TTT: Season 2, Episode 51

1. Did you have a wonderful Christmas? We sure did! Despite being fraught with the ever-unpleasant cold, it was totally delightful. And by 'cold,' I'm not referring to the weather. More on that later. We had an enjoyable few days with our own little family, as well as some time with my parents and two of my brothers (Pat and Dave). My two married brothers (Mike and Andy) and I have every-other-year Christmas schedules with our family and our spouses' families. This is an 'in-laws' Christmas year, so we were supposed to be in Lubbock for Christmas with the Asmussens. Unfortunately, Mark, being the low man on the totem pole at work, had to be on-call through today so we didn't get to travel (yet). I am very happy that at least we live in a place were we have some form of family so that we weren't totally alone! It was so much fun watching the boys experience Christmas this year! There's nothing quite like seeing Christmas through the eyes of a child. While yes, it does get overly emotional at times, the amount of joy they experience and the love that I know they feel makes it all totally worth it. I'm sure these next few Christmases with them will be the best ones in our future memories. I feel so blessed to get to be a part of them.

2. Back to the aforementioned 'cold.' While yes, it was chilly by Houston standards, we weren't cold in the white Christmas sort of way. (Though if we had been in Lubbock where we were supposed to be, we would have! Darn!) No, ours was more like the runny nose, constant cough, here-and-there fever kind of 'cold.' Kolbe had it first and the worst. Then Reagan picked it up and actually had a fever with it, too. Now Grant as well is battling the congestion. Try nursing a baby who can't breathe through his nose! And the booger sucker evokes the same response as six-month-check-up shots. Which we also got this week. The little bruiser now weighs a little over twenty pounds and is 27.5 inches long. That still puts him in the higher percentiles of size with his contemporaries. He wants to crawl so badly! He does a great job of getting up on his arms but the second he gets those knees tucked under, it's a face plant. It won't be long though. He's quite the ticklish little fella and loves interacting with his big brothers. His only vice? The spit up. No joke, I think he's right up there with Kolbe at this point. At least one spit up every single time he eats. Honestly, can't wait till he grows out of that one! And can't wait for these colds to end either. While my mom and at least one of my brothers picked it up, Mark and I are still fine as of now. I'm sure we'll get it just as soon as we arrive in Lubbock tomorrow for our vacation. Let's pray not!

3. We've officially reached the end of Season Two of Three Thought Thursday! Fifty-one weeks. Yes, I did skip a week after Grant was born and am completely unapologetic for it! It's been fun keeping track of life on here. Mark and I had a conversation a while back about keeping up with the whole blogging thing. While I'll admit that there are some weeks where I struggle to get my post done, I continue to have the desire to do it and love what it's creating for our family. Like Mark put it, what if this is meant to be a portion of my life's work? I always thought I'd be a writer...what if the story I am meant to write is the story of my family? I picture us sitting on the couch together some day reading through the tales of our younger years. Or the boys in tears over some of the shenanigans I documented from years gone by. While it may never be read by millions or hit the top of the New York Times Bestsellers List, it very well could be the most wonderful story a certain five (and maybe someday more) people ever read. I sure hope so. And with that, I'll definitely be back next year. Next week.

It's beginning to look a lot like...October? Oh wait. That's January in Houston.

So great to see Uncle Pat! We haven't seen this guy since last Christmas!

Opening gifts! A real bat from Dada! (And Kolbe is modeling his chef hat and apron from Mama)

One of the favorite gifts for both of the boys were their play shaving kits. I remember my brothers having these when we were little and I happened to stumble upon them on a Target clearance rack a few days before Christmas. They were definitely a hit!

Rudy getting ready for his first shave.

One of my favorite gifts...Mark got me this print to hang upstairs in our rec room where we do most of our book reading, puzzle making, attempts-at-learning activities. When I'm getting frustrated, it's the best little reminder of the most important thing of all for these boys. Love! If they learn that and nothing else, I'll certainly be proud.

6 months old!

TTT: Season 2, Episode 50

1. Man, oh, man! What a week! A really good week though. Just still trying to process it all. The kind of week where last Thursday feels like a lifetime ago.  Here's a quick list:
- hosted our little prayer/book group
- made a day trip to College Station with the boys to watch my cousin play rugby for Air Force
- attended a fun Christmas party with my prayer/book group
- sent the boys off on a guy's trip
- finished nine orders for my shop
- wrapped almost all of the Christmas presents
- ran multiple errands
- attended mass and spent an evening with my cousins that I haven't seen in roughly twelve years
- worked on a Christmas gift that unfortunately didn't get finished...fabric order better arrive soon!!!
- did one million loads of laundry
- tracked down new tires for Mark's car
- got haircuts for the boys
- took a trip downtown to visit the Houston Museum of Natural Sciences
And, of course, all of the other "basics" of life. You know, like feeding the baby, changing diapers, reading books, breaking up squabbles...a busy week, I say. But a fun one. I like when the last few days before Christmas are fun and not stressful. Definitely enjoying it!

2. And let me just narrow in on roughly twenty-seven or so hours of this past week. The twenty-seven or so hours when Mark took the two older boys to Dallas for an over-night at Uncle Brian and Aunt Cristi's house. *ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!* (yes, that's a chorus of angels you hear singing and a beaming light from heaven above shining down on me!) Though it had been in the talks for weeks, I refrained from mentioning it on here for fear that it might fall through due to my loose lips. Mark loves to take the boys to high school football games, so the original plan was for him to take the boys to the state championship game this past Saturday at "Jerry World." (Cowboys Stadium) Once we realized that the tickets were $20 per person and that  both Kolbe and Rudy would need their own tickets, we started debating whether it was worth it or not. At the local high school games, the boys get in for free and Mark is something like $6. Sixty is a far cry from six. Plus $10 for parking. Not to mention all the gas money! So in the back of my mind I had a sad feeling it was going to fall through, but at the last minute, Mark decided to go for it anyway and head to Dallas just to spend some time with Brian and Cristi and get the boys out of my hair. I certainly love all three of those guys dearly, but man, there's just so much you can get done with minimal interruptions! As I mentioned earlier, my sewing machine was on fire as I cranked out my last get-it-to-you-by-Christmas orders. I even got to work on a big Christmas gift that I hope to finish in time for the Asmussen Christmas party up in Lubbock. (pictures to come later...don't want to give it away!) And got all the gift wrapping done. And several short errands run...you know, the ones where you only need to "run in" somewhere and taking all three kids is next to impossible. I stayed up till after midnight and got up with Grant at 6:45, but it was well worth it to get so much done in such a short period of time! It has made the rest of the week feel like a breeze, not having to stress about everything I would still be needing to get done. And Grant was such a trooper. Since he's not mobile just yet, he was happy to sit and watch me work away most of the time. World's Best Baby, I tell ya. And World's Best Hubby Too! That's all the Christmas present I need! Now if we could just arrange for this trip to happen at roughly the same time every year, we'll be in good shape!

3. Boy, oh boy, have I got a story for you. Perfect for the holiday season! One of those "I can't believe my kid just did that" or "Wow, I seriously dropped the ball on that one" scenarios. Take a look at this picture:

My dear, dear precious little Grandma. She's adorable and such a gem! When we were little, she always used to send us little Life Savers "books" that opened and were filled with rolls of life savers. It's her special tradition. But as the years have gone by, she's added many more treats to her yearly shipments. And this was the loot that arrived on our doorstep this year. A fun plethora of all kinds of stuff to make your teeth ache! After surveying the goodies, I stashed most of it away in our pantry. The bag of Reese's managed to make it to the counter top and each of us ate one for dessert that night. Fast forward to Tuesday afternoon. Though Kolbe was in desperate need of a nap from staying up way too late the night before, he was putting up a massive front and fighting as hard as possible not to give in. I finally went to my last resort and told him I'd let him watch one of his little Mickey Mouse episodes for quiet time, but only if he laid on the couch with his blankies. He agreed, and I snuck back upstairs to work on that Christmas gift I've already mentioned. At first it was so quiet that I was convinced he had fallen asleep. But then I heard the trash can pedal and though Well, guess he didn't fall asleep. A few minutes later I heard it again. I wonder what he's doing down there? And then a few minutes later...Ok, what is he throwing away? A whole episode of Mickey lasts roughly twenty minutes, so when the Hot Dog song came on, I ventured down stairs to see what was going on. As soon as I spotted the stool pushed up beside the counter where the Reese's had been hiding at the back, I knew exactly what had happened. I opened the trash can to find this:

Not two or three candy wrappers. Not seven or eight either. Sixteen Reese's peanut butter cup wrappers. Sixteen!!! I didn't know whether to laugh, scream, cry, gag...and remarkably, he didn't have a speck of chocolate on his face, fingers, clothes, anywhere! He seriously thought he had concealed the evidence! I'd be lying if I didn't admit that Well good! I hope you get a stomach ache! didn't cross my mind. And no, he never got a stomachache and never had diarrhea. Somehow his thirty-one pound little body did just fine with sixteen Reese's peanut butter cups. I feel sick just thinking about it. Needless to say, he's been banned from goodies all together until Christmas. He's definitely already had his fair share. Mom of the Week on that one, I tell ya!


Sorry for the over-abundance of pictures...again! It's hard to narrow them down when so much is going on!

In College Station to cheer on Air Force rugby with their big cousins Reed and Kristen (my cousins on my dad's side) I hate that they live so far away! The boys love them...and I'm pretty sure they don't mind the boys much either!

Posing in front of Uncle Brian's tree with his new puppy, Ellie!

Aunt Cristi helped the boys make awesome snowmen out of yummy pantry items! You'd never guess that she's a kindergarten teacher!

And I spent the weekend with my little guy. He's adorable, I know...

The boys were thrilled to finally get to light the fourth candle on the Advent wreath! Christmas is almost here!

I finally found a Santy face for my front door wreath. And on half price clearance at Hobby Lobby! Been looking for one for a long time!

Uncle Dave made it in to town...the boys are ecstatic! Now we're just waiting for Uncle Pat to arrive tomorrow night!

The Butterfly Conservatory at the Houston Museum of Natural Science was amazing. I bought tickets to it through Groupon on a whim a while back. Way cooler than I expected, and none of our pictures do it any justice! Well worth the trip downtown! The boys, Pinkie, and I had a blast! And I finally got a good picture of me with my three.

The park that houses the museum has a kids' train that runs around it. The zoo is also in the same park. Pinkie has wanted to take the boys on that train probably since Kolbe was born, so we finally did it! They loved it!

Long running family joke (the very first guy I dated in high school called my dad "Big Guy" the day he met him...bad idea...) so we always tease my dad about it. When Kolbe was a baby we bought them matching Big Guy/Little Guy sweatshirts. Kolbe wore it Christmas 2008 at 13 months, Rudy wore it Christmas 2009 at 10 months, and here's Grant wearing it Christmas 2011 at 5 months!

Merry Christmas, Everyone! Hope your weekend is blessed with much love, laughter, and joy as we celebrate the birth of Christ!...now go enjoy a Reese's peanut butter cup or two!!! (but no more than two...that's all we've got left.)

TTT: Season 2, Episode 49

1. Ah, what a week. Full of the unexpected. Some truly wonderful, some truly awful, and some a little bit of both. Since I'm sure you're wondering how something unexpected could be both wonderful and awful at the same time, I'll divulge. I should have seen the omen last week when my beloved sewing machine "crossed the line" and stabbed me through the finger. Maybe her wayward behavior was a sign of her advanced-stage aging process. Like her sewing machine dementia had caught up to her and she forgot how to stay in line. Or maybe her feelings were hurt by the one several mean words I flung her way while removing the needle from my finger. (quite similar to a knife-in-the-back in a person-to-person relationship) Either way, she decided to call it quits on me. Just up and stopped running all together. I tried everything in my power to remove something in the neighborhood of seventy-eight screws in search of the problem, but it was no use. Yes, there are places that fix sewing machines. But they tend to run at a rate of at least $60-$70 per repair. And that's just if it's something simple. No replacement parts needed. Like for the diagnostic portion. Sadly, this is where I admit that I've been running a small business on a sewing machine that my mother purchased for me for only $85. On sale. She was the absolute basic of the basic sewing machine. Nothing  fancy. Not computerized. Just a basic, standard machine. My mom had no idea if I was going to actually like sewing and of course, had no idea I'd start a small business doing it, so she figured she'd start me at the bottom. Anyway, paying for her to get fixed would have been pointless. So that's the awful: my sweet, first sewing machine being laid to rest. R.I.P., my friend. I'll always have fond memories of our times together and how you helped create my love for sewing. So I'm assuming you know what the wonderful is, right? Did you guess  "a new sewing machine sitting smack in the middle of Laura's sewing table"??? If so, you're correct. I have to admit, that because this was a completely unexpected occurrence, I didn't quite have the time or the money to do the research I wanted to do, shop around, or really invest in my "dream machine." I had to get something good and get something quickly. (I have a good fifteen get-it-to-you-by-Christmas orders sitting on my desk!) I've always had that thought/dream in the back of my mind of getting a new, awesome sewing machine...and I still do...but for now, the new one I got is quite fancy compared to the one I had, didn't break the bank, and totally gets the job done in a much quieter manner! (my old one was a clanker!!!)

2. If only our second topic for discussion could have been solved with a few hundred dollars. Instead, it was solved with nearly a couple thousand. Mark's car, Mark's car, Mark's car. If we didn't need to trade it in for something better soon, I'd probably go outside and throw rocks at it. Several months ago we sank about $350 into repairs on it. Repairs that my dad did for us. We knew that there were a few other small issues going on...like needing two new tires and some sort of a belt, but that was about it. Until Monday. When it completely died on Mark outside of Joann Fabrics. (why was he at Joann? you ask? Yes, Christmas shopping for me. What a great husband!) Never did I think I'd get a call from Mark Asmussen saying, "Can you come pick me up? I'm outside of Joann's!" Ha! Anyway, the tow truck came, hauled off our gem of a car, and left us anticipating the worst. Which we received the next morning from the repair shop in the form of $1,500 in needed repairs. Geez. Merry Christmas to you, too! New belt, new alternator, and new brakes later, we're still in need of two new tires in order to pass the inspection that's expired. Guess that's what you get when you drive back and forth from Lubbock to Midland every week for a year and a half and then at least for an hour a day between multiple hospitals in start/stop traffic in Houston. Needless to say, our hunt for a nicer/newer/used vehicle begins now...before something else goes wrong with this thing! At least we should get a pretty good trade in value on it since we've invested so much in the repairs! Ugh!

3. December 15th. Ten more days until Christmas. And (I think) I'm officially done with Christmas shopping! I'll admit: I think I only actually went out and purchased one item. Everything else was ordered. Online shopping is just so much easier. Less stressful. And often times, more affordable. If all of the wrapping was also done, then I'd really be tooting my own horn, but right now it's all piled up in my bedroom, waiting for a massive wrapping session this weekend. After all, Lord knows the sooner I wrap them, the sooner little fingers are going to start poking and prodding at what's inside. Mark and I keep joking about how we're going to be having a Gift of the Magi Christmas for each other. Have you ever read that Christmas story by O.Henry? It's my favorite. It's the one where the young married couple doesn't have much money but wants desperately to buy gifts for each other. The wife cuts off her beautiful, long hair and sells it to buy her husband a chain for his pocket watch. And the husband sells his pocket watch to buy his bride a pair of beautiful combs for her hair. Sacrificing their most valued treasure for each other, and in the end, realizing that having each other is all they really want or need. It seems like every Christmas we have situations pop up (like Mark's car!) that help us to remember this very important message and just how true it is for our little family.

She's definitely reached the "December" of her existence...

Why does my baby not look like a newborn any more!?! (this is him hanging out with Pa...my parents watched the boys on Friday night so Mark and I could go to a little Christmas party for his office. Our first time out at night sans kids since Grant was born!!!)

Casa de Asmussen at night...we finally finished putting up lights...at least for this year. Mark has grand aspirations of doing the whole house next year. And thanks to my dad donating a long strand of old lights from his house, we just might be able to make it happen if we can get a good 200 light bulbs before they sell out next year! For now it will just have to be the tree bottoms, garden border, and door way.

Dada and Kolbe hanging out in Pa's garage attic.

My boys have been on a major fruit kick lately. At home, I normally cut apples up for them so they're easier to eat. But our church had Santa Claus available for visitors after mass this past weekend, so we had to stop in for a visit. Each boy walked away with some fresh fruit and Kolbs decided he wanted to try to eat the apple on the core. He was successful! (kind of)

While Mark's car was in the shop he had to take my van to work. So for two days, these babies were our only form of transportation! (also known as something-to-keep-us-from-going-stir-crazy!)

Grant. Barfs. All. the. Time. Behind Kolbe (which was understandable because of his cleft), he's the spittiest baby I've ever seen!!! Never cries. Never pouts. Just barfs at random times. At least he aimed well with this one and it landed on the floor. Instead of my hair or neck where it tends to go.

I've said it before and I'll say it again...my little Rudy is definitely our clever, creative one. The other day I was standing facing the couch (back to the boys) and folding laundry. Rudy grabbed his blanket and started finding objects in the room to wrap up in it. He would wrap an item and then bring it to me: "Mom! Here's your present! Open it!" I'd un-fold the blanket to find a book or a snow globe or shoe. After several "gifts," he returned and said, "Mom! I have a present for you!" When he didn't reach up to hand me anything, I kept right on folding clothes. "Mom! Come open your present!!!" I turned around to find the item pictured above. That's an exersaucer with a baby in it. After busting out laughing, his response was: "Mom! I got you a new brother! Don't you like it!?!"

TTT: Season 2, Episode 48

1. I managed to live through every sewer's worst nightmare this week. No, not running out of thread mid-project. Or cutting the fabric out incorrectly. Nope. The real nightmare: sewing right through my finger tip with the sewing machine. I remember reading another blogger recount this injury a long time ago and thinking Are you serious!?! How do manage to sew through your finger tip? I just couldn't imagine being in any position where that would actually happen. Until Friday. When I got some fabric jammed down in the throat place. And then Grant started crying from his nap in the background. And I didn't want him to wake up the napping Reagan but I also wanted to get that dadgum fabric out the throat plate so I reached in there and gave it a real good tug. And also pushed down on the pedal at the same time. Down goes the needle, right through the top of my nail, into the flesh and out the other side. Of course, I couldn't see the out-the-other-side part just yet....the machine stopped as soon as it went through. I just sat there in shock for a few seconds staring at my finger pinned to the sewing machine. And the proceeded to grab the wheel and manually back the needle out of my finger. I wish I had gotten a picture of it when it happened. But who grabs their phone in a moment like that!?! And taking a "after" shot doesn't nearly do it justice. But I tried anyway. You can't really see where it went through the nail, but there are still little purple dots where the needle entered and left the flesh. Really, it was way more painful than it looks. And now I'll trot off with my tail between my legs for rolling my eyes at the aforementioned blogger who did the same thing.  

2. My boys have been in rare form this week. I was somehow under the impression that the closer it got to the holiday season, the better their behavior would get as they tried their hardest to impress Mom and Dad and good ol' Saint Nick. But instead it's been the opposite. Instead they think it's the season of I-deserve-everything or this-is-your-time-to-impress-me. And because there are so many events, fun activities, and exciting opportunities popping up every week, it's easy for them to get a little indulged. But I guess it's time to rein things in again, 'cause I'm just not down with their ugly attitudes. I'm sure Amazon would be happy to accept my returns! I'm sure plenty of it has to be me being stressed out, too. While the holidays are a wonderful time to reflect, draw closer to God, and  celebrate time together, it's also always high stress with decorations, gift buying and giving, and travelling/hosting guests. I think sometimes I just need to slow down and re-connect with what's really important. That, or go hide somewhere for a few minutes of peace! Though that doesn't always work either. Yesterday I left the boys at the kitchen table to run to the restroom. I had been gone for no longer than fifteen seconds when I began to hear: "Marco!.....Maaaaaarrrrrcccco!" I pretended I couldn't hear it and hid behind the door for a few more seconds. Eventually the Marcos got too loud and I finally answered back with "Polo." From just outside the door, Reagan responded with, "Oh, there you are. You aren't supposed to leave me!" Apparently even the sixty second sneak to the bathroom is no longer allowed in this house. Yikes.

3. Back to the topic of Christmas decorations. Mark and I have always had grand aspirations of having our whole house decked out. But boy, does that take time and lots of money! We decided to start small this year and do the bottoms of the trees with small lights and the edge of the entire large flower bed in our front yard with the big light bulbs. Of course by the time I finally got out to go look for what I wanted, I both a) realized that most of the stores were already picked over and b) realized that I had no idea what I really wanted. There's far too many options, colors, styles, etc. Traditional, LED, solar...white, crystal white, warm white...constant, twinkling, flashing....even ones that play music. It felt like the day I registered for baby stuff and discovered that I had no idea what I actually needed. Over the past week I've made several trips to several stores, bought and returned multiple items, and still don't have what I need or want. Currently our dining room and entry way are covered in various piles of lights to be returned, lights to be used, extension cords, and more. I know I'm probably being way more anal than I should be, but I want it to look really pretty and classic and be something that will last us for many years. And now that I think I know what I really do want, all of the stores are completely out of stock. Grr. I'm thinking for now I'll stick with the pieces I like that I definitely want to keep, maybe attempt to find some end of the season bargains after Christmas, and if not, just be prepared mid-November to get exactly what I need to make decorating our yard next year run much more smoothly. Too bad our Elf on the Shelf doesn't truly have a heartbeat. I could really use a personal assistant right now.

He's definitely not on the naughty list. I'm in loooooove with this guy!

My brother and sister-in-law came through town on Friday night and we got to spend a fun evening with them and our adorable godson, John Boy. And, of course, Pinkie and Pa were in on the shenanigans too! They're just missing Jackson and Kennedy in this picture!

Uncle Mark knows how to entertain the troops! There's a grocery store beside the restaurant we went to so he grabbed a cart and took the boys for a spin.

I know I take way too many pictures of this guy sleeping, but he always manages to crack me up! I guess he had to have the microwave with him in case he needed a midnight snack.

Saint Nicholas paid the boys a visit on his feast day! Rudy didn't totally get it but Kolbe was just so much fun to witness. He was literally shaking with excitement! Not to mention the fact that he stayed up till 11:30 the night  before...the anticipation was killing him! In the lower left corner of the pic you'll notice a nice little letter. It's a note St. Nick left the boys reminding them of the importance of respecting their Mama and Dada! Ha!

These fools have no shame in our neighborhood. This was taken in broad day light, Sunday morning for our car window on the way to mass. In someone's front yard, just digging around like he owns the place!

Number 1 Turns 4

It's hard to believe that it's been four years since Mark and I welcomed our first little boy into this world. As they say, time flies when you're having fun! Kolbe is a wonderful, intelligent, charming little boy. We marvel at him more and more each day. Sure he and I tend to butt heads from time to time, but you can often hear me telling people that it's simply because we're practically the same person. He's definitely his own mother's son both in appearance and attitude! (er...bull-headedness!) He's still just a tiny little fella at thirty-one pounds, though he did grow a few inches recently and is now thirty-nine inches tall! He's a fantastic big brother. Of course, this entails bossing Rudy around every waking hour of the day, but he's also his fiercest defender and cheerleader. Not to mention the budding relationship he has with Grant. So precious! He loves, loves, LOVES sports of any kind. But most especially, baseball. Just recently he has started hitting the ball really well without a t-stand. He's quite proud! He's a fantastic story-teller, both fiction and non-fiction (ha!), and has a steel trap of a mind. (Really, we pulled out Christmas decorations recently and he reminded me of a Christmas book we had to throw away last year because we spilled milk on it.) He's no longer napping on most days and despite that, still tries his best to be a night owl when he can. He writes his name well, knows all his letters and numbers, and is starting to put sounds and words together with reading and writing. Such a fascinating little boy. We love this guy, oh so much!

He insisted on a baseball cake, and this was my best effort with what little time I had to put it together!

Handsome little boy turning four!

He even helped us sing the birthday song for himself!

And Rudy had to help him blow the candles out...which turned into slobbering all over the cake!

Dada was so excited to give Kolbe a real pair of PF Flyer baseball shoes!

And he had been wanting his own weed-wacker for quite some time...which was Mama's gift for him.

Here's the birthday boy decked out in his Cardinals gear from Pinkie and Pa! He got his own Albert Pujols shirt! (his favorite player)

And shortly thereafter my camera died. You can see in the background of the past picture that Mark is busy assembling his new grill that G-ma sent him. It has definitely been a hit...he cooks me lunch every day during his quiet time! He also got some pots and pans to go with his grill and a new guitar from Papa Jeep (since Mark accidentally smashed his old one while folding up the stroller in the trunk) Such a fantastic birthday for a wonderful little boy!

TTT: Season 2, Episode 47

1. Crazy week thus far, I tell ya. Heck, it's 8:00 at night and I'm just now getting around to starting Three Thought Thursday. I usually try to periodically work on it throughout the week so that I can click on that lovely orange "publish" button on Thursday morning. But this week has been such that I've thought quite a bit about things to write about, 'written' them in my head, and then completely lost it all beneath yet another pile of dirty clothes. While the holiday season always brings about a multitude of fun and excitement, it also has it's way of just adding to the work and chaos. Between recovering from Thanksgiving and getting the Christmas decorations set up, it's been non-stop commotion around here. That, and the laundry, of course. I loathe laundry in the winter time. What was once done in six loads now takes nine. Add in two more loads for Kolbe wetting the bed on top of the comforter. And another for the dishwasher spontaneously overflowing all over the kitchen floor, requiring multiple bath towels to clean up. Hey, at least the kitchen smelled soapy fresh for an evening. There's also the let down of Daddy going back to work after being off for five days and G-ma and Papa Jeep being in town. Non-stop fun for five days straight! Then back to boring ol' busy mom. Whan-whant. I'm pretty sure Grant's the only kiddo left who thinks I'm the coolest these days!

2. But I must say...Thanksgiving was awesome!!! Really, the best Thanksgiving in a long time. Mark's parents came in on Tuesday and Wednesday. We had a ton of fun doing things around town and just hanging out at the house as well. And our Thanksgiving meal was second to none. Especially considering I did very little in preparation for it. I know, I know. When you host Thanksgiving, you're supposed to be the hostess with mostest...have every aspect of the meal planned, activities lined up, a table scheme designed, yada, yada. But I figured out far in advance that Mark's mom had every intention of doing the cooking herself. While a lot of women might feel like their toes were being stepped on, I took it as a good excuse to sit back and relax. On Thanksgiving morning, after I realized that there were definitely plenty of chiefs in the kitchen and no room for me to be one too, I opted for a two hour nap. And then a nice warm shower. And was done just in time to enjoy the delicious meal prepared by G-ma, Papa Jeep, and Mark. A nap and a shower back to back? Hasn't happened in ages. Put that at the top of my "thankful for" list! I always joke that Mark's mom is the queen of side items when it comes to big family meals. Thanksgiving was no exception. I mean, really...there were four adults and two small (food eating) children. Beyond the turkey we had mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, green beans, rolls, jello salad, corn bread dressing, chili gravy, regular gravy, and cranberries. And yes, I ate it all. Twice. In one day. Yum, yum, yum! In my (slight) defense, I did make the pumpkin and pecan pies! Like I told Mark's parents, the only thing better than letting someone else host Thanksgiving is letting someone else host it...at your house! It comes right to you! All in all, we had a fantastic time with Mark's parents. Lots of good food and plenty of time together. Can't wait to see them again at Christmas.

3. My baby turned five-months-old on Thanksgiving Day! Time is passing too quickly. As in he's already too distracted with all the nonsense going on around him to even want to cuddle with Mama any more. As in he's become a finicky eater because a) only Mama is allowed to feed him whatsoever...even a bottle of pumped milk, and b) he's too distracted with all the nonsense going on around him to even want to eat in an efficient, timely manner. As in he's rolling over on his own, sleeping on his belly, and trying his hardest to get in a crawling position. Won't be too much longer. He loves to laugh. Loves to suck his thumb. Is completely fascinated by his brothers. Make good eye contact with him and you're sure to get a smile. He's not a fussy baby. It's either calm and laid back or full on wailing! Luckily that second part is usually few and far between. He still likes to fall asleep un-assisted. Doesn't wanted to be rocked, nursed, or held. Just lay him down on any flat surface and he's a goner when he's tired. No crying or anything. He's got a serious sumo belly, thunder thighs, and double chin. Not to mention way more hair than either of his brothers had at this point. And still workin' those gorgeous blue eyes. Not sure if Mark's convinced yet but after getting the definitely-going-to-stay-blue votes from G-ma and Papa Jeep, I'm starting to think they really are going to stay blue! He can just be our little odd ball all around...tall, chunky, and blue-eyed! (I am 5'7", have a tall dad, and a tall brother, might I remind you!...it's really not all that odd for him to be tall!...and both of his grandfathers have light eyes!) Love, love, love this little guy.

5 months and cuter than ever!

Nom, nom, nom!

After perusing all of the Black Friday ads, the boys and I made a massive pile of "leaves" and spent a good chunk of time rolling, jumping, throwing, and sliding through them.

Out at the waterway in The Woodlands! Such a fun night!

Our poor little Christmas tree...it looked just fine in our little cozy family room in Lubbock. But with a two-story high family room in this house, it looks down right pitiful. Maybe I can snag a good tall one on clearance at the end of Christmas clearance sales.

Gotta love a bike ride in cool, fresh air with bright blue skies.

Mark sent me this picture from work. Apparently a wayward sock accompanied him to the the hospital via his pant leg. Nothing says "I'm the father of little children" like a 3T sock dangling from your cuff.

Grant has officially figured out his hands! He grasps at anything you put in front of him, though he doesn't do the best job of hanging on just yet. Lately he's been cracking me up with his crib sheet...I'll hear him in there babbling after his nap and go in to find him desperately trying to pick up the little trees on the sheet. Check out that furrowed brow! He's trying so hard!