Well we had lots of fun things planned for the first weekend of December — KBCO Studio C CD release, pictures with Santa, the Parade of Lights, Mason’s birthday party and a CU basketball game for Joey, Dempsey and Grandpa Steve — but instead, we stayed home all weekend with croup! The kids came down with it Monday night and needless to say, it was a looooong week. Saturday was their worst day but they were both feeling much better by Sunday, so I am hopeful we will back in the game by NEXT weekend because we have lots of catching up to do.

I was home all week with the kids and being home bound with two (understandably) irritable and needy little ones is a whole new level of cabin fever. I had my mom to help on Thursday and Lori offered to come over on Friday and I’m so grateful for the grandmas. Demps and Lyds got to open their advent calendars in front of Grandma Lori and she got such cute ones this year! Joey came home early from work and then, because the kids’ appetites have been basically MIA anyway, we went with what WE wanted, which was pizza take out from Cart-Driver. It was so good! After the kids went to bed, we watched the finale of GBBO and I’m always so sad when it’s over!

I’m not going to lie, Saturday was a rough day. Dempsey was NOT well. I don’t think he cracked a smile all morning and was just so miserable and out of it. We watched something like five movies and tried to get them as much sleep as possible. On the bright side, Joey and I both got in a run, I made a really delicious dinner and Lydia took three legit steps in their playroom that afternoon! 🎉🎉🎉 We put Dempsey to bed suuuuper early and what a sweet but sad moment when Lydia rolled off my lap after I fed her and just laid down on the bed 🥺😢 We had time to watch an entire movie after they went down. Scrooged forever!

We woke up to snow on Sunday and I had no idea it was even coming! Mason’s birthday party was that morning but I didn’t think the kids (or their coughs!) should be there, so we had to miss this one and it was such a bummer. Dempsey made a video for Mason though 😊 We had a simple egg and bacon breakfast, I put Sissy down her nap and then bundled up and walked to The Cottage Bakery for pastries. Jill sells baked goods from her lovely little home every weekend and we’ve lived blocks away and never been! 🤦🏻‍♀️ When I showed up, there was a line and if that’s not a good sign, I don’t know what is. Grabbed a pain au chocolat, an apple danish, a morning bun and a loaf of sourdough and it was all amazing! Dempsey asked for another morning bun for the rest of the day 😂 Naps and adult chores took up the rest of the afternoon and then when Dempsey was up, he and I took a trip to Target for a gingerbread house. They even had a preconstructed one! He was so excited to decorate it as soon as we got home, then spent seven minutes actually doing it — most of which involved eating candy — then ran off. Nothing like decorating a gingerbread house by yourself while your children play in another room 😅 Leftovers (plus that sourdough!) for dinner then bedtime for the kids, SNL for us and bedtime for me while Joey worked. Hoping it’s a much better week for us — the silver lining is that the kids have slept amazing three nights in a row, so Joey and I have at least been super rested while tending to them! — and I at least make it into the office once 😉 Happy Monday!

Remember last year when I was so so pregnant at Thanksgiving?! What a blessing to not be this year 😂 I’m sorry for this beast of a post but it’s been four days off of work (5 for me!) and we’ve packed them with celebrations, decorations and a lot of good food, so I have a lot of photos to share 😊

It was so nice out on Wednesday! Dempsey and I walked to Tennyson to pick up our pies and it felt wonderful. Joey wrapped up his work day and we ordered ramen, as always on Thanksgiving Eve. I made sure the noodles were egg free and Lydia chowed down! I love sharing this tradition with my littles 🤍

Thanksgiving morning was the most chaotic 🤪 I made us biscuits and gravy and I definitely do not have my timing down! But it all ended up okay. Afterward, we sort of watched the parade and Dempsey made the biggest mess when he set up a book drop (like at the library 😂) and pushed all of his toys through it. He did stop to watch the Bluey balloon though and then after he went down for his nap and Lyds woke up, she and I watched Cher and The Rockettes.

Joey and I did the turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and gravy and I think it all turned out pretty good. Especially proud of the gravy since it intimidates me every year. We had 13 adults and four kids, so three tables in our not so big living room but what can you do? Felt full of love to me 🤍🤍🤍 Chips seemed to be a hit with Delaney and Dempsey and Lydia and Landon got to enjoy their first Thanksgiving across from each other at the table. Little Miss loves turkey! Everyone had dessert and had gone home just before the kids’ bedtime, so that worked out and Joey and I got to hang out and chat while we cleaned up afterward and that was definitely a nicer way to end the evening than zoning out in front of the TV. What a happy Thanksgiving!

Joey bought an eight foot snowman a few weeks ago and Dempsey has been asking us to put it up ever since. We’d been telling him not till after Thanksgiving, so he woke up at 6:30 on Friday asking if we could put it up 😂😂 We held him off till after breakfast but then they were out in the cold putting it up! While Sis slept, we took down the fall decorations and then I got my nails done, came home and got Lyds down for her second nap and then we headed out to Steve and Lorna’s to celebrate Thanksgiving with an Italian buffet. The kids got into everything downstairs afterward including the recumbent bike?? 🤷🏻‍♀️ It was a really nice evening 🤍

Had our normal Saturday morning pancakes, then put the Christmas tree up. I thought Lydia would be a nightmare around it, but she hasn’t seemed to pay it much attention. Dempsey helped put the ornaments on and then a sweet moment when Sissy was up from her nap and he asked me to show her the tree 🤍 Joey has been trying to get a tiny screw into my glasses for a week then finally gave up and handed them back to me like that 😂 I put Demps down for his nap and said “bye bye” to him because I would be leaving for a massage before he was back up and Grandma Lori would be picking him up for a sleepover! My massage (and time with my mom) was soooo nice. I hadn’t had one in so long, so felt extra good. Got back home to my hungry girl and Joey and after I’d fed her, we got started on our dinner. Made ourselves some ribeye steaks with horseradish cream sauce, plus green beans and cranberry Mules and wow, what a decadent and delicious meal! Missed our Dempsey but it was nice that we could both put Lyds to bed together. We never get to do that! After she went down, we watched NYAD and I thought it was just okay. I truly insane story, but something about the movie felt borderline cheesy and a bit amateurish.

I guess our girl enjoyed being an only child for a night because here she is, still in her own bed, asleep at almost 7 AM! Now if only we could get her to sleep like that when Dempsey is also in there… We had talked about having breakfast at Onefold, but I’d been awake at 3 AM with the worst stomachache (it’s like you’re not supposed to eat a huge meal with alcohol and dessert three nights in a row! 😬) and I didn’t think I should push it, so we opted for just a normal breakfast at home. We got a photo of Dempsey’s breakfast though and he is one lucky boy! I headed over to pick him up before lunch and it seemed like he had a fun night with Grandma 🤍 Both Joey and I made ourselves turkey sandwiches for lunch except that his took 2 minutes to put together and mine involved turning on the oven. If that’s not an accurate portrayal of who we both are, I don’t know what is.

Before dinner, we got the kids’ room all set up with Christmas books and their little tree. Now to keep them both from playing with the plug 🤦‍♀️ Made butternut squash soup for dinner and it hit the spot! Sissy even ate the bread I served with it when she usually isn’t a big bread eater. Twice yesterday, Dempsey got out of his bed and left his room, so that’s a fun new development. At bedtime, he got up and went into our room thinking we went to bed right after him, but instead he woke Lydia up and they were both so scared! Got them both settled down and to sleep then fired up Christmas Vacation for ourselves but didn’t make it far. I hope everyone got to enjoy some time off this weekend and is ready to hit the holiday ground running. Don’t know if I am, but here we go anyway! 😋