church.)
Once we rolled out of bed we headed to the living room to see what Santa brought everyone.
The kids begged to open one present and they wanted to open the biggest ones first---which were from Grandpa Baer. He made Wiggy a hope chest and the boys each a treasure chest. Grandpa even drove them down himself a few days earlier, which was an added bonus.
After those were opened we agreed to let them open up another present from Luke's parents. They each got a framed photo of their time in Rock Creek this summer.
A family selfie right after Sacrament...
The boys wore their new gray suits and Santa brought them bow ties in their stockings. :)
After we got home from church we changed clothes and settled in to open gifts in the living room.
After opening gifts we got started on Christmas dinner. Wiggy and Grandma took a nap....
We had turkey breast, Tri-tip, homemade stuffing, Swiss corn bake, homemade mac n cheese, mashed potatoes and rolls. For dessert we had a Sweet Surrender chocolate cake, with vanilla ice cream.
A few other photos I received from Christmas Day....
My SIL Lindsay and I got a Christmas corsage and boutineer for my mom and dad to wear to church on Christmas.
I also got a Christmas corsage for my Grandma Baer in Idaho. Her friend Shirley pick it up for me on Christmas Eve and delivered it to her. She called me in the afternoon to say thank you and we talked for a bit. My voice was half there so I felt bad for my grandma who can't hear very well. Nevertheless it was very nice to hear from her and visit a while.
Shirley sent me this photo of her on Christmas morning.
Hard to believe another Christmas Day is over. So much preparation and thought go into it.
This year we tried to prepare for the holiday spiritually by doing the "Light the World" daily challenges. We started this a few days into the month and did about half of them. I really feel like the holidays have just flown completely by me in the past, when I don't do more for other people. Luke like to shop and wrap the gifts and in past years, it just feels like Christmas comes and goes. So I am thankful for this year, to try and be more engaged in why we are celebrating Christmas and the joy that goes into it.
Christmas Eve was spent at our house this year so Grandma and Grandpa Hogue came down to our house. We thought it would be a good idea to try this year and invited them too join us for church on Sunday morning too. Because of the weather, Grandma and Grandpa came down one day earlier, on Friday evening.
Friday the kids all had school at least half the way day. Saturday was a lazy day, mostly because I was sick and needed to get food prepared for Christmas Eve/Day. The boys played around and Wiggy was glued to Grandpa Hogue. At one point Grandpa took all of the kids down to the park.
In the afternoon we attempted to make this Christmas tree snack, which was composed off little balls of dough, filled with mozzarella cheese. It turned out pretty good but probably wouldn't make it again.
We decided to do breakfast dinner again for Christmas Eve. I made scrambled eggs, turkey sausage bread and cinnamon rolls. I made extra to share with the missionaries in our ward. They came by around 9pm to pick up their breakfast for Christmas morning! Grandma Hogue made some cinnamon cake, muffins and a hash brown casserole.
Grandma Hogue had some Christmas cookies made with the kid's
names on them.
After dinner we turned on the TV and the kids watched the "Santa Tracker." Wiggy sand along to the music for a good hour and it was very entertaining. I tried to capture a few moments on video but she caught me. The kids were in bed by around 9:30. We made a bed on the floor of the boys' room and Bubba slept on the floor so Wiggy could have his bed. Grandma and Grandpa slept in Wiggy's room.
Santa has arrived....
Chicago Cubs jersey and Blackhawks sweatshirt for Bubba.
Seattle Seahawks jersey and sweatshirt for Tubbs...
and a new bicycle for Wiggy. Complete with a basket, slower and donut bell.
This year was the BIG ONE...the big 4-0.
Luke was going to take me somewhere, but didn't know where and wanted it to be a surprise. He had an opportunity to go to San Francisco and we said YES.
Luke's parents came down to the house on Wednesday afternoon. We fed the kids and then loaded up around 6pm. We stopped for dinner in Fresno! It was a great way to kick off the weekend.
My last night in my 30's....drinking a raspberry lemonade!
We checked into our hotel in Union Square around midnight. My mom sent me a text right around midnight wishing me a Happy Birthday and saying it was around this time that her water broke. My mom is a night owl and she is usually the first one to wish me Happy Birthday first. :)
Thursday morning I slept in until 8:30 and then went shopping...and more shopping. Luke had to head out to some meetings, but we left the hotel at the same time. I ended up only having a juice from the "Pressed Juicery" to hold me over for dinner.
The birthday hat I bought myself. It's very comfortable!
I met Luke back at the hotel around 3:30, changed and got freshened up. Then we took a taxi over to the Wayfare Tavern for a 5pm dinner reservation. It was really good!
We ended up walking back to the hotel on our way back. The walk wasn't as bad as we thought--and it was nice to walk off dinner. We also walked through Union Square and watched the ice skating before we went back to the hotel.
It was a great birthday and enjoyed so many messages and calls from friends and people I love. It really was a nice, relaxing day. I even went to Bloomingdale's and went to the Charlotte Tilbury counter to get my makeup done. #MyHeartBelongsToCharlotte hahahaha.
Friday morning was another relaxing day of shopping. Luke needed to leave the hotel a little earlier that morning for meetings, so I laid around for a bit. I eventually cleaned up and headed out for more shopping. I broke down and bought "The Cookie" from Bristol Farms and its the best cookie! They are on a hot plate, so they are warm and gooey! I could eat them all.
I also made my way over to Bloomingdale's again. I tried to stay away---but that's not possible. :)
Luke and I couldn't decide what to do for dinner. We had a few recommendation but didn't know what we felt like. We found this taqueria in the Mission District on Yelp, so we took a taxi over. It was a total hole in the wall that took cash only, but it was pretty decent. I had some chicken nachos and one crispy chicken taco.
As soon as we were done we caught an Uber back to Union Square. Luke didn't think it was a good idea to walk around near the taqueria. Haha.
We walked around a bit before heading back to the hotel. Everything closed down at 9pm, so we didn't have too much time.
Saturday morning we went to breakfast at Dottie's True Blue Cafe. We waited in line, outside for about 40 minutes---but we have eaten there before so we thought it was worth it.
After breakfast I did MORE shopping.
I also picked up Bristol Farms' "The Cookie" for Luke!
After Luke finished his meetings, we got on the road and headed back home to the bugs! Because of some traffic we got home a little later than anticipated.
Grandma and Grandpa Hogue took good care of the kids and entertained them while we were away. On my birthday Tubbs' nose collided with another kid's head playing soccer in PE. The school called me around noon and said they felt he needed to go home and might need to get his nose checked out. Tubbs didn't want to go home, but I felt so helpless not being able to see him myself.
Poor little fella was ok--Grandma and Grandpa checked him over and they didn't feel like he needed to get any medical attention--so I felt better after talking with him. His little nose was swollen for a few days.
Other pictures from the weekend.....
On Saturday morning, a friend from church picked up Wiggy so she could go to her friend's baptism and luncheon.
That Stop Wasn't On My Itinerary....
So the Hogue's made it to Florida for our first official family vacation. It was Sawyer's first plane ride....and Simon's first plane ride that he can remember. We were excited....the boys were stoked. We had everything we needed! But it seems that Sawyer packed something with him that wasn't on our checklist: a big case of pneumonia. Yes, the little fella made it almost one whole day in Florida before he started heading downhill fast. Our 2nd day in Orlando we were in the Urgent Care south of Cocoa Beach. (By the way, to see a doctor more quickly, it helps if you vomit all over the waiting room in front of the receptionist. Little tip for ya) After chest x-rays they advised us to head to the ER in Melbourne, where they eventually admitted him to the hospital. So, we had 3 night deluxe accommadations at the Holmes Regional Medical Center. The little whipper snapper was a trooper though! The nurses loved him, thankfully, and made us all feel right at home. We were going to send postcards out with pictures of the hospital since we spent 40% of our trip there...but they didn't have any. Imagine that!Hmmm.....maybe its something they should consider.
