Cousin Time

We had my cousin's kids for a few nights so he and his wife could celebrate their anniversary. We had a marvelous time. I love that Sissy gets along so well with the cousins. They sat in the basement and played Nintendo for hours. And then they watched TV for hours.

And then I made them shower and go on an excursion with me.

We went to Candyland Christmas in the park by the library. The whole park is filled with trees that are decorated by local businesses or other organizations. After wandering through the trees, we stopped at the playground and the kids slid down the hill on cardboard and had a fantastic time. 

Except for Sissy. She was feeling sick.

She wasn't the only one. The kids would all be sick over the next couple of days. 

And I didn't escape it either. Wah wah wah wah.

Tis the season to be coughing, fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la! 

It's the most wonderful time of the year.

Fishy Fish

Sissy successfully finished up her school swim season. She made excellent progress this year and was swimming mostly in the fastest heats by the end of the season. Coach had her doing the butterfly more often, much to Sissy's dismay. But, she persevered and made me proud. It was hard to take quality photos of her in the pool because I was usually sitting high up in the bleachers or had other people's noggins in my way, but I did the best I could.

On the day of the championship meet, we had to get up before dawn and eat bacon in the car on the way. Oh, the sacrifices we make.

Over the course of the season, Sissy dropped 13.5 seconds off her 100 IM, 3.1 seconds off her 50 Fly, and 5 seconds off her 50 Breaststroke.

Congratulations to Sissy!

Band Bop

Sissy had her winter concert for band. We arrived early so we could get enough seats for us and my niece's family. The place was packed when we walked in! We arrived 30 minutes early. Who are these weirdos arriving even earlier?

People without lives, that's who.

Sissy was nervous leading up to the concert because they were playing a fast piece and in her words, "We fall apart near the end." 

Oy vey. There's not much that is more painful to the ears than listening to a middle school band fall apart during a song.

My expectations were low.

But they did great! I was pleasantly surprised and it was a lovely concert. 

Navigating the crowds was not as pleasant but I was proud of Sissy and enjoyed the evening nonetheless.

Sissy's Young Women's leader came to the concert with her daughter because 3 girls from our ward are in the band. It was a thoughtful gesture and she snapped photos when I failed to take any.

Hey, gimme a break. I was trying to keep a 2-year-old from screeching during the performance. It ain't easy, you know.

Hooray for Sissy! I'm proud of her.

Obsessed

Michael has a new obsession. It's called using Snapchat filters with Baby.

Sissy has a new obsession. It's called Hollow Knight.

Baby has a new obsession. It's called bathing while wearing a swimsuit.

Booney has a new obsession. It's called eating.

Oh, wait. That's always been my obsession.

Some things never change. 

Thanks to the Giving

My sissy made the long journey from Rhode Island to join us for Thanksgiving. And I mean LONG journey. Stupid Connecticut and their stupid traffic. 

But I was surely glad to have her!

It was a delightful Thanksgiving break. Short, but delightful. 

We mostly loitered around the house and took it easy. We built a puzzle. My niece is a huge puzzler and was able to complete the Zelda puzzle from last year that Mykey and I couldn't complete. Just to be annoying, there was a piece missing! I emailed the company and they said they couldn't send me the exact piece, but they would replace the entire puzzle. Yeah, right! I ain't rebuilding that thing. It's currently sitting fully assembled on a shelf in the garage. Mykey is going to 3D print the missing piece and Sissy will paint it to blend in with the rest of the puzzle. 

We had Thanksgiving dinner at my cousin's house. Even with sharing the food responsibilities, I still did a dang lot of cooking! Good thing I had help.

The food was delicious and we enjoyed a pleasant day.

We enjoyed lazy days and relaxation. We played games, Sissy and my niece played Nintendo, we played Jack Box, Mykey worked on making programmable Christmas lights, we went to see the new Wicked movie - Baby actually did great this year and I was able to watch the entire movie - and we sat around drinking soda and talking. It was lovely in every way.

And then they went home and I cried. 

Why do they always leave?

But Happy Thanksgiving anyway!

46 Years Yold

Well, I did it. I turned 46. Whew. 

I feel weird about it. And old. And weird.

Aging is a trip that I prefer not to take.

But...I had a most spectacular birthday. I share my birthday with 3 other family members and one of them happens to live nearby now. How divine!

We began our celebration with lasagna. You can't go wrong with cheese and pasta.

Mykey setup balloons for us. They kept randomly popping and startling me. You gotta be careful with loud noises and a 46-year-old. I could have a heart attack. Or even worse, I could pee myself. 

My nephew-in-law and I couldn't decide on a birthday cake that we would both enjoy. After many suggestions, my niece chimed in with peanut butter. Why yes, we do both appreciate peanut butter. 

So that's what I made. Baby helped.

Mykey splurged for a singing candle. It emitted an ear-piercing rendition of Happy Birthday. But Baby was enthralled. 

We opened gifts and imbibed in the delicious cake. We gave my nephew Goldfish crackers and a shawl to keep his shoulders warm.

I received a new Kate Spade bag from my niece and nephew. I had mentioned how cute it was while watching a TV show about lost luggage. They scoured the interweb and found it for me. My heart smiled at their thoughtfulness.

I also received money from my parents and my sissy - I'm using it to purchase new Birkenstocks. Mykey got me slippers and chocolate, and 3D printed a Tootsie Pop holder filled with lollipops. 

My cousin sent me shower scrub. I enjoy that kind of stuff in a big way.

And Sissy painted me a special picture of giraffes. I love them and I love her. 

I received texts and phone calls all day from people who love me. It was a nice way to celebrate turning 46. 

Happy Birthday to me!

My Sissy

My sissy and brother-in-law came to visit! I loved everything about it - the sitting around talking, the food, the hugs, the laughter, all of it.

Perfection. 

They weren't actually here to see me. They came to see their grandbaby, of course. But I was definitely a beneficiary of their presence. 

We didn't do anything extravagant. My niece is only a few days postpartum after all. We went for a walk in the trees, we cooked together, we went to Sam's Club, we went to Sissy's swim meet and watched her sit like Gollum on the team bench, we held the baby, we played with a karaoke machine that my niece's husband rescued from a "free" pile on my neighbor's driveway - you know, all the usual things. 

I loved it.

We also had some excitement when the heat pump at the condo quit working. The temperature was single digits outside so that was not ideal with a newborn. I sent over space heaters and electric blankets. Thankfully they survived until the heat pump was repaired. (The one-year-old heat pump that was significantly expensive by the way. Don't get me started on that rant.)

Anyway, the days passed far too quickly and I wished my sissy and brother-in-law could stay forever. Just move here already!