Well, I am soaring through my list of Christmas to-do's. Today I got the lights fixed outside, the decorations up around the house and the tree covered with lights and ornaments. Now I only hope that the ornaments I put on the tree will stay on it! With three cats and two kids...we'll see!

We got home two nights ago after being away almost two weeks. I thought that our Christmas chaos was over since we celebrated all of our big Christmas events. But it seems as if my Christmas list has only just begun.

Since we've been home, I've pretty much been spending time unloading Vanna of the presents for an entire army our children received. We unloaded the van at night so no one would see the spectacle of gifts!

When I woke up the next morning, I realized that since it was Thanksgiving when we left, we still had pumpkins and a mum on our front porch. So last night we went out and bought a tree. Today I had planned on getting the lights out on the bushes, the tree decorated and the decorations up around the house.

What I ended up getting accomplished today was the lights on the tree, not the ornaments yet. I also put some lights on the bushes, only to discover I put them on backwards and the plug is at the wrong end (nice!). And the Rubbermaid containers holding our Christmas decorations....they're still filled with our decorations - though I took the lids off.

Working quickly, with one daughter asking me to play pretend all day and the other daughter hanging on my leg all day (literally), does not allow as much time as I hoped.

I also have to work on the Christmas photo of the girls, the Christmas cards, the Christmas letter, the Christmas album, more Christmas shopping, more Christmas wrapping, Christmas presents shipping and I was even thinking about making Christmas cookies.

Today is December 9, and at this rate, I'll be lucky to get half of this "Christmas" stuff done in time.

On top of all of this, I still have a ton of stories I did not tell from our trip away last week and photos to share.

Eventually I will catch up...

Now I must go and fold the four baskets of laundry that have been calling my name since yesterday. Bah humbug.

The girls and I are in Illinois this week. We've done Thanksgiving. We've done two Christmas's. We have one more to go. Whew. Many people mentioned before we left for our trip, "oh it'll be nice to get away." While this is true - it is nice to remove oneself from the same surroundings. However, do not mistake that for being a vacation. In fact, I may go as far to say it's the opposite of a vacation.

We're having a very lovely visit with my family. And the girls, for the most part (more on the "most part" later), are behaving wonderfully. It's just still a challenge to be away from the norm. The routine is different. The sleep environment is different. The toys are different. The...everything is different.

And as far as the girl's behavior, well, Daddio and I really have very little to complain about. Our girls are brilliant travelers. They have established pretty good manners, especially for ages 2 and 4. They are good sleepers. They are good girls. 

But........just to add to some excitement this week, while being away from home, while being away from the norm, and while being spoiled rotten, my baby has decided to really start to explore the age of two (and all that being two can bring...if you know what I mean). This week baby Cheekers has remembered all of the buttons that her older sister doesn't like to be pushed...and she's been pushing them...and in public. To be honest, she's remembered all of my buttons too.

It's interesting, entering this new phase of age two. It's been awhile since I've managed this age. And while many refer to it as "terrible twos," Hubby and I referred to it as "terrific twos". Let's hope we can keep our optimistic view. Because this go around is completely different than with our first two year old. And all the rules and methods that worked before...don't...work...any...more. This is the beauty and gift of having multiple children, right?!

So, we will continue our trip away from home this week, and I'm sure there will be more delightful, challenging, head-scratching, "been there, done that," "glad I'm not in your shoes", parental stories to be continued...

Not a big fan of turkey, but oh how I can smell and almost taste those wonderful sides. The buttery potatoes, the sagey stuffing, the crunchy Frenchs onion topping on the glorious green bean casserole.
No other year have I been more eager for Thanksgiving than this year. I haven't celebrated turkey day with my family in years. When my husband and I married and lived in Omaha, we celebrated mostly with his family. While it was lovely, nothing beats the tradition you grew up with.
Our journey to embark in this gobble fest was supposed to be a 16 hour drive. Our first leg yesterday, suppoed to be 7.5 hours, ended up being just shy of 10 hours.
Today is a different story though. We have an open highway. The sun is shining. The tunes are happily getting us down the road.
Though it's quite a trek, and yesterday presented some challenges, there is much to be thankful for.
I am thankful for two of the best traveling children ever!!
I am thankful for a husband that is an excellent driver (while I blog and read celebrity gossip magazines).
I am thankful for Diet Coke - the perfect beverage after a less than average night of sleep in the hotel.
I am thankful for Vanna the van. Though I resisted buying her, I love her for all she provides, especially on long turkey trips.
I am thankful for Disney soundtracks and Chicago soundtracks for providing entertainment.
Lastly I am thankful in just a few hours we will be greeted by loving family, a warm home and delicious food!
Happy Thanksgiving!