Weekend Recap: TURKEY DAY Edition

Hey friends! I hope y'all had a FABULOUS Turkey day and got to spend the day with family and friends and of course, all the turkey and stuffing. 

The last four days have FLOWN by and I can't believe we're already into December this week! Regardless, this is my FAVORITE time of the year, hands down! We have so many fun activities planned and this season just brings out the joyful little kid in me! 

We started Thanksgiving day slow and easy. We all got up around 7:30 to start prepping. Will and I stayed up a little later the night before to do some prep, so we really didn't have a ton to do. The girls grabbed a light breakfast while Will and I worked on the turkey and stuffing. We popped the turkey in the oven, turned on the Macy's day parade, and lit the fireplace. It was glorious.

The girls helped me set the table and we got ready for peeps to begin showing up. Since my side of the family celebrates Thanksgiving and Christmas early, it was just my immediate family in attendance. We also invited my dear friend, Chelsea and we were so excited for her to join us. 

We came, we ate and we napped. We spent the rest of Thanksgiving day relaxing, watching football and then other movies later. 

Someone had a full belly and was ready for a nap! =)

Sisters relaxing after full bellies of turkey!

The next day, was slow again and we cooked breakfast and the girls played while we just hung around. Later that morning, my sister and I decided to brave a few stores for Black Friday deals and it really wasn't as bad as we expected! We hit Old Navy, Anthropologie, J Crew, and Gap. After we declared our feet too tired, we decided to call it a day.

 I grabbed a quick lunch of leftovers and then we decided to go on a hunt for a new Christmas tree. Since moving, our Charlie Brown tree just wasn't going to cut it any longer! We headed to At Home and picked out a 9 footer and spent the rest of the afternoon into early evening, putting up the tree and the rest of our Christmas decorations.

We ordered pizza and had a quiet night. After the girls were tucked into bed, it was FINALLY GILMORE GIRLS TIME!!

Saturday morning came and we ate breakfast and hung around for a little bit before getting ready and heading to Moana.

We somehow got the showtimes mixed up and got into the theatre RIGHT when it was starting, so alas, no pictures to document this experience. The movie was SO good and the girls really enjoyed it.

After the movie, we ran back home and the girls were DYING to play outside so they went outside and I got the chance to run to Target. They had buy one get free frames and buy one, get one free candles so I couldn't pass up the opportunity. I finally found a frame for a print we purchased in Italy. I also picked up a few random things for the girls as all apparel was 30% off.

When I got back home, the girls BEGGED to go to the park. So, they hopped on their bikes and we took the short trek to the park. It was BEAUTIFUL out, 60 degrees, and it was crazy to be riding bikes to the park in November, in Iowa. We'll take it though!

After the park, we ran and grabbed take out (don't judge- it's the weekend, right?!) and ate while watching Christmas movies. After the girls were tucked in, you guessed it- GILMORE GIRLS! Now, I hate to be a spoiler if you haven't watched it but what was with the Stars Hollow play?! It was never ending and I just didn't quite understand it. Anyway.

We were awake and at em' on Sunday for church.

 Saidey has been going to her preschool Sunday class since September so it was the first time she sat in church with us for a long time. It completely changed the dynamic- when it's just Sophia and us, she sits so nicely and listens and follows along. Well, this time, they both were restless, had to go to the bathroom and Saidey even though it was a good idea to lay down on the pew and refused to get up. Thankfully, it was mostly empty so there was actually room for her to do that and it was a battle I didn't want to fight.

After the mess that church was, we ran home and Sophia worked on her All About Me poster as she is the star student this week. Will also worked on homework and Saidey colored next to Sophia. She may have "accidentally" colored on Sophia's poster and before Sophia could get upset, we decided that was how she was going to tell her class about her sister. =) And this is where my little sister, Saidey, colored on my poster. She always colors on my stuff! 

We had a little bit of time before we had to jet off again to grab lunch before Disney on Ice. These are the days that I'm so, so thankful for our local grocery store, HyVee and their service of online ordering. Before we left, I made up a list, shopped online and scheduled a pick up for later that day. AMEN!

We grabbed lunch at Buzzard Billy's downtown and then headed to Disney on Ice. As always, the show did not disappoint and the girls were completely enthralled from beginning to end. This has become our favorite Thanksgiving weekend tradition, so as long as it continues to come, we will probably go!

 It was raining when we came outside after the show- this sweet girl kept me protected from the rain with the hat that came with her cotton candy. =)

She would NOT let go of her cup she got at the show- she had a death grip on it all the way home.

This popped up on my time hop feed- it was the first Disney on Ice show we took Sophia to, 3 years ago! Gah! Just look at how little she is! 

The rest of the day was spent being lazy and finishing homework.

WHEW! That was a lot! We had a wonderful four day weekend and it was hard getting up on Monday, back in our routines. Everybody was a trooper though and we survived Monday. We have Saidey's school conferences this week and that's about it! Of course, on December 1st, Elf arrives and we start our Advent calendar. Here's to December! =)

Happy Tuesday everybody!

Thanksgiving Festivities

Hey Friends! Long time, no talk! I took a little hiatus from the blog and I must say while it felt nice to relax and take a break from the pounding on the keyboard, editing pictures and linking links, a part of me felt just the tiniest bit off. I missed you all! :) 

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I've said it before but traveling to Will's parents is like taking a little hiatus from the rest of the world. It's quiet, relaxing and just what I need to rejuvenate from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. 

We took off Wednesday afternoon and got to Lansing in time for dinner. We relaxed, ate and let the girls play for a bit. On Thanksgiving, we relaxed some more, played and of course, ate and ate and ate. Saidey and I cuddled up on the couch and fell asleep while Sophia entertained Aunt Sara with YouTube videos of grown ups playing with toys. I decided I would let Sara watch them in my place, she can thank me later. =)

Saidey was not having it... at all.

2/4 looking at the camera- that's a win!

Sophia loves going on this bridge when we visit Grandma and Poppa. Even though it gives me a near heart attack every time, we always appease her wishes. =)

The store owner was probably not as amused as we were

After rest time, more family came and so we ate some more. And played. The rest of the weekend was spent relaxing, playing games, coloring and resting. It was the best.

We headed home Sunday and took the girls to Disney On Ice- what a show! The girls expressions and reactions were the absolute best. They absolutely loved it and seeing the experience through their eyes meant the world.

We headed home, ate a quick dinner and sent them to bed. Will and I finished unpacking and getting the house back in order. 

This week, we put the Christmas decorations up and our Elf, Peppermint arrived! Some people have mixed emotions about the Elf but we love it. We don't take it too seriously and we don't use the Elf to threaten good behavior. It's just a fun, silly thing that Sophia looks forward to each year. I mean, an Elf that makes you donuts and pink milk and you get to find him in a different spot each morning- how fun is that?! I even get excited about where the Elf is hiding and as soon as Sophia's feet hit the floor out of bed, she is running to find what Elf is up to; and usually, I am running right beside her. And that's what it's all about- the excitement and magic of Christmas and the twinkle in her eyes when she finds that Elf has hung our underwear in place of our stockings.

You may ask where Saidey is. She was running away, refusing to sit down at this exact moment. 2 year olds. Sigh. 

Sophia asked if our tree was a Charlie Brown christmas tree. Maybe that's a hint that she thinks our tree isn't quite cutting it anymore...

 Peppermint is BAAACK!

I am also so very excited to tell you that we are nearly finished with all of our Christmas shopping for the girls! I just need a few more small items for their stockings and that's IT! We have teacher/child care gifts to still buy and a few other things but we're almost done! WOO HOO! We got everything nearly on sale due to Black Friday and or Cyber Monday deals. Last night, Will sat in front of his computer, hitting refresh every few seconds on the Target website to check out. The things we do for our children... =)

There's a line for this item...
PS- anyone else see what's on the TV?!

We look forward to a slow week and nothing planned for the weekend! I can't wait! Have a great week, all! 

Weekend Recap- Toy Overhaul Edition

It's a short week and I'm soooo ready for a long weekend full of turkey, stuffing and time spent with family. 

We had another great weekend. We had our first snow fall and it reminded me of just how much I love the first time it snows. By March, different story. 

Friday night spent on the couch while we were all snowed in was perfect. We ate pizza and watched Cinderella. Wait- is this much different than any other Friday night? #momlife 

What is this stuff?! 

Hmm.. not so bad! 

Let me help you shovel the grass, Mom!

Saturday morning came and we decided it would be the perfect time to go through all the toys and have the girls pick items they would like to donate. We filled a HUGE box of old books, stuffed animals and other toys that just don't get played with anymore. Of course, I had to do a little coaxing and reminding of why we were doing this when a certain five year old tried to talk me into keeping a toy that hasn't seen the light for the past 3 years. But we got through that and I felt lighter already.

This box was later filled with books and toys to be donated!

After the big toy clean out- we headed out and played in the snow. The girls had an absolute blast and once we all couldn't feel our toes or noses, we headed inside for some hot chocolate. 

We ate a quick lunch and settled in for quiet time. After quiet time, we got up, got out of our jammies and headed to the mall. 

My loves : )

Always. in. motion. 

We weren't going to visit Santa, just check him out when we saw there wasn't a line. So, we decided to visit Santa. Sophia asked for a Barbie house and Saidey had a good view of my shirt as she all but strained her neck trying not to look at Santa. Sophia gave him a high five and plopped on his chair right next to him. She also tried telling him at least twice that "mommy has a lady bug on her neck." Oh lord, that child! After I stealthily redirected those statements, we said our goodbyes. 

We ran into a few stores that were having sales and I picked out some cute sweaters from BabyGap (40% off and 50% off for cardmembers). Isn't this one darling?! I've also been on a hunt for coordinating stockings for the entire family. Pottery Barn was having a 20% off sale so I got us all new stockings. 

We grabbed dinner at the mall and then headed to my mom and Robert's place. We visited for a little bit and then headed home. The girls hung out a little bit more before heading to bed.

Sunday was a cold, cold day so we decided to keep it pretty low key. While I cleaned a little and worked on laundry, Will took the girls to the basement to play. We had leftover pizza for lunch and then we all took naps. 

Right after she told me, "No sleep mama- Ipad."

Once we got up, we headed to Target to get a few groceries and other odds and ends. We usually get our groceries at Hy Vee and are done with grocery shopping in 30-45 minutes- we spent an hour and half in Target! GAH! Where did the time go? Note to self- stick to HyVee for grocery shopping! 

We jetted home to cook dinner (check out this post for my favorite soups) and warmed our bellies with hamburger soup. It is so easy, fast and yummy! A perfect soup for the cold winter months! 

We ate, did baths and got the girls into bed. Will and I settled on the couch- he worked on homework and I binged on a few episodes of Gilmore Girls before heading to bed ourselves. 

We look forward to a very short week and are excited for some family time. I hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving and you get to spend it with the people you love the most. I will not be back until next Monday as I want to take some time away from social media and the blog. 

Happy Thanksgiving (early!)

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