I had a doctor appt in Thousand Oaks Wednesday morning, so grandpa graciously headed down the hill and picked up the kids and took them up to their house, so they didn't have to be in the car for 5 hours. It was a last minute decision and in the end I am so glad they offered to take the kids. It was also nice to just spend some time with Luke without worrying about the kids doing their thing in the backseat.
Grandma sent pics of the kids roughing it. Simon snuck a pair of pajama bottoms and a blanket, so he changed into them when he got there. It's a rough life.
After the appointment we stopped by Sprinkles to get a few cupcakes for
Christmas dessert. We also split one of their salted oatmeal cornflake
cookies. It was sooooo good. On the drive home we stopped for a light
lunch at Cafe Rio. We were home after noon'ish, so Luke did the
finishing touches on the boy's dirt bikes, then we headed up the hill to
his parent's house. It was a whirlwind of a morning!
We arrived around 4pm and sat down for our traditional Christmas Eve breakfast dinner. After dinner we opened gifts. We were all completely spoiled and it was a great evening with grandma and grandpa.
All the kids received new pajamas and they were pretty happy!
A photo box with photos of Wiggy and little crafty items inside.
We got home later then originally expected. The kids wanted to go to bed but it wasn't even 9pm yet and I thought the later they went to bed, the later they would sleep. I was dead wrong on that one.
Anyways, we put out cookies, milk and carrots then let the kids stay up for an hour. A package from my parents arrived while we were gone. Grandma Baer made a nightgown for Wiggy, so she asked if Wiggy could open it so she could see how it fit. We took pictures to send to Grandma and Wiggy really loved the silk princess nightgown.
The kids finally went to bed around 10:30pm which meant Santa's elves kicked into high gear. (I don't know we stuck the larger boxes out in front of everything instead of back behind. It blocks the view of everything we had under the tree)
Santa brought Bubba a Sony PS3, Tubbs received some green Beats earphones, and Wiggy got the cherry bike she eyed in Action Sports a few months ago.
Merry Christmas Eve!
Christmas Day started MUCH (MUCH) earlier than I expected.
Santa's elves finally hit the sack around 12:15pm. Dead. Tired. My body was achy. We barely doze off when we hear it. The pitter-patter of big feet.
Really? This is happening? Luke and I whisper back and forth for a second. I can tell the elf next to me is ready to get up because he just can't wait for the kids to see all of their gifts.
I should also state, for the record, that Luke took care of 95% of the shopping this year. He really took care of everything. It was amazing. I think I picked out a gift for my mom and maybe a few gift cards for family, but that's it.
Needless to say, my body refused to get out of bed at 12:30pm....so I dozed off to sleep. I woke up at 2:30am after Luke told the kids to come wake me up because I was "missing it." The boys stayed up but went into the den and played Disney Infinity for a few hours...then woke up their sister. Once they woke up Scout, Luke woke up.
I was not happy about getting two hours of sleep and since I wasn't feeling well, that was the icing on the cake. But I put on a smile, got the camera ready and we all opened gifts.
We were done opening gifts around 4:30am. Daddy gathered everyone up and tucked each of us in for nappies. Hallelujah! We slept until about 8am. it was wonderful. Everyone woke up around the same time and we were all in much better moods. A mommy with two hours of sleep is not a mommy you want to be around. Ever.
Wiggy modeled her new Anna dress and her Hello Kitty press-on nails.
Luke asked the boys to take out the trash....
The boys were VERY surprised. The dirt bikes aren't brand new and Luke spent a lot of time trying to find used bikes that would be affordable and in good condition. He ordered some graphics with their names and favorite number. I think they are awesome!
Luke bought this really good cinnamon bread from Costco so he made the kids French Toast with it... along with some scrambled eggs (and leftover goodies from Christmas Eve dinner.) After stuffing their bellies, the kids went about playing with all their gifts.
Grandma and Grandpa Hogue came down around 1:30 and Luke made us Christmas dinner. We had pasta, salad and garlic bread. Grandpa Hogue made some homemade vanilla ice cream for dessert. We had some cupcakes, peanut crunch cake and salted caramel cake. I didn't make one thing for Christmas dinner or dessert....or breakfast for that matter. It was fabulous. :) Luke really spoiled us all in that regard. This angel just sat back and enjoyed the day.
Merry Christmas everyone. What a fabulous day....we are so blessed to spend it with some of our family.
We started off December with my birthday. Monday birthdays really stink....especially when you have to work. I picked J's Place for dinner and when we pulled up we discovered they are closed on Mondays. That makes Mondays suck that much more. I didn't really know what I felt like but we all agreed on BJ's.
My Visiting teacher had this orchid delivered the day after my birthday...but we didn't know she sent them until she text me a few days later. It was very sweet!
Breakfast with Santa at Luke's school. Bubba had a Boy Scout Pow Wow thing that morning, I had a Young Woman leader breakfast and Tubbs went to the Aera Christmas party with his buddy, so Wiggy went alone with daddy.
Tubbs had his first band performance...playing the clarinet. (He started the school year learning to play the trumpet, but changed his mind in November.) He also performed a few songs with his choir. We were very proud of him and it was so fun to watch. (Grandma and Grandpa Hogue came down to watch too.)
Afterwards daddy decided to take us all out to Dewar's for ice cream. Yes...it's freezing outside and Bubba is wearing shorts. Meanwhile I am bundled up like it's snowing outside. The boys take after their father.
On December 13th I took Wiggy to see the Nutcracker Ballet at the Convention Center. We really enjoyed it. We knew a handful of friends who were performing in it, so that made it even more interesting. After the performance we got Wiggy her first nutcracker in the lobby.
Intermission time meant a much anticipated snack since we forgot to eat lunch before we left.
That day was "green receipt" day at Chick-Fil-A, so we headed there for dinner and then went to look at Christmas lights. It was a wonderful Saturday with my family.
Grandma and Grandpa Hogue took the kids to Color me Mine on December 19th after school was out. The kids love to paint so they were very lucky. Tubbs painted a penguin, Wiggy painted a unicorn and Bubba painted a monster piggy bank.
Before we get to the big day, we have to view some of the pre-Thanksgiving festivities.
Tuesday - Wiggy's Thanksgiving feast in her Kindergarten classroom. My little indian, "Setting Sun."
Praying before she consumes her feast of popcorn, pretzels and carrots.
Wednesday - I pick up Tubby-Tubbs and he is a turkey!
After picking up all the kids from school, we drop off backpacks, grab snacks and race to daddy's work to pick him up....then we are on the road. 300'ish miles to go. Over the river and through the woods to Grandma's house we go.
We always like to take fam photos in the car to send to family...so they know we are on our way and witness what we are dealing with. Yes..there were real tears being shed in the backseat, courtesy of our oldest child. Shocker.
Thankfully we left early enough Wednesday that it was only a 6.5 hour drive, which included a brief stop for dinner at Jamba Juice.
Thursday ...Turkey Day
I woke up sick with a full blown cold. Those are always the best aren't they?! I have a tendency to always get sick when we travel and/or visiting family. Bubba and Tubbs were nursing colds earlier in the week, so now it was my turn.
And lucky for us, we were having my dad take our family pictures that morning, so I really needed help not looking like crud. My sweet sister-in-law Lindsay came over to the house and did my eye make-up. I love her....and I love when she does my make-up. I just want to fall asleep in her lap.
After photos I came home and changed into comfy clothes...and tried to stay warm. I think I had a mild fever. Good times. Sorry if I got anyone else sick. While everyone else prepped food, I snuggled into Luke on the couch and did absolutely nothing! Haha.
We ate dinner around 4'ish and all the family was there. I love these people so much....I am thankful for large get togethers that are loud, fun, crazy....and loud. :)
Friday ....consisted of the traditional shopping with mom and Wiggy, but we didn't leave the house in the wee hours of the morning. I think we left around 10am and it wasn't too bad at the Galleria (or the other shops we visited). Thank goodness!
Sampling lip glosses at Sephora....of course.
Then mama gave in and bought a token for the carousel. It's always a good day shopping with my mom and Wiggy-biscuit.
Grandpa making his famous enchiladas for dinner...half beef, half chicken. Corn and flour tortillas. Luke's guac. MMMMMMMMMM.
Cooper eyeing some of Luke's guacamole.
Next up...standing around and waiting for some of Grandpa's fudge. It's usually my thing to lick the pot after he pours a fresh batch into a pan. But nooooooo....everyone had to grab a spoon and get in on the delicious action.
Grandma bought a new Nook and Luke sat with her for an hour, helping her get it all set up and transferring account information. What a great husband I have!
Saturday was a cold, rainy day and so around noon we all made our way to Golfland/Sun Splash to play some laser tag and arcade games. Grandpa was able to get some fun money again from the guy who manages it, so thanks to him we were all able to play for hours together. It was a fun afternoon!
Saturday evening was the November and December birthday party. Pizza and chocolate cake with lots of numbers and candles on it. My mom didn't have the exact number candles, so she put the numbers she had and like mine, just added three single candles to make 38. I love my mom.
After the party we were packed up and hit the open road for home. It's always easier to drive home at night, rather than face the holiday traffic on Sunday.Wiggy and Tubbs fell asleep but Bubba, thanks to electronics, managed to stay awake the entire drive.
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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.
