The in-betweens...

The night before our Christmas party, we kept the boys up until 1:00am at Mountasia, riding go-carts and playing laser tag for Lance's work party.

It maybe wasn't our best parenting move, but they had so much fun!

The boys stayed with my dad and step mom during our Christmas party,
and we all could have used about 30 days worth of hibernation after all of that.

Monday, I asked Lance to pick me up some tampons on his way home.
Just within the last year has he been willing to do such a task.

I laughed out loud, however, when he padded his gift with this goodness too!
...although his card was legitimately the sweetest words he has ever written.

He has gotten so much better at my love language!

Mom came that night and spent the night with me.
After a mini-panic attack on my part, realizing I had bought Beckham zero things-- She and I decided to take a midnight trip to WM.
The place was empty, and Santa successfully completed his part!

Tuesday, I had a Christmas luncheon at work.
Mom rode with me, and she and the boys had Chickfila while I ate this goodness.

We did a little shopping on the way home which 90% finished both of us up!

Wednesday was a big day.
Huge, actually....  and deserves its own post.

But I had agreed to keep Audrey so that Candace and Matt could finish their shopping before I realized how big Wednesday would be.

She is so sweet and easy and we had a lot of fun with her.
B and her are like little twins, always side-by-side-- but not really engaging just quietly playing and occasionally giggling.
Maddox is such a little parent to them both-- making sure they are having fun and directing them to the next thing.
The weather cooperated on our behalf, and we spent almost 3 hours at the park and having a picnic with each other.

It was such a great day.

We came back to the house and I thought it was still too nice to go back inside.
So, for the first time of ever,
I washed my car by hand.

I was so impressed with myself...
And the boys helped me too.

I waited until Lance got home to share the super big news--
but while on the phone trying to do that,
Maddox started screaming.

Lance hopped around the corner but the screaming didn't stop.
I was on call, and overwhelmed with all the change and really expected to see a hang nail from my little over-dramatic one, but I popped into the fiasco to see that blood was everywhere!

Apparently, he was trying to jump from his bed to inside the crib (that hasn't been used but has also not been taken down in about a year) and bit through his lip.

I called his pediatrician at home and she had me irrigate it and butterfly it.
It could have probably  used a stitch-- or at least some glue--
but she knows how swell our insurance is, and talked me out of it.

At 1:00am we had to wake him back up and re-bandage it, since it had re-opened and the bleeding wasn't stopping...
but pressure and and better bandages did the trick.
By morning it looked a lot better.

Thursday I got out of the shower to this mess.
I use "mess" loosely.
I was honestly kind of proud.

Maddox was making their second sandwich each, and even used separate knives for the PB and the J!
He is growing up.

That evening we went to Dallas Cowboy Stadium to watch the Wall Hawks play in the State Championship football game.
I cried at least 17 times--
since we were witnessing the biggest moment in a lot of the kid's lives.

They didn't win,
but it was still fun to watch.
And it was cool to be a part of something so big for my niece and nephew's little town.

Finally here's a few things that I thought I'd share:

1.  I suck at the elf.
I rarely remember him, so I am holding my breath as we round the corner on the mornings that I have forgot-- hoping that Lance helped me out...
usually he does.
The other times, I am awake at 2:00 remembering to move him-- tired and far from creative.

Ours doesn't "report back" anywhere-- or "watch the boys"...
he just does silly stuff.
I can touch ours too--
mostly because I don't like the mess hanging out all day.

2.  Beckham is officially poopoo-potty trained.
He hasn't used a diaper since the last time that I wrote about it saying that we weren't going back. (about 1 month ago)
He still prefers his baseball potty-- and usually covers his eyes to do his business--
but he has actually mastered a public potty once and has used the big potty at home a couple of times too.
Yay B!

3. Maddox is reading so well.
I get frustrated with myself that I don't work with him on it more... even once a week would be a nice goal.  But for some reason I just don't make a very good teacher.
I get disappointed with myself a lot, but make myself feel better about it by reminding myself that this is his last year to just play.
Right?!

4.  Beckham still likes to be called "Tiny".
He now tells us when things "aren't nice" to say (or do) to "tiny people".
It makes me laugh.

5.  I kept my promise to myself and have not had a stressful holiday season.
I have been weirdly relaxed, actually.
Unfortunately, my husband has taken my place and our roles of crazy have reversed a little.
Ying and yang, I suppose.
That's the way it has always been.