2016 - Week 1

Here we are, 2016 is officially underway!

Friday was the first day of the New Year, and it kicked off with our houseguests still staying with us…just a few days left until our sad goodbye. Everybody was up, and ready, one by one. After some breakfast and spending a little time lounging around, Dawn, the big girls and I were off to run some errands. First up, a trip to the Cheesecake Factory to pick up a couple of delicious slices of cheesecake. Even though I know I wouldn’t be able to stomach much, it was SO worth it. Next up, we stopped at Target (obviously, our favorite place to hang out), with the main intention of getting food for Olivia’s birthday dinner tomorrow. We settled in at home with the rest of the house for dinner, dessert and to spend a little time vegging out and doing a whole lotta nothing. We did some very minor cleaning and picking up in preparation for tomorrow, but decided to just hold off and hit it hard in the morning. I can’t believe my biggest baby turns 7 tomorrow, and I can’t believe it’s our last day with our friends. This time goes WAY too fast, so unfair!

Saturday was the big day. Olivia turned the big 7!!! It’s so hard to believe. I swear I JUST became a mother, and now I have this giant 7 year old running around. She is 7 going on 17 most days, with attitude and eye rolling and annoyed huffs galore – but she’s also a little dreamboat. She’s tough, but sensitive. She’s the boss, but is the first to defend her little sisters. She is our little mommy when it comes to Eliza and loves to help out with her. She’s so smart, shocking me every day with the new things that she picks up, and such a brave little girl. I know the world holds big things for this first born of ours, and I feel so blessed that I have a front row seat to watch it all unfold. Since our friends were in town, we decided to have a more low-key celebration today, with them and our parents, and hold off on her (friend) party until tomorrow. So, we had a packed day, getting the house ready for our dinner party. The Steveson’s got ready, while our girls played and ran around, and Christian and I got to work. Our biggest task was getting the dang Christmas tree taken down, and out of the house (it was time, and it just takes up way too much space). So, we took down the decorations, un-strung the lights, and Christian got the tree outside and hidden on the side of the garage. Then, while he cleaned up the entryway, I vacuumed my little heart out. As the Steveson’s finished getting ready, they came up to help us clean up…we re-arranged the living room, they helped clean up the kitchen, do the last of the dishes that were piled up and do some dusting in the living room. Dawn and I put together the sandwiches and made a pasta salad, while Christian and Tim made a quick Walmart run for a couple of things we were missing. It was definitely much easier to get ready with a whole other family in the house to help out! Finally, I got the girls dressed and ready, Christian and I showered and got ready, and we were party-ready, with time to spare! Unbelievable! Our parents, (and “uncle” Lorenzo) started to arrive, promptly at 3:00, and we all had af un night hanging out together. We chatted, listened to some music, ate a ton of food…Olivia opened presents, we had dessert and of course had to immediately start opening the new toys and put them to good use. Olivia’s little BFF, Bella, is in California visiting her grandparents until tomorrow night, so she wasn’t around for Olivia’s birthday. She was pretty bummed when we told her, but Bella’s dad stopped over so that Olivia could FaceTime with her for a little while. That was so cute. As the party ended, everybody started to leave, one by one, and we started to settle in for the night. Dawn and I hung out, doing some final chatting, watching some TV, and wishing we could freeze time. Tim and their boys started packing up their stuff, loading up their car with the non-necessities, and the girls ran around, getting some final playtime in. Before we knew it, it was of course getting super late, and it was time for everybody to start turning in. We had the party tomorrow, and had to try to get the house back in a little bit of order before returning to work on Monday, the Steveson’s had a long drive ahead of them, and we were all beyond exhausted. It’s so unfair how fast our time with them goes!

7 Years Ago, so crazy

From 1 to 7, there's just no way to stop them from growing!

Happy, Happy Birthday!!

My little twin, growing up way too fast!

On Sunday, we were all up and at it pretty early. I showered right away and got ready for the day, then got the girls up, fed and ready to go, while Christian hopped in the shower. The Steveson’s finished packing up, loading up their car and getting ready to hit the road, and before we knew it, it was time to say goodbye again. Seriously, it gets harder every time, and it’s pretty impossible to fight back the tears. For the most part, I feel like Dawn is really the only friend I have that truly cares about me. About what I’m going through, about what is happening in my life, about just plain being a part of my life. I don’t have to be the one to call her, I don’t have to be the one to go to her…it’s a real, true, equal friendship. I have friends that live minutes away from me, that I NEVER see or hear from, yet this woman drags her family across 3 states to spend time with me. It’s insane, and SO UNFAIR!! Alas, it was time for everybody to get back into reality. Once they were on the road, I was off to finish the last of our party preparations. First up, Party City for a few decorations, plates, etc., then Target to pick up the cake and some beverages, and finally back home. I pre-ordered lunch, from Domino’s, we loaded up the van, and off we went. This year, we had her party at a Holiday Inn not too far from our house, where they have a little indoor waterpark. The girls went to a birthday party there a couple months ago, and LOVED it. It has a little splash pad, a swimming area, a hot tub and a waterslide – It’s perfect for their age. We set up, everybody started to arrive, and the kids had such a blast. I was not feeling well at all, but pushed through…watching the kids, taking pictures, setting up the good….we ate, did presents and cake, the kids got a final 5-minutes of pool time in, and it was time to change and head back home. It was a pretty short party, only 2-hours, but feeling so crappy, I was pretty happy to hit the road. Eliza went down for a nap as soon as we got home, while the big girls played with some of the new toys. I had to lay down and rest for a while, which really didn’t help. I just kept feeling worse as the day went on. Amelia actually ended up falling asleep too, she was just worn out! I spent a little time cleaning up after my rest, got the girls some dinner, and then Christian was off to watch the Vikings game with some friends. I got the girls into bed and watched the game at home…another GREAT win for the Vikings…they’re officially the NFC North Champs, and heading to the playoffs!!!! So exciting!!! I tried to go to bed after the game, but my stomach was just killing me, I couldn’t even fall asleep. I texted Christian around 11:30, telling him how horrible I felt – and, admittedly, trying to make him feel bad for “getting me” in this predicament. Nothing like a little guilt trip, I say! He was going to surprise me, but thought it would make me feel better to tell me that his best friend, Lorenzo, bought us all tickets for the Vikings’ Playoff game next Sunday! I couldn’t believe it, I’ve never been to something so exciting…and, they’re playing outdoors right now, which I’ve never experienced either. It definitely lifted my spirits…but, I finally threw up around midnight, just as Christian was getting home. He got me some crackers and water when I settled back into bed, and other than being exhausted, I finally felt a little better. I FINALLY fell asleep, and was not looking forward to getting back into the real world tomorrow. 10 days off, including Christmas, New Year’s, Olivia’s birthday and a week with our houseguests – and I felt like I needed a vacation from my vacation!

Until Next Week!