Welcome to a WHOLE NEW WORLD. This world is called “My husband is home after 4 months of being totally gone and 3+ years of being mostly absent”. We’re a full week in and definitely still adjusting, especially since not only is E back from sea he has a MONTH OFF. I’m trying to make up for the last 3 holiday seasons he mostly missed in the next 3 weeks, so the gingers might be missing a little school. Who really learns anything between Thanksgiving and Christmas anyways? They’ll have plenty of time for school during the horrible months of January, February and March.

Sunday:

Warm enough for a casual walk to church

What big eyes you have

I pulled over to take a picture of a heron, but it flew away so just IMAGINE a beautiful white heron in this picture

Monday:

SWEATER PANTS

The first time I got him on my back for any length of time and he REALLY liked it

Sitting in the dark editing newborn photos because that’s when it is quiet

Tuesday:

WHY IS THIS BABY IN MY SWING????

I took approximately 65 pictures to get ONE where she was holding still enough to be in focus

Wednesday:

Super excited to be “helping” Caroline

Gross, gross, gross weather

Helping with the apple pie

Thursday:

We ate a bunch…

…visited some baby friends…

…and then relaxed in our pie comas.

Friday:

Instead of Black Friday shopping, I got my roots done. Wise choice.

Gorgeous (COLD) day to chop down a tree

Light Up City Hall

Saturday:

E taught the kids SkipBo. They’re terrible.

SANTAAAAAA!!! I KNOW HIM!

Linc is SO DONE with his stuffy nose. Poor baby.

I think I might have actual blog posts to write this week. Although don’t get your hopes up TOO much, I also have two sessions to edit and Christmas cards/birthday invites to order. Plus finishing up a bunch of loose work ends. So…just kidding about the blogging thing. I should be able to actually sit down and write about things on my mind some time after the new year.

Considering this week was Christmas, it was decidedly uneventful. I mean, BESIDES Christmas. But we spent all of the 25th (and the 26th) in pajamas eating stocking candy and being as lazy as possible. Then I got the worst pregnancy headache of my life (aren’t you glad I announced so now I can complain about it all the time???) and barely moved for 2 more days, so there you have it. Uneventful.

Sunday:

At the casino for some shopping, donuts and examining a fake ice wolf

Sleeping beauty

I have eaten two of these in a week

Monday:

Watching the zamboni

Once she got the walker thing she did great

5 pm. THANK GOD the days are finally getting longer again.

Tuesday:

A Christmas cookie miracle!

Easiest baking ever

My favorite part of Christmas Eve

Wednesday:

Arming my children, one gift at a time

Presents bigger than the child herself

Blurrily playing their new Jake and the Neverland Pirates game

Thursday:

Christmas recovery: chugging water and watching HGTV

Wiggly tooth. He fell on his face. The dentist said he’s going to lose it and have a hole for a long time.

Nothing says “Happy Day After Christmas” like Taco Bell

Friday:

Two things in common: cuddles and technology

Using his new fan to dry Caroline’s nail polish

Saturday:

Apparently all the baby wants is fake Mexican food

Naps for those of us with migraines/exhaustion

I had a newborn session this week (an early Christmas present not due until January!) and another session scheduled for next week, and I’m surprised to find myself excited about it. I burned out a little after the fall and hardly picked up my camera during the holidays so I’m excited to get it out again. Plus I’ve got a pregnancy post to write and a What’s for Dinner post I never finished and like 10,000 words about the Walking Dead I’d like to write but will spare you because no one cares about a show that already happened even if I only just caught up on.

I should probably also get the kids out of the house before we all go nuts, but everyone is doing that so pretty much everywhere is full of parents with the same crazy look in their eyes counting the days until school vacation ends.  I’m hoping a Target run for some storage bins and and Icees for the kids will do the trick.

Those should come in handy right around July  16th, 2014.

Back in August I saw a post go up on Facebook for the Essex Steam Train North Pole Express tickets. They’d only been on sale for like 20 minutes and the page was blowing up with people who couldn’t get on the specific train they wanted because they were already sold out. So I made a snap judgement, crossed my fingers that my husband would get first-half leave, and threw down a bunch of dollars for four tickets.

I would recommend it. Maybe not for a 3 year old, although Caroline loved it, but definitely for kids a little older who still believe in Santa. It was pretty magical, especially when our elf (every train car gets their own elf) found out it was Caroline’s birthday and had everyone sing Happy Birthday to her. I only managed to choke back about 85% of my tears, because magic.

And now here are a bazillion pictures:

Matching pajamas because I win at parenting

Snack before we board

THESE FACES.

TOTALLY WORTH THE TICKET PRICE

Looking at the North Pole

Dancing in the aisles

I wasn’t sure we were ever going to get Caroline off the train – she LOVED her elf

Merry, merry Christmas to my Christmas-celebrating friends! I hope you all have a lovely holiday full of magic and family and memories and cookies.

I didn’t want to jinx it before now, my it looks like E is really truly on vacation. The kids are ALMOST getting used to having him around, although every time they wake up and he’s still here they freak out again.

Sunday:

FTR as of today (a week later) this balloon is still floating

Playing with her favorite baby friend

They are excellent babysitters

Monday:

De-icing the steps

This is clean now, or I’d be too ashamed to share the mess

The view from my new couch is pretty good

Tuesday:

This hat is the best purchase of the winter so far

IT’S COOOOOOOOLD

They sent the kids home early because THIS.

Wednesday:

Doing snow karate in his pajamas

Sledding is 100 more fun when there is someone to help pull the sleds

Decorating all the cookies for her school celebration in the morning

Thursday:

Three

Twinkle lights on the train

She had a super great time

Friday:

Princess Caroline is pleased with her new gown

Chilis serves blue slurpees to children

A pile of gingers and pillows

Saturday:

This is how I get to sleep in on Saturdays

Two serious movie watchers

This is why having my husband home is AWESOME.

We’re watching The Walking Dead from the beginning (we’d only seen the first couple of episodes) so I’m not really sleeping. I CANNOT HANDLE ZOMBIES and yet I can’t stop watching this show. If E wasn’t home there is no way I could handle it, so we have to get through all of it before he goes back to working insane hours. I’m just so happy it looks like he’ll be home for Christmas.