Christmas Eve and the Week Leading Up to It...

So my husband made it home in time for all of us to go to the high school together, we were a little late but made it. It was a lot smaller this year and it was interesting because some of the teachers were boycotting the dinner. The school district normally gives the teachers a little stipend around the holidays but this year said that they would not be able to. But then they had this dinner for the teachers and they provided them with a tumbler as well. Some of the teachers were not happy with it, but my kids got to run around in the gym and I did not have to cook dinner and got a free meal. I was fine.

Tuesday I signed up to bring a dessert to the school for our lunch. The first three days of the week, we had a lunch provided in the lounge; the school was broken up into three and each day people provided lunch and a treat. Monday they had Hawaiian haystacks, and Tuesday our group did a taco bar and on Wednesday they had soup. So I was going to make another pan of pumpkin squares but we had some leftover from Sunday, so I just put some on a plate and brought it. They all got eaten, I could have done more but I was glad I didn’t make another one.

Tuesday afternoon Sally had some more testing; I had to answer some more questions and it was a two hour appointment, so after I finished my part, I just sat and ready. Sally was nervous again when we first got there but seemed to do okay. I am just so apprehensive about it all.

Wednesday Macy had her first physical therapy appointment. Looking back I do not think that I mentioned what is going on with her. So for the past couple of months, she has been complaining about knee pain. I kept putting it off as growing pains and what not, but last week I finally took her into the doctor. The pain is actually below the knee where the growth plate is. They took some x-rays and came back to say that she probably has something called Osgood Schlatter’s disease. Osgood-Schlatter disease is an inflammation of the area where the patellar tendon attaches to the shinbone; it is caused by the growing of the bones and how the muscles are not growing as fast at the bones and there is some strain. So anyway, last week Macy after going to the doctor, we went and got some braces to wear and then got a referral for PT.

The appointment went good, she is going to the same place that Teddy went to last year and I think it will help her. I am a little sad because we had a good insurance last time and now we are going to have to pay a lot more, but you would do anything to help your kids heal right…we have exercises to do at home and well do PT for the next month to see if we can help get her muscles in her thigh to strengthen and give a little relief to the tendons.

Teddy had a birthday party on Wednesday; there is a new snow park in Idaho Falls that has a big tube hill. My husband was able to drop him off after work and I was able to pick him up later. He had a great time. He really has such a good group of friends.

Sally had a friend come over after PT; this friend had come over before school started but it was a little awkward because my husband set up the play date and I wasn’t home at the time and when I got home, Sally was not home. The friend and her dad were waiting and so I hopped in my car in search of Sally. I could not find her. I drove all around town and nothing. I called the neighbor who she was supposedly playing with and her daughter was not home either. I had a feeling they were together but could not find them. I called the mom back and she said that her daughter had talked about wanting to go to the dollar store later on and I decided to go and look. Low and behold they were in the check out line of the store. The friends older brother was with them, so two eight year olds hadn’t been shopping all alone but Sally didn’t have any money, the friend was going to pay for the stuff. But the friend didn’t have enough, so I ended up paying for the left over and then hauled Sally’s little booty out of there. We made it back to our house and the girls tried to play, but it was the first time they had met and the friend was a little shy and didn’t want to stay too long.

This friend ended up being in Sally’s class at school and her dad works at the high school and went to the home football games and the dinner we provided for the coaches after. So Sally and this friend got to know each other and play more at the school. So this time, coming to our house, they had a good time. We had scheduled to play pickleball Wednesday evening, so I brought her friend home and the girls came to the church with me. They were going to watch some little boys in the nursery, while the adults played. Well, of course, this night there was a conflict and someone else was already in the gym at the church. I was sad not to get to play but Macy was so sad that she didn’t get to babysit the boys.

So I texted the mom and asked if they wanted to go out and do something, we could come over and watch the boys at their house. She texted back and said that they would love to do something and if we wanted to come on Thursday.

Thursday Sally had her last day of testing; I had to fill out a 275 question paper and it was a little tedious but I finished it. I also met with the tester at the end and did another questionnaire about autism. After doing this one, I had the feeling that Sally is not autistic but I definitely feel like she has something going on with her brain and something is off; the lady said that it would take about a week for her to finish her report and then the doctor would compile all the stuff and let us know. So fingers crossed we hear back soon and I can have some answers. Sally is happy that she no longer has to go and get therapy on her brain. So we shall see.

So after coming home from her testing, we got ready and headed over to babysit. The girls did so good and played with the boys and then we watched some Bluey and then the parents were home. It went quick and I was happy we were able to do it.

Teddy had a Christmas party that I was able to get him a ride too and I was glad. He has a girl that he likes but they are just friends. He has a group of kids that just all hang out and its nice. He went out with my husband earlier in the week and used his own money to buy a present for this girl. He got her some slippers and she said she really liked them. They text a lot but I am glad because he does it from his Ipad and it is though my phone number so I can see whatever they talk.

After babysitting, the girls and I headed to Idaho Falls. I had told Sally earlier that we could go to dinner. Macy really wanted Taco Bell but Sally wanted McDonalds. I told Macy we could drive thru and get her a taco and eat it at McDonalds. We got down to Idaho Falls and there were literally over 20 cars in the drive thru at Taco Bell, I told her we could park and go in but as we did a car motioned for us to roll our window down and they told us that the wait time was an hour. Macy was sad but I told her we were not going to wait and I convinced her the McDonalds was okay.

We ordered and had our food within 10 minutes and they had a nice time playing on the play place.

They each got a 10 piece nuggets and I got a burger and smoothie. I tried a few of their nuggets and it brought back memories of driving cross country when I was probably about their age. I could down a 20 piece nuggets like no other; that was about the time where I gained a ton of weight and started the uphill battle that I am still facing today.

My girls are in a good place right now; they both weigh more than most of their kids for their age but they haven’t ever mentioned much about being fat or anything like that. I have dreaded them getting older and having to possibly deal with what I went through. I was a maniac about food and ate like there was no tomorrow; I would not wish upon anyone the war that I have fought the last almost 30 years but I have tools that I hope that I can bring to my girls and help them.

Anyway, when we got back I went and got Teddy and then took a bath and went to bed.

Friday morning I was so happy that we did not have to wake up for work and school. I was able to sleep in a little bit but got up and got ready for a surprise birthday party for a lady in our ward. It was sweet and nice to get out and have a breakfast.

After I got home, Teddy and I got ready and went to the temple with another family from our ward. It turned out really nice; I was able to be baptized and that is always special. I did it back in August but the last few times that I have been with Teddy, I have just witnessed.

My husband was able to take Macy to physical therapy and then he took both girls to Idaho Falls to try and find some new pillows for his bed. He is so particular about his pillows. Last time we had to replace them, we went to four different stores and finally found some that were suitable for his needs. This time he was not able to find some, so well have to see if we can go again sometime. He also said that for Christmas he wanted a new quilt; but when I asked if he found one he liked, he said he forgot to look.

He did buy the girls some new shoes; Macy has grown out of her Sunday shoes and so she got some boots to wear this winter. Sally got some shiny combat boots that I think she will wear for church.

While they were gone, Teddy had a friend come over and I just puttered around. I started in my room wrapping some presents and then I started some laundry and then I tried to spend a little bit of time in each room. I seemed to be going and going all afternoon but didn’t really have much to show for it. I hope that I can get it cleaned up more. My husband decided to write out a list of things that needed to be worked out and so well see if we stick to it.

Friday night a family brought over a card game called Monopoly Deal; Macy, Sam and I played it and it was actually fun. I am not a huge game fan and have never really liked monopoly but I tried and it turned out nice.

Sally fell asleep on the couch as we played and Macy wanted to stay up forever. She is having a really hard time sleeping right now, especially in her own bed. Sometimes she comes into bed with me and is asleep in 2 minutes and sleeps well, but in her own bed it’s a different story. I think its a lot in her head but she just says shes not tired every night and she tells herself in her head and she cant sleep in her bed and sikes herself out.

She was able to get to sleep after a while and I was glad. Saturday morning Sally woke up pretty early and I got her some breakfast. I tried to go back to sleep but I was not able to. I decided to get up and get a start on my day. I started with the upstairs bathroom and was able to get that cleaned up. I then started puttering again, I went through the different rooms upstairs and started small. Around 9 I decided that I would go down to Idaho Falls for some last minute shopping. I was glad I got out when I did, it was already busy and I bet if I would have gone in the after it would have been super crowded.

So while we were on our way to the temple on Friday, my neighbor commented that she was upset that the sun was shinning and that we didn’t have snow for Christmas. I checked my weather app and nothing showed up. Well, Saturday morning we woke up to snow and I was so annoyed, but then I thought about my friend and was happy for her. The roads were not too bad but I did go slower than I normally would have. It kept snowing most of the day.

I went to Target and got the girls a few stocking stuff. I got Sally a sweater and I hope that she likes it. I also went down the book isle and it took my a long time but I was able to find her two books. After I left the store, I realized that one of the books that I had gotten her was the second book in a series, so I went onto Amazon and ordered book one. This is one of the times that I don’t like shopping and finding things so close to Christmas. If I can’t find it in the store and I have to order it, it wont get here in time. But at least she has something to open up and will get the book a few days later.

I then went over to Walmart and did some food shopping and got Teddy a few stocking stuffer stuff. I was able to make it home in time to take Teddy to a friends house in Rexburg. While I was gone, the kids had cleaned up downstairs and that was nice. I was able to get the upstairs looking pretty good.

Macy had a birthday party in the afternoon; she was so happy to get to get out of the house. I was happy for her too. We were not able to get to everything on our list of things to do. Because of the snow my husband did not want to clean out his car and the garage was just looming at us all day. My husband told me that we would tackle it at a certain time, but he fell asleep and couldn’t wake up, so we put it off. We shall see if we really get to it next week.

Thursday had been our garbage day and we forgot to put out of can. Macy normally does it after singing and dance class but we didn’t have it this week, so we forgot. We have a ton of garbage bags in the garage, so I hope we can get it cleaned and taken out this week. My husband said he will take the boxes and bags to the school dumpster one day…

When she got home from her party, I asked my husband if he wanted to go down to Idaho Falls to get a few things for him for Christmas, but he said he didn’t want to hassle with the crowds and we could go after Christmas. I had wanted to get him at least something to be able to open. He wants a new Sunday shirt and a new quilt to sleep with; but I am glad that we didn’t go down there either. I really only have one thing under the tree as well, so that’s okay.

That night we did brave the crowd at our local grocery store, we got a few things for dinner and then we got some stuff for Christmas eve. It is a tradition for the kids to play minute to win it games and this year we picked a few more than we normally do. Last year there was one that made me mad because it got my kitchen floor all wet, so I said they couldn’t do that one but others would be fine. My husband did a good job of finding stuff to do.

Something else that was interesting was our bill at the store was huge, my husband made a comment that we did not buy that much stuff but it was so expensive. I have been stressing so much about money and how we are going to survive. His rationality is still for me to get a full time job and I am still just not wanting too. I hate that I have put myself in this situation; I am so overwhelmed and not sure what to do. But I am going to keep trying to figure it out. One night this week I searched some jobs; two companies have stuck out to me and they had different positions open a lot of them were 12 hour shifts and some were nights. I wish there was a night shift that was 8 hours. Maybe I can keep looking and maybe something can work out. I just also like what I am doing at the school. I like being in the background and I do not like having a ton of responsibilities. I like doing what the teachers need me to do and I like going home and not worrying about work stuff. So I don’t know what to do.

Anyway, I wrapped presents on Saturday night after the kids went to bed. I soaked in a bath for a while and then went to bed. I forgot that it was my dad's 70th birthday on Saturday, I was able to call intime to get him and tell him. What a great accomplishment, my parents are in Charlotte at my sister's house and they made it very special for him. I was glad!!!

Sunday morning came bright and early. Sally was up at the crack of dawn again and I got her some breakfast and laid back down, but it was only for a little bit. I got up and got ready. My husband told the girls when they went down to wake him up, that he was too tried to go. When I went to bed last night after midnight, he and Teddy were still up downstairs. Teddy was up this morning but not him. I do not know what time he went to bed but he said he didn’t sleep at all and couldn’t get up.

I didn’t push it and it was just the kids and I who went to church. We seemed to be on track to get to church in plenty of time, but we were a few minutes late. We had what seemed like a lot of people there today. Our normal row was occupied so we found a seat on the side bench with another family. It was a little tight but we made it. Sally almost had a complete meltdown that we were sitting somewhere different, but she calmed down after a few minutes. Teddy was up passing the sacrament, so when he came back down, I told him to sit in front of us. His friend had a spot next to him so I told him he could go sit by him. I hope his mom was okay with that.

The girls got to sing at church and then we had some other musical numbers and that was it. We did not have our singing and classes today, which was nice. But we also got home from church at 10 and it was a long day. I got the kids some lunch and then I laid back down and today I was able to go to sleep, it was not uninterrupted because the kids kept coming in but I did sleep some. I was annoyed because I was actually more tired when I got up but was able to get out of my fog.

Saturday night we started a puzzle that someone had given us and it took us forever to get the edge pieces and the border done, but we did before we went to bed. Macy and I worked on it this afternoon and made minuscule progress but had a good time. My husband made dinner tonight, it was his authentic lasagna. His meal take over 3 hours to make, so while he was doing that he came in to help with the puzzle too. He is the better of the three and we were glad for his help.

After dinner we cleaned up some more and then the kids got to open up their Christmas eve present. It was jammies and they seemed to like them. We then played the minute to win it games and prepared for bed. 

The girls are sleeping downstairs and that is nice. They had a harder time falling asleep but I think they are down now. They went to bed an hour or more earlier than the last two nights, so I bet they will be up bright and early, but hopefully they can find something to do downstairs in the morning and let us sleep in some. If not, o well.

I was able to get their stuff set out; I kept saying that we were going to have a small Christmas but it seems like we have a lot of stuff, a lot of it is small, but I think the kids are going to like it. I am ready for bed and I am preparing myself for tomorrow. There is always an excitement for Christmas morning and then I have this overwhelming sadness and let down. I am mentally telling myself that it will be okay and I know it will be. Last Christmas my phone was acting up too, so it was even harder to enjoy the morning when I couldn’t document how I wanted to. Fingers crossed tomorrow goes off without a hitch.

I like it to last as long as it can. In my home growing up, we had breakfast and then went downstairs or out to the stockings. We opened up our stocking stuff and then we waited and then went around one at a time opening up gifts and it was more drawn out. My husband and his brothers got up early and without his parents, went and opened up all their stuff and it was done really fast. That is normally how he wants to do Christmas, most of the time he just wants to go back to sleep; but then I want to do it my way. So we kind of came up with unsaid rule that I would take one year and him the next. Well Macy told me today that she wanted to take her time. She went and told her dad and I know that he thinks I told her that is how we should do it, but didn’t say anything so we shall see. I think it is his year, so when we get up and going tomorrow, I will just sit back and see how it plays out. It sometimes is hard to relinquish the control of what I want, but I am trying hard to be better.

So that’s it for this week