The day after Christmas has got to be the most depressing day of the year.
This picture of Lexi with a Christmas toy stuck in her hair depicts how I feel the day after Christmas.
(And for the record, getting her hair untangled from the helicopter toy that her brother flew into her head was not easy. Poor Lex).
Luckily, Ben has the week after Christmas off which definitely helps with the "after Christmas blues." We actually had a fantastic week. We didn't have any set plans and it was so nice to just lounge around the house and spend lots of fun time together. I loved not having to be anywhere or have anything that really had to get done.
Ben is our "cheese man" and always buys lots of fancy (and stinky) cheese around Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Leah and Lexi had fun wearing their new Christmas outfit! Leah is taller than Lexi, but this picture makes her look extra tall. I don't know what is going on. Their heigh difference is not that significant.
Remember how my oven died on Christmas eve? With his time off from work, Ben investigated to see if it was something he could fix. We tweaked a bit and for a whole day it looked like the problem was solved, but alas, it wasn't. Bummer! And a repairman couldn't come for an entire week.
I let my entry way look like this for 3 whole days. By the end of the 3rd day, I couldn't stand it anymore and we cleared it out.
Just in time, too for some house guests! My parents and both of their mothers came up on Saturday, December 28th to spend a few days. My mom's mom, Grandma Dewsnup, or Grandma D, or Dewps, as we call her, has never been to Seattle. My dad's mom, Grandma Wright, has been up on other time to visit when my cousin used to live here and Grandma stopped by my old house to visit for a few hours.
Both of these ladies are 93 years young. They are both in fairly great health, considering their age.
Grandma D was so excited to meet Olivia for the first time. She is a baby lover and wanted to hold Olivia right away. She has the special touch and put Miss O to sleep quickly.
Chloe was excited to have her best buddy Grandma help her with the sewing kits she received for her birthday.
She finished one of the projects towards the end of their stay. It turned out adorable.
Grandma D was always willing to hold Olivia, no matter what was going on. She is such a sweet and wonderful lady.
We played lots of board games during the week. We played the new game that my parents gave us for Christmas called "Qwirkle." It became an instant family favorite game.
Livy loved Grandma and really couldn't get enough of her. She was so spoiled all week with someone willing and wanting to hold her constantly. She rarely out of someone's arms during the waking hours.
Grandma D is amazing. How many 93 year olds do you know who are willing and able to get down on the floor and play with small children? The twins loved playing games with her. Grandma D was also wonderful to help with dishes during the week and she helped me with dinner as much as she could too.
With both my parents and two grandmas to help with dishes, my kitchen has never been cleaner than it was that week. I miss that! :)
Papa and Olivia playing around after church
We love Grandma!
My mom is so awesome. When she comes to visit, her sole focus is spending time with her grandkids. She almost never turns down their requests to do something. She is always willing to play any game, read them a book or go on a walk with them.
I came down one morning to find them all playing Mario Kart together.
Mitch is getting really good and was the champion that week of Mario Kart.
Lu Lu loved Grandma's iPad. What a different generation we have of babies/kids with electronics.
Livy later Face Timed with Aunt Catherine.
Grandma Wright enjoyed taking a turn holding Olivia. She can't see very well, but was very anxious to be of use during the week and did whatever she could to help out. She helped dry dishes after dinner one night. We enjoyed her company.
That week, Livy started drooling like crazy, all the time. Her outfits were soaked every day and she now permanently sports the "drool bib." I have to change her outfits sometimes multiple times a day. She is always a wet, slimy mess. Chloe was the exact same way at this age.
More games! I love playing board games and it was so fun to have other adults there to play with.
On New Year's Eve morning, Ben and I made a quick trip to the pediatricians office. As we suspected, the fever and sore throat Leah had right before Christmas was Strep. Lexi was given a prescription as well, to fill in the event that she started having the same symptoms. Sure enough, 3 days later she started running a fever and had a very inflamed, sore throat. It was nice not to have to drag her all the way to the doctor's office to have them tell us what we already knew. We just fill a prescription instead.
Since Leah was actually feeling fine, we ventured out that same day to do something outside of the house. What to do that will entertain 5 small kids and that is doable for 2 ninety-three year old woman? Good question.
We have a season family pass to the Pacific Science (our favorite place), so we decided that might be our best bet. It's such a great place for kids, but where adults can be equally entertained. It was indoors, which was nice for the Grandma's, and had plenty of places for them to sit and rest if they needed.
Ben and my dad dropped all of us off right in front of the entrance. We snapped a quick picture in front of the Science Center and the Space Needle while we waited for them to park.
We always get a picture of the kids on this caterpillar in front of the butterfly house.
We love the butterflies!
New Year's Day was very low key at home. It was perfect! Livy enjoyed a nap in Papa's lap.
Livy loved the toys that Grandma and Papa gave her for Christmas. This was the first time she had really been interested in any toys. She didn't know quite what to do with it yet, but her eyes would get really big and she'd start shaking when she looked at it. We are heading into the grabbing and toy stage soon!
We ended the night with a game of Settlers. I did terrible, but still had fun.
Our visitors had to go on January 2nd. They left bright and early, around 7:30 a.m., as they had a long drive home.
Livy and Grandma D, one more time. Olivia had a rough weekend after everyone left. She was so used to being held every minute that it was a harsh reality to be put down at all.
We had such a good time with everyone and were so glad they came. It was fun to have both of my grandma's here for their first visits to our new house.
And just like that, Christmas break was over! Ben started work back the day they left. The kids still had the rest of the week off from school, so it wasn't really over, but it felt like it with Ben gone.
After our guests left, Chloe organized a fitness club. The kids all got in their "workout clothes" and each filled up a water bottle. Chloe was the instructor and the other kids very willingly followed her every love. It was hilarious. At one point, they all went outdoors and ran up and down our little street.
They ended their session with stretching.
Later, Chloe was watching Olivia while I did something, and was Face Time cousin Stella at the same time. She is a great multi-tasker.
Friday, January 3rd was finally the day my oven repairman could come! My oven wasn't completely dead, but it took over an hour to get up to temp, and couldn't hold it's temp very well after that.
Luckily it was an easy fix- the repairman just replaced the baking ignitors. Right after Christmas, Ben replaced the broiler ignitor, which was the wrong ignitor. We had the right idea on what was wrong, just the wrong location. Bummer for us that it cost $350 for a simple repair that we could have done ourselves, had we know we had more than one set of ignitors. (We are new to the whole gas oven/gas range business). Most of the cost was paying for labor and the service call. Next time we will know! But we were glad it was a small fix and nothing that required replacing the entire oven.
Chloe went to a birthday party that same Friday and was sent home with this play mustache. Leah grabbed ahold of it and loved wearing it around the house all weekend. If you mustache, we thought it was hilarious.
On Sunday, January 4th, Ben's brother Nick and his parents came up for a very short visit. Nick was flying out of Seattle to get back home to Florida and he stayed the night to visit.
The brothers spent a good chunk of the evening battling it out, hoop-shoot style. There was lots of smack talk, shot blocking and whining.
Ben's parents stayed an extra day and we loved visiting with them. Livy loves to hear Nana play the piano, too!
Christmas Break was so wonderful. It went by much too quickly, and the blah month of January reared its ugly head as it always does. Now Spring really can't come fast enough!
