Go, Go, Goers!

The week that we've been waiting for is finally here!  And before I get into it, I have to say that I am SO happy not to have to get up early any more to wrap gifts each morning...yeah!  I took Wednesday, 12/23, off of work, and managed to get a few errands done, and things prepped for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.  It's amazing how much better things can go when I have the time, the energy, and the foresight to plan ahead! We spent Christmas Eve with Scott's family at his brother's apartment.  The food was wonderful, and the kids had a great time running around and being stinkin' cute. G and his new G-sized Mickey Mouse from Papa Whitey! Fun with her new Bratz doll! Once we got home, we left out cookies, fudge and milk for Santa (no eggnog this year...I think that perhaps Santa overdid the eggnog in the coffee drinks leading up to Christmas, and needed an eggnog break...)  We also started a new tradition of opening one gift on Christmas...

We've been raising quite the reader over the last several years. I have always loved to read, and it pleases me to see how much Ava enjoys spending time with her nose in books. She has a daily reading log for school, and the last few months, she has exceeded the number of minutes that have been set for her goal.  Awesome! G also loves to have books read to him, and while we started off with two books a night, he's now insisting on me reading a gajillion books each night.  Some nights I have the time to read more, and other nights I don't.  Imagine how happy I was last week when Ava told me that SHE would read to G before bed! Of course, she first asked if the minutes would count towards her reading log...smart girl. It was awesome to settle them both into the glider, and extract myself so I could run to the grocery store for a few minutes. And because it was a novel (haha) experience for both of them, they were both happy to read 10+ books in one sitting. I'...

It's funny how time seems to speed up as the holidays come closer.  So much to do, yet not much time to squeeze it all in!  I have a running list of holiday to-dos on my desk, and I'm happy to see that we're down to just a few items left unchecked. I've managed to finish up 99% of the Christmas shopping, and only have two more easy gifts to pick up.  Today I need to take care of the Christmas cards so I can mail them out tomorrow, and perhaps I'll even get a chance to start wrapping gifts.  This year I decided not to wait until the end when there is a mountain of gifts to wrap, and I am running low on patience for details.  I gave up on bows years ago.  Slap on some paper, and call 'er good! Ava's school had Candy Cane Days this week which is one of the student council's fundraisers benefiting Toys for Tots. She was quite excited to pick out candy canes to munch on while in school. Last year she brought some home for us, but apparently, we didn't...

Ava's school had a fundraiser this past fall, and by selling a certain number of items, she was able to choose a prize.  She (and me) had her heart set on a plug-in disco ball, so imagine our disappointment when they sent her a pair of blow-up shoes instead. The shoes were defective, so it gave me a great opportunity to contact their customer service. They were incredibly helpful, and within a week, Ava got the disco ball delivered to her! I had no idea how much fun this disco light would be...it's a blast! There have been lots of spontaneous dance parties! Ava really wanted me to install it in her room, but I had to be a party pooper and say no...it can't be her permanent overhead light.  Can you imagine?? In addition to disco ball deliveries, we also got our new bed last Sunday, and our new living room furniture yesterday afternoon. We're loving everything so far.  My back hasn't been sore at all this week after I wake up, so I'm considering the bed ...