The Christmas Season

These pictures have nothing to do with what I am about to rant write about. They just stand as photographic evidence that I did actually do some holiday activities with the kids leading up to Christmas. 

Just to prepare you, I am about to go on a bit of a rant. Now don't get me wrong during this rant. If you are one of those Pinterest or advent calendar moms that loves (and has the time) to do activities with your kids every day, more power to you. I have friends that did some incredible things like this during this season and it looked super fun through instagram stories. But just as I don't judge them for doing things different than me, I don't want to be judged either. 

A couple weeks ago I was talking with a couple who have a Pinterest worthy daughter about my age. They were telling me all the amazing and over the top activities their daughter was doing with her children every day. Then, they asked what holiday activities I had been doing with my kids each day. Let's be honest, at this point, I can barely bend over and pick stuff up off the floor! And though I would love to blame my lack of doing an amazingly thought out activity with my children each day in December on my pregnancy, the fact is, it just isn't my personality. I am more of a go with the flow type person and rigid plans stress me out. But back to my conversation. As I explained that I had yet to do anything with my children (in my defense it was like the 8th of December or something) they looked at me in horror. Like actual literal horror. Then I was asked, "Do you even have a Christmas tree?!?" I do folks, don't you worry. It even went up the weekend of Thanksgiving. I love me some Christmas. I just don't love me a busy and stressful month. 

Now, here's the thing. Did we manage to squeeze in some holiday activities? Of course we did. We went to an angel breakfast that we have gone to the past several years. Ian took Isla to the Nutcracker. He offered to take the kids ice skating and they said no...hahahaha! We drove around looking at Christmas lights with hot chocolates in hand. Another night, we took a hay ride through a local farm's light display. And, on the morning of Christmas Eve, we squeezed in some cookie decorating. None of these activities were planned well in advance. Well, the angel breakfast was for like a week or two. Everything else just fit where there was time in our normal lives. 

And guess what? Even though we didn't do amazing activities every day, the kids still enjoyed themselves. We all did. None of us were out shopping in the chaotic stores days before Christmas...thanks to online shopping. When days already felt full because of school parties, work and other Christmas parties, friends birthday parties, even Callum's birthday, we didn't do things. It just felt nice not to cram things in and stress myself trying to fit it all in. Which, this again shows you a bit about my personality, I don't like being super busy. 

The moral of the story is, don't try to keep up with others if you don't have it in you. Celebrate their awesomeness in doing all the things. Then celebrate your awesomeness in cuddling up on the couch with your kids for the fourth night in a row. We are all hardwired differently. That's a good thing. A thing to be celebrated. Not a thing to tear each other down for us all not keeping up (or laying low) to each other's standards. 

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Christmas Decorations

Our Christmas decor has evolved and changed over the years. I think that's a natural thing because of styles, life changes, etc. I was probably at the top of my decor game when I worked at Pottery Barn. But I have since gotten rid of so much of that because it just isn't practical with kids to have breakable decorations e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e. As children have made me more practical, things have simplified. But some things, like my love of color and my love of twinkle lights in the home have not changed. I mean, twinkle lights just make everything better. Especially during those dreary winter days. I put them up in the kids rooms for Christmas a few years ago and ended up leaving them up year round because I loved them so much, and so did they. 

I finally bit the bullet two years ago and bought us all matching stockings. Of course those stockings aren't available anymore, so I will now need to stalk eBay looking for one for baby because I just love those stockings so much. Not to mention I am totally cheap and they felt like a huge investment (they weren't that much money, but still!) and don't want to have to replace all of them. 

We have a lot of kids Christmas crafts around our house from various years as well. I particularly love the ones that have pictures of the kids on them because it lets me reminisce and that's just one of my favorite things to do. 

I should mention, my decor prekids included a lot of fake snow, again thanks to Pottery Barn. It was beautiful but OHMYGOSH the kids just couldn't seem to keep their hands off of it. Which the stuff is beautiful and fluffy and white, so I get it. But I couldn't handle having to clean up snow twenty times a day, so that went bye bye too. I actually let the kids play with it before I threw it away and let it get all over because I figured "why not?" but that was a few years ago now. 

Alright, enough talking. My Christmas decor...well, my living room at least, as I did decorate the banisters on the stairs this year and they include twinkle lights because, HELLO, I did say they are my favorite. 

I mostly posted this for myself because I think it's fun to look back and see ways I have decorated in the past. But given it's my blog and I can post what I want, for whomever I want, I figure whatevs. 

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30 weeks

Wow, things seem to be humming along quickly all of the sudden. Especially when I realized that my due date is four weeks after the kids Christmas break ends! I guess if I want to do a couple projects before baby comes, now would be the time!

This is what 30 weeks with a fourth child looks like.

I've always had pretty easy pregnancies, especially when I know some people who have truly struggled through their pregnancies. That being said, 10 more weeks of this (well, 9 tomorrow) has me not thinking I will enjoy those coming weeks so much. It's getting hard and uncomfortable to bend over. And, well, I have a strong willed running risk of a toddler to deal with all day, so yeah. I have always been a huge advocate of babies staying in until they are ready to come out. And while I certainly don't want to be induced, I am crossing my fingers and toes that this baby, if not early, at least arrives on time.

I can now feel the baby move from all over the place. For a while, even though I had a nice size belly, I couldn't feel it up high. Well, now I can. And speaking of up high, I think it likes to camp out close to my lungs from time to time, greatly diminishing my lung capacity, making things a bit uncomfortable. My belly button is now flush with my belly, which I think looks a little odd. But even more strange is when I move or laugh/cough and it pokes out quickly. Haha! Being pregnant can be so weird at times! I have been having some braxton hicks contractions. While they aren't painful at all, if I am leaning over when they happen, I definitely have to change positions because of my whole belly suddenly becoming hard.

I washed all the baby clothes I have and I ended up having way less than I remember. But, I figure I have a few choices here. I can do laundry all the time. I can dress the baby in all the clothes, no matter if it's a boy or girl. Or I can pick up some extras after it's born. But I'm set on white onesies. I don't know why, but I apparently have a ton of those. And buntings. The kid will be warm after it is born, that is for sure.

There are still a few things I want to get and do before baby arrives. But spending all the money on Christmas right now doesn't exactly leave me motivated to spend money on baby. I got a peg board to hang above the changing table and need to do that. It is really the only decoration I am doing, so I am sort of eager to get it done. Well, that and finish the mobile to hang above the crib. The baby will be in with Ian and I for the first while. So the changing table is actually in our closet and there is a mini crib on my side of the bed. I would also like to get a new stroller. Callum's seems to be making an awful noise for no apparent reason and the tires are bald. And, well, I looked into how much replacement tires are and realized I could get another stroller for not much more. But that stroller has served us well. It has been used a ton, going back and forth to school every day. Not to mention the vacations it has been on and everything else.

So there you have it, 30 weeks.

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Callum {3 years}

Likes: playing with his brother & sister's toys, jumping off anything, popsicles, cars & tractors, shooting people with nerf guns, hitting people with swords

Dislikes: getting his clothes changed, the dentist, being told no, having to sit in a shopping cart

Accomplishments:

talks in sentences

Can count up to 17

sings his abc's

knows his first and last name

This kid can be so sweet and adorable, I can eat him up. Yet, he can be oh-so ornery! I guess that is three. Talking up a storm, yet wanting to keep up with the big kids...though not having the same smarts as the big kids, so shooting people in the face with a nerf gun is seen as totally acceptable. 

Some of Callum's current favorites are hot wheels, Super Wings, and playing anything that involves throwing something or hitting someone with something. He loves reading, well being read to. Some of his favorite books are No More Monkeys Jumping on the Bed, The Wheels on the Bus and Little Blue Truck.

Callum is probably our most adventurous eater. He will eat pretty much anything. And the kid loves salad!!! He also has a sweet tooth and is constantly requesting candy...or helping himself to a popsicle in the freezer! Which, that reminded me why I put a lock on the freezer when the other kids were little. He loves yogurt and I just recently discovered he loves eggnog. He doesn't really like milk, so will choose water over milk at dinner every night. 

We took the side off his crib a couple months ago and he is doing great with that. In fact, it's pretty convenient because now if he wakes at night, he just comes in our room and climbs in bed. I keep meaning to set up a twin bed for him, but haven't gotten around to it yet. Maybe this weekend. 

Callum doesn't like being contained in anything or by anyone. He doesn't want to ride in a shopping cart and will beg to be out. "I hold your hand!" Then when you let him out, he refuses to hold your hand! He is a bit of a running risk and being so pregnant, that is sometimes hard to deal with. He also thinks its funny to jump and kick you when walking while holding your hand. Yeah, I am sure I look just as much like a train wreck out in public with him and my big belly as you are imagining! 

Callum loves his mama so much and definitely is most attached to me. He says to me often, "I hold you", which means he wants to be held. He always wants to hold my hand, even when he is sleeping. If he is watching tv, he wants me to sit with him, which really means he pretty much wants to sit on top of me. It's all really sweet and I tend to eat it up. 

So there you have it, Callum in all his glory at three.

In case you want to look back, here are a couple of my favorite updates on Callum - one year...and eating his cake!, 7 months (he was just such a smiley baby!) and 1 week (because newborn baby goodness, of course).

And here was Connor and Isla at three. Connor and Callum are wearing the same shirt for their three year photos. 

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8 Years Later

There is an indoor winter gardens in Aberdeen, Scotland that we visited while there in July. We used to live just up the street from it and I would frequently walk around in it with Connor during those cold winter months. It was warm and gave me a place to get out of the house to. While there, I made Connor take a picture in a spot that I knew I had taken many pictures of him over our time living there. Of course, when we got home I couldn't find any of the pictures. So much for being good at organizing photos! 

The other day I got an itch to finish the kids baby books, since I was ordering updated family photos for our frames in our living room...nesting affects every aspect of life! While going through pictures, I stumbled across a random file that only had a few pictures in it. Well, it had pictures of Connor standing in the exact spot I took his picture this summer. Sure, no one but me can tell the pictures were taken at the same spot, given the angle, but it still made me happy to have a little comparison. And I got a chuckle out of the fact that, completely unplanned, he was wearing a red shirt in both photos. 

So there you have it, Connor standing in the same spot eight years later. A place that holds so many memories for me of that early time of motherhood. A place where Connor and I learned and grew together so much. A place where fellow women, who I hardly knew at the time, came along side of me and helped me so much in those early days. A place that will forever hold a special spot in my heart.

Wow, that got sappy fast!

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28 Weeks

I am actually doing good posting this, this time. I am still in my 28th week, even if at the end. 

I don't feel like I have anything too exciting to report. Things are just humming along around here. I am measuring right on schedule. I am still feeling fine, though don't like bending over much anymore.  I am still having that dang gag reflux and can't wait for that one to go away. I also have something that Ian and I jokingly call IBS - itchy back syndrome. My back seems to itch all the time, especially if I am leaning up against anything, like a chair or in bed. I am mostly avoiding chicken, as it doesn't sound good to me. This happened in my other pregnancies as well, but it isn't as strong of an aversion as it was in the past. 

I am getting the urge to prepare for baby. I got out all the gender neutral baby clothes and washed them this week. I actually have way less than I remember. It's mostly white onesies. But I am guessing that is because I have some newborn boy and girl stuff I kept, but I haven't gone looking for that yet. I've started a mental list of things I would like to get for the baby before it arrives. Most of it is frivolous and unnecessary, but still stuff I would like. But I do need the obvious and necessary too, like those teeny tiny newborn diapers and such. I want to make a mobile for over the crib. I think I am going to repurpose the one I made for Callum when I was pregnant with him. I still really like it, but the older kids broke it a while ago, pulling on it. I think I am going to hang it in a circle this time. 

That's about all the excitement for this update that I've got for you. Well, unless you care to know that I passed my glucose test with flying colors, so I don't have to stop raiding the kids halloween candy stash anytime soon. Or that my appointments are now 4 weeks apart, instead of 6. And I am supposed to fill out and return my birth plan at my next appointment. My plan is to just write in huge letters across it, "All I want is a nice nurse!" Seriously, a good nurse makes all the difference! But, no more ultrasounds or anything exciting like that for me. Just waiting and letting this little one grow. 

In case you want to compare, here I am at 28 weeks pregnant with Callum, at 28 weeks with Isla, and 27 weeks pregnant with Connor. My belly with Connor was definitely smaller than with the others! 

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Decorating for Christmas

Isla helped me decorate for Christmas over the weekend and it really was a fun time. Connor was watching Home Alone and Callum was napping. With a Christmas movie in the background, we decorated. She really wanted to take the lead on the tree and did most of the decorating. She was so excited. It just melted my mama heart. I've decorated in years past by myself, so it's fun to have someone that gets just as excited about the decorations (if not more so) helping out. 

I definitely don't decorate as much as I did pre-kids...of course I was also working at Pottery Barn at the time and had that influence as well. There's no elaborate table decorations, as once I had kids, I realized how those annoying things have to either be moved every meal or get things spilled on them every meal. Practicality won out and the table now remains clear. Though I did add garland and lights to our stairs this year and that makes me insanely happy. But honestly, twinkle lights anywhere make me insanely happy. I am obviously easily pleased. I think it has to do with it being grey out and getting dark earlier that the burst of light in various places around the house is just appreciated. 

We put the Christmas tree in the corner of the living room this year, rather than front and center in the front window. Sure, there isn't magic in the window, but it really makes navigating our living room easier! It also gave the tree more space, as it wasn't having to be crammed up against a window so it wouldn't be so far in the room. All that to say, I am enjoying the set up this year. 

Now to get on with the Christmas shopping and wrapping. I was talking with someone the other day that had their shopping all done AND all wrapped. I am a bit behind over here, still trying to figure out exactly what I will get everyone. I find doing three presents each (wear, play, read), which we have done for years, makes me think longer about what I am going to buy each kid, as I want each present to really count and have meaning. But I am getting there, slowly but surely. I have never been out on Christmas Eve still shopping, so I am not too worried. It all comes together somehow. 

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Connor {9 years}

There is just something about your first born. I feel like both of us have grown so much together over the years. Not to mention, Connor is just so sweet with his mama. He still holds my hand all the time and freely gives me hugs.

Connor is such a tender hearted and sweet boy, yet also loves to shoot you at close range with his nerf guns. He loves reading and devours books in a matter of hours. He definitely prefers realistic books and funny books to make believe. He has read a lot of history books, as well as all the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books and Captain Underpants. He enjoys playing with cars and going on drives with his dad. He also enjoys picking fights with his sister and brother ;) He has such an imagination as well. The things he comes up with never cease to blow my mind. Especially his ideas for making money. He has sold everything from comic books he has written, to paper airplanes. And his latest invention is an arcade game made out of a box that he operates and charges 50 cents for.

Connor also has a love for Harry Potter, which makes this mama's heart happy, as I too love it. We have read through the first three books together, reading them as the illustrated versions come out. But he has gone back and read the first two by himself as well. We have watched the first four movies together as well and he is ready for the fifth.

Connor has really expanded his palate over the past year and I have been very impressed. He loves all sorts of kinds of seafood. We make shrimp at home, but he loves going out for poke bowl and eating the raw fish. He has even gotten to the point where he will eat more and more of the meals I cook without them having to be modified, like he will now eat things with sauce and has even eaten some of the soups I have made this fall. He is just more and more willing to try things.  I am really proud of him and it gives me hope for our other picky eater.

Connor recently started taking showers in the morning before school. It was all his idea and I have to say, it just feels so grown up! There is just so little I have to remind him to do these days and it feels weird.

Connor prefers to be home over being out and about. He likes battling me and Ian at tetherball. He also enjoys playing various board games. Though the thing you can find him doing the most is curled up with a book.


Now for a little interview with Connor:

What is your favorite:

     color - red

     food - ahi tuna

     drink - root beer

     ice cream - cookies n cream

     toy - nerf guns

     book - Diary of a Wimpy Kid

     song - all the songs from the movie Diary of a Wimpy Kid

     tv show - The Andy Griffith Show

     movie - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

     thing to do - watch Harry Potter

     game - clue

     sport - soccer

     animal - leopard shark

Who is your best friend? Nixon

What do you like doing with your friends? have nerf wars

Where did you meet Nixon? I don't know, where did I? His house?

What is your favorite thing about school? I have the nicest teacher in the whole universe

What do you enjoy learning the most? math

What do you like to do on the playground? play tetherball 

Who do you play with at school? everyone who plays tetherball

What is your favorite thing about yourself? That I was born in Scotland

Three things that makes you special:

     1. How good I can read

     2. I was born in Scotland

     3. That I'm the oldest kid in my family

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Hide That Turkey!

It must be a first grade tradition to "hide" a turkey. Connor did it in first grade and now Isla is doing it. I tried finding photographic proof of Connor's hidden turkey and couldn't find pictures anywhere. Given I know I take loads of photos, I am guessing it is among the thousands and thousands of photos that I didn't sort though on my old laptop...hence the reason the laptop is sitting in a drawer a year later, still waiting for me to deal with all those photos. And by thousands of photos, I am talking like 40,000 photos. Such a daunting task and the reason the laptop is sitting in a drawer. But back to Isla and her hidden turkey.

When she brought home this project, I came up with an idea that I personally found brilliant. I told her we could dress the turkey up like her. We could print out a picture and make a face mask out of her face to go on the turkey. Even Connor said, "How come you didn't have these good ideas when I was in first grade?" But Isla didn't like it. She had other plans. She wanted to disguise her turkey behind a Christmas tree. And since I'm not the one in school, I let her do what she wanted. 

I am convinced the kids think the best part of any school project is going to hobby lobby. It's the best part for them and usually the most stressful for me, haha! They have a vision and I am trying to help them realize their vision without spending a small fortune. Besides having to talk Isla out of buying 32 packages of small ornaments, the trip to the store was actually pretty drama free. So was disguising the turkey. I will actually file it down as one of our easier and least stressful school projects to date. And Isla was really proud of it, which is what really matters. 

Isla was so excited to take her turkey to school this morning. But, it wasn't just excitement about her turkey. She told me, "I am so excited to see everyone's turkeys mom. I just know they all will be great!" I like her enthusiasm and positivity. 

Now here's to hoping they don't do a class vote on the best hidden turkey this year. Because, well, that truly caused some drama in my life two years ago. 

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The 6th Annual Christmas Card Challenge

Having already received our first Christmas card in the mail, I thought now was a good time to announce the 6th annual Christmas card challenge. Thanksgiving snuck up on a lot of us last year and is early again this year, so I thought the early reminder to get a card made (and capitalize on those Black Friday card deals!) would be good for all. 

This contest was born out of my love of Christmas cards. Well, not just Christmas cards, but any holiday card. We've even gotten some New Year's cards, which I think is fun because it makes the card season last even longer! I get so excited in this season to check my mail every day. I love seeing smiling faces of those I love on cards, I love the handwritten notes, I love the updates, I love the lush beautiful cards, I love the funny ones. I just love it all. 

The categories for cards will remain the same again this year, but I also have a fun little prize for anyone that is local, so be sure to keep reading! As a refresher, here are the categories:

     * first card to arrive

     * best handwritten note

     * best photo(s)

     * best update

     * best overall

The first card to arrive spot has already been snagged by someone who was obviously on top of their game. And being on top of their game helped me, as it reminded me to get to work on my own card. 

In the spirit of supporting my hubby, and supporting a local small business, I will be giving a bag of Bean Counter Coffee Roasters coffee to the winner. How it works is, after the New Year, I will choose a winner from each categories, then use a random number generator to pick the winner of the coffee. Now, for you locals, I have a separate prize. Also in the spirit of supporting a local small business, I will be giving away a month subscription (February) to Alchemy Bread. If you've never heard of her, go check her out. Her bread is AMAZING. If you win, you have to agree to pick up your bread once a week (either on Tuesday or Thursday) in downtown Modesto on 12th Street. You also have to be willing to provide your phone number for the subscription. You really want to be willing to do this because, guys, it's soup season and this bread is like no other. Your mind WILL BE BLOWN. And if you're not willing, I know plenty of people that would be, so...

If you want to join in the fun, but don't have my address, feel free to email me at jgrimbleby(at)gmail.com and I will provide an address to send it. And you need not be shy, I have had many people participate in the card challenge that aren't my close pals. And, guess what? Some have won categories! And, each one of their cards put a smile on my face because I LOVE CARDS.

If you are looking for some inspiration, here are the winners in years past - 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014 and 2013. Just a little tip, funny cards are totally my jam, as are anything that makes your card stick out from the crowd. That could be a different shape, a different colored envelope, or perhaps forgetting to change your last name on your card, so it says the wrong name! 

Now get to work on your cards! Remember, Black Friday and cyber Monday are always great times to score great deals on cards and is normally the time I order them every year. And, what's nice is you can have them all designed and ready to go ahead of time and just purchase them when the good deal comes around. 

I'm excited for my mailbox to start filling with cards! 

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The Minivan Kind of Life

I knew deep down in my heart that adding a fourth child to our family meant a minivan was in my future. I just couldn't imagine two big kids constantly having to climb between an infant and a toddler to get strapped in. Never mind thinking about doing that in the rain when everyone is wet and dirty! 

We already had a Honda and figured we would just go with another Honda again, just a minivan this time. We aren't exactly warm and fuzzy when it comes to buying a car. We tend to know what we want and just go for it. The day we bought our minivan we were actually just stopping to look at them, as we had never even looked at them. I had an idea of what my must haves were for it, but that was it. We weren't picky on color and they happened to have this silver one with the exact trim package I wanted. And they offered us a deal we couldn't pass up, so we went for it. 

I've noticed the minivan club is quite large and all seem to be very excited about minivans themselves. Now, I am not going to deny that the thing is super functional. It has more cargo space than my pilot did. And the seats that move side to side in the middle row are super convenient for vacuuming out the car and having to reach for things in the back. BUT, I will say, I miss how my pilot drove. I am not joking when I say I have made this minivan squeal it's tires more times than I can count...especially going around corners. Apparently I drive a little too peppy for this bad boy. And I miss the right side camera my pilot had...that really made cutting people off a breeze. Also, my pilot got better gas mileage. Other than that, I really am satisfied with the minivan. It has a lot of great options and works well for the stage of life we are in. 

And someone, cough, cough, Isla, was beyond thrilled that we got a minivan. It was literally every hope and dream of hers coming true. She claims she even wants one as a first car, which I feel like I will hang over her head right around the time she is turning sixteen ;)

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A Weekend in Monterey

We went to Monterey for the weekend. We went not because of the holiday weekend, but because Ian was going to run a half marathon. It was one of those weekends that had some really great memories made, but also had some low points. A great memory would be Callum loving the lighthouse that we drove around at night and was still talking about it the next day. A low point would be our back window being smashed out on the van while we were playing at the park with the kids. Another high point was stumbling across the worlds largest doughnut...actually, I am sure there are bigger ones out there, but this thing was massive! And, a low point would be Ian's half marathon being cancelled the night before due to the air quality from all the fires in California right now. 

While in Monterey, we got an annual pass to the aquarium and went on both Saturday and Sunday. It was oh-so-busy, but the kids still had lots of fun. Including Callum unexpectedly pulling a crab out of the water in one of the touch areas. I think he thought it was seaweed, as that's what he kept playing with, but he got a surprise! My favorite part of the aquarium is forever and always the jellyfish. I swear they should have those massage chairs you see at the mall set up in front of the jellyfish and let people just pay to sit there and stare at them. There is something just so therapeutic about being in a dark room, staring at jellyfish slowly moving around. I can't be the only one that feels this way, right? Because of my love for the jellyfish, please excuse ALL the jellyfish photos. I just can't help myself. 

After the aquarium on Saturday, we took the kids to play at the park for a while. The park is huge and a lot of fun. The kids did a ton of running around and playing. But it was definitely a downer to go out to our car and discover the window gone. I joked to one of my friends it was because someone was mad that we literally got the front parking spot at the park ;) Thankfully we called our insurance and were able to get the glass replaced on Monday, so all is well in the minivan world again. And, it wasn't nearly as loud to drive home without the window as I expected. We obviously had it taped up, but I still expected it to be loud. 

Saturday evening we went out to dinner with some other people from Modesto who were running in the half marathon. It was at the end of dinner that everyone was notified that the race was cancelled. Whomp, whomp, whomp. 

Sunday we went back to the aquarium for a bit before hitting the road for home. And the best part about the trip had to be that the kids didn't have school on Monday, so we had a day to recover (i.e. do the laundry, grocery shop, get the busted out window replaced, etc.) instead of just jumping back into things. 

^^ said extremely large doughnut

^^ This merry-go-round contraption is crazy, especially at the times when it was so full it was standing room only on there. But the kids played on it for what felt like forever and had such a grand time. 

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