Time Off

I didn’t actually intend to be away from the bloggy world for quite this long. But our Christmas was phenomenal, and I think we appreciated it even more knowing how many of us were really counting our pennies this year. I know that having a budget about 1/3 of what we usually spend around this time of year really forced me to get creative with gifts for others, and to focus on what the recipients really wanted or needed. I think I was more excited about giving these gifts to others than in past years.

The boys, as usual, were spoiled rotten by (mostly) their grandparents and have really enjoyed each of their gifts so far (though Cooper thinks the toddler flashcards are a dance floor in a box instead of cards to look at with his eyes…but maybe he learns through osmosis). I got some cute jammies from the boys, and several casual long-sleeved tops from Justin. I got some wine from the in-laws and a few trinkets, and I got a mess of gift cards from them and all my parents so that I can go shopping and drink Starbucks until my head explodes from the caffeine…hee hee!

Justin got a lot of warm clothes for his trip next month to Kiana, Alaska (Kiana is about 5 miles south of Santa Claus. No joke–Google that place), and several gift cards for more warm stuff and nerd stuff (aka Apple Store gift card). We had some homemade coffee cake for breakfast and all was good! We sat around watching some of the new movies the kids got (Wall-E, Veggie Tales Christmas, Milo & Otis), and generally doing nothing but enjoying our time with each other. Christmas night we went to our friends, Dave & Kari’s house, for dinner and more time hanging out letting the kids run amok for a while.

The next morning the kids slept in a little (7:15am is sleeping-in for Gavin) and I started attacking the laundry I had been barely acknowledging all month. I think by Sunday night I had washed and folded a good 10 or 12 loads of laundry. And I’m still not done.

But the rest of the weekend was exactly that…just laying around relaxing, doing laundry, getting everyone’s hair cut, and keeping the boys out of Justin’s now-shorter hair so that he could prepare for his trip to MacWorld…yeah, follow that link and click on “IT834 Deploying Podcast Producer 1” or “IT844 Deploying Podcast Producer 2” and notice the instructor name. I’m extremely proud of Justin being not only invited to attend MacWorld, but to be asked to do a presentation, too! I just wish I could go out there, too, to see it. I suppose someone just might record it and put it out as a Podcast…ya think?

So tomorrow after work, we’ll go to our other friends, Eric & Andrea’s house (cuz mine is still a pigsty) and grill some steaks for dinner and hang out until our kids make us crazy. Then Justin and I will be scrambling to ensure he’s got every last little thing he will need for his huge trip to MacWorld and then straight to Alaska from there. Mostly that means I will be putting priority on his laundry and then stocking up on those frozen kid meals and Gerber toddler entrees so that I can survive the nineteen days he will be gone without losing my mind.

Well, I’ll probably still lose it, we just won’t go hungry in the process.

Cooper and Gavin show off their shorn heads