Super Quiet On The Homefront

Man, what do you say when it's been nearly a year since you last blogged? I suppose you bullet points the highlights of the year... Here goes!

• Nolan is 5 and he "graduated" from daycare to kindergarten in August! He loves it! He is so excited about learning how to read and screams "sight word!" whenever he sees one. He's been able to identify "pizza" when written out although that isn't a formal sight word...
• Maxwell is 2 and just so big! He's chatting up a storm and has his favorites of many things. Although they tend to be whatever Nolan has at the time. He likes singing songs like "you are my sunshine" and the TMNT theme song. He also likes it when I make goofy faces.
• Brian is able to work from home at the end of the day now. He used to have to go back in to work for 2 hours or so every night to catch up on paperwork but recently they allowed him to start doing it at home through their laptops and whatever encryption they decide is necessary.
• I have had a big year myself. Although I haven't talked about it much I am so proud that I've taken health and fitness very seriously for the past (almost) 2 years and have lost 50 pounds very slowly but surely. Oh I also started a new job which I LOVE where I do room scheduling for the university. Long story short - you have a class, I help decide where you'll be taught. It's kind of a superpower.

I'll write more when I can - promise!

Last Monday of 2017

Counting down... I have just this week until I get 10 full days off IN.A.ROW. 

I love working here. The pay may not be amazing but dang the vacation time is prime. 

My plans you ask? 

Well of course we have the upcoming holidays. 

Weekend Before Xmas:

• Go to the library
• Wrap presents
• Play at the park
• Grocery shop

Same old same old I guess. But this year for the holiday I am actually going to make some special food for the kiddos. Including Santa pancakes:

And holiday pizzas with star, bell, and tree shapes instead of the stockings pictured below:

For lunch we're probably going to go with the staple of peanut butter and jelly lest my 4 year old starve to death (what is it with picky toddlers?)

The week of xmas:

• 25th & 26th - Keep kids home from daycare
• 27-29th - Take kids TO daycare

Ok, let me explain... yes I'm going to be home those days but I have plans. Seriously. We're having the Salton fam over for the holiday the following weekend so I'm going to:

• Clean the sh*t out of the house including having the carpets shampoo'd 
• Do some spin classes (why not?)
• Get my hair cut
• LOUNGE

This is my one time of year where I can really get stuff done without having work looming over my shoulder. 

If I'm being real the list also includes:

In the criminal justice system sexually based offenses are considered especially heinous. In New York City, the dedicated detectives who investigate these vicious felonies are members of an elite squad known as the Special Victims Unit. These are their stories.

TING TING!

Brian and I have concluded the old episodes are where it's at. I watched them at first when I was on maternity leave and was basically in a haze of sleepiness. There's a 60% chance I slept through the episode while they played right in front of me and a 30% chance I don't remember them due to exhaustion so it's like they're brand new to me. 

Stay posted for the Pinterest Fail post that is 98% likely to happen ;)

The Sure Thing

In January 2016 I was about 39 weeks pregnant when our furnace went out. It was a record low that week (I'm talking negative 20 degrees) and I went home randomly and realized that even though the thermostat said it was trying to make the house 65 degrees (in the middle of the workday) the house was in the low 60s. So I called up the furnace guys that check our furnace annually to see what we needed fixed.

Unfortunately, the furnace was shot. It was old and we could see this coming if we really thought about it. 

They scheduled an appointment with a sales guy to come to my house and discuss options.

What I thought was funny was he was trying to sell me on their company and their product. Like, "the reason this brand that we carry is the best is X, Y, and Z" and why their customers like them so much etc... 

As I sit in the room with space heaters and the faucets all running to ensure that my pipes didn't freeze I just looked at him and wondered if he had ever seen a more sure thing for a sale in his life. At the time of our appointment, I believe I was 6 days from my due date and we were sleeping with Nolan in our room with electric blankets to make sure we were all warm without having a scary space heater in the bedroom at night. 

When the salesguy said something to the tune of "well I'll let you think about it with your husband [who wasn't there at the time] and IF you decide to go with us we can schedule installation."

IF we go with you? 

Dude, it was -20 degrees and I was kind of a ticking time bomb. I needed that furnace installed yesterday. I responded, "nah, we'll be going with you" and pretty much said "take all my money". 

I was a sure thing for that salesman. There was no way I was going to shop around for a new furnace at that point and he didn't even act like there was any urgency. 

I just thought of this when I was driving around the other day and just laughed at what must have been obvious desperation that the salesman overlooked. 

Hello? Is this thing on?

Goal: Posting Once A Month

OMG Branson was so much fun!

Hard to even really capture everything in the photos but we were so busy! The highlights were:

• Ride the Ducks
• The fish hatchery
• Talking Rocks Cave
• TITANIC MUSEUM
• Branson Mountain Coaster
• Dixie Stampede
• Fritz's Restaurant (KC)

Basically it was a non-stop vacation. When we weren't out doing museums/touristy things we were taking naps at the air bnb or swimming at the pool at the air bnb.

Pretty much my take home though is that my kids can survive on just rolls apparently even though we bought them food every time we went out they would only eat the fries or whatever carb was in front of them despite their request for chicken strips *coughNOLANcough*.

It all worked out though and we had leftovers to enjoy at the air bnb which, in my opinion, is the only way to travel anymore. The place was really nice with a king sized bed in one room and two twin beds in the other room. Unfortunately Maxwell wasn't the best sleeper in his pack and play and Brian and I divided and conquered the sleep arrangements by one of us in each room. Maxwell pretty much woke up each night and I just cuddled with him in the king size bed while Brian was slumming it in the twin beds.

One thing that surprised me was on the mountain coaster - which is literally a 1-2 person car that you ride up a hill and then gravity pulls you down the twisty coaster through the mountain - was a thrill for Nolan. I knew I wanted to ride this with him but I had no idea he'd be screaming "faster" instead of just screaming. 

Now the only problem is that I've been bitten with the vacation bug and can't wait to plan our next trip somewhere. Which I guess will be OKC for a family wedding. I'm sure we can find something to do while we're there :) 

In other news, we got some family photos done...