Weekend Fun and Not-so-fun

This past weekend was busy and chaotic and included a couple of injuries tucked in for fun. We started early Saturday morning with homemade blueberry muffins for breakfast before heading off to visit with Santa. Both boys were a bit giddy at the prospect of seeing the old guy in person. Silas seemed especially nervous and excited. Of course, they had their entourage go along to watch – Mama and Daddy, me, Grampy, and Papa Bob, all not wanting to miss this fleeting childhood moment. (I was remembering many years past when my mom would take all five of us kids downtown to the courthouse to stand in line in the cold to see Santa. I’d be sick to my stomach with excitement for that quick moment on his lap and a tiny candy cane treat to take home. I’m not a candy can fan as far as eating them goes, so I’d hang it on the Christmas tree when I got home. Oh, and that old courthouse was such a beautiful building. I was so sad when they tore it down and built something more “modern”. Ugh. Yes, probably full of lead paint and asbestos, but it was also full of character and history.) This “Santa” was very kind and soft-spoken, chatting a bit with each child before posing for a photo. Brad said Santa asked him what his wish was. I’m not sure Brad understood that was the moment to tell the big guy about Star Wars Legos. He seemed pretty star struck sitting there.

We did a little grocery shopping after the visit, then headed home to decorate the Christmas tree. My brother brought his kids over to join in the fun and they had that tree decorated in 10 minutes or so. My nephews and niece are getting so big – look at how tall Wyatt is, reaching to the top layers of tree branches. We had a quick lunch, then made some cookies and did a little craft. They’re fun kids and always so polite and ready to help. Wyatt vacuumed the living room, Grace helped fold some laundry, and Garett entertained the little guys outside for a long time.

On Sunday there was more decorating. I sorted through the rest of my decoration totes, trying to decide what to use, what to put away, and what to get rid of. Jess and the boys set up a small tree in their bedroom. We picked it up at Goodwill a couple of weeks ago for a few dollars. They love it. I won’t be surprised if Brad refuses to let it be put away after the holiday season. Silas insisted on a star for the top, so I dug out a rustic twig star ornament I’ve had for tens of years. He was disappointed it didn’t sparkle. Maybe Santa can bring one of those for him… They added a few more things after this pic was taken, and their tree is really quite charming.

I mentioned injuries in the beginning of this post. Everyone looks pretty much unscathed here, don’t they? Earlier in the day before the boys got here, Silas slipped on the kitchen floor and got a fat lip and bloody nose. Then while we were sorting out decorations, Brad tripped on stuff on the floor and hit his eye on the edge of a chair. Instant bruising and a small cut, but some ice and a band-aid made it all better. He wore his Batman mask to the dinner table so we wouldn’t be able to see his owie. At that time, he planned to wear it to school today as well. I’m kind of hoping he forgets that plan. LOL. This morning he has a bruise on his eyelid, and won’t let us take the band-aid off to check the cut, but was happy to get a pic of his first black eye. 

   

Speaking of the dinner table, Grampy made us a most-delicious pork loin roast in the infrared “fryer”. This fryer roasts meat all the way around, making a crispy crust on the outside, and juicy succulent meat on the inside. He cooked our Thanksgiving turkey the same way and it was probably the best turkey we’ve had. Bird went in the basket, the basket went into the fryer, Greg came back into the house to help with the rest of the meal. No babysitting the oil, making sure the garage doesn’t burn down.

After bath, the boys snuggled into clean jammies and settled in for some Grinch on TV. It wasn’t long before that idyllic scene was ruined when poor Silas started whining and squirming and then got sick all over himself and Jessica. Oh, that was nasty. I donned the vinyl gloves before peeling his jams off and trying to clean him up while Jess was getting herself taken care of. Ugh. He promptly fell asleep, but was up a couple more times through the night. This morning he’s perky and chatty, but doesn’t want to eat. No preschool and some quiet activities today should have him back to himself. Fingers crossed that is the end of it, but I fear for the rest of us.

So, that’s what’s happening in my prairie corner right now. Today we’ll do some more decorating and get the totes put away, then perhaps we’ll bake a treat to tuck away for our family celebrations later this month. We’ll see where the day takes us…