A whole real week back at school with no delays and no snow days…and we’re all incredibly exhausted. Vacation spoiled me. Although I did manage to find the energy for some incredibly low impact shuffling at the gym. I’m paying for it today by not being able to sit/stand/walk correctly. This pregnancy is kind of kicking my ass already.

Sunday:

Christmas boots she wears basically every day

Father-son hockey game date

Not sad she got left and home for Mommy cuddles

Monday:

Crazy ass weather

Singing to herself while I sign her up for ballet

Princess Tiana/Winter Elf

Tuesday:

I knit these out of buffalo fur. They’re insanely warm.

I’m pretending we left that pumpkin on the steps FOR the squirrels, and it’s not still there because I can’t deal with shoveling it up and throwing it in the garden.

Can’t sleep alone

Wednesday:

No one else signed up, so we get private swim lessons #WINNING

Fugitive Icee drinkers at Starbucks

Their new favorite bedtime book

Thursday:

He wanted me to take a picture of him standing on the “snow mountain” i.e. tiny lump of snow that didn’t melt in the rain

I took my very attractive children to see Frozen, again.

Sleeping with Elsa

Friday:

Let it go, let it go!

They dressed themselves, arranged this display and then requested I take a lot of pictures

Also how I feel.

Saturday:

Why did the one-legged wild turkey cross the road?

The appropriate way to watch My Little Pony

I was supposed to have these done last week but there are SO MANY good ones it’s taking me forever. Such gorgeous children.

I have two photo sessions to work on on Monday and one to shoot on Thursday. It’s definitely not as crazy as it was in the fall but I’m pretty thrilled to have clients even in the winter. I also realized I hardly ever take personal pictures anymore, so using my camera on my OWN kids is a goal for 2014.  And also to blog more, which I say every week but I’m failing. The difference between pregnant at 26 and pregnant at 31 is about 3 naps a day.

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.

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.

A short list of things of all sizes that I am thankful for right now:

1. Pie and yoga pants. Those count as one thing.

2. Podcasts. I would never clean anything in my house if it weren’t for podcasts. They are extremely distracting. A short list of my favorites: This American Life, How To Do Everything, Pop Culture Happy Hour, RadioLab, Stuff You Should Know, Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me and Planet Money. They make me feel smart.

3. A dishwasher. Doing all those Thanksgiving dishes by hand would have taken forever.

4. My children, who told me today they were most thankful for Mommy.

5. The moment when Evan told me he really believed in Santa…and then when he hugged me because I started crying. CHILDHOOD IS MAGIC.

6. Everyone who has supported me in any way as I started my photography business. It’s been (is) terrifying but I cannot wait to see how much it will grow in 2014.

7. Facebook. I am never lonely or bored or without validation when I have an internet connection.

8. Amazon Prime. Absolutely, totally, without question worth the subscription. The amount I save on shipping is crazy, although I’d probably buy a lot less stuff if I couldn’t get it in 2 days without having to go get my credit card from my wallet.

9. My husband, and the fact that he still goes to work every day to support us instead of running off the Mexico where the military will never find him. I almost wouldn’t blame him at this point.

10. Now it’s Christmas! SANTA. I KNOW HIM.

There are approximately 2 bazillionteen more things I am thankful for, but right now I’m thankful for warm coats and Starbucks since I promised the kids the aquarium, Santa, and the town tree lighting tonight.

Here are some not very good pictures of our boring, non-Pinterest, at-home Thanksgiving that I didn’t really edit and you probably don’t care about unless you are a relative very concerned we might not have had a proper meal on real plates at the table. Happy Thanksgiving!

I bought a turkey breast instead of a whole turkey and just sort of…winged it. Considering I was taking stuff in and out of the oven above and below the bird I’m shocked it came out delicious, with enough leftovers for sandwiches.

Potatoes with cheese, sour cream, cream cheese, bacon and chives > boring mashed potatoes

Wish bone! They failed.

CHEERS!

Don’t worry, it’s cranberry-apple sparkling cider, not “Mommy juice”.

MORE CHEERS!

Leftover begging face. It worked, obvs.

Time for pie!

The correct pie-eating method.