Monday, December 19, 2016

The Weekend That I Finally Met My Nephew!

Well, with a title like that, you know it couldn’t have been a bad weekend!  In fact, it was just about as good as they get!

Friday evening, we kicked it off with dinner at Panera followed by our annual driving around and looking at Christmas lights.  We let the kids each pick out a cookie from Panera to bring for the ride – a chocolate chip for Jacob, and a frosted mitten-shaped shortbread for Olivia, and we were off!


There are a couple of streets in town that have been going all out since I was a little girl, so we headed there first, and their display was just as bright and garish as it always has been.  One of the houses had an Elsa and several Stormtroopers in their yard… it was as if they had decorated their house just for my kids!  Haha.





After that, we drove around a few more neighborhoods, and then we ended our drive at this house that has been doing this big Christmas production for years and years.  They have been on several TV shows because their display is so impressive.  They have their own radio frequency, so you can listen to the music when you drive through and their lights all dance to the music.  They have a Santa Clause for the kids to see, and they take donations for the Make a Wish Foundation.  We let the kids watch the lights for a while, and on the way out, they each stuck some dollar bills in the donation bucket.  I think that might have been their favorite part of the night!  And these pictures hardly do any justice… just keep that in mind!




When we got home, B and I put the kids to bed, built a fire (it was freezing Friday night), got in our jammies, and had our annual viewing of Love Actually.  I forgot to take any pictures for the blog, but you may have seen it on my InstaStory.  Trust me when I say that it was the perfect, cozy evening.  And yes, I went to bed that night feeling warm and fuzzy… that movie does it every time!

Saturday we spent the day at home, cleaning, tidying up, wrapping the last of the gifts, and getting the house ready for the big day next weekend.  I got a ton done, and I’m feeling pretty comfortable now as there’s not much left to do but just celebrate when the time comes.  That is a good feeling to have, friends!

Saturday evening, our baby-sitter (and Jacob’s old teacher) came over to watch the kids so B and I could go out for just one more date night in 2016 (assuming we don’t go out for NYE).  We met my parents and aunt and uncle at one of our favorite local restaurants downtown for dinner and drinks, and then it was off to a Christmas concert at our theater.





The person who did the concert is actually an old friend of my parents’ and he is just one of the kindest, most genuine people you could ever meet.  He used to come to our house when I was little, and I always remember being so excited every time “Uncle Allen” would come over because he’s just the kind of person who you just can’t help but love.  He is a storyteller and singer/songwriter, and he put on a great show.  It was funny, it was festive, and most of all, it was uplifting.  I walked out of there feeling like I wanted to be a better person just because of him.  We were even able to see him after the show to sneak in a quick hug before the evening was over.

After the concert, B and I parted ways with my parents and then we headed to Kohl’s on the way home, because it wouldn’t be date night without running an errand.  ;o)

When we got home, Kristin (our baby-sitter) said that the kids were already sleeping and that they had been little angels the entire time for her.  I always love to hear that!

Sunday morning Olivia made up for that by acting complete cRaZy all morning.  I mean, ca-raaaazaaaay.  All morning she did nothing but antagonize Jacob, whine, and throw tantrums.  And I mean tantrums.  I have scratches on my chest to prove it.  We figured that maybe she was going a little crazy from being cooped up in the house all day Saturday, so we got ready and headed out for an early pizza lunch, followed by running a few errands.  I had wanted to take them to a playground to burn off some energy, but it poured down rain while we were eating lunch, so that ruined those plans.  Instead, we ran to Target, Walmart, and TJ Maxx, and the kids both behaved so well that we let them each pick out something small.  Jacob picked out a Hot Wheels (naturally) and Olivia picked out a “Denpunzel” (Rapunzel) sticker book.



And I have to also mention that we have been letting Olivia wear underwear at home the last few weekends, and she hasn’t been having many accidents.  We never let her wear them while we’re out and about because we haven’t felt that we were quite there yet, but today we decided to let her stay in the underwear since she has been doing so well, and she did great!  No accidents!  And we only had to potty at one public restroom in the three hours we were gone!  Winning!  I think she’s going to be fully potty-trained (with the exception of nighttime) within the next month or so.  Fingers crossed.   

Sunday evening was one of the moments I’ve been waiting for for six whole months… we finally got to meet my nephew!!!!  My brother and sister-in-law drove here with the baby and arrived yesterday, so they were able to join us for Sunday dinner at my mom and dad’s just like old times.  

The kids were enamored with him, Olivia especially, and she stayed right by his side most of the evening, hugging on him, kissing on him, and whispering, "It's gonna be okay" when he was fussing.  Heart.  Melt.

The kids also got to wear their new PJs... I've been dying to have kiddos in matching striped monogrammed Christmas jams, and tonight was finally the night!











The evening was picture-perfect, and my heart is so full I think it could just burst!  We're looking forward to spending lots of time with him over the next couple of weeks while they're here!

Have a great week, friends!  We're coming down the home stretch!  Eek!


*Linking up with B Loved Boston for Weekending.

  

23 comments:

  1. Oh what a weekend! Panera, a fire, date night & MEETING YOUR NEPHEW! Enjoy this week with your brother & his family home!

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  2. What an amazing weekend!!! Sounds perfect to me. Love the photos of the three kids. I can tell Jacob and Olivj didn't tile their cousin at all. ;)

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  3. We had dinner at Panera and lights viewing Friday too!! Your nephew is soooo precious and of course he is, just look at his amazing cousins loving on him! Merry week ahead gorgeous!! Love the pics of you and hubs all dolled up!! Sweet!

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    1. Ahhhh we're totally twinning! Do you ever get the Broccolli Cheddar Soup at Panera?? It's perfect for chilly evenings during the winter. Merry Christmas week, Andrea!

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  4. Aaaahhhh what a great weekend! We were supposed to have a date night too then the stinking weather ruined everything. Glad yours worked out okay. So sweet that you were finally able to meet that precious baby too. I bet it was fun having all of the kiddos together.

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  5. What a great weekend! Those lights were awesome! We hope to drive around tonight and look at some!
    Your nephew is precious! Oh the striped Christmas pjs :)
    I love your leopard shoes! Where did you get them??

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    1. Thank you, Heather! I got the leopard heels on either Jane.com or Groopdealz.com a couple of years ago. I can't remember which!

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  6. What an awesome weekend!! Those houses with the lights are soooo pretty! I hear ya on Olivia acting crazy, both our kids were acting nuts this weekend and I wanted to cry! So much whining and fighting, ugh! That's so fun you got to go see that production, it sounds so nice! And YAY for meeting your nephew!!! He is just the cutest!! Enjoy all the time with him! Are you guys shutting down soon at work?

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  7. Your friday night sounds seriously perfect - if I could build a fire I totally would...every single day of winter!! What a sweet picture of all three kids!! xo, Biana -BlovedBoston

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  8. I really love the idea of letting each kiddo pick out a cookie from Panera to take along when you drive around to look at lights! I am hoping we can get out to drive around and look at lights tonight, since both my son and daughter don't have extra-curricular activities after school this week (YAY!).

    Carrie
    curlycraftymom.com

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  9. We had the same Friday night! Hahaha! We made a stop at Starbucks, drove around looking at lights and ended it at home watching a movie...it was perfect. I love this time of year and I hate this week pretty much brings it all to an end.
    Love the kids jammies...so cute! And your nephew is adorable!
    xo, Lily
    Beauty With Lily

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  10. Love those pjs. Yay for finally meeting your nephew in person. He looks so adorable! Sounds like a pretty good weekend. And yay for Olivia being almost potty trained. That is huge!!! My girls threw some epic tantrums lately too. Totally understand that one. Hope you have a great week!

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  11. You guys are so cute! We did Christmas lights on Friday night too and it was so cool to see. Your nephew looks so dang cute. Glad you got to finally meet him and love on him. That's awesome that Olivia is almost potty trained. Ben is no where near yet...haven't even started until he can at least indicate potty in some way, LOL. And, I totally feel ya on the tantrums, no fun. The hitting and kicking (or scratching, ha) is the worst. Ugh! I adore the pjs though. Most stylish little ones!

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  12. Everything about your weekend is top notch in my book. The matching pajamas and the new(ish) baby are at the top of my list of favorites.

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  13. I love love love your date night outfit!! so cute! that's so awesome that you got to meet your nephew! he is too cute! have a lovely week!

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    1. Thank you, Brandi! We are all a little obsessed with him! I'm so glad that they were able to come for Christmas. Definitely wouldn't have been the same without them.

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  14. How gorgeous is your dress you wore for date night! And loving your tradition of bringing the kids to see the lights with their favorite cookies. Your nephew is adorable! Yay for getting to meet him <3
    Green Fashionista

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  15. The holiday concert sounds like it was a lot of fun! I still need to watch Love Actually sometime this winter! Your kid's monogrammed PJ's are adorable! Aw, and your nephew is adorable! I'll be meeting my new niece sometime this week (she's about 6 months now) and I'm SO excited.

    -Lauren

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  16. I love the matching pjs! There's a house in my town that does the light display choreographed to music too! Last month we had a little girl in my town die from a brain tumor after a 6 month battle, and so they dedicated the entire light display to her. It's so sweet! I hope you have a great week!
    Sarah at MeetTheShaneyfelts

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  17. The monogrammed PJ's are so cute! Sounds like it was a great weekend. I haven't seen many Christmas lights or houses that have gone all out this year. Did you see the TV show on ABC about families that compete to win an award for their Christmas lights and decorations? Like wow! Those houses were so over the top and amazing. One of the families said they had been decorating since last Christmas.

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  18. Being an aunt is just the best!!!! I love that you guys let the kids pick out a treat from panera before seeing lights. Sounds like it was just a wonderful weekend all around!!!

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  19. What a fantastic weekend! So full of goodness. :) Yay for matching monogrammed PJ's, nothing better than that!

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