Go, Go, Goers!

We've had a wonderful week off of school and work...lots of chill time at home, mixed with a few outings with neighbors and family. It's been a fairly low stress week, and I think we'll all be refreshed by the time it's ready to go back to the normal routine. I've also managed to check off some pretty big tasks on my vacation to-do list, and that feels great! I'm happy that I still have four more days left before heading back to work...more time for fun and productivity! Look at that huge snowflake marshmallow! We spent Christmas Eve at my parents house. We ate SO much wonderful food, and had a fantastic time celebrating with both of them, as well as my aunt who was in town from Brooklyn. I'm so grateful that they have moved closer to us...we love being able to spend both big and small moments with them! Once again, I'm Blitzen at Christmas Eve dinner...ha! We went light on the treats for Santa this year...I explained that he has a lot ...

The last week of school before a long holiday break is always busy, but also seems to drag on for-ever. Lots of things to wrap up at school (tests, theme days, recitals) and work (um, work!) before we can settle in for a long winter's nap. My work had fun events this week, including a team holiday party where we played a chaotic white elephant game (I ended up with a game the whole family can play...hooray!) There was also a company-wide holiday decorating contest, as well as an ugly sweater contest (complete with fresh baked chocolate-chip cookies and milk/hot chocolate.) I am so impressed by all of the groups that decorated their areas...this is the "Patterson Express" complete with lights and sounds, and a crossing arm (not pictured.) And this one didn't even get a prize...so imagine how amazing the other ones were! G had a fun, themed week, plus he learned all about how other countries celebrate Christmas and various winter holidays. He came home from schoo...

One of the bigger items on the holiday bucket list (or, in this case, cookie jar) is to make goodies galore. Last year, we found a sweet (haha) spot of four recipes that are perfect to make for a few hours on a Saturday afternoon. Since it worked so well last year, we decided to try it again this year...but this time around, we had a few issues. :) My mom made her fantastic sugar cookies from scratch, and the kids (mostly G) helped decorate them. They turned out great! Ava wasn't really interested in decorating cookies and instead wanted to help me make the fudge. I choose to believe that the fudge came out extra smooth and creamy due to Ava's excellent stirring skills when the butter and sugar were being heated up. Good job, kiddo! I had a small cooling issue with the Christmas cookie bars and had to do another round of baking with the same pan, and then we used leftover M&Ms and icing to hold it all together, lol. Scott said they were amazing and he loved them, so may...

The week after a vacation is a bit painful. This week was no exception...we were all busy with work, school, random activities, and holiday joy. Only 17 more days until Christmas! I'm happy to say that the Christmas shopping is 99% complete, hooray. The Christmas wrapping is 0% not complete, boo! Time to find a few hours and see how many of those gajillion gift bags in the basement can be used for this holiday. We'll be baking our Christmas goodies next weekend, and also going to see The Nutcracker. After that, I think all we have left to do is enjoy the season and await the arrival of December 25. Friday (Dec 6) was an exciting day for G...he learned all about St Nick at school, and the kids all received little treats in their shoes while they were there. I came home on Friday night and couldn't figure out why G's shoes were in front of the fireplace...now I get it! G even got a bonus visit from St Nick last night - he was over the moon when he woke up and realiz...

We had a wonderful time celebrating Thanksgiving in sunny Florida, while Minnesota was being hit by a historic turkey day winter storm. It made getting out of MSP a little tricky, and then round 2 came through as we were returning to Minnesota on Saturday, but we made it! The warm weather and memories made with Grandma Deb and Grandpa Whitey were worth the travel issues we faced. Taking advantage of the five-hour flight delay to relax with a few drinks and dessert (the actual dinner was purchased in a gift shop...sigh) We attempted new hairstyles while waiting for our flight So bored We're finally on the plane - hooray! On Thanksgiving day, we had a wonderful time visiting with Deb and Whitey. We enjoyed a lovely breakfast at home, we hit up a local Walmart (not too busy) to pick up a few things, and then the kids decorated Christmas cakes (I think G was the only one who ate a piece of his cake...it was mostly a fun activity to keep them entertained.) ...