.jpg)
Decking the Halls
Monday was a routine day as I worked from home and the school kids went to school. Kira had work that evening, so I took over for that and after the kids were asleep I did some more painting, finishing up the corners in the bathroom and upstairs bedroom. I now just need to do the ceiling in the bathroom and then the other walls in the bedroom. It’s coming along nicely, though I wish I had more time and cash to put into it.
Tuesday was glorious for me, because I didn’t have to wake up at 5:40 to catch my train! Campus was closed, so I worked from home for about half of the day and then helped manage children and do some odd jobs around the house. I also took Merritt with me for a Walmart run to get some things for our Thanksgiving plan. They had everything we needed except for strawberries, so Kira went back to find those at our local grocer.
Wednesday was taken up mostly by a family trip to several stores. Avey had wanted to check out some animal shelters in the area, so we went to one in a neighboring city. It was a short trip, as they had only about 12 dogs available, and they were loud. The worker told us about their adoption programs for when we’re ready, and it seems like a nice place. Maybe when the time comes, we’ll go there. We then took a quick trip to the hardware store (my favorite place) where I got a replacement part to fix the plug for our master bathroom sink, tried to find a good paint shade for some trim around the mirror in the upstairs bathroom, and a few other odds and ends. We then took a quick trip to the dollar store (the kids’ favorite place).
Avey did such a good job taking care of the neighbor’s dogs last time that she got hired to do it again, for a few more days this time. Our neighbor went out of town for Thanksgiving, so Avey got to do about 3 and a half days of dog-sitting. She earned some good cash for that.
Thursday was, of course, Thanksgiving! After breakfast, I spent the morning preparing pies with the kids’ help. We saved some of the chocolate pie for Carver before adding it to the graham cracker crust (so as to keep it gluten-free). He had no interest in my strawberry pie. We opted for ham rather than turkey again, because the kids are so picky and the ham went over so well last year. Kira worked on getting the ham warmed and glazed, and then as the time drew near I got the mashed potatoes ready, Avey took care of warming the rolls, and Kira put together the green beans with bacon.
It started out with a smash, literally, as Merritt decided to eat before everyone else, and then threw a glass cup onto the floor, shattering it all over the floor. That was fun. The meal itself was good: the food was delicious, and we went straight on to pie, which was even better.
We chilled out for the afternoon after getting the dishes all cleaned up. Kira took off around 5 to join some friends who had invited us all over for their meal. We declined, but Kira asked if she could join them for pie to fulfill her desire to socialize (and see what life is like without small people clawing at you constantly). I put the kids to bed and then painted the trim around the mirror in the upstairs bathroom.
Friday was spent decorating for Christmas! I focused on getting the outside of the house all decked out, and Kira and kids worked on doing the inside. I had to make a couple of trips to the store to get some more lights, but we’re in good shape now. I’ll get some photos of that once it’s dark out and post them next time, but I’m very excited to have a house of our own to play with!
Saturday was a lot of finishing up the decorating, though the changes in the house have stirred up some trouble, too. We traded the boys’ nightlight for a strand of Christmas lights and a 3′ tree, but Hakan just can’t seem to get to sleep with all the glory surrounding him. We had to put an end to it last night. Merritt has also had a hard time with the transition to Christmas decor: every time I put on my red Christmas apron, he orders me to take it off and put on my old denim one. He seems quite perturbed that I try to be festive.
Today was the primary program that Kira has been working hard to get in order. She and the older 3 also sang “A Child’s Prayer” while I took care of Merritt in the pews. They did a good job, though Hakan seemed oblivious to social norms. After he read his first part, he came down to Kira and made her high-five him, then went back to his spot on stage, then came back down to get a high five from me. At his second part, he completely ad-libbed, saying some pretty odd things, like “Heavenly Father sent us to earth so that we wouldn’t be alone. And we get covered in Jesus—um, in his arms.” Avey did very well, of course, and Carver nailed his part, too, but then near the end, Carver loudly sighed so that the whole branch could hear, “Ugh, when is this over?”
Now we have to somehow get back to normal life after the delicious break.