Greetings from the sick bed of both my children 😬 Lydia came down with a stomach bug literally in the middle of a Christmas celebration on Saturday, and Dempsey the next night. Please send the best and strongest vibes for Joey and I, two parents who have yet to wrap a single present!

Not much to report from Friday. Dempsey had his school holiday party and it was actually a really fun and nice time! I loved the activities the teachers arranged for this one. Afterward, we picked Lydia up then went back home for leftovers and a movie night. We watched some Lego holiday special and a Captain Underpants Christmas movie and it had no business being as funny as it was!

Saturday started with ricotta pancakes and then Joey took both kids to Lydia’s swim lesson, Target and my sis’s, while I made a sweet potato pie and started on a Japanese cheesecake. We headed over to Steve and Lorna’s around 3:30 and had a nice time, until, in the middle of unwrapping gifts, Lydia just threw up! Was hoping it was a fluke but then she did it again and we made a quick exit. She made it home but was up every half hour all night. Poor baby! And poor Joey and I, we never even got to try the desserts we spent all day making 😅

Sunday was a long one, for Lydia and for my butt, as we sat on the couch all day. She couldn’t keep anything down and was so tired 😢 Meanwhile, Joey took Dempsey to the children’s museum, did 100 loads of laundry, went for a run, made salads, cooked dinner and cleaned up the kitchen. I feel like time works differently for him than for me 😂 Was really really hoping Dempsey would be spared but he threw up in the middle of the night last night. Lydia is a little better but still tired. I’m crossing all my fingers and toes that we make it to our Christmas celebration on Thursday. Wish us luck!

Been looking toward this weekend on the calendar with both excitement and fear 😂 We had A LOT going on and I was just hoping to pull it all off and have the best time. I think we did it! We rode “The Santa Train” on Friday, celebrated both my mom’s retirement and my parents’ anniversary on Saturday, then Lydia and I got our haircut before her birthday party on Sunday. Whew!

Got my nails done on Friday then went home to work until the kids and Lori go there around 3:30. Joey placed our dinner order and picked it up on the way home and then we all loaded into the car and made the drive to Georgetown. Thankfully, there was no traffic and we made it to the train station with plenty of time to spare. Our train took off promptly at 6:30 and we had a fun time! We had snacks and hot chocolate and a visit from Santa! Dempsey was nervous and asked me to tell Santa his list (a voice control bat, an animatronic Santa and a transforming robot 😂) but Lydi wasn’t shy at all and had a great time chatting with Santa and telling him she wanted “ballerina shoes” for Christmas 🥺❤️ Back at the train station, we visited Mrs. Claus then got back in the car to head home. We didn’t get a good clear picture with Santa but I don’t really think the kids cared 😂

Saturday, we all woke up and had whole wheat buttermilk waffles before Lydi’s swim lesson. She did great again! And then we made a stop at Goodwill to look for a Sprit Week outfit for Dempsey. We found exactly what we were looking for, plus a toy each, some books and future Crocs for Lydi! This is my new favorite place to shop 😍 I ran some errands in the afternoon, during nap/rest time and then we all made our way into Louisville to surprise my mom on her last day of work! Afterward, we had dinner at The Cork, which I hadn’t been to in something like fifteen years and… it held up! So cozy and glitzy in there for the holidays, plus the food, drinks and service were all really good. I’m so glad we went. Got the kiddos to bed, then watched Scrooged while putting up Lydi’s party decorations — actually Dempsey had started putting some up earlier in the day and I thought it was the sweetest thing 🥺– for the next day.

Sunday! Lydia and I had appointments to get our haircut at 10 and I was getting kind of nervous when she started telling me “I don’t want to get my hair cut!” half an hour before we left and through the whole car ride. She also twirled the most insane knot into a huge chunk of her hair on the way 😬 I didn’t want her to feel stressed about it, so I didn’t push her but after I was done, I told her it was her turn and she sat on my lap and didn’t put up any fight. Just a trim, but she did so good! Baby’s first haircut🥹

Back at home, Joey and I made some tea sandwiches and we all got into our party outfits before everyone showed up at 2. It was a really good party! Our girl got the sweetest and most fitting gifts, including her first Barbie, lots of coloring stuff, Princess-themed toys and books and, from my mom, a rack full of dress up clothes! So cute and she’s changed dresses every ten minutes since 😍😂 I’m going to watch the video of her singing “Happy Birthday” to herself and blowing out her candle a billion times, she looked so happy and grown up. Both of my children then proceeded to have the most insane bedtime, full of shenanigans, screaming and crying. Nothing like a busy weekend, overstimulation, late bedtimes, skipped naps and lots of sugar to really bring some peace to your home 😓 What can you do?

Launching straight into another busy week that includes my daughter’s actual third birthday, so it’s time to take a deep breath, wrap some presents, drink some water and dive right in! Happy Monday 😄