After a boring first half of the week, we went up to Rochester, New York for my grandfather’s memorial service. It wasn’t exactly a super fun good time!!! but it was nice to see so much of the family and talk about all of our wonderful memories of Grandpa. The kids were remarkably well behaved despite missing naps two days in a row and all of us sleeping in one hotel room. They were both too young to understand what was going on, but they were REALLY happy the hotel had a “water cool” – aka swimming pool.

Sunday:

She's getting good at watching sports - snack,drink, belligerent attitude.

We glued down some of the tracks to prevent another Epic Train Disaster of 2012.

Stop screwing around with your phone and READ ME MY STORY, WOMAN.

Monday:

Her favorite game at the playplace is Try On All The Shoes

Evan thought kitty looked cold, so he tucked her in for a nap.

HUGS!

Tuesday:

She must really like Tuesdays

Or...not. This was because I insisted on paying for the grapes before she could eat them.

I think he's Mousekercizing

Wednesday:

It won't be long before she's doing backflips down this thing

Hoarder in the making

This is such a mess it's not even cute anymore.

Thursday:

Evan "helped" me take Brutus to the vet

Library turtle is exciting for exactly 42 seconds

Veggie Taaaales, Veggie Taaaaales, Veggie Taaaaaales, VeggieTales!

Friday:

Hotel curtains are the FUNNEST

My favorite picture of Caroline, maybe ever

What do you MEAN they're out of the sea bass? Unacceptable.

Saturday:

Hotel beds are for jumping

Please, take my picture.

Caroline fully accepted the pack'n'play as a nice place to sleep and suddenly I am looking forward to vacation a whole lot more.

Now we are back home and I have an enormous pile of laundry to slog through although going to Mystic to feed the ducks and visit the whales sounds like a lot more fun, so maybe we’ll just turn our underwear inside out tomorrow. It was an emotional weekend and I could use some sunshine and fun.

Did you take any camera phone photos this week? Link up with one or lots using the linky below and grab the code (so it shows on your blog too!) over at Amy’s . It’s really fun!

I might as well skip this considering how VERY VERY LATE it is, but 60 is such a nice even number I’m just going to go with it. Plus I don’t have the energy to recap all of last week with real words, so pictures and captions will have to do.

Sunday:

E entertained the kids while I considered dying from exhaustion, a sore throat and a cough

Wonderful surprise cup coozie from my friend @emilybilbrey

This is what packing and cleaning the house looks like when you're sick - Twitter & football

Monday:

Cookies for breakfast?! It must be someone's birthday!!

The kids LOVE my Understanding Exposure photography book

Even though we did NOTHING all day, she was happy to be ONE!

Tuesday:

Totally entranced by this stupid toy at the car repair place

This is in front of the post office, a few days before Christmas. Our town is kind of sad.

Wrapping ALL THE THINGS

Wednesday:

Woke the kids up at o'dark thirty to get on the road

Playing with his Aunt Carolyn, who lives in Africa so we NEVER see her

STILL. SO. SICK.

Thursday:

Jam and bread? Don't mind if I do!

I ate so many waffle fries I didn't even have room for a peppermint milkshake. TRAGIC.

Helping Carolyn pick out a new (old)(really really old) camera

Puking toddler landed us in the ER at 8 pm because the doctor was worried about dehydration. Thank goodness for Zofran.

Friday:

Vintage trains & Legos

Watcha doin' Caroline? Oh just hanging out.

Still recovering

Saturday:

Forced festiveness at Reston Town Center

At least WE liked ice skating

This is how you juggle two napless kids so your wife can chat with her friends

Santa came!

I think I am finally over my cold/respiratory infection and Little Evan hasn’t thrown up in a couple of days (although he did ask for medicine for his hurt tummy a couple times) so MAAAAAAYBE we will get to enjoy a few days of relaxing family time while E is off of work. Of course there are also a zillion decorations to put away, two fridges to clean, a mountain of laundry and way too many new toys to find homes for, so “relaxing” is a relative term. At least I can check my week in iPhone photos wrap up off my list!

And Merry Christmas! And Happy Christmas Eve! I am late and/or behind on everything, including cleaning up from Caroline’s birthday party. But because we’re in Virginia visiting my family I’ve managed to avoid all my housekeeping and cleaning and laundry and cooking responsibilities for the past week. It’s the best Christmas present a girl could ask for. Well, except for my awesome day-after-Christmas shopping trip to Nordstrom Rack where I scored my first pair of jeggings and some sweet ankle booties. Yep, I’m ridiculous.

As much fun as being here with my folks is, traveling at Christmas is a special kind of awful. I’ve been super sick and Little Evan started randomly throwing up so much we had to take him to the ER. Tomorrow we have to somehow get a zillion presents back in the car and battle the terrible I-95 traffic with two super tired kiddos just in time to take down ALL the Christmas decorations. At least I have a giant bag of half-price holiday candy and some cute pictures of the kids to comfort me.

Playing on MorMor's steps

2 and a half, going on 14

Someone didn't really care for ice skating

Maybe we'll try again next year

But he LOVED the Zamboni

Bundled up

Christmas morning!

Aunt Carolyn totally showed up Santa with the basketball hoop

Oh goody, more toys with balls that roll under the couch

Making us breakfast

Hugging her moose

A zillion new toys so of course she's playing with the plastic packaging

I hope your holidays were lovely and much healthier than ours were!

To Ohio, to Columbus, Thanksgiving, to Connecticut, CHRISTMAAAAAAAAAS.

Sunday:

DIY in car entertainment center. It worked like a CHAMP.

Rest stops are EXCITING

We were at the in-laws for less than 2 hours before the kids got to open their Christmas presents.

Monday:

This is the ONLY TIME she slept all week.

How many braids can I fit on my head? (Answer: four, this time)

Learning the fine art of eating peanuts at a roadhouse.

Tuesday:

This was the first picture I took all day.

This is the only other picture I took. TUESDAY WAS NOT GOOD.

Wednesday:

Obviously Wednesday was MUCH better.

I should stop calling her a weirdo, but not until she stops doing stuff like this.

C-bus. That's what the cool kids call Columbus. If there were any cool kids in Columbus.

Thursday:

The cousins LOVED the iPad, almost as much as they loved Little Evan.

Turkey shaped turkey and cheese ball is cheesy. Bahahaha I'm hilarious.

She wasn't as excited about the vintage dress as I was.

Friday:

Towing a plane with your car seems like a really, really stupid idea. Planes don't sit in traffic.

She's ashamed to be seen wearing the same jammies twice in one week.

Back to our regularly scheduled TV zoning out.

Saturday:

My GIANT HAUL from Joann's. Spent about $90, saved $112, and I won't need any craft supplies for months.

Went out to hunt and kill our own Christmas tree like good Americans.

Walked three houses down the street to watch the parade. One of the best parts of living in town.

Future eyelash model

Naked tree. Don't worry, it's fully dressed now.

Whew! That was exhausting. Tonight I am putting some of those craft supplies to use and finishing up my list of shopping to do tomorrow while E is still home to watch the kids. There will also be napping. I need to make up for some of that sleep I missed while Caroline was trying to kill me in Ohio. Or maybe I’ll get started on my Christmas baking. SO MUCH BAKING TO DO!

Did you take any camera phone photos this week? Link up with one or lots using the linky below and grab the code (so it shows on your blog too!) over at Amy’s . It’s really fun!

I am thankful for my nice warm house. I am thankful to be home in my house and on my own couch. I am thankful my couch is so super comfortable. I am thankful there is a giant TV in front of my couch that is playing a weeks worth of recorded TV. I am thankful for my giant king sized bed, where there is plenty of room for a tiny baby-shaped barnacle to cling to me all night without causing a crick in my neck so painful I considered REMOVING MY HEAD. I am thankful I did all the laundry before we left so I only have 7 loads to do now that we’re home. I am thankful I have a full day tomorrow with E before he goes back to New York so we can get started on all the Christmasing. I am thankful I labeled all the boxes so I know where the Christmas decorations are. I am thankful I have a house to decorate. And BOOM, full circle of thankfulness.