Thanksgiving in Iowa

We headed to Auntie's house in Iowa for Thanksgiving.  We left bright and early on Thursday so we could get there before noon.  I think I got up at 5:30.  We had to wake Punky and Buddy up at 6:30 to get them dressed, fed and out the door by 7:15.  I got a little taste of what a working mom goes through every morning! 

We were a little hesitant about going to a restaurant for Thanksgiving dinner, but we went along with the plan.  We met everyone at the restaurant at about 11:30.  The weather was nice, so everyone stayed outside and stretched after sitting in the car for 4 hours.  The wait wasn't too bad at all, just under an hour.  The food was good and we had plenty to eat.  All in all, it was a success!

 
At midnight, the girls decided to hit up some stores to find some Black Friday deals.  Grandma, Auntie, Abby and I went to Target, Walmart and Kohls.  It was insane!  And because we didn't really want/need anything in particular, it was a big waste of time!  But we had fun laughing about all the crazy people out there!  I thought about buying a set of storage containers and a new memory card for our camera, but we decided that waiting in the checkout lines for over an hour was not worth saving $10.  It was a great "bonding" experience!

On Friday, Auntie surprised Punky with tickets to Disney on Ice.  Leah got cheap tickets through her Girl Scout troop, so Auntie, Leah, Punky and I all got to go.  Auntie spoiled Punky so much!  She got a stuffed Flounder (who is now a new buddy on her bed) and a light-up cup.  Her favorite by far though was the "ticket" which was really an extra Girl Scout Badge.  Punky held on to her "ticket" the whole show and would point at each character as they were ice skating.  It was so cute!  She was so excited and had so much fun!  Thanks, Auntie!

Holding on to their "tickets"

On Saturday, we went to Bass Pro Shops to see Santa Claus.  Punky was a sweetie and answered all of Santa's questions.  She told Santa she wants a doll house and Buddy wants a ball.  Buddy was not so sure when I put him in Santa's lap.  There weren't too many tears, but he definitely wasn't happy. 

We had a good weekend in Iowa with Grandma, Grandpa, Auntie, Uncle Nate, Leah and Abby.  On the way home, Punky noticed lots of Christmas decorations.  It is going to be a fun year celebrating Christmas through the eyes of our two little kids.

Snow Day

It was the first snowfall of the season.  Daddy took Punky and Buddy outside to play in the snow on Saturday.  On Sunday, Punky asked if she could go "snowing" outside again.  It gave me some time to sweep, empty the dishwasher and accomplish other things that are impossible to do with a 14 month old boy running around the house.  I peaked outside a few times and saw Daddy pulling the kids in the sled, Punky eating snow, and Buddy shoveling.  I think they had a great time!  We'll see if they are still as excited come April!

Aren't kids in snowsuits the funniest thing ever?!?

  

Big Changes

This week has been full of big changes for all of us.  I started a part-time job unpaid internship at the local public library.  I am now working two nights a week and Saturday mornings.  In addition, I also started tutoring Spanish to my old boss's high school son one night a week.  So, I am gone for three bedtimes a week! 

It was actually a great week, but I was a little hesitant at first.  One minute, I think I am ready to start working again.  And the next minute, I am so sad to miss out on time spent with my family.  It has been a hard adjustment for me!  The kids, on the other hand, have hardly noticed.  They are perfectly happy with Daddy home a little early.  I don't think Daddy minds leaving work a little early twice a week either.  The most difficult for him is probably answering all of my questions (How was bedtime?, What did they eat?, What book did you read for bedtime?).  I can't miss out on anything! 

My first day was a lot of training.  I left the headlights on while I was working and came out at 9pm to a dead battery... but that is a whole other story.  Then on my second day, I shadowed the reference librarian.  There were a lot of hard questions that I had no clue how to find.  (Can you help me find a current map of Jerusalem with borderlines, etc.?  Where can I purchase desicant packages at a brick-and-morter store not online?)  And today, I was on my own!  And I will say, it was SO. MUCH. FUN!  I sat at the reference desk for the first hour and the rest of the time I was "roving".  I helped kids find books on horses, Disney princesses and adults find articles from Consumer Reports.

Hopefully this internship will pay off and help me get some sort of library job somewhere sometime in the near future.  Although it has been difficult to leave Punky and Buddy, I know most moms do it every single day.  I know I would love working in a library and hopefully I'll be able to find something this winter!       

Girl's Weekend

On Thursday, we headed to South Dakota as we do every year at this time.  On our way to Grandma and Grandpa's house, we stopped and had supper with Uncle Sean and Hilary.  The timing worked out perfectly because Punky and Buddy were getting antsy after being in the car for 4 hours.  They were not very well behaved at the restaurant but it was a noisy place anyway.  Punky ate about 4 bowls of popcorn and none of her supper.  Next time we'll be sure to not sit right next to the popcorn machine.

An hour later, we got to Grandpa and Grandma's house.  It was already past their regular bedtime, but Punky and Buddy were so happy to see Grandpa and Grandma.  We spent some quality time together before heading to bed two hours late. 

The next morning, Derek and Grandpa Max planned to head to the Black Hills around noon.  So we all spent the morning enjoying the farm.  I didn't grow up on a farm.  In fact, I would consider myself a city girl.  I honestly don't know if I'd be able to survive without a Target Chipotle within a 10 mile radius.  But, I love spending time on the farm.  It is peaceful and nothing beats spending time outdoors in the fresh air.

We took a walk down the dirt road.  We visited the cows in the pasture.  I am sure Buddy would've jumped the fence if we wouldn't have been holding him down.  We walked through the woods, looked at the old buildings on Grandpa and Grandma's property, and played in the leaves.  The farmer that works on Grandpa's land was out in the tractor.  He stopped to say Hello and offered to give Punky a ride.

After Daddy and Grandpa left, we headed to town.  We visited Great-Grandma Raynie, did some shopping and went out to dinner.  The next day we had big plans to head to my hometown to visit the new Children's Museum. 

There were so many fun things to remember about the Children's Museum.  Grandma and I stayed busy chasing after Punky and Buddy.  They had so much fun at each exhibit.  Punky said her favorite part was "fixing the car" but I think it was the grocery store.  Buddy's favorite part was probably the water room.

Changing a tire

Grocery Shopping

Future Stock Boy?

Paying

Milking a wooden cow

Taking a break to read his favorite book. 
We seriously read this book multiple times EVERY day. 

Playing in the water

Creating a marble painting

Today Punky was feeling under the weather.  She didn't eat anything all day, asked for a nap at 11, and threw up a few times.  She asked to go to sleep at 6.  Of course, she will NOT take any meds, so the poor little girl is still feeling yucky.  Buddy has been himself today (a.k.a. getting into everything!).  We were able to spend a little time outside today, but generally it has been pretty low key. 

Tomorrow Derek and Grandpa are due back in the afternoon and we will leave around supper time.

Years ago, our girl's weekends were spent shopping, shopping and shopping.  Eventhough our activities are more kid-centered now, I had a lot of fun this year.  The kids were fairly well behaved and enjoyed spending time at Grandma's house.  Our schedules weren't thrown way off, and both kids slept well, so that meant that I got a little break and some time to relax myself.  I couldn't ask for more!