Four-tunate Mom: Random December 2016

I do realize that I have yet to complete May through November... :) I think I'll get there. But for now, I thought, well, I started on December, I should finish December!

Progress is progress... though I did discuss with Lauren the other day... when/if/do you think this blog will continue through? Does it end? When do I stop? When LeaAnn is done with elementary school?

I do LOVE having it to look back on... but not sure it's viable to keep it up??

Always thinking WAY to far ahead 😉

12/1/16 - Ok so here is Jill, Jody and I eating after shopping a bit on our annual sister holiday-shopping trip in Des Moines!

Friday, 12/2/16 - I drove home in time to see Lindsay play basketball during half-times of the JV and Varsity games :)

On Saturday, 12/3/16 - we had basketball in 2 different places and THIS HAPPENED!!! THE day I've been waiting for... forever. Our driveway was built... which means that a REAL house... not just one I dream about and talk about... WILL be built!!!!

It ended up being a beautiful driveway... sweeping... just love it :) Love Rick Ratchford too... he's the one whose in the dozer ;)

And then after games we began our 4H wreath deliveries! As a family.. super fun :) I took pictures of the girls at each place and posted on that person's wall on FB to 'advertise' of sorts for our 4H club, the Buffalo Bells :)

Adorable pictures, so I had to keep some :) and we ended at Grammy's house!

Sunday, 12/4 - looked what happened!! So beautiful!

the van smelled AMAZING... fresh fir wreaths in abundance are incredible :)

It ended up being quite a bit of snow.. as in it was hard to drive through on the gravel roads! But... the van made it.. we only 'almost' went in the ditch once ;) ha!

Grabbed lunch at DQ and then headed to Independence Walmart to ring the bell with our 4H girls!

Very proud of them... it was freezing! We sang carols and everything :)

This was the following weekend... Saturday, 12/10... NEW this year, Chris went hunting again. I was all for him going... it's much easier now to 'man' 4-kids all weekend long with no help ;) I used to do this when they were babies!! THAT was hard...

Before we left for basketball, I did this... was pretty proud of myself ;) Our elves, Joy Jingle & Holly, brought us these cute gingerbread houses the previous MONDAY (BIG mistake ;) b/c LeaAnn asked every. single. day. if we could make them that night)... so I FINALLY put them together so we could decorate that night. Good thing I did!! Little did I know ...

Back to hunting... and being along for 2-weekends in a row with 4 kids ;)

Still, juggling 2 different girls basketball games at 2 different places... and we were scheduled to drive to the Nutcracker in Iowa City AFTER the games.

Found a ride for Lauren to get to Jesup, Bo would bring her to Center Point, and then after Lindsay's games, we would drive down from there.
We dressed-up, the little girls and I, didn't get a picture of that.
And we waited... I was really anxious b/c there was snow coming... but I truly didn't think it would pan out. PLUS... it's always mom breaking their hearts ;)
I used to be better at it... but the more people you have asking, the harder it gets...
it's easy to tell 2 little people no... but telling 4 of them... I get out numbered quick.

So ... the big girls wanted to play in their games... so I made it happen.
All of them wanted to go to Iowa City... but we waited too long, I should have made the decision for Lindsay to NOT play in her last game. We did not get to 'do it all' - and they were devastated.

As we started driving to Iowa City, I decided the snow and the drive was not worth it.
Tears... lots of them, from all of them. It was terrible.
If we had planned to spend the night, maybe I would have stuck it out, but we didn't...
I was all along planning to drive HOME b/c they had their Sunday School program the next day...
Jill & Jeanette were begging me... told me it would probably be cancelled, and to drive down and stay... but I just couldn't. So... we turned around and drove home.

Longest drive ever... the roads really were bad. But we made it. Came inside, changed into super comfy clothes and crashed on the couch for 45-minutes. I took this picture of little girls comfy clothes... b/c these are the exact same outfits that Lauren & Linds used to wear!

After I got up, we decorated the houses :) and watched a movie... it was perfect. So the next morning was Sunday, and we had our Sunday School program! (on another post)

This was Monday, 12/12 - didn't matter how cold it was... these little 2 LOVED it!

I HAD to go see their tunnel and couch :)

This happened before going to bed... it was HI-LARIOUS!!! so funny... Lauren was obviously not around ;)

Tuesday, 12/13... I said, "who am I?"

I dressed like King Dad for the day ;)

Friday, 12/16 - I drove them all to the library and Lydia & LeaAnn got their very own library cards!

And then we stopped in at Craig & Sharon's for dinner. Super fun night... I actually made something... oh yes! Chicken n dumplings! Was proud of myself for that... and we joined them for dinner... b/c Jamie, Bridget & kids were supposed to have come home... but b/c of the weather, they did not :( and Sharon was sad... so we helped fill her house with extra bodies, extra kids, ate soup together and played a few games .. we had a wonderful time. So thankful to have friends like family here in Iowa.❤

The next day, Saturday, 12/17 - Santa & Mrs. Claus came to Winthrop! The C&C club along with the Winthrop library sponsors this and we haven't been able to go for the past few years!
A few weeks prior, Maggie & I went shopping for all the gifts... it was super fun!
This was going to be another dicey day of figuring out who goes where, but due to the cold, the girls' basketball games were cancelled (could have had them, but they cancelled the night before).
So here was the pics of this year...

And THIS is what our picture looked like 5-years prior!! :D For the full blog account, click here.

Loved this comparison pic ;)

Sunday, 12/18 - playing with the Advent Calendar Mimi :) they too, are the best of friends... more times than not it's when the big girls are NOT around... ;)

That evening we had our 4H Christmas party at Wolfey's! Church had been cancelled that morning b/c of the cold... like -30 or something with wind chill... redic 😒
BUT despite the cold, we had a great turn-out and it was a ton of fun!