Peace Out, 2025!

(12/1) How is it December already? I worked from home today, Dad was off, and the twins had school. D had hand therapy after school this afternoon. He much prefers the morning sessions where he misses a bit of school and gets to go to the espresso stand after. Can't say I blame him!

(12/2) I worked in the office today and Dad had the boys. The weather held for a walk in the gray, where I stumbled upon these cool shrooms. The rest of my day was meetings, as is the norm for Tuesday.

(12/3) We decided to do our Thanksgiving with the grands today since everyone was sick last week. We pulled the kids out of school and hopped on a ferry. C and his girlfriend arrived a little bit after we did. We had a delicious lunch of charcuterie including a bunch of cheeses and salmon that Dad had smoked for the occasion. Dinner was wonderful and they sent us home with lots of leftovers so we could enjoy it all over again!

(12/4) I worked from home, Dad worked at work, and the twins had school. I had a meeting right as the boys were leaving school this afternoon and I told them I wouldn't be available to pick them up like I normally do when it rains. It absolutely poured on their walk home from school, and they were not happy, to say the least. J changed right into his jammies and I had a time getting him back out the door for his appointment.

(12/5) TGIF! It was a work and school kind of day for most of us and C came home from working up at Nanan's.

(12/6) I took a class at the gym this morning and then C and I headed up to Nanan's. She wasn't feeling so hot this morning, so C & I grocery shopped for her. By the time we got everything put away, she was was feeling better and we stayed to visit. C & I began tackling her back deck and ran a few loads to the dump. We ended up making a sizeable dent!

(12/7) The boys and I had a lazy Sunday. It was yucky out, so we all bummed around doing our own things.

(12/8) I took the week off to deal with some appointments and have a breather. J had a doctor's appointment this morning and she encouraged us to squeeze a few more things in this year since we've hit our deductible. So I set about making more appointments. She suggested a class on PDA with high-masking kiddos and it was fantastic! We had a windstorm tonight and I had to connect via my cell because our internet kept going in and out. But it was definitely worth the trouble!

(12/9) It was a struggle to get the twins out the door today. We were out of tea, which is a world-stopping crisis around here. I offered up stopping by the espresso stand if that would get everybody up and out the door on time. J chose a giant eggnog with whipped cream and I thought nothing of it until the nurse called saying he wasn't feeling so hot. He looooves lactose but it doesn't love him back.

(12/10) I ran up and grabbed Nanan for our annual Santa pictures. C's girlfriend joined us this year ~ they look so cute in their cowboy hats! D wasn't thrilled about where he was standing, so he's back there looking dark and mysterious. D had hand therapy right after, but after that, we finally got to WinCo. Dinner was shared and then I ran Nanan back home.

(12/11) Dad and I had a quiet morning together after the twinadoes went to school. Poor D had a day and nothing could convince him that something equally awful wasn't bound to happen tomorrow. I took J to his appointment, and we remedied the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day with tacos when we got home.

(12/12) My company's Christmas party was this afternoon. Dad was off and was able to attend too. It was a more somber gathering with the loss of our CEO last month, who always loved a good party.

(12/13) Sarah and I walked to class this morning. I spent the rest of the day doing a whole lot of not much.

(12/14) Dad had a closing shift today and made Dutch babies for us this morning. My Sunday class is later in the morning so I got in on breakfast while it was hot.

(12/15) I worked from home today, Dad had the day off, and the twins had school. J had an appointment for another assessment this morning but after going through everything, it was determined he's had so many assessments this year that it makes sense to re-evaluate next year. Shew! D had his most favorite (sarcasm) hand therapy this afternoon. This evening we were informed about an incident at school and he is suspended for the next two days. Sigh.

(12/16) I worked in the office today and Dad wrangled the boys and helped S with a couple of things. C took D up to Nanan's to work for a few hours. D kept her company while C worked and they actually seemed to have a good time together.

(12/17) Dad and I had the day off. We kicked the day off with school for J and an 8am doctor's appointment for D. They took one last look at D's pinky and he was given the green light to wean off the splint. D decided to join us for round 2 of Santa pics with S' fam and even picked out some cherry flavored candy canes to share. I took everybody for sushi and Dad went thrifting and scored a few deals. D had his last hand therapy appointment this afternoon and is very relieved to be done with this whole process!

(12/18) Everyone had work and school except for C today. He and F were watching Netflix on the big TV, so the Xmas Corg and I got to hang out by the tree.

(12/19) I worked from home today and the boys had a half day. I had to take Dad to a medical  appointment and ended up treating myself to ramen while I waited. It was delicious!

(12/20) Sarah and I went to Zumba this morning and I went up to Nanan's to take her grocery shopping this afternoon.

(12/21) I went to the gym this morning and hit Costco and a few other stores after. I got five dozen eggs and am not sure that's going to be enough for the next few days. We took Toffee's gotcha day pictures a day late. She's been with us for five years now.

(12/22) The boys are on break and I'm almost there. Just two more shifts! I worked from home today and Dad was off. We're scrambling around here to get those last minute shopping trips in.

(12/23) I worked a half day in the office and they let us work the second half from home, which was great because I hadn't finished wrapping! We let the boys unwrap their presents tonight so we didn't have to haul them with us. The grands rented a beautiful house on Lake Stevens for the big group, and the twins and I relocated there tonight.

(12/24) Dad, C, and F arrived early to make the fam breakfast and spend the day. Dad made a giant batch of Dutch babies and we feasted. I had packed what looked like a fun puzzle, but oh man is it going to be a challenge! It says for ages 6+, so maybe I'll recruit the littlest cousins! Granddad and I put in several hours and have barely made a dent.

(12/25) Merry Christmas! Dad had to work today, but was able to join us for dinner tonight. We played another round of white elephant and C won back the frilly apron that he re-entered into the present pot. It was wonderful to hang with the whole fam! We played games, worked on the puzzle, cooked, and ate a ton!

(12/26) It was just my fam and the grands at the Airbnb for the bulk of the day. C and F commandeered the TV and continued their marathon of The Walking Dead. Granddad and I worked for hours on the puzzle but we're not gonna make it. I'm tempted to leave it here at the house as a "gift."

(12/27) Home again, home again. After we unloaded I let the kids do their stockings, and D helped the dogs with theirs. We have lots of new squeaky toys for them to destroy!

(12/28) I took the day to do nothing. I pulled the puzzle back out and pretty much started from scratch. I listened to a book and had a relaxing day.

(12/29) I went up to Nanan's briefly this morning. She's going to see a lot of us over the next few and I told her she was going to get sick of me. We had W over for a bit this evening and got to give him his presents. What a cutie!

(12/30) Sarah and I went for a coffee walk and caught up. We both have been crazy busy! S asked if I could drive them up north this afternoon. We stopped for sandwiches, which W said he definitely wanted, but which was promptly ignored/rejected in favor of potato chips. Goober.

(12/31) I managed to finish the puzzle this year! I WinCo'd with the boys and then headed up to grab Nanan so she could join us for New Year's. Dad cooked up a full turkey dinner, which was delicious. We watched the Downtown Abby movie as we waited for midnight. Peace out, 2025!

Minefield

(11/1) We had a Halloween-themed Zumba class today and people came in costume. That was a fun way to kick off the weekend! It's Toffee's fifth birthday and Cass celebrates his twelfth gotcha day with us tomorrow so we celebrated with cookies!

(11/2) Unlike yesterday, it was dry out this morning so Sarah and I walked to class. Back at home, Dad made up a big breakfast for the herd and I came home to leftovers. Yum! I had a few errands to run this afternoon, but other than that, it was a peaceful day.

(11/3) I worked in the office today. It's that lovely time of year when it's dark when I leave and dark when I head home. Depressing! The boys have today and tomorrow off for conferences. Lucky ducks!

(11/4) Shew, whenever we switch times, it always feels like jet lag. No matter which way we go. Yaaaawn. And to make matters worse, they took the coffee machine out before I got my fix. I got a boost when we took work's donations to the food bank. I'm just gutted for all the people missing benefits right now. The election news had me hope-scrolling a bit this evening though.

(11/5) Dad and I had the day off today. We got a call that D's appointment to get his cast removed was bumped to tomorrow, and he was so upset. He had a crappy day because of it and it threw his whole day off. It was still Wednesday though, so I took the boys to WinCo to do our shop, and we had a good convo at the end of the day.

(11/6) Today was an absolute fluster cluck. I ended up picking up both boys early from school. It was J's turn to have a terrible day so I grabbed him to have eyes on him. It turned out to be a fortunate thing because D's rescheduled appointment at 2:30p ran so long that they ended up wrapping his arm back up in the same splint/cast we came in with (without the padding this time!) and tried to schedule us to come back in an hour to get a new one. We ran out the door and were a little late for J's 4p appointment, which went through the end of the day, and we never did get D back in. It was pouring down rain, nobody had coats, and there was drama about keeping the cast dry. Just a super fun time all the way around. We ended our disaster of the day at DQ, which I held up as a carrot to get them through a hectic afternoon.

(11/7) Today was much smoother! I worked from home, Dad worked at work, and the boys had school. After school, I took J to D&D at the library, which he absolutely loves.

(11/8) After class this morning, I came home and got all of Halloween put away and put up our lights. I usually start with white lights and change them to multi-colored once we're past Thanksgiving.

(11/9) Sarah and I walked to the gym this morning. What a beautiful day! The sun was hitting just right and I told Cass what a majestic boi he was. And then this one got in front of the camera:

(11/10) I worked in the building today and Dad had the boys. He took D to finally get his cast off for real. They gave him a removable splint and he is much happier!

(11/11) Happy Veterans Day! I usually take the day off, but it was a Tuesday and I usually have all my meetings, so postponed it to next week. Dad and the boys had the day off though. C had money burning a hole in his wallet so he and Dad went truck hunting. They drove all over the place and finally landed on a Mazda. The tradition in our house is to buy donuts when a new car comes home. I told C he would get so much farther with flowers. Waiting on the table for me was an orchid. Good man!

(11/12) Dad and I were off together. I took D to hand therapy this morning. That was a sensory minefield for someone that a) doesn't like being touched and b) will refuse to do an exercise unless he sees the point. He got through it though! It was Wednesday, so we did the WinCo run this afternoon. We had C's girlfriend's mom over for dinner and Dad made lasagna rolls, which were delicious. J decided to make up some ramen in the middle of our dinner and neglected to put water in it. I looked over and the microwave was belching smoke. Way to clear the house, kid!

(11/13) It was a work and school day for all of us. Fortunately we just had J's appointment this week and this Thursday was far less chaotic than last! 

(11/14) I worked from home today and Dad worked at work. I ended up giving the boys rides to and from school since we're in monsoon season here. Our Christmas bell arrived and D unboxed it and rang it. We'll get the collection out soon.

(11/15) I went to the gym this morning and on my way home, I got a call from Nanan that her TV was out again. I went up and plugged her router back in (sigh), but was still having connectivity issues. After trekking to the store for a new ethernet cable and calling the cable company, I got irritated and factory reset the modem. That did the trick! It took way longer than it should've and we decided to go out for dinner before I headed home.

(11/16) Sarah and I met at the gym this morning. I didn't have anywhere else to be so enjoyed a quiet afternoon at home with the twins.

(11/17) Today was a really hard day. I learned about the sudden & unexpected passing of our CEO. I happened to have a doctor's appointment and I'm like check all the things! So shocking and sad. D had a rough day and was sent home from school and will be home through tomorrow. He had hand therapy this afternoon and I wondered if he would even get through the door with the kind of day he was having.

(11/18) I went into the office and we all were in to lean on each other. I still expect our boss to pop out of his office at any moment and I was glad I wasn't there by myself today.

(11/19) Dad and I had the day off and the kiddos had school. D had hand therapy bright and early and the office has been most accommodating. They had a spot over by the window for him and have continuously strategized new activities that he will actually do. After I dropped him off at school, I headed up to take care of some things at Nanan's. C brought his new truck up and we did the inaugural dump run. He and I went for lunch and omg that sushi! Delish! D and I did the WinCo run as soon as we were home and then we settled in for the evening.

(11/20) I worked from home, Dad worked at work, and the boys had school. I had conflicting reminders about J's appointment this afternoon. One said it was at 4p and the other said it was cancelled. We went and sure enough the office was dark, but I still took him out for dinner since that's our thing.

(11/21) I worked from home again and Dad and the boys had work and school. My work peeps and I had a somber morning meeting. We're all still feeling shell shocked. I did some brainless work and was grateful when 5p rolled around.

(11/22) Sarah and I walked to the gym for a class this morning. I brought home OJ and cough syrup for the sickies in my house. I'm really hoping nobody else gets it.

(11/23) I wrenched my back somehow and saw every hour on the clock last night. On top of that, I'm all stuffed up now too. Blah. I took it easy and got out our decorations and put up the Christmas bells and the kids' turkey projects from years ago. D called and gave Grandma a virtual tour. He loves this time of year!

(11/24) I worked from home, the kiddos had school, and Dad had the day off. Dad managed to make it out of Costco with just one item. Sorcery!

(11/25) J has also caught the creeping crud and sounded terrible last night. D was crushed that everyone is sick and that we had to cancel our plans with the grands and the cousins for Thanksgiving.

(11/26) We had planned to head to the grands'  today, but J is still sick so we rescheduled to next week. Grandma met me to drop off a little bit of cheer to a very disappointed D. She also sent snowman cookies, which J deemed healing and by the end of the day he wasn't barking anymore. Yay!

(11/27) Happy Thanksgiving! C went up and grabbed Nanan and brought her here for dinner. I did up all the favorites and Dad made it home in time to join us. C had dinner with F's family and they came back here to have dessert with us. It was all very low key and easy. Perfect!

(11/28) We had C's truck out doing truck stuff today and picked up a tree. The twins helped me decorate and I think it looks great!

(11/29) I hit the gym this morning and then headed up to meet C & F at Nanan's to do some work. We made a sizeable dent in the garage and got Nanan all set with groceries. We were cold and hungry by the end of the day so went to one of our favorites on the island.

(11/30) I caught up on my podcasts over coffee this morning. It was such a beautiful day that I skipped the gym and went for a long walk instead. I can't believe it's the last day of November and my roses still have blooms!