This year, Evan is in 4th grade, Caroline is in 3rd grade, and Lincoln is going to full-day child care preschool. That means from 9 am until 4 pm every weekday I have only ONE KID to take care of. So far it’s going great, both here at home and at school. Evan and Caroline both love their teachers. Evan gets to take band this year and he’s chosen the trombone, so he’ll also get a pretty good workout carrying it back and forth on the bus twice a week. Caroline is pretty jealous but she’ll get to pick an instrument next year. Lincoln has gotten on and off the bus cheerfully every day, even if he is still mad he’s in a “downstairs” classroom instead of his old class upstairs. I’m not even sure his best friend goes to his daycare anymore, but I’m sure he’ll make a new best friend quickly.

Besides these big kids, Finnegan and I are SO excited to hang out together. He’s so NICE when he has my undivided attention. His language has exploded, he likes riding in the car and he has chosen to take naps almost every afternoon, so I’m getting our disaster house back under control and preparing for some big renovation work this fall. It’s a good time of year for all of us.

I can barely remember this week. I can barely remember yesterday. I can barely remember my own name.

Sunday:

Everyone loves our new washer

Matching dinners

I bought a mop.

Monday:

Rocks we found at the park!

Back to school night hot dogs

He looks so smug

Tuesday:

Checking out the white rhinos

Kangaroos know how to relax

Never holds still

Wednesday:

BACK TO SCHOOL THANK GOD

Checking out his new playground

Cupcake destroyer

Thursday:

I cleaned downstairs. I cleaned upstairs. I came downstairs to this.

Not excited about school.

Everyone home again and back to chaos

Friday:

Slowly moving marbles

Cream cheese face

Still learning how to selfie

Saturday:

Rock hunting

Caroline was convinced she could climb this tree

The Niantic turtle

Today, my little baby Finnegan learned how to climb up onto the couch. He still does not know how to climb OFF the couch safely, so my stress level is pretty high. Keeping him from cracking his head open is not my favorite way to spend our afternoons, but then again the ER waiting room would definitely be worse.

I got rid of the old sink from before our bathroom reno today. It feels like a huge accomplishment because it’s been just taking up space in the nursery for months now. Hopefully I can keep taking tiny productive steps until the house is truly clean and organized.

No, but seriously, can it just stop being cold now? I’m tired of being cold. I don’t even care if it rains, I just want to wear flip-flips.

Sunday:

Have I mentioned we’re going to Disneyworld this summer? Don’t tell the kids, they don’t know.

At the fancy theater to see Beauty & The Beast

Lincoln attack

Monday:

Peek a boo

My tree is infested with monkeys

The face he makes when I tell him not to climb on the back of the couch

Tuesday:

Giving Everest a check-up at Toddler Tuesday

Matchy stripes

Coffee stealer

Wednesday:

SQUISH

No, you can’t come in, goodbye

Chicken pineapple party tacos were SO good

Thursday:

CHEERS

Showing off his chompers

New glasses

Friday:

Passed out

These were gross but delicious

Chatty baby

Saturday:

He’s asleep like this. Standing up.

Making her cooking video show

Finnegan did not care for being trapped in the dark

My weather app says it’s supposed to be 58 degrees and sunny tomorrow. If that’s the case I plan to spend the whole day somewhere that is NOT my couch. I’m so tired of my couch. No one likes their couch enough to spend this much time with it. It’s time to break up with my couch and start dating the stroller, the playground and the seaport.

My husband does this thing where he sits right next to me on the couch and checks my blog. I often point out to him if he hasn’t SEEN me blogging it probably didn’t happen, because my hands are pretty full during the day. He still checks it. I mean, at least it’s nice to have a loyal reader even though I suck at updating?

Sunday:

Little boy in a big bed

Obviously very good at Sundays

Decorating their new marble jars

Monday:

There are at least 2 dozen people who had my old password saved in their phones, so this will make the new router easier for everyone

CL A M and G I F T

He is a fan of baby yogurt

Tuesday:

Toddlersplaining granola bars to me

Unsure about selfies

I call these my unicorn shoes

Wednesday:

He’s so big now

This was his 2016 computer project

I ate these too fast. I need more.

Thursday:

Cute, but such a mess

WHO WANTS TO WATCH MOANA AGAIN?

These two <3 <3

Friday:

OH HAI

Couch naps

The sunset was really pretty but I was too tired to go outside to take a picture

Saturday:

Sleeping in a closet

Superheroes vs Jedi

It felt like spring today, but the rest of the week is going back to miserable and cold. At this point, even my mega-dose of Vitamin D every day isn’t going to be able to keep me from becoming despondent. I NEED SUNSHINE AND WARMTH. I am a lizard who is going to die if I can’t warm my body naturally. Or at least I feel like one, because our heat has made the air in the house so dry my face is starting to peel off.

Happy Thanksgiving! I’m a little late and fully into Christmas mode now, which is my favorite part of the year. I’d like to just live in the 4 weeks before Christmas forever. We had friends here for the holiday and it was so, so great. They did so much work/child entertaining that it felt like a vacation instead of hosting.

Sunday:

Super excited to give this to Evan for Christmas

The extent of my Thanksgiving decorating

Sibling cuddles

Monday:

First snow!

Linc likes “helping”

Hello cutie

Tuesday:

Making his Christmas list

The most beautiful wrap in the world

Sunset = same time as bus pick up

Wednesday:

Shop til you drop

Don’t even care what they watch as long as they’re quite for 20 minutes

Thursday:

Men doing manly turkey frying

Potato masher

Caroline is the quality control department

Friday:

Black Friday Hanna shopping

Linc was SO into decorating, it was adorable

More gingerbread building

Saturday:

Christmas tree hunter

Small town adorable parade

Tree is up!

For the record, I am still sick. It’s now been 4 weeks with the cough, that has now become a sinus infection, most likely an ear infection and a weird painful bump on the roof of my mouth the internet tells me is probably related. I’m almost desperate enough to go to the doctor, although I’m still 90% sure they’ll say “it’s a virus, nothing we can do”. Maybe just MAKING an appointment will scare the virus into going away. I’m pretty sure that’s how viruses work.