Weekend + Lots of Family Time

I want to start by saying that I’m thinking of and praying for everyone who was affected by the attacks in Paris this weekend.  It’s a great big world out there, and while I would like to think that something like that could never happen to us in our sweet little city, that’s simply not true.  September 11 and these recent Paris attacks go to show that anything could happen anywhere, anytime.   

I just wonder when it will all stop – the violence, the hatred.  It’s a very scary world in which we are raising our children, and I pray that Brian and I can do everything we can to raise them to be good.  Kind.  Generous.  Compassionate.  Gracious.  Humane.  To embrace people of all walks of life and to be tolerant of other people’s beliefs.  Is it really that difficult?

To be honest, my Monday started out pretty crappy and I was originally going to start this post by airing a couple of complaints, but considering that there are many people who spent the day mourning the unexpected loss of loved ones, I decided to let them go.   

We had a good weekend in our little bubble despite the upheaval in the world.  Friday evening we all got home from work and school, put on our jammies, turned on some Christmas music, lit a Christmas candle, and ate Cracker Barrel takeout for dinner… sweet, delicious comfort food.  After dinner, we all snuggled on the couch and watched A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, and it was so cold that we were finally able to have a fire in the fire place.  I love cozy evenings at home this time of year. 

Saturday we took the kids out for breakfast – a rarity – and then we visited Brian’s dad before heading home to watch the Georgia game.  Georgia beat Auburn (one of our oldest rivals) so that was definitely a sweet spot in the weekend.

Saturday evening Jacob and I went to church while Brian stayed home with Olivia.  She seems to have relapsed and has been sick all week with a cough and runny nose, and we didn’t want to risk infecting any of the other kids there, so we thought it would be a good idea to leave her at home.  Plus, she has been quite difficult for the last couple of weeks due to three teeth coming in, so it was definitely for the best.   

After church, Brian and Olivia joined us and we met up with my mom, dad, and uncle for Mexican, and then on the way home, B and I stopped by Dairy Queen to grab some Blizzards for after the kids went to bed.  #MeanMommyAndDaddy

Sunday morning we lounged around in our PJs... the kiddos played while I decorated a little more for Christmas and admired my newly painted gold nails.  I sure do love gold nail polish... it's definitely in my top three of favorite nail colors.

We left the house around lunch time and I, of course, took some outfit pictures with my little miss (who was not remotely interested) and when we finished, Jacob said, "I want to take a picture of my outfit!"  So we did.

We had lunch at Brian’s mom and step-dad’s house and the weather was gorgeous, so the kiddos got lots of time outside.  Olivia may have gotten a little too much time outside and the most disgusting thing that has ever happened in my four years of motherhood happened.  

Let me paint the picture for you. 

It was gorgeous outside – 63-ish degrees and sunny with a slight breeze.  Jacob and I were sitting on a bench in the shade in the back yard, flipping through the Walmart toy magazine and discussing which items he wanted – all of them, (including all of the girls’ toys) in case you were wondering – and Olivia was playing in the grass happily at our feet.   

Just as Jacob was telling me how much, “I won’t believe this” and pointing to yet another toy he had to have, Olivia stood up and walked over to me waving something around in her little hand.  I was shocked to see something gray and furry with a little pink tail hanging out of her hand and it took me a second to realize that Nana and Poppie don’t have any toys that look like that. I (literally) screamed, jumped up, and started flinging her little arm around to make her drop it, and I almost fainted when it flew out of her hand because I discovered that it was also headless and oozing blood and guts. 

And she had been holding it by the blood and guts end. 

And she had blood and guts all over her tiny, precious hand.   

I snatched her up as fast as I could, rushed her in to the house while holding her arm out as far away from the both of us that I could, and I proceeded to scrub the $%!# out of both of her hands in the hottest water that I could use without burning her + more soap than anyone could ever use in ten hand-washings.  After that, we ran to the kitchen where I grabbed an alcoholic antibacterial hand wipe, and I scrubbed both of her hands again, and I wiped under each of her little fingernails.  We finished our round of cleaning by stripping her down just in case the mouse had touched her shirt sleeve (even though I’m sure it didn’t) and I’m now debating whether or not to burn that shirt.   

All the while, she looked at me completely bewildered, and a little like she wanted to cry.  I think my screams and all of my abrupt actions scared the stew out of her.  

Anywho, we think that the mouse was probably dragged into the yard and beheaded by one of their cats, and that’s how Olivia got ahold of it.  I’m just so incredibly thankful that I watch her as closely as I do.  I don’t even want to think about what could have happened if I hadn't noticed her tiny little treasure so quickly. 

I basically couldn’t get that image out of my head for the rest of the day, and my family had a good laugh (and shock) over it later on at dinner. 

Every time she eats or puts her hands near her face now, I die a little inside knowing where that little hand has been.   

Oh motherhood, you are definitely not for the weak or faint-hearted. 

#AlwaysExpectTheUnexpected

*Linking up with B Loved Boston for Weekending.