A Boring December!

Well, we're in that real lull of December, huh? Just sitting around without a thing to do. Boring, I agree. (Ok, I appreciate the courtesy laugh). 

In truth, things are nuts here, but the best kind -- the extra fancy, premium package of nuts with hazelnuts, pre-shelled pistachios, and piñons (for the New Mexicans out there). And in that light, we're going to have the quickest of updates and tell the rest of the story in pics and videos -- after all, we're in the age of Facebook and Instagram...that's a thing right? Instagram? Sad to say, I can't keep up on all this anymore. Too many little kids' bums to wipe or mac'n'cheese to make. 

As promised, Thanksgiving was fantastic. Especially having Uncle Tanner and Tante Ness visiting from Alaska. We had lots of fun going to wineries, bocci ball, and (of course) partaking on some epic meals. The pinnacle of which, of course, was Thanksgiving itself over at Uncle Ron and Aunt Vicki's house. Everyone contributed...ours was the stuffing and cutting the corn off the cob. The highlight of that highlight was the turkey cook-off between Opa's traditional vs. Erik's tur-duck-en (yes, that's a thing and no, it's not like  Instagram -- rather it's a whole chicken stuffed in a whole duck stuffed in a whole Turkey). Who won? Honestly, I can say WE all came out victorious. Though since it was Opa's birthday, he gets the official edge in my book!

J is doing great. Cute as ever and asked Santa for a "Anna doll." She's mastering this whole talking thing and I turn into a mushy puddle when I hear her newest phase: "Love you." It's a double mushy one when it's directed at her boys, "Coh-Dee an Bay-Dee." My other favorite thing of hers at the moment is how she shakes her whole body when she's nodding a 'yes.' I laugh every time. 

Another thing I always want to remember: having the best time belting out Let It Go on the nightly car ride home. J interjects "GO!" and "Door!" at the proper times. (Actually, her favorite song is Frozen Heart) while E charges his power hand for the part where we build the magic castle. He also likes to point out the times that the song is "building."

E is equally a riot. He's done with all his fall sports and I can't believe the progress he made in t-ball and soccer. I mean, as I've mentioned, I'm not applying for early scholarships. For instance, he cried the entire first soccer practice and this last one there was not a single tear. 

A story that I think is really cute: For kids who can't read, the eye check test is that they show you an outline of a common shape -- a apple or house, for example. If the kiddo recognizes the shape, they go to a smaller outline and so on. This most recent check up, the doc was doing this exercise for E and when asked to identify the shape he'd say, "that's a really, really, really small apple," or "that's a pretty small house." I think this story speaks volumes to me because it shows that he may have my love for descriptive detail. 

Ok, I really have spent more words on this post than I intended. Guess I was bored after all!