Cabin Fever: Christmas Cookies, Christmas Presents, Christmas Movies & Going Christmas CooKoo!!!

So a nice family day at home is what I dream of..no plans, no places to go...the truth is actually the classic "grass is always greeneer concept"! Oh my gosh...I love no school days--FOR ME!!! The kids on the other hand...they can go to school!!! Day one was nice-(yesterday) to start with. I really enjoyed getting a bunch of cleaning done--YES, I said that I enjoyed it. Jimmy & I continued to catch up on all the TIVOed Christmas Movies; Keaton watched a few with us. The kids played outside most of the day.

Evan made his very own snowman--by himself, he was SO PROUD of himself!!

On Tuesday night we had started on Gingerbread Houses and so yesterday Mason & Evan finished them in the evening.

I gathered some of the Christmas Presents to wrap--there are still a few MIA...shopping early isn't always the best plan!!! We got the items together to make Christmas Cookies...sounds like a little Walton's family gathering.....it was great until about 7PM last night.

That is when the Christmas CooKoo set in--Evan in his attempt to be helpful, sucked up a SHARP pencil in my Dyson vacuum...for those of you who know me well--know that I am cursed when it comes to vacuums. They seem to break VERY quickly in our home, and it can't be from overuse:) So we thought that the curse had been broke when Jimmy let me get the coveted expensive Dyson--which I love and has not failed us yet. SO when I saw the sharp lead of the pencil sticking out the hose--I freaked!!! And again those who know me well, can pretty much imagine the scene. The night was all downhill from there!!! They was some frustration over the younger kids version of putting away clothes...there was some lost "stories" and "art"....and the saver that I am (I mean memory keeper)...freaked out!!!! Keaton at this point knew that the safest place for him to stay was in him room doing homework....homework that he figured out this morning...probably could have waited.

I am sad to share that I am not proud of "freaking" out but that is why it's called "Cabin Fever". Part of the problem probably steamed from the issue that Keaton woke me up at 5:30AM...I am sure he thought I would go back to sleep--but no luck there!!! So by 7PM, I was spent!! I am proud to report that last night, the kids were all tucked snug in the beds, with hugs & kisses and hopefully visions of LOVE through their heads. And this morning it is all quiet on the homefront. But for my families sanity..Jimmy and I are going to brave the roads today to go to the store and have a bit of a change of scenery!! And I am going to do my best to CHILL all day, after all this is Christmas Vacation NOT Christmas Freakout time!!!

It snowed!!!

Well, they said it would come, but when is the weatherman ever right? The kids were so excited to wake up this morning and find snow. Evan crawled in bed with me at 8:53...yes I was still in bed then. And asked if he could go outside in 7 minutes. I wasn't sure what he meant, he then reminded me that I don't allow them to go play outside until 9AM so that we don't wake any of our neighbors who might be late sleepers. I don't know, it is weird I guess. I just figure if I am in bed at 8:53 AM that someone else might be and they probably don't want to hear my screaming children!!!

So back to the snow....I got up and got him ready and he quickly got Mason to join in on the fun. Keep in mind that we don't get snow here much and when we do, it often doesn't last long so they weren't going to waste any time. Then is started to snow again and I decided that we needed a family picture while it was still snowing...my poor children, having a photographer for a mother is pure torture for them. So we all got ready and headed out! The kids had such fun and it was so nice to know that today we really had not place to be--(I am sure that my Senior Portrait Appointment for today will be cancelled!)

And it has reminded me of the name of my blog...I named it Every Which Way But Home because our family is so busy. The kids each have their different sports and school activities. I often have photo appointments during our free time. Jimmy likes to golf. We really are homebodies at heart but we just can't find the time to be home. Believe me we have scaled back A LOT but even with that, we still are on the go much of the time. So today, it is nice to just be here together. Keaton and I are hanging out editing pictures. Jimmy and Evan are playing a game. Mason is actually still outside (probably with his tongue still stuck to the pole (see below), but we are going to hang out all day here!!! And I like it.

This is for you Aubs

Okay so this is my second try at this...it should be reminding me of why I have never started a blog before. I pushed one wrong button and everything that I wrote went away!!! But I am doing this to honor my great friend Aubrey. She is an amazing blogger and I love to read all about what makes her smile and the special moments in her life.
She and her family are leaving our little town tomorrow...Pensicola bound. It is days,weeks and months like this that I can't stand the Navy. I do think that it is wonderful that we have men and women dedicated to serving our country but in this moment and on this day...I am selfish and wishing that they didn't have to go. I am not ready say goodbye. When I moved up here I thought that I had great friends that I was leaving, but what I didn't know is that God had great friends in store for me. I have never in my life had the closeness that I feel with these women that I have gotten to know here in my adult life. And while my head says that "this is only a peice of our history"--my heart can't see my days without her. Aubrey and I have such a closeness and we have been though so much heartache and joy together.....Aubs you are a forever friend. And this is not goodbye, but only goodbye for now. Well I can hardly see the screen at this point (tears) so I will close for now. I hope to read about your life in Florida...and you can check up on us now and then too. (like we won't talk...I know this is getting sappy). But I just wanted to close by saying that I am so thankful to Tonia for introducing us that day, I am so glad that Colby and Evan ended up on the same soccer team...and I am SO thankful that I will always have you as my friend. And I can't help but think of the words to a Michael W. Smith song...."and friends are friends forever if the Lord's the Lord of them..." We have an eternity together girl!!!!