Change of Plans

We went to church this morning, after arriving home at midnight (yes, pat us on the back...but, the kids were gonna wake us up anyway, why wouldn't we go?). Anyway, then we went to the mall where for some reason Santa is having a generous heart and giving out free 5x7 pictures this year. You know me...so we got there at 11 to discover he didn't make his debut until 12. Oh, and none of the stores opened until 12 except for Sears. Sears? That place is still open? We dawdled around there a while until the kids got hungry (ok, my tummy was growling..) and we split a pretzel. I'd been talking up meeting Santa to Anna-Kate, taking a picture, telling him that she'd been a good girl and to tell him what she wanted for Christmas (which, incidently, is a Tinkerbell costume). She was so excited to meet him. I wish our scanner was working to show you the picture. Lets just say that it is a really good thing I wasn't paying for the picture. In other news, evidently Santa isn't going to stop by our house this year (as the rule was if she didn't tell Santa what she wanted he wouldn't know what to help the elves make and so he wouldn't bring her anything). It's a tough world. Screaming and gnashing of teeth I tell ya, pitiful. Of course her hysterics set off Ryan and the other kids in line. Poor Santa, he was actually pretty good too. Even a real beard.

Here is what Chris caught on our camera before his assistance in slinking out of the mall was necessary.

Walking in, Ryan is excited, I'm dragging reluctant Anna-Kate:



Here is what happened when I put her on Santa's lap, she freaked out and, in the process, freaked Ryan out. SERIOUSLY??? (Alternate title for this photo, "Yes, in fact pictures really are worth 1,000 words").



As we drove home in forced silence, the kids fell asleep. At 12:15. UGH. They were passed out so we just stuck them straight to bed. Anna-Kate woke up at 1 wanting lunch, Ryan woke up at 1:15, but I thought I'd leave him for a while and see if he fell back asleep. No such luck. So here's what I learned today:

THUD followed by hysteric screaming is never a good thing to hear.

Did you catch that? Because when I went tearing up the stairs I found that Ryan had decided today was a good day to fling himself out of his crib and found him on the floor holding his head saying "ow, boo-boo". I asked him why he fell down and he said, "out". Well, ya, I can see that. So as if the laundry, unpacking, mountain of work and Christmas decorations looming (in addition to the side dish I was supposed to make for the dinner at church tonight and having to run to the fabric store for more material...) wasn't enough, now we were going to have to rearrange furniture today. So, in the middle of "naptime" we played musical furniture. Anna-Kate's toddler bed is now in Ryan's room, her room is a jumbled mess and the queen bed from the guest bedroom is in the playroom, her new room.

I feel so much stress to get their big kid rooms done NOW on top of everything. AHHH!! That would be, making a bed skirt and headboard for her, painting both rooms, and making shams, drapes and bedskirts for the boys (we are planning for the boys to share eventually, so I've gotten 2 twin quilts etc). I have plans every night this week. Panic.attack.coming.on.

Well, at least you get some cute pictures of the kids. They were, of course, beside themselves with their good fortune.

We need a new camera, badly. It was taking forever, so I kept saying, "keep saying cheese". She said, "I am saying cheese".



Sweet, happy boy climbing in his new bed:



All tucked in, GOODNIGHT!