New Year

Three things that happened to me in 2020:

1. I gained 15 pounds

2. I started exclusively wearing stretchy pants - even in public

3. I stopped bathing regularly

I knew I had hit bottom when I was folding a week's worth of laundry and only had 2 pairs of underwear to fold for myself.  I took a hard look at my life after that discovery and realized I was a grimy, chubby mess.

I was ready to bid farewell to the stink of 2020 and begin my life anew.  And I was ready for cleaner armpits.

We kicked 2020 to the curb at my sissy's house.  We ate Chinese takeout, played Cards Against Humanity, and ate candied nuts galore.  (Diet starts Monday)

Kitty slept over with her cousins while Michael and I trekked home and were asleep by 10:30.  Did I forget to mention that I also became an old person in 2020?  Well, I did.

So...let's raise our glasses of sparkling cider to the year 2020 and toast to new beginnings.  And then let's throw our sparkling cider right in his face.  Aim for the eyeballs.

He deserves it.  

Happy New Year!

Christmas 2020

Let's just admit that Christmas this year was odd.  First of all, my brother who usually makes the trip to Idaho so we can celebrate together didn't make the trip this year.  Secondly, my sister's family was quarantined due to a positive Covid test so I didn't get to see her AT ALL. Thirdly, I hate Covid.

But - despite the weirdness, we managed to have a spectacular time.  The best part was that Idaho has looser Covid restrictions than Oregon so we felt like caged birds tasting freedom.  We even went to the movies!  That was spectacular.  We had a lot of other spectacular moments during our trip. My mommy made me a cabinet to go under my desk.  That was really spectacular.  My firefighting hero of a baby brother wasn't working so we were able to spend loads of time together and our kids had lots of cousin time.  My dear friend from high school was in town so we were able to catch up.  I haven't seen him in person for at least 4 years.  We ate fish tacos, had ice cream at Reed's Dairy, saw Santa at the Christmas River, made cookies for Santa, had a sleepover with cousins, enjoyed delicious fondue for Christmas Eve courtesy of my non-quarantined sissy, built a puzzle, played in the snow, and genuinely had a great time.  Spectacular indeed!

Perhaps the best part was that Kitty received Hogwarts robes from her generous and thoughtful cousin.  Kitty is still wearing them around the house and carrying around a wand and stuffed cat whom she calls Crookshanks.  Truly a magical gift for her.  

All said and done, it was an odd, but wonderful holiday.  I love being home and having family around - even when my dad makes us sit through a lame John Wayne movie.  

Merry Christmas!   

Loser

Kitty just keeps dropping teeth out of her head.  Since I mainly flutter through life in ignorance, I don't know how many more of these denticles will fall out before we're done.  I do know, however, that I seem to become a little poorer every time she spits out another tooth. 

She yanked one baby out during school.

The Tooth Fairy came through for her on that loss with a neon-colored squishy ball.  Kitty is convinced it's filled with mayonnaise and that's what makes it squishy.  Seems unlikely to me.  I found the mayo ball late at night at Walgreens as I was frantically perusing every aisle looking for a suitable Tooth Fairy offering.  Turns out Walgreens doesn't have as many toys as they used to.  I discovered this the hard way.

Her next loss transpired in the car during our long journey to Idaho for Christmas.  I was happily shoving Riesens into my mouth at an Olympic pace when she shouted from the back seat that she had lost her tooth.  I failed to capture a photo - my hands were full of Riesens.  But it was exciting nonetheless.  

Kitty was a little worried the Tooth Fairy wouldn't find her.  The Tooth Fairy was worried that the Broulim's grocery store wouldn't have anything good to get for her late at night.  Don't worry, everything worked out.  Broulim's came through with a stuffed dragon named Saffire.  In fact, it was the exact stuffed dragon Kitty had seen weeks earlier and had asked for when she lost a previous tooth.  It was a Christmas miracle!  

Seriously though, how many more teeth is she going to lose?

Halloween

Halloween was extra special this year.  I love Halloween every year but this year was tops.  Kitty was baptized in the morning, we had cousins in our midst, and there was chaos and noise all day at our house.  We carved pumpkins, some of us watched Hocus Pocus in my bed, and our friends joined us in the evening for trick-or-treating.  It was perfect!

Even though not all the houses in our neighborhood were participants in Halloween this year, Kitty managed to still score a big haul.  It was definitely a success.  

I was the bearded lady, Mykey was the Mandalorian, and Kitty was baby Yoda.  My sissy stole the show with her costume of Miss. Trunchbull from Matilda.  It was such a fun day!

Happy Halloween! 

Baptized

Kitty turning 8 this year meant that she is old enough to be baptized.  In the months leading up to Kitty's birthday, we talked in depth about what it means to be baptized.  We allowed Kitty to choose for herself whether or not she was ready and desirous to enter the waters of baptism.  Her answer was, "Yes!"  We set Halloween morning as the big day.

I felt a lot of sadness a few weeks before her baptism.  Not because she was making the wrong choice, but because I feel like she is growing far too rapidly.  I only have one shot at raising a kid, and I was feeling sad that Kitty is already 8.  How did we get here so quickly?

However, on the day of her baptism, I felt complete peace and joy.  My home was full of family who had graciously traveled for the event, and I soaked in the conversations and laughter around me with complete gratitude and love.  The day went perfectly and was incredibly beautiful.  As I held her hand and helped her down the stairs into the water to meet Michael, my heart swelled.  I stood and watched my little family, the two people I love more than anything standing together in the waters of baptism, and I felt serene.  It was a truly special day for all of us. 

Because of Covid restrictions, a lot of family joined us via the internet.  I'm grateful for the technology that allowed us to stream the day to those who couldn't attend in person.  What a blessing.  And another blessing was that my dad took loads of pictures!  I am so glad he was there to document the day. He captured the inner workings of the kitchen, where my mommy and sissy stood by my side, he captured the friends and family who came to support Kitty on her big day, and he took a picture of me with my Kitty and husband - the first family photo we've had in years.  (Because I'm lazy and never take family photos.) 

After the service, we dined on ham and cheese sliders and deliciously beautiful sugar cookies from my sister-in-law.  We laughed and played, we watched football, and we prepared for the ever important trick-or-treating.  Prepare yourself for the deluge of photos ahead.   

What a spectacular day!  Congratulations to Kitty!