Vacation Days and Christmas Festivities

Last week I used the last of my paid time off and got 5 days off in a row.  I was so excited to get some down time around the house with Anniston.  We also had planned a few Christmas activities to do over the long weekend.  Thursday night Anniston started to not feel well.  She was cranky and moody and was just not being herself.  Sure enough, she woke up Friday morning running a fever and pretty much felt bad all day long.  Since we were in the middle of an ice storm scare, it worked well for us just to stay at home all day and take it easy.

We did find time to do a little painting:

 
I worked on painting a small chalkboard wall in our kitchen during nap time:

 

Then we baked cookies after nap in hopes of cheering her up a bit:

 

 

Aunt Allie and Uncle Brandon came over and brought dinner Friday night.  Anniston and Allie had fun seeing what the days' advent calendar would bring (a huge peppermint pop ring that Anniston LOVED!)  We read a Christmas book and all sang Christmas carols together.  It was a festive little Friday night, despite the fever!

 

 

But at the end of the night, my sweet little girl was tired, sick, and ready for bed.  Poor baby!

 

 

 

Saturday morning she woke up with a slight fever and was still a little fussy- I'll let the picture do the talking on that:

 



 

After a bit of medicine and a good long nap, she was feeling much better.  She didn't run fever the rest of the day, so we decided that getting out of the house for a little while would do her some good.  We met up with our old neighbor (who just happens to be one of Brandon's good friends and old fraternity brothers) and his fiancé at Bosco's in midtown.  Annie had a good time and getting out of the house seemed to help!

 

 

We met up with Allie Sunday morning for our Christmas card photo shoot.  It was freezing and icy and Anniston was still a little fussy, so we basically got a few quick shots and were done! 

 

That night we went with Allie and Brandon to see Starry Nights at Shelby Farms.  She loved the lights last year, and she really liked them again this year but her favorite part by far was the animals at the petting zoo!  They had camels that you could ride, fake snow, and Santa.  She kept wanting to go back and forth between the camels and Santa.  She didn't want to get too close to Santa, though, so we just waved at him from a distance.  Doesn't look like we will get any pictures with Santa this year unless I want to traumatize a 2 year old!

 

 

 

Allie and I took her into the petting zoo while the boys waited outside.  She loved all the animals and had so much fun making all the animal sounds as we went around to each one.  She was much braver with the animals than she was at Cedar Hill Farms when we went to the pumpkin patch.  She actually stuck her hand out for the animals several times- which made me very nervous!  I was scared some of those donkeys were going to take a finger off! 

 

 

It was really fun and she talked all night long about all the animals she saw!  She's feeling much better and I'm glad I had the time off to spend with her when she wasn't feeling well.  Even though we spent most of the weekend indoors fighting off a fever, it was still a really great weekend!!!











Thanksgiving + Black Friday Shopping + The Weekend

My Thanksgiving schedule at work was not so great this year, but that's ok because I have a really awesome schedule this coming week- I work Monday and Tuesday and that's all for the rest of the week!  We have some really fun Christmas activities planned and I can't wait!

We packed up and headed to Jackson for Thanksgiving at my aunt's on Thursday morning.  It was fun and relaxing and Anniston had fun spending the day with some of her favorite people.

We drove back to Memphis late that afternoon, and after I got Anniston settled in for the night, Allie and I hit up a couple of Black Friday sales.  We arrived at Target about 10 min. before they opened and the line was wrapped around the building.  We were totally not prepared to stand in line in the cold (neither of us were wearing any cold weather gear) so we decided to chill out in the car until the doors were open.  They handed out maps as we walked in.  Seriously?  We weaved in and out of the crowds of people piling TVs and such into their carts.  It was kind of crazy.  I ended up buying a few toys for Anniston, a flannel sheet set (for $16!), and a cordless vacuum.  The line was crazy long, but Target was so organized that we ended up being in and out of there in about an hour.  Success! 

We hit up Old Navy next.  I was really wanting to buy Anniston a few things from there since they were having 50% off the entire store.  We racked up on stuff, but after standing in line for almost 45 min. and still not being even close to the register, we decided to take our chances with the online sale the next day.  It was fun, but I sure can't go all night long like some people!  I ended up buying A LOT online the next day from various places that were having awesome online deals.  That's the way to shop, my friends!

I worked all weekend long, but Anniston was well entertained while I was gone.  Friday night, Brandon took her to the Germantown tree lighting ceremony.  Lights, singing, refreshments, and Santa = one happy little girl.  And Brandon had so much fun taking her by himself.  He doesn't get to do stuff like this very often and I think he had just as much fun as she did.  They looked at all the lights, ate cookies, and saw Santa.  Brandon said Anniston hid behind his leg when she saw him, so all they did was wave at him from afar:)  Brandon even took the camera and got some pictures!  What a good Daddy!

Saturday my parents came in town to spend some time with her.  They took her to the bookstore (which she LOVES) and let her play and walk around in the little kiddo area.  They have a really awesome kid's section and Anniston has so much fun going around looking at all the toys and books.

 

I didn't have to go into work until noon on Sunday, so we had the entire morning to hang out and play!  Our elf, Alice, made her debut the night before.  Anniston didn't quite know what to think about her.  She smiled and giggled at her and then we read the little letter that Santa sent.  We attempted to read the book, but that didn't hold her attention very long.

Anniston has been really into tap dancing lately (YAY!) so I busted out my tap shoes and did a little performance for her.  She was amazed and immediately wanted to try on my shoes and do it herself.  Of course they were too big for her and she could barely walk in them, let alone tap, but she had fun trying.  I told her Santa might bring her a pair of dancing shoes!  When we were talking later about what all Santa was going to bring her she stated, "A lion, an elephant, and dancing shoes!"  We are still stuck on the lion and elephant it seems.  Looks like I will be frantically trying to find a little stuffed lion and elephant before Christmas!

She even busted out mama's pointe shoes!!

 



That about sums up our Thanksgiving weekend! I'm looking forward to all the fun things we have planned this week!

'Tis the Season

We are already in the Christmas spirit over here in the Medling household.  Last year, Anniston didn't really understand the whole "Santa" thing so it's been a lot of fun telling her about him this year and asking her what she wants him to bring her. 

So far, she hasn't been scared of the mention of Santa.  She loves to climb up in my lap and look at pictures of Santa from the internet on my phone.  I explained how he comes down the chimney and brings toys and presents to all the children in the world.  Now she will point to the fireplace and say "Santa!  Chimney! Ho ho ho!"  We sat and talked about what Santa was going to bring everyone.  When I asked her what she wanted she replied "A lion.  And an elephant."  Ok then.  I suggested maybe a doll but she didn't really look too thrilled about it.  I've asked her a couple more times thinking it would probably change, but no, she's sticking to the lion and elephant.  Ok then.  May have to rethink her Christmas list...

When I asked her what Allie wants from Santa, she says, "A camera."  And Poppy- a guitar.  We asked Daddy what he wanted from Santa and he told Anniston that he wanted a refrigerator for his upstairs office.  I videoed her the other day and asked her all these things- her telling me that Daddy wants a refrigerator is just too funny!  And she still wants a lion and an elephant.  As of recently (as in last night) she did add that she wanted some shoes in addition to the lion and elephant.  That I can definitely do, kiddo.

So far, Frosty the Snowman is her favorite Christmas show- a close runner up is the Grinch, though.  She loves to sing Frosty and Santa Clause is Coming to Town.  She also loves reindeer and singing Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.  Christmas is going to be so fun with a 2 year old in the house!

I started Anniston's advent calendar today.  I really didn't want to spend a ton of money on one this year, so I cheaped out and bought this one for $9.99 at Home Goods. 

It's a little too country looking for my taste, but maybe if we get really into it this year I might buy one on sale after Christmas for next year.

I gathered up ideas from Pinterest on fun activities to do and sat down and planned out the month based on our schedules.  For instance, on the days I work late, I might have a small gift for her (like a coloring book, a piece of candy, festive stickers, etc) or have us read a Christmas book.  I have a couple of Christmas books all wrapped up, so when she pulls a card out that says, "read a Christmas book" she gets to pick one out and unwrap it.  On the other days, when I have more time off, I have some really fun activities planned.  We are going to bake Christmas cookies, make reindeer food, ride around to look at Christmas lights, write a letter to Santa, and go see the lights at Shelby Farms.  I also have several little simple crafts for us to do.  I bought a foam ornament kit and a little Christmas tree kit at Hobby Lobby so that she can decorate them herself.  I'm really excited about this and I hope she likes it too. 

Since we are pretty much done decorating, I thought I'd share a couple of pictures of my Christmas décor around the house!

 My Christmas "Forrest" in the den

 

 

 

the den

 

 

the mantle

sofa table behind the couch

 

 



front living room

 

 And lastly- our outside lights!  This pic was the best I could get- probably because I took it with my iphone because I was too lazy to break out the real camera:)

 

 

We are ready- bring on the holidays!

 

 

Marking Things Off the To-Do List

Ahh- it feels so good to be caught up with my to-do list.  Often times the holiday season gets so busy and I feel as if I'm struggling to keep up with it all.  I was determined this year to start early and finish early so I would actually have time to enjoy all the fun activities we have planned. 

I am 80% done with my Christmas shopping, and all presents I have bought are wrapped and under the tree, my Christmas decorations are up (including our outside lights), and Anniston's advent calendar is all planned and set up!  I feel like I'm totally on my A-game.

We were pretty low-key this weekend, which allowed me to finish up the last bit of chores I wanted to accomplish off my list.  Anniston and I ran a few errands Saturday morning and had plans to come back home to help Brandon rake leaves.  Once I felt how cold it was outside, I withdrew my offer to help and instead we watched him from the window:) 

We spent the rest of Saturday cleaning, doing laundry, and just taking it easy.  Anniston helped me out a lot- she apparently thought her bows needed a good cleaning again, even though she had just cleaned them really well a few days ago.

We ate in Saturday night instead of going out because I was feeling lazy and didn't want to get dressed and weather the cold. It felt nice to just hang out at home instead of rushing off here and there.  There will plenty of that later!

On Sunday my parents came into town so my dad and Brandon could hang up our outside lights.  I had a teeny tiny list of other things I wanted them to do as well.  This was one of them:

It was kind of hard to get a good angle but this is my front staircase leading up to the second floor.  I LOVE how this turned out!  I debated doing a collage of sorts, but in the end I decided I wanted to keep it simple and clean looking.  Allie helped me plan it out on a fancy app she has and I think it looks great.  Brandon and my dad had SO much fun hanging it (insert sarcasm) but it's ok because my mom and I rewarded them with cookies:)

Mom and Dad bought Anniston her very own Christmas tree for her playroom.  All the ornaments are non-breakable so she can take them off, rearrange them, and basically do whatever she wants with them.  She loved it and had so much fun putting all the ornaments on- even though all the ornaments pretty much ended up all in one spot:)

While Brandon and my dad were working on something in my craft closet, Anniston had fun "shopping":

She loaded her gift bags up with toys and books, put on her clogs, and pushed that shopping cart like she was on a mission.  Then she'd come back into the room and yell "I'm baaaaack...."  Silly girl.

Sunday night Brandon made a fire, and we all curled up on the floor next to it and watched the Grinch.  Anniston was captivated.  She didn't take her eyes off the TV for the entire show.  She loved the music and little Cindy Lou Who.  She demanded to watch it again after it was over, but I finally talked her into taking a bath first and then watching it again.  I know we are starting the Christmas season early, but I just can't help myself.  There is just too much fun stuff to do!

Midweek Randoms

I cannot believe Thanksgiving is next week!  I have a pretty busy work week, but the overtime shift I was going to pick up on one of my days off got canceled, so it's not going to be as hectic as I originally thought. 

It feels SO good to have my Christmas décor up!  My mom and dad are coming in town this weekend to assist in hanging up our outside decorations but otherwise, I'm done.  Now to focus on Thanksgiving, Christmas presents, Anniston's advent calendar, Elf on the Shelf, etc.  It's going to be a busy December!

Anniston and I went out and about yesterday morning searching for advent calendar goodies, craft paint, ornaments for her little tree, and Christmas books.  I'm incorporating reading Christmas books into her advent calendar so I needed to buy a few more.  As always, we went up and down every toy aisle in Target oohing and aahing over everything.  She is so good about not insisting we buy anything.  She wants to hold each toy, but when I tell her it's time to put it back on the shelf she does it with no argument (so far.)  I like looking at all the toys, too, because it gives me ideas for Christmas presents.  At the top of the list so far is the Sweet Dreams Dora doll.  We look at it every time and her face just lights up when she gets to hold her. 

She also loved the Baby Alive doll and giggled when the baby talked.  I snuck a little pink broom and dust pan cleaning set into the bottom of the cart when she wasn't looking for one of her Christmas presents.  She loves to get our big broom out and sweep the kitchen floors so I'm hoping she will love having one of her own to pretend with.

In other randomness today, Annie got into my makeup yesterday morning while I was in the shower.

There was a little bit more on the other cheek and on her hands but not bad, right?  I mean, it could have been a lot worse- maybe like this??

Luckily, it came up after only a small amount of scrubbing on my part- all the while she's standing behind me saying "I sorry, Mommy."  I just couldn't get mad at her when she was being so sweet about it!

While A was napping, I worked on a little project for my upstairs hallway.  I bought this wood monogram from Jane.com at a ridiculously cheap price a few weeks ago and found the perfect place to hang it upstairs.

I decided to paint it white (the walls upstairs are a light gray color) in hopes of it adding some freshness to the walls. 

Not the best after pic- but I'll take a better one when I get it on the wall.

 

 

After nap, Annie and I went for a run for the first time in a LONG time.  I've been so focused on other things since we moved that working out has not been much of a priority.  I wondered how Annie would do since she's so much older now than the last time I took her running with me.  I didn't know if she would sit still long.  She had a blast, though!  We got her all bundled up (it might have been a bit overkill) and off we went.  Whenever I would stop to take a walk break, she would yell "Run, Mommy!"  My cute little motivator:)  We ran about 2 miles- which was plenty for my first time back out there pushing a 34 lb kid (she was a lot smaller last time we went!)  We had a great time and the weather was awesome.

 





 

We treated ourselves to some Mellow Mushroom pizza once Brandon got home from work.  Anniston loves Mellow Mushroom and loves coloring while we wait on our food.  She was in such a good mood, waving and talking up a storm.

And she insisted that we hold hands when we ate.  How sweet is that?

 

Now I just have 2 more days of work before another long weekend!  And I'm very excited that this weekend will not be busy!