The Saturday 7

Another fun, busy week in the books!! I love this time of year. I love the busyness and all the fun events, but I have felt like my brain is on overdrive all week. Here's some of what we did:

1. We tried to make photo transfer ornaments via Mod Podge and a Pinterest tutorial. They didn't really turn out, but we had fun trying! Haha.

Honestly, they probably would've turned out better if I had done them myself because it requires some precision and delicate care. Alas, such is crafting with kids.

Pinterest Inspiration

Reality 🤣

2. On Tuesday I had a doctor's appointment to follow up from my medication change three months ago. My appointment was at 4, I waited 15 minutes in the waiting room and then was warned by the nurse that the doctor was running very behind and would probably be 20-30 minutes late. My phone was dying, but it was warm and quiet and kid free, so I grabbed the pillow off the bed, curled up on the tiny little bench and literally fell asleep. I woke up when the doctor came into the room. 30 minutes well spent! Haha! Of course I had to get weighed at the beginning. I was a little surprised by the number, but I'm a lazy cow who exists on sugar and carbs, so I really shouldn't have been. The appointment went without incident. We agreed that this dose is best for me, I haven't noticed any side effects, I've been more stable, etc. So I went on my merry way. After I got home though, that number really started to bother me, so I went through my old records. At my appointment in May of 2018 I weighed 12 pounds less. Do you know why I was at the doctor in May of 2018? To up my meds for the first time. Perhaps I am noticing some negative side effects after all! I can't keep gaining 12 pounds every 18 months!! Ugh.

3. And now for my final entry about my parents' house. On Tuesday my sisters, mom, and I went back one last time to finish cleaning. It was undeniably sad to see all the rooms empty, but in a way, it makes it easier. I've always subscribed to the idea that "home is where your stuff is." The study without my dad's books doesn't feel like home, the kitchen without the dishes and jars doesn't feel like home, the dining room with no table is just a room. Maybe if someone had been playing sad music or if anyone had started to cry I would've broken down, but we've dragged this process out long enough that it just felt like time.

We all stopped at the new house afterward to help unload more stuff. We carried in these three paintings, then had to take a picture to document that even though the new house was full of boxes and piles, the esteemed three were put in their proper places:

Niki top left, Libby top right, me on the floor

4. On Wednesday we went to the "Christmas Lite Show." I got tickets half off months ago through a website like Groupon. $25 is kind of steep for the 15 minutes it takes to drive through, but $12.50 is much more palatable. The kids loved it - especially because Justin let them each take a turn driving.

I love how this picture turned out. It looks like we're zooming through space and Levi is all smiles (and dimples). Haha. Trust me. We were going about 4 mph.

5. On Friday, my sweet sister in law Esther drove Levi and me downtown to go to a special train exhibit/storytime at the museum. I haaaaaate driving downtown, and she's way tougher than me. It was nice to hang out just the 4 of us - even if the hyped up exhibit wasn't as exciting as we expected. Lol.

Casually pushing Ruby down . . . aka trying to get a picture of both of them. Lol.

Hey look, Ruby's mom made it on my blog! 

What you can't see in the pictures is how I had to push my nearly 4 year old in a stroller from the parking lot to the museum (not far), and carry him everywhere we went inside. Not because he's lazy like his mom, but because he's clumsy (like his mom). The night before, he jumped off the couch and landed wrong on his left foot. There was screaming, wailing, and near-puking. He couldn't walk or sleep and babied it all night. When he was still refusing to put any weight on it by Friday morning, I started to get concerned. Esther and I actually met on Alpine before driving downtown, so I had my car afterward and Urgent Care was right down the road. I so don't want to be one of those moms who takes their kid to the ER over every bump and bruise. But it was a Friday, I knew we had a busy weekend ahead of us, and I'd feel terrible if he had a broken foot and I told him to walk it off. Lol. So, thanks to modern technology, I checked in to urgent care online and knew we had an hour to spare. Levi wanted pizza, so we headed to Fazoli's for an unexpected date.

We got right in at Urgent Care and didn't have to wait long at all to see the doctor. She poked and prodded at his foot and he hardly flinched, but he absolutely refused to step on it. It was also pretty swollen, so she agreed to send him in for an x-ray, which was right down the hall! Levi didn't bat an eye about getting "a picture taken of his foot."

While we waited for the doctor to read the results we found Paw Patrol on the TV and I read Harry Potter on my phone. Can I just give another round of applause to modern technology??

The doctor came back with the news that there were no obvious fractures, but she was concerned about one tiny spot on the x-ray. She said at this age, fractures can be hard to detect because kids are still growing and it's hard to tell the difference between a fracture and a gap where the growth plates haven't fused yet. She forwarded the x-ray to Radiology and to a friend of hers in pediatric orthopedics, told me to prevent him from bearing weight on his foot (not a problem), and that she'd give me a call. A few hours later I got the call that he was cleared and there are no fractures. Woohoo! He didn't walk on it at all the rest of the day yesterday, but today he's finally starting to limp. It's still swollen, though, and I think he overdid it today because he was crying tonight that his foot is hurting "worser and worser." We have instructions to follow up with our doctor if he's still hurting by Monday, but hopefully he'll continue to improve!

6. Today was the pinnacle of our busy week. We did gingerbread houses at the library followed immediately by VK extended family Christmas followed immediately by VK immediate family Christmas!

Nash and Libby joined us for gingerbread houses.

Frosting diligently

One spoonful on the house . . .

. . . one spoonful in the mouth!

Nash's first gingerbread house experience . . .

Good job, Mom!

This is kind of boring . . .

. . . and sticky.

Oh wait, what's this?

Guess I'll try it.

Oh! I like this tradition!

What do you mean we're bringing this home to share with Dad? He can get his own candy house!

VK Christmas was crazy and fun as usual. There were pizza and snacks followed by gifts and Wizard, a family picture, a family soccer game, a strange and wonderful stage performance, and Bunko! Lots of laughter and love and memories.

This is apparently a Dutch tradition, but we've never honored it before today.

Uncle Jesse helping Levi with his new car wash (with many friendly helpers)

I believe at this part Jesse was singing "Let it Go" and Levi was singing backup - as a puppy.

Justin made it to the championship round of Bunko!

"All because two people fell in love." 🤣

Then it was back to Justin's parents' for our immediate family celebration. His parents are leaving tomorrow for Florida, so we get to celebrate early! More food, more presents:

Justin made that fishing rod for his dad!

More games (and the one time a year Justin plays cards!)

More performances with Uncle Jesse . . .

As I snapped this pic, Levi shouted "Rock n' Roll!" Lol (Thank you to another Uncle Jesse and Full House for that catchphrase!)

And finally, rest after a fun and busy day!

7. But wait! There's more! Pictures that is . . .

Hot chocolate after the light show.

I love this picture of Grandma and the littles. Nash all snuggled up, Levi pretending to be a dog, Ruby too busy running around to sit and listen to the book. 

The library is so fun!

We got to watch Ruby overnight last night. She was a perfect angel. She went right to sleep and slept all night! She did get up at 6:50 this morning because she's her father's child, but she was so good the rest of the time I'll let that slide.

She got to take part in our annual Elf viewing!

Cooking is not my forte . . .

I wanted to climb under that blanket with her!