Oh, Yeah. . .Christmas

The Christmas season is always a busy one--between work parties and church parties and multiple family parties, our calendar is pretty packed.  This year, though, we were forced to take it easy, thanks to some nasty little germs who invited themselves to stay for the holidays.  Just 2 days before Christmas, Ben brought home an awful influenza-like virus that had been making the rounds in the neighborhood.  Jared stayed home with him while I took the girls to church, and while we were sitting around that afternoon, we were surprised to hear a knock at the door and see just who it was:

  

That evening I stayed home with Ben while Jared took the girls to his parents' house for the family party. . .however, ours wasn't the only family laid low;  of the sixteen grandkids slated to be in this year's Nativity, only six were well enough to go to the party.  We decided to schedule a "make up" party for the following week.

For the first time in 10 years, we stayed home on Christmas Eve. . .with nowhere to go, we just hung out together, made some Christmas-tree-shaped pizzas, and had a very quiet evening.

The kids were up bright and early on Christmas morning.  Ben was puzzled by the presents under the tree, but after we handed him one and helped him open it, he made a beeline for the rest!  Once the opening frenzy was over, we all settled back to enjoy our new gifts.

Ben concentrating intently on his new remote-control car.  By this point his poor little cheeks were chapped and raw from the constant runny nose/wiping.  Anna had also started running a fever, so she and Ben stayed home with Jared while I took Elizabeth to visit Nonny & Poppa and Grandma & Grandpa.

 

 Duncan, chilling in Sarah's arms at Nonny & Poppa's house

The next night was the Torgersen party, but I woke up sick with the cold, so this was one party that our family had to skip entirely. 

 

This pic isn't actually from that day, but it pretty much sums up how we were all feeling by this point in the season!

 

A few nights later, Anna and I were well enough to go to the Epperson party. . .this time it was Elizabeth's turn to stay home sick. . .along with Ben, who still had a pretty nasty cough.  Anna enjoyed getting to spend some quality time with Hailey and Yvey, without having to share them with Elizabeth.

Finally, FINALLY, we were all well enough to go to the second Olson party.  We had a wonderful time, with another wonderful Nativity production.

The next night was New Year's Eve, and we planned our usual "Fondue-palooza".  This year I decided to extend the invitation to our families.  Unfortunately, Jared came home from work early that afternoon, sick as a dog.  I figured he'd finally succumbed to the cold the kids had, tucked him into bed, and called our invitees to warn them.  Kellie & Joe and Nonny & Poppa still decided to come, and we all enjoyed some fondue and good conversation.

Ahh, just look at this happy gathering of people, blissfully unaware of the fact that in their presence was millions of streptococcus bacteria, eagerly looking for a new home.  Yep, that "cold" of Jared's was in fact strep throat. . .and it turns out Ben had it too.

 Patient Zero

At first I brushed off Ben's irritability and nightwakings as an ear infection from the previous cold--given his history with ear infections (he always kicked them on his own without much trouble), I thought we could wait it out.  But when another day passed and Jared was still pretty miserable, I began to suspect strep throat in the both of them.  By the time I got Ben in to see the pediatrician, Anna and I were sick too.  Thankfully, Jared was feeling well enough by that point to take care of us all, and we started on antibiotics right away so as not to infect everyone who was to attend Elizabeth's baptism two days later.  I love you, amoxicillin.

So. . .yeah.  This year's holiday season was something of a blur.  Lots of Motrin and pajamas and movies.  You'd think after all of the illnesses we've had since Thanksgiving, I'd be more vigilant than ever with the Purell;  on the contrary, I feel ready to surrender.  After all, what's left to catch?

Tooth Fairies and Gandolf

 

After a week of waiting and worrying and wiggling, Anna lost her first tooth!  We were sitting at the kitchen table doing homework, when Anna leaned over to show her loose tooth to Ben.  He reached in to give it a wiggle himself, and pulled it right out!  

 By the time Anna had gone to bed and tucked her tooth safely under her pillow, winter storm Gandolf had arrived in full force.  We were woken early the next morning by a phone call announcing that school was closed for the day.   

  

The girls had a blast spending the day playing in the new snow.  It was too dry to build anything, but they hollowed out "houses", jumped off the patio into the powder, and helped Jared shovel the walk.  Ben was a little more lukewarm about the snow, but he loved breaking the icicles hanging from the eaves.

 

 
Now the skies are cloudless and the roads are clear--so it's back to school tomorrow.  What a fun weekend--this was definitely a snowstorm to remember!

Eight Is Great

Elizabeth turned eight years old last month, and last week she was baptized and confirmed.  I'm still in denial--how could she possibly be eight?!?--but I will admit that eight is looking like it's going to be just as wonderful as seven has been with this lovely girl.  Happy birthday and congratulations, Miss Elizabeth!

Elizabeth asked for books for her birthday. . .and books she got!

This about sums up the day. . .poor Anna was having a hard time not getting to share the spotlight.

Random 2012 Photos

January:  Ben and Yvey, just chillin'.  (Is Ben really that much bigger than Yvey, or is it just the camera angle?  I'm thinking it's a little of both. . .)

February:  These were the girls' Valentines to their classmates.  I love it when a project turns out even easier and cuter than planned.  (It's rockstar-parenting moments like this that make up for those weeks in which you only got to shower once, resorted to duct-taping a baby diaper to your kid at bedtime because you ran out of Pull Ups, and fed your family Spaghetti-Os for dinner three nights running.)

March:  Playing around in Memory Grove before Sarah & Christian's reception.  (One of these days I'll have to tell the full story of that day--including the part where I was stranded with the three tired and footsore kids downtown and Jared drove right past us.  A good story to remember for the next time we talk about whether we need a second cell phone. . .)

 April:  Oh, Anna.  

 May:  Fortunately, Anna was all smiles for her preschool graduation.

 June:  Ben chows down on a carrot from our garden. 

 July:  Making a silly face at the 4th of July barbecue

August:  When we got to the zoo this day, I realized I'd left my camera's memory card at home, and I bought a new one at the gift shop.  This shot alone makes me feel justified in paying the inflated price for it.

 September:  That boy needs a haircut!

 October:  Post-haircut.  The girls love to give him a "faux-hawk"

 November:  Sibling bonding through technology.  The kids love to play on our tablets--"Cut the Rope" and "Where's My Water?" are favorites. 

December:  Speaking of video games, Ben is also getting a good education in the classics.  Jared has an emulator on our DVR, and Ben likes to play along when he plays his old SNES games like Mario Kart and Battle Toads.

Six Years of Home-Making

We're coming up on the sixth anniversary of the purchase of our home, and I thought it'd be fun to do some photo comparisons* to see just what's changed.  If home improvement projects bore you, consider yourself forewarned.  This is one of those posts that is really more for us than for any of you guys--we've sacrificed many a date night in the name of home improvement, and these kinds of posts can help us feel better about all that.  (Sometimes.  Other times, they make us--okay, me--gnash teeth in frustration over how slowly this whole ordeal is going. . .)

Front Yard

I'm taking artistic liberty here.  The truth is that right now, under cover of snow, the front of the house is basically identical to that first picture.  Most of what we've done in the front has been minor landscaping--adding a flower bed, planting some bulbs/shrubs/perennials, and seriously abusing the front lawn (we had to dig trenches to lay sprinklers and to replace a water main.  Gotta break a few eggs to make an omelet, as they say.)

Back Yard

Okay, these photos really don't do justice to the blood, sweat, and tears that have gone into this space.  Our sweet, sweet neighbors endured three long summers of our noisy, smelly tractor as we installed two new retaining walls, a raised brick patio, two new fences, a sprinkler system, and a foundation for the "man lair".  But what really stands out in this picture is the luxurious new lawn, which took less than 4 hours to install.  Oh, the irony. 

Kitchen

Like the front yard, there's not much visible change aside from filling it up with "stuff".  Some re-wiring, some new lights, some repair work on the ceiling, and a fresh coat of paint.

Living Room

  

Again, not much change here either, aside from the new furnishings--just recessed lights, some fresh paint, and some more behind-the-scenes stuff (wiring, insulation, etc.)

Master Bedroom

Just some new paint and a trip to IKEA, along with the rewiring treatment that the whole house received.  (I took this picture right before Ben was born, after I'd gone through a wild flurry of "nesting".  Hence the cosleeper and overall tidiness.  I don't have a more current picture without the cosleeper, probably because my room hasn't been this clean since, nor have I had the time/energy to update anything else in the room.) 

Big Bedroom

Another room by IKEA.  (The red dressers, by the way, are Elizabeth's contribution;  for reasons still unknown to us, she asked for a red dresser for her birthday one year.  We got two kid-sized plain wooden dressers and the girls helped us paint them BRIGHT red.) 

Little Bedroom

It's not in the picture, but Jared built a shelf system in the closet of this room, right before Anna was born.  (And I mean RIGHT before--I started going into labor as I was painting it!)

Main Bath

Yes, these pictures were taken from the same spot just outside the doorway.  See where Elizabeth is standing in the first picture?  That's where the new back wall of the bathroom is.  Yep, it's much smaller now (you'll see why below), but there still is a tub/shower, to the right of the toilet (we stole the space from the built-in cabinets in the hallways plus the shower in the master bathroom). 

Master Bath

Paving the way for a new master bathroom.  This picture actually represents a pretty significant improvement;  there was water damage and rot under that pink shower, and we swapped/borrowed some square footage from the main bathroom to transform our closet-sized 3/4 bath into a full bathroom with a little more elbow room. (See that window on the right?  That's the same window just over the toilet in the "before" picture of the main bathroom.) 

Basement

Wait, wasn't this post supposed to be about home IMPROVEMENT?  Forget the eggs/omelets analogy;  this is more like a tornado hitting the henhouse.  Our basement right now is at the same point our yard was at early last spring--the point at which it really couldn't get any worse.  (Actually, contrary to what the pictures may lead you to believe, it's gotten a little better:  we no longer have trenches chiseled in the floor, and we've even gotten our washer and dryer hooked up down there.)  Again, the pictures don't really do justice to the amount of work that's gone into the basement, especially the "innards" of the house down there:  in addition to the rewiring that I've mentioned a million times, Jared has also installed a water softener, swapped out our enormous old boiler for a small high-efficiency boiler, and re-plumbed most of the house, from the vents in the attic down to the drains in the basement floor.  (Yeah.  I know.  Sometimes I feel like I'm married to the entire crew of This Old House. . .)

Our Family

And if you're wondering what *I* was busy doing while Jared was building, here's your answer:  in addition to creating a couple of people from scratch, I've been doing all those little things that keep our home running  and help make things like family portaits happen. . .along with shooing our little darlings away from the miter saws, grout buckets, and framing guns while Daddy worked.  (This last job is proving especially challenging with Ben, who really wants to be on the business end of all those cool-looking tools.  The girls used to love helping Daddy when he did quieter jobs but would run away when he turned on something noisy like the tile saw;  when Ben hears a noise like that, he runs TOWARD it.) 

It's been an incredible six years, building our family and our home.  Six years of elation, exhaustion, and everything in between. . .here's to many, many more!

*Note:  If you believe for one second that these "after" photos are a fair representation of what our house looks like on a daily basis. . .well, just drop by for an unannounced visit sometime so you can be set straight.  The girls' room, in particular, has been that tidy for approximately three cumulative hours over the past two years.