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.