Christmas Festivities 2024

🎄 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄
 

December was a fun and exhausting month. The elf showed up on the first, but no one noticed him until the evening on the second, so we just let that ride 😆. We attended playgroup and story time, and spent time with friends and family. 

At school, they had a week of festive wear and one day was ugly Christmas sweater. Quinn didn’t have one, so we went in search of one at the mall. I knew there was a very slim chance any store would have something that would suit Quinn’s specific tastes, but we went anyway. Indeed we weren’t able to find anything satisfactory to him, but he just couldn’t live without getting this Hawaiian shirt 😂. He now wears it just about every other day, and if he’s at home, he pairs it with Grogu swim trunks 🤦🏻‍♀️. 

Ash got these new monster pajamas, and he also wears them far too often 😅. 

Quinn had his pre-K program at school, but I didn’t get to go because it was the same day and time that Ash got his cast on 😭. I was sad I couldn’t go, but Philip went and sent me videos. When I watched how he literally stood like this ⬆️ the entire time, and didn’t participate, I was less so 😅. It was recommended they wear Christmas or dress clothes, but I decided long ago that I wouldn’t fight with Quinn over clothes. 

Elf shenanigans

Chillin on the tree (where he wasn’t discovered until he’d been there for like 36 hours).

Christmas countdown. 

The floor is lava!

“Gud Morning,” (mis)spelled out in cookies (because I didn’t have enough of the right letters). 

“I packed your lunch!”

“I tried to bring you a snowman from the North Pole, but it melted ☹️.”

Are you brave enough to see if it’s lemonade, apple juice, of elf pee?

Prank your mom and hide these 12 ducks all around the house. 

🎵 Pringle bells, Pringle bells 🎵 

Let’s take an elfie. 

Masquerading as a juice lid.

He made them puzzles. 

Do you want to build a snowman ⛄️ 🍩. 

He left candy canes the night Ash went to the hospital. 

Sometimes he pranked them, like this time when he traded the toilet paper for wrapping paper 

The note says: “I’m hiding in here so I can’t smell your dad’s stinky toots! Since I’m protected, you can take me around and show me your new house!”

Color search. 

Blowing bubbles 🙃. 

Spider-Man gummies for the last day of school. 

A warning for being a butthead 🙄. 

A mentos and pop experiment that failed 🫠. 

Candy cane hunt. 

On the lookout for the grinch. He gave the boys official Santa Patrol badges. 

Goodbye kisses 🍫 💋 

🟢Any morning that started with candy was a hit. 

🔴 They liked searching for things. 

🟢 They don’t have a grasp on the concept of time yet, so I’ve decided to move the elf’s arrival back to mid-December next year, and set this bar lower while I still can 😆. 

I was so worried that I was going to ruin the elf magic for Harper. She’s observant enough to notice the elf notes were written in my handwriting, which is how I think I figured out Santa wasn’t real. I don’t remember some big reveal, but I do remember noticing that the name tags on my gifts from Santa were written by my mom. Once I said something about it, she started having my stepdad write them 😂. Maybe I’ll have Philip write them next Christmas, or maybe I’ll start practicing my left handed script now, so that it might be legible by December. 

Playgroup

Mrs. Claus made an appearance at playgroup. Ash was not a fan, 

But Quinn knew her by name 🙃. 

Story time

Ash got to see the grinch at story time

And he loved the bowling game Miss Tella had. 

A visit from kiki

Luka jumped right in to play with one of the boxes the boys had been playing with for days. I was contemplating returning their Christmas gifts because that box seemed to be more fun than any toy could provide 😆
Kiki made the boys a super cool fall apart candy box, which they loved, naturally. After she visited us, we visited her 😅. Quinn wanted to see his friend Lilly, who didn’t get to come visit at our house and was at Kiki’s later. He couldn’t resist petting Kels and wanted me to take their picture together. 

Cookie making & decorating

I learned my lesson at Thanksgiving and left the tape resist Christmas tree for Tytan to deal with Kate’s ridiculous perfectionism 😅. He’s a good boy. There were blank spaces still, the next day whenever Harper and Mandy came over, so we finished it up, and Harper removed the tape for the big reveal 🎄. 

graham cracker house building 

Harper’s

Mandy’s

Mine

Quinn’s (with my help)

Ash decorated his a little, but he mostly wanted to eat it. They were delicious 🤤 

Christmas 🎄🎅 🎁

Quinn is the funnest kid to watch open presents. He makes the best faces (he does not get that from his dad 😅). He was sooo excited to see Santa brought him a Joker costume, but then he decided it wasn’t the one he wanted 🫠. I hope the North Pole takes returns 🤪. Ashy loved his cat costume from Santa, and he’s been wearing it nonstop. I’ve had to wash it twice already. 

I let Quinn pick the one that he wanted and this is what he chose 😅. It was a lot more expensive than the one Santa brought 😑. I know it will get plenty of wear, at least. 

I actually found a bunch of costumes on Mac.bid for super cheap right after Christmas, so they got even more. 

Ash loves the red panda. 

His favorite gift wasn’t really intended as a Christmas gift, just more of a surprise from Lisa S. When we were at playgroup, Ash was telling her all about the haunted trail at the 4H grounds, an event that she helped organize. I told her how he had been on a kick talking about it ever since we went, always asking me to show him pictures from it, but I didn’t have many. So, Lisa made Ash a book with all of her photos from it. There aren’t any words, but he and Quinn have made up stories to go along with it 😂. It was so sweet of her to make it for them ❤️. 



We visited with my brother’s family Christmas evening. I (and everyone else) was so happy to have Coen home for Christmas ❤️. 

We visited Philip’s brother and his family the weekend after Christmas. We had some good food and enjoyed the company, but I didn’t get to take many photos. With six kids opening gifts at the same time, it’s hard to keep up with the action. However, I never pass up an opportunity to take a pic of a cute dog 🐶 🙂. 

A few of my favorite gifts

The school hosted Santa’s Workshop, which enabled kids to purchase gifts for up to 10 loved ones. The items are from Dollar Tree, so I wasn’t sure what Quinn would end up getting for his chosen recipients. He did a pretty good job choosing things he thought they would like, in my opinion. He got Ash a truck but said he wanted to get him a squishy, but the teachers wouldn’t let him after they asked how old Ash was. That’s why he gave him the squishy from his prize box reward a few days later 🥺 (mentioned in my previous post).

He got me a rug and it was a very useful selection. I needed one to go under the cabinet in the foyer, and his gift fit perfectly 🥰. It came just shortly after I changed out the rugs in the kitchen, so I figure that’s what sparked his idea. 

Harper got me this adorable pencil pouch and I love it! I was honored that she wanted to get me something 🥰. 

She also made this painting for me. Sunflowers and a Dalmatian, what could more could I want?! Her note on the back made it even better 💜 . 

Philip always does a good job at gifting me things that I wouldn’t buy for myself. I’ve only ever had expensive shoes because he’s bought them 😂. He knows this and I appreciate his thoughtfulness 🥰. 

I’m awaiting the notification that our pool pass is ready for pickup at City Hall. They were running a Christmas special, and that’s what Philip’s parents got for us. I’m so excited to have it for the summer!

Overall, our first Christmas in our new house went very well. I got a taller tree for next year during the after Christmas sale, and we added to our Christmas village, which I forgot to take a pic of before we put it away 🫠. I hadn’t put it out since Quinn’s been born, but with the built in cabinets in our living room, we had the perfect place to display it safely. Quinn really liked it, so I hope it becomes a fun Christmas memory for him when he’s grown. I still remember some of the decorations we put out every year when I was little, like the plastic Santa wall hangers, the small ceramic Christmas tree, and the light up bells that played instrumental Christmas songs. We actually have those because they were my favorite. Philip asked why I didn’t put them out this year and there’s just so much noise all of the time already 😅. Maybe next year 🙃. 

November/December 2024

“Cheeseburgers!” 🍔 

The colder weather isn’t good for much, but it has been a driving force in motivating me to work on our house. The abundance of floral wallpaper is truly a source of stress for me. The busyness of the pattern feels like clutter, and every time I look at it, which is basically 24/7 (okay, 16/7. I have to sleep), I think about how I need to take it down. So then it feels like something on my to do list that isn’t getting marked off. I made a plan to work my way from most ugly to least, which meant starting in Ash’s room. His walls were, by far, the most offensive 😆. I had actually started it shortly after moving in, but then warmer weather brought more fun things to do. Once we started spending more time indoors, it was easy to want to get back to it. Well, to be honest, I was anxious to get started in the foyer because it’s the first room guests see upon entering our home, and pink roses wasn’t really giving the right vibe 😅. Ash had started ripping pieces away every time he walked down the stairs, and a big piece on the wall had started peeling on it’s own, so it was low hanging fruit for my picking-peeling-popping-loving self. I had to show real restraint to buckle down and finish Ash’s room first, and for that, you should all be proud of me 😜. I told you before, finishing tasks in a timely and complete manner isn’t really my style, so maybe I’m turning over a new leaf 🤷🏻‍♀️. Time will tell, or maybe the wallpaper will. It’s hard to hide a half finished wallpaper project 😂. If you were here, you could see one right now 😜. I, at least, haven’t moved onto to something else, I’m just taking a short break while my attention has been needed elsewhere. I can’t be and do all of the things, all of the time. While I was busy renovating the boys’ room (they’re sharing Ash’s room to sleep because they both want me to lay with them at bedtime and I can’t be in two places at the same time), everything else was given minimal attention—the rest of the housework was done based on necessity, and Ash spent a lot of time entertaining himself while Quinn was at school. However, he spent more time playing in his room, since I was in there. Everyone in this house always ends up wherever I am 😅. The entire process in the boys’ room (stripping and then painting the walls) took a little over a week, and I’m so glad to be done 😂. The foyer is stripped but still has painting to be done.  There’s plenty more to do, but it feels good to have a few rooms crossed off of my list. 

The wall to the right of the door is what is unfinished. Maybe you’ll see that one next time. Maybe you won’t 😂. 

I’ve done many other little things, that most people probably wouldn’t notice (including my husband 🙄. At least not until they’d been in place for a while). I’m slowly changing our color scheme, buying new things here and there, and, shockingly, Quinn has noticed them all! As soon as he sees something new, like the chair covers in the kitchen, or rugs, or even door knobs, he makes sure to tell me he noticed 😂. Maybe there’s hope for him yet. Maybe not all men end up with the inability to find anything. Ever. 

That red rug was left by the previous owners. It was undoubtedly better quality than the one I replaced it with, but I still like my black one better 😆. 

I installed a second coat rack by the back door, low enough for the boys to be able to reach. Hopefully that will lessen the amount of clothes they throw on the floor 😠. Ash got his hair cut the day after this pic was taken 😆. 

This was the worst painting project I’ve ever done. I hated the yellow though, so it was worth. This was one of the few rooms that didn’t have wallpaper. I’m glad I started with painting it because no other room will be as bad as it 😂. 

I looooove the green 😍

We inherited a bunk bed from Mandy because Lawson didn’t want it anymore. I had been waiting to put it together until I got the walls done, so Quinn came home from school to a surprise room makeover. Ash ‘helped’ me put the bed frame together, so we ended up missing 2 bolts 🤦🏻‍♀️. I found a couple spares, so it worked out. I didn’t have directions, but that didn’t matter because I wouldn’t have followed them right anyway 😂. It’s a real struggle for me, I’m basically incapable of looking at 2D instructions and creating a 3D object. Especially with a %#?!*+!  Allen wrench. Can we please be done with those already? 😭🙏🏻. Worst tool ever created. 

Quinn loved his new sleeping space so much that he told me he couldn’t sleep the first night because the pictures on the walls were too cool 🤣. They are paintings I did for them, and he has seen them before 🤦🏻‍♀️. It made me feel good, though, that he liked all of the work I did so much. One thing we didn’t consider before taking this bed was how to manage bedtime if Quinn falls asleep on the couch. He was insistent (at first) that he was going to sleep on the top bunk, but there’s no easy way, short of crowd surfing him, to get him up there. Luckily, his bravery wore off after the first two nights, and putting him on the bottom bunk hasn’t been a problem. At least until Ash takes it over, but that will be a while. He’s a maniac whenever he sleeps and still rolls out of his floor bed, so the floor bed is where he’ll stay. 

🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️. Thank goodness my makeshift crash pad caught his head. 

Anyway…

We swapped out that shmancy light for a much brighter, flush one. 




They’ve gotten a new dresser since this pic was taken.  

I bought a moon light to put on their wall as a light night. I love the moon and am always pointing it out to the boys, so they like it, too. Quinn was psyched about the light, but I was ready to banish him from his room while I was installing it on the wall. It came with a stupid bracket that had to be screwed on first, and then the light went over it, with tiny screws holding it on. I kept dropping the screws, and was getting super frustrated, mostly because there was a constant stream of chatter and questions being asked while I was trying to focus on the task at hand 😑. After I had dropped a screw for like the 4th time, Quinn said, “I think we need Dad for this job.” So of course, there was no way I was going to give up then, even if having Philip do it sounded like the best plan to me, too 😅. He told me that again when I was fixing something else one day—“I think we need Dad for this job,” and I told him, “I think you need to find another room to go to.” 😡😂. I told Philip and he was happy that Quinn thinks he’s useful for something 🤣. He rarely gets asked to do anything unless I suggest it 🤦🏻‍♀️. 

The moon light 🌖 💡 and new dresser. 

Aside from wanting to check off tasks, I like making this house feel more like home. It almost feels like you’re just playing house whenever you first move, because you’re doing all these things in a new way, making it up as you go along. It feels less and less weird as time goes on.  Despite having lived in our old house for 18 years, this one felt like where we’re supposed to be, almost immediately. Maybe it doesn’t really matter where we are, it only matters who we’re with. Home is where my family is ❤️. It also helps that we’re even closer to people we love than we were before. 

All of that was a fairly long winded way to give an update on what I’ve been up to. I read one time that it takes like 18 months (it may have said 12 but I say 18 😅) after having a baby for your life to start feeling “normal” again. That was definitely true for me both times, and right when I started to feel like I was getting it together, we made another big life change of moving 3 days after Ash’s second birthday. I’ve felt anxious about not being productive enough, but all it took was taking steps toward progress to help ease some of the stress. I have also begun reorganizing, now that we’ve been here long enough to know what works, and what could be better. Unlike Walmart, whenever I move things around, it’s because it makes more sense, not because I want to force people to look for shit 😅 (Although, my husband may disagree 🤪). I have always loved organizing, even as a kid. I specifically remember how I would voluntarily straighten up our bathroom shelves whenever they got messy. I’ve realized as an adult that it was a coping mechanism for anxiety, and now, messiness gives me anxiety. I mean, aside from my kids testing my sanity, my life is fairly calm, so of course my brain manifested a way to drive myself crazy 🙄. 

My recycling center ♻️ 

Poor Ash has had it rough the lately. Three weeks ago, he had been cranky most of the day, but refused to take a nap. About an hour after Quinn got home from school, they were being rowdy and chasing each other. We’ve told them a million times not to run through the kitchen, but like all of the times that came before, my warning to stop was ignored. I was sitting at the table, eating, and Asher ran past the pantry door that one of them had left open, and he smacked his elbow with a loud bang. He cried, of course, but within about 15 minutes, he fell asleep. He was still saying it hurt before he passed out, so I gave him some Tylenol and was ready to wait and see. He woke up almost two hours later and was still crying and in pain. Philip stayed home with Quinn (who tried creating reasons why he needed to come, like saying he hurt his foot 😅🤦🏻‍♀️), and I took Ash to the hospital. He had an x-ray done, and it showed a possible fracture on his elbow. They put him in a splint and made a referral to the orthopedic office at their facility. Whenever I called them the next morning (Wednesday), they said their provider was only onsite on Mondays. The receptionist recommended I call other offices to try to get him in sooner. He was able to see a provider in Sistersville on Thursday, and his arm was put in a cast. He had to wear it for three weeks, and got it off on Jan 2nd. He chose to get green, so it looked very festive for the Christmas season 😂. I felt bad for him because he’s right handed and the cast was on his right arm, so pretty much every self help task was difficult. He got better at feeding himself with his left hand, and he was even able to color with it. Maybe he’ll end up being ambidextrous from this ordeal 🤷🏻‍♀️. 

He was such a trooper getting it on! Getting it off did not go as smoothly 🫠. 

I have the most sympathy for the 2 year old with the broken elbow, but I reserve a tiny bit for myself 😅🤪. He constantly wanted held and carried, and I totally get that. I was overly afraid for him to go up and down stairs so I tried not to let him go them alone. Hauling him around is severely straining my body, and I’m fearful my sciatic nerve is gonna freak out again 😩. I hated to tell him no, it breaks my mama heart that he was in pain, but I’m not going to be any good to either of us if I have sciatic pain again. 

Putting on and taking off shirts was the worst. He’s still struggling and says it still hurts a little bit. When his cast was on, he would ask me to help, and then remind me to do it “gently.” 🥺. I know, buddy, I know. 

I thought for sure Quinn would be the first to get whacked with Ash’s cast, but nope, that was me 😑. The second night he had it was a long one. He woke up several times, so I finally just stayed in his bed with him. I had fallen asleep, and he rolled over and smacked me right in the face. That is not a nice way to be woken up.  

He adapted more each day. The first few days he would try to move on the couch and get slunk down to his back. I tried not to laugh when he would cry and tell me he was stuck 😅. He would just basically not use his right arm for anything, but eventually he was able to climb with it. That’s not necessarily a good thing, I don’t suppose, but I think the couch is a soft enough pursuit. I tried putting a stool beside it for him to use, but he kept knocking it down, and that seemed more dangerous. 

Adding insult to literal injury, he had a fever for a few days. I’m not sure what caused it because it was short lived, which is a good thing. He didn’t want to eat much, unless it was something made almost entirely of sugar 🙄. This wasn’t a new problem, though. Even before he got hurt, he was trying to negotiate for suckers. One night, Ash had dinner on his plate, but he wasn’t eating it. I asked him why he wasn’t, and he told me, “I want a sucker.” I said, “I want you to eat your rice, and he told me, “I want you to feed me like a cat.” 🤣 what? He’s a real character. 

He’s big into suckers, those are his fav. After giving him one, one day, Ash came into the kitchen to tell me he ate all of it. 

Me: “Ok, put your stick in the trash please.”

Ash: “Can I have another one?”

Me: “No.”

Ash: “I’ll ask my dad.”

*Philip is sitting at the table, about 7 feet away*

Me: “Ok, you do that and let me know how it goes.” 😂 

Ash: “Dad, can I have another sucker?”

Philip: “Did you ask mom?”

Ash: “Yeah.”

P: “What did she say?” 

Ash: “No.”

P: “I guess you can’t have any then.”

A: “She said yes.”

P: “ I know she said no. You’re lying.”

A: “I not lying!”

P: “Yes you are and that will get you put in time out.”

A: “Well can I have chocolate then?”

🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️. 

Ash is so funny. I’ve been passively trying to introduce him to letters, just to try to get a head start on them. He really likes playing with ones that suction to the bathtub, and I tell him people’s names or familiar words that start with whichever one he picks up. There are only two that he gets right on the regular, but he tries. He will very confidently pick up, like, F, and say, “Z for Juju!” 🤣. 

Quinn is still having some moments, but I’m apprehensive to say that maybe he’s starting to finally calm his ass down some 😂. I was worried thanksgiving break was going to be 10 days of Friday behavior (Fridays are almost always terrible 😩. Idk what happens to him, but his ears DO NOT work on Fridays). He surprised me, though. He and Ash got along more than I thought they would. Ash seemed to really like having Quinn home to play with. However, one weekend, he had one of hell of a bad morning. He stayed up late the night before because we were at Kate’s basketball game, and then he got up early the next morning, so I know he was tired. That doesn’t excuse being a grump ass though, and he ended up grounded. We even canceled our plans for the day, just because we didn’t want to deal with bad behavior in public. The next day, he was back to good, thankfully. We went shopping at the mall and Sam’s club, and both boys were well behaved. Quinn told me a few days later that he didn’t mind being grounded, he actually had a good day. I asked why, and he said, “Because I decided to stop.” 🙌🏻. We always tells him he has the power to choose how things are going to go. If he chooses to throw tantrums, break rules, and not listen to me, then he’s going to spend time alone in his room. He can choose to follow the rules and spend his time with us. I think he may finally be getting it. Repetition is the key to learning. Not losing your mind in the meantime is the secret 🫠. 

He really is a great big brother, and for that, I’m super proud of him. He willingly shares with Ash all of the time, gives him hugs and tells him he loves him, helps him do things. I love how much they love each other. With that being said, Quinn is a classic older brother whenever it comes to hurting Ash. If he accidentally does something that makes Ash cry, he’ll tell him, “Ash, hit me! Hit me!,” so then Ash will hit him back to even the score and not come tell me. I hear this go on anyway, obviously 🙄. I also have firsthand experience with this behavior having an older brother. I know how they operate 😅. I ignore it as long as no one is seriously hurt. That’s one of those pick your battle deals. 

On his last day of school before Christmas break, Quinn got to choose something from the prize box at school. He said he knew Ash had been wanting a squishy, so he got one for him 🥺🥰. 

Watching tv together 😅. Ash will turn just about anyone into a pillow 

It’s funny to watch the role change that happens with Quinn as soon as an older kid is around. He slides right into little brother territory with his antagonizing tricks. He loves to take their stuff and hide it, something he’s been in trouble for over and over again. When we were at Nathan’s for Christmas (which will be a separate post), I loved that he got a dose of his own medicine when one of the twins did it to him. It’s poetic whenever life lessons play out in front of me 😅. 

November ended with two Thanksgiving dinners, one with each of our families. We cooked for my family on Thanksgiving. It was weird not having Coen here with us, but he was able to FaceTime for a bit. 

Kate and I created a paint resist turkey, which should’ve just been her job because she didn’t like the way I did it 🙄. 

🤩

Our beautiful creation. 

Oliver had his first taste of mashed potatoes 😆

Us girls worked on peeling wallpaper 😂. They helped me get about a days worth of work done in a little over an hour! I knew Kate would be down for that, she’s a picker, too. 

The weekend after, we had dinner with Philip’s family at his mom’s house. 

I brought a fun ring toss game 🙃. I mean, who doesn’t wanna throw things at someone else’s head?

We tried taking a group photo, but Quinn was uncooperative, as usual 😑. 

Our learning and turkey-tivities 🙃 

Ash really enjoyed pretending to feed a turkey repurposed from an oatmeal container, and now every time he sees we have an empty one in recycling, he asks me to make it into a turkey for him 😆. 

Quinn had to disguise a turkey for his classroom and he wanted to make it look like Spider-Man 😂

We practiced matching/spelling names: Ash first and Quinn last. 

Quinn made a recommendation at school for how to cook a turkey. Follow at your own risk ⚠️. 

Ash is very into matching games, so I made one with the characters from one of his favorite shows, Mila and Morphle. 

He used his gift card he got from Pap for Christmas to buy the actual set of action figures, but before we had them, I improvised. He loved playing with them! I didn’t have a 6th tp tube, and he insisted on having the bandits, so I stuck them on an empty medicine bottle. I cut the child lock off, and found out he is able to unscrew lids now. Yay 🫠. He said the bandits were stealing blippi and kept locking him in it 😅. 

He took this close up of his work 😅. 

Ashy practiced quantifying numbers 

And matching sticker letters 

Everything else 
We’ve been to lots of basketball games 🏀. They’re all doing great. Kate is playing middle school ball, and Harper and Lincoln play grasshopper. Quinn likes to go because they have a concession stand 🙄. 

They help keep Oliver and Memphis occupied 🙂. 

Quinn got an upgrade to his car seat, and he couldn’t wait to show his older cousins. He asked Kate to buckle him in after her basketball game, and he had Coen do it a few days later, right after he came home 😅. 

Sophie pupdate 🐾 

Sophie celebrated her 7th birthday on November 29th. I usually make people cupcakes for us to celebrate along with her, but with all of the dessert from Thanksgiving, it seemed like overkill. She was happy with her waffle topped with peanut butter. 

Her head must be getting heavier in her old age because she sure likes to rest it nowadays 😆. 

She likes Quinn more than ever. She still isn’t sure about Ash, which is fair. 

She couldn't resist sniffing the smelly perfume sample I got in the mail 😆. Everyone else was smelling it 🤷🏻‍♀️

She made it abundantly clear that the couch needed the cushions removed and the bottom vacuumed, thanks to her searching for snacks in the cracks 😂🤦🏻‍♀️.