Cheers to 2018

Happy New Year...may we continued to be blessed in 2018!

Happy Birthday, Papa!

New Year's Eve is Papa's Birthday. On years that we are in town we get together and celebrate. Of course, Papa always said when I was a kid, it was great having a birthday on New Year's....there is always a party. And he's right. Every year they have plans. So we always celebrate with lunch. Gigi made pork loin and mashed potatoes. Papa wanted Turtle Custard Cake from Freddy's so that's what we had and it was so good! The kids enjoyed singing to him. Really it's just a good excuse for us to get together one last time before they head to Arizona for a few months. Happy Birthday, Papa!

Mermaid Hair Don't Care

Back in November we were at the Little Salon and I casually mentioned that I might consider letting the girls get their hair colored. We made appointments for the week before Christmas, but then our schedules got crazy and I had to cancel them. Well yesterday we went and did it...I let the girls color their hair! Of course they each picked a different color. Kiersten got purple and BOY is it purple. Hattie got aqua, its actually faded quite a bit already, which is just fine with me. And Leah got royal blue. She wasnts to be like Evie from Descendants! Some people probably think I'm crazy, but oh well. They are only young once. And I figure since we just did the tips it will be easy enough to just cut out. They love it! Best Mom Ever, or at least for one day.

Adhesive Capsulitis, aka Frozen Shoulder

It's been a long year. Last December I noticed considerable pain in my shoulder. In January I had been working on a push-up challenge and I knew I had to back off. I was going to the chiropractor trying different therapy to make it tolerable. But soon it was clear I needed to see a Doctor. I went to a local Orthopedist. He said I had torn my Teres Minor and got me set up with Physical Therapy. I did that for most of March and April. My mobility was better and I had lingering pain, but I figured I could keep working on it, so that's what I did. Slow and steady wins the race, right?

Come July It was clearly NOT better. I went to the chiropractor, we tried scraping, acupuncture and adjustments but it was actually getting worse. I had an MRI and it was clear...not labrum or rotator cuff tear. That's great, but why does it hurt so bad??? I went to See Dr. Brustein on Sept 8th. And within minutes he diagnosed me with frozen shoulder. Is that even a real thing??? Apparently it is, and its a biological condition. I started another round of Physical Therapy but after 6 weeks it was clear the only way to move forward was to have my shoulder scoped. So that's what we did. On October 24th, I had the adhesions and scar tissue cleaned out of my joint. And I had no idea what would follow. I had therapy 5 days a week for a few weeks, pain so intense I couldn't sleep, just getting dressed was a struggle. Eventually I went down to 3 days a week, and finally I'm at a place where I'm going 2 days a week. About two weeks ago I got the all clear to start some lifting. At times it seemed like an uphill battle, but I have to win. You don't realize how much you rely on your shoulder for everyday things. It feels good to not be "frozen" anymore, but I'm still battling. Here's to hoping that I'm back to 100% early on in 2018. I want my girls to remember how I pushed and persevered through this injury and certainly didn't let it hold me back!

Minnesota Christmas

Well, I certainly did a horrible job taking pictures while we were in Minnesota! We left Illinois on Thursday the 21st. We made a quick detour in the Dells so the girls could get some time in at the water park. This year we stayed at Chula Vista. It was nice, nothing spectacular. And honestly, I almost prefer Three Bears (because it gets us two hours closer to Minnesota) but the girls had a fantastic time and loved the water slides. Even Hattie was brave and went on most of them...even the tornado. The hot tub was my favorite!

On Friday we stopped to see Grandma Fran. She is always the sweetest. It makes me smile when she tries to talk politics with Mitch. She may be getting up there in age, but shes still one smart lady with strong opinions. And I hope my girls are just like her!

We made it to Montevideo around 5pm and we were the first ones to arrive. Justin, Megan and Lexi with right behind us, with Todd, Lori and Shelby arriving that that night. On Saturday we had breakfast and then lunch, and around 2pm there was a knock at the door. The girls love seeing Santa at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Kierstsen was especially excited this year because Santa knew she was reading Harry Potter and talked to her about all the characters. He said Hagrid is his favorite because they are so similar. Kiersten was really impressed. It was a quick visit and chat with Santa and then we opened gifts. The girls were spoiled!!! Leah and Kiersten were thrilled to get Vivofit Juniors. Hattie was excited about kinetic sand and an etch-a-sketch. There was even a Lite Bright...talk about a blast from the past.

That night when the adults did their gift exchange, Justin got a kitten. Okay, not really, but Hattie sure had fun snuggling him just the same. One of the highlights of the weekend was Justin and Megan bringing their puppy, Remi. The girls wore that poop pup out, but they sure loved playing together. On Sunday morning we were up and moving early. We had a quick breakfast and were on the road by 9AM. We made it home around 8PM. Just in time to get settled in and ready for Santa. Merry Christmas to all and to all a goodnight!

All the Who's down in Whoville...

The girls have been having a wonderful last week of school. Hattie was so excited to celebrate Grinch Day. We did the best we could with her hair and even put a little makeup on her lips and cheeks to make her more official. I had the Grinch shirt left from Kiersten's Grinch-day two years prior, so we went with it. On Wednesday she had her Christmas party. I goofed up my schedule and was planning ot be there but I had it down for Tuesday and unfortunately couldn't make it because I had Physical Therapy...but she was a trooper and didn't seem to mind one bit!

On Thursday the entire Kindergarten had plans to go to the Avon to see the Polar Express. But we already had plans to head North for Christmas with the Schultz Family for the weekend. I was informed that Hattie had to attend for the entire time or not at all...I wouldn't be allowed to pick her up early. So we ditched school for the day and to make it up to her we had Dunkin Donuts for Breakfast! She was pretty happy about her snowflake sprinkled donut and even more excited about the fact that we were planning to stop at a water park in the Wisconsin Dells on our way to Minnesota.

And I have to say how incredibly proud I am of both Leah and Kiersten. The original Mt. Zion School schedule that was available at the beginning of the year said we dismissed for Christmas Break on the 21st. But it was wrong. We actually went through the 22nd. The big girls were both scheduled to have their class Christmas parties on Friday morning but we already had plans to be on the road. We left it up to them. We would stay in town if it was that important for them to be there. They both said they'd rather get to Minnesota to be with family. I was so proud of them. Such big hearts. 

Christmas Tree and Cookies

This Christmas Season has been one for the books! I can't seem to get everything on my list tackled. But two things definitely got done. The tree and the cookies. Oh who am I kidding...somehow I got it all done, I was running around like a crazy person, but it all got done. Oh wait, except the Gingerbread men. Oh well, there's always next year. I normally take tons of pictures of the girls decorating the tree, but this year we had a few new ornaments so while the girls were decorating their little hearts out I was tying string to the new ornaments so they could hang them.

Then there were the cookies! Kiersten got an American Girl Doll magazine with many fantastic recipes. So we gave many of them a go. We actually made Molasses Ginger Snaps on Thursday night, and then spent all of Saturday the 9th, working on the craberry oatmeal (which ended up being my fave), the chocoloate dipped, the red velvet, and regular chocolate chip. We donated most of them to the Mt. Zion Community Club Cookie walk. Then Kiersten made additional Cranberry Oatmeal and Chocolate Dipped for our holiday celebrations. Lots of baking, but lots of fun and memories too!

Tales of the 4th grade orchestra!

For a few years, Leah told me she wanted to play the violin and I brushed her off...told her to find something a little more simple. But then orchestra sign ups came along and she was determined. She has music everyday, and it's crazy how much progress they've made in a such a short time. She was so excited to have her first concert last night. Gigi and Aunt Laura even came over to support her. She was nervous but they did a wonderful job. Kiersten was less than thrilled she said at one point "how come none of these songs have any words?" It's probably a safe bet that she will be signing up for Chorus!

Myerscough Family Christmas

We were so excited waiting for Aunt Laura, Uncle Jeff, Nat and Jo to arrive!!! They got in on Friday the 15th. So of course we headed to Charleston on Saturday the 16th. We had lunch and went to see the movie Ferdinand. We hung out into the evening before heading home. On Sunday we headed back over after Church for our family Christmas.

Gigi wanted to keep things simple. She didn't want to be in the kitchen all afternoon. She asked if we were good with a lasagna she could make ahead. Of course we were! Mitch and I made a spinach lettuce salad with figs, pears, pecans and a honey balsalmic dressing. There was plenty of Christmas cookies too. Around 3 we wandered into the living room to open gifts. The kids did a great job, they were patient taking turns and everyone was so excited to see what they got. Gigi got all the little girls Wellie Wishers. Colby, Macy and Leah got Echo Dots and Jackson got a Paw Patrol toy. And of course they each got a bag of new clothes! Mom was thrilled with her spa certificate and Dad was excited about his Ipad. Laura, Cynthia and myself were thrilled to recieve new IRobot Roomba's.  Grandpa Merle was a hoot, he had all his presents unwrapped and had polished off a box of chocolates before the presents were even passed out.

Early on in the evening we got the kids into their Christmas jammies so we could get some pictures. Pretty soon they won't all fit on that couch. And then Aunt Laura got a mean game of Kerplunk going. It was fun to watch them all play together. Looking forward to a few more days with family before they head back to Arizona.

Church Singin'

I miss the days of Christmas Church Pageants. Maybe some churches still do them, but since we live in a town with a Lutheran Private School, they do their program at school. When I was a kid, everyone got a part, and a verse to speak. We learned all the Christmas Songs and always marched out to "Joy to the World".  I don't get the joy of seeing my kiddos dressed as shabby angels or shepherds or sheep. I get the school Christmas programs that can't mention Christ!

But this year the girls actually sang at church. For weeks they told me they were singing 'Silent Night", when in fact it was "Away in a Manger" but that's a minor detail. I loved seeing them up there. Here's to hoping they do it again next year.

Christmas with Cousins

For the Second year in a row, my cousin David and his wife Sanya offered to host the Myerscough Family Christmas. It's so lovely of them to open their home to all of us. And while the turn out wasn't quite as big as last year, we had so much fun with the family that was there. The girls had a great time visiting with cousins they don't see too often.

David always makes things interesting when he dresses up as Santa and delivers gifts. The kids all get a kick out of him, and I'm guessing he really enjoys it too. The girls were so happy to pose in their new JoJo Siwa bows. I don't even know who JoJo Siwa is!!! I have grand hopes of hosting everyone sometime this summer for a cookout. We'll see if we can make it happen!

Santa Session 2017

This is absolutely one of my FAVORITE Christmas traditions. And I believe this was the 6th time we had gone to see Santa at Laura Kruger's studio. My kids even know by now, that this is the REAL Santa. All the other ones are just his helpers.

The girls aren't shy at all. They hop right up and talk to him. They tell him what they want for Christmas. They ask about the reindeer and ask what kind of cookies he would like this year. So even though its always a quick visit, it's always well worth it! Already looking forward to next year, Santa!

Christmas Craft

Pinterest is the worst! It just sucks you in and next thing you know you have grand visions of all the stuff you want to do. But seriously, this was a win...except for the cost, LOL! I saw them and knew that we had to make them for the girls rooms.

We started with a planter pot, and a tomato cage. Mitch trimmed the cages down and attached them with zip ties. He's so handy. After that we wrapped lights around the cages, and then feather boa's from Hobby Lobby! The girls had fun decorating them with little twirly sprigs of glitter. We topped them off with a glittery ornament and they made the perfect Christmas Night Light! Pinterest WIN.

10 years

 It hardly seems possible that yesterday, Mitch and I celebrated our ten year anniversary. Some days it seems like we are still in those early days of romance and getting to know one another, and others it seems that he's always been a part of my life. I guess that's the thing about being with your best friend. I just couldn't imagine a more perfect person to complete my life.

I knew he had a little something planned for our anniversary, but I really had no clue what it was. I was happy to let him surprise me. But he wasn't the only one with a surprise. I found a baker to recreate one of our wedding cakes. I was thrilled with the way it turned out. I figured it would be a very special way to share our day with the girls. They loved it, and were so excited to see us recreate eating our wedding cake. Mitch was surprised too. He actually asked if it was one of the originals. It was even better!

Mitch whisked me away to St. Louis for a night. We checked into the Union Station Hotel that was decorated beautifully for the Holidays, we had a dinner at Eleven Eleven Mississippi...it was amazing. And then we headed to The Fox Theater to see the King and I. It was a Broadway quality production for sure. It was lovely to get away with my sweetheart for a night. I'm a lucky girl, indeed.

American Education

For one week in November, we celebrate American Education Week. During this week parents are invited to come and observe their children in the classroom. I started with Leah. Mrs. Gerhardt talked to us about what their day typically looks like and then we played a fun game. It's called Contig, and they actually have Contig competitions. I liked it! I think it's a great activity that we would be able to do together at home. So I grabbed an extra print out of the sheet so we can play.

Next up was Bug. Since Leah had Mrs. Hatayama two years ago, I kind of knew what was in store. But that didn't make it any less special. Kiersten and her classmates did a fantastic job,singing and then Mrs. Hatayama read a story about a turkey who wanted a disguise. So after that we got to disguise our own turkey. It was no surprise to me that she wanted to make her turkey look like Harry Potter. And she did a great job, too!

And finally I got to visit Hattie in her class. Every year the kindergarten classes host a Thanksgiving feast. So to kick off the afternoon we made feathered headbands for the kids to wear. They were given 5 feathers and had to write what they are thankful for. Hattie said she was thankful for her parents, friends, sisters, dogs and her teacher. After we were done with our craft they did an adorable Thanksgiving skit. The girls loved having me visit them, and I feel incredibly blessed that I was able to do so.