Catching up...

It's been a busy couple of weeks and it seems iOS is no longer supporting the Blogger app (booo Apple and Google--work it out!), so I haven't been able to post on the go.

So here's a quick round-up of the fun happenings in our world...

Lainey's first sleepover!

Lainey had her first sleepover with her buddy Molly a few weeks back. We were at the O'Grady's for dinner and some hang time, and Maggie invited Lainey for an impromptu sleepover. I was a little worried (mostly that Lainey would rise at an ungodly hour), but my fears were for not! She slept through the night and played quietly the next morning waiting for Molly to wake up (I suggested she could also take this approach at home, but that message seems to have been forgotten). She didn't miss us at all and didn't want to leave when I came to pick here up. Thanks for having her, O'Grady's! Another big milestone in the books!

Girl Party!

I got a new job!
My dream job turned out to be a nightmare and I decided there was no reason to continue the pain. So, after two years, I've decided to move on. But, I learned a lot and made a new best friend, so I have no regrets. However, I also have no reservations about getting the hell out of there. My last day is February 10 and I start the new gig on February 15, allowing me a few days off in between. This job is in the suburbs, so that is going to be a major transition. I will miss being downtown, but the commute will give me so much more flexibility and that will be a tremendous help with two little ones.

We had Christmas the Sequel!
We finally had Brandi Christmas the weekend of January 21 and celebrated Amelia, Oliver, and Jacob's birthdays. I CANNOT BELIEVE JACOB IS 16!!! (Well, almost, he still has two more days to go!) The weekend was super short this time, but we still crammed in the fun and the love! I am a very lucky lady to have such an amazing group of in-laws. I'm proud to say that I'm one of those people who wishes her in-laws lived CLOSER to her. I owe you all an email to figure out March...

Fun with bows

34 candles!

Troop Beverly Hills, What a Thrill!
I successfully closed out the initial Girl Scout Cookies sales and assisted with the first troop meeting. There are 18 girls in our troop. EIGHTEEN! After our first meeting, I felt relieved that I only signed on as Cookie Manager and don't have to deal with THAT craziness every month. And I found a whole new respect for those kindergarten teachers who have 25 kids ALL DAY, not just 90-minutes. Yikes!

Disney on Ice
We hit up Allstate Arena this past Saturday for Disney on Ice and Mark proclaimed for the second year in a row..."this is the last year we're doing this." Famous last words, Mark. We all know you're full of it and will be sending me the email promo for tickets eight months from now. It really wasn't that bad...there was just a moment when everything went awry with two kids crying, popcorn all over the people behind us, and our coats on the floor being trampled. And we just happened to be sitting among some of the most well behaved children I've ever seen, so our kids minor transgressions seemed amplified. But, there were plenty of children in the concourse after the show that made us feel not quite so ashamed of our children's spoiled behavior over not getting snow cones.

And for the January finale...
I found time to relax...bring on February!

Nick's Entourage

Nick has taken to requiring that this bundle of stuffed animals accompany him wherever he goes. They sleep at the foot of his bed at night, travel downstairs with him in the morning, and lay right outside the kitchen at meal times. We drew the line at taking them in the car to daycare. He's added bringing the cage* to the mix in case any of the animals act up and need to go to jail. If he keeps adding animal friends, we're going to need a bigger blanket soon!

It was pretty adorable the first day or two, but two weeks later...well, it's still pretty adorable.

*Nick asked for a cage for Christmas for his bad guys, so I bought him this hamster cage. Next to The Lion Guard tree, this has been his most played with toy. And at $12, much more economical.

John, Joan, and Gene

About a month ago, Nick announced that he has brothers. It started one night when I asked him who taught him to say, “what the frek?,” and he replied, “My brother, John.” Throughout that evening, we came to learn he also has a brother Joan and brother Gene. They are all 16 and live in a castle.

He’s had many, many other brothers since this time, who usually only stick around for a day or so and are generally five-years-old and named after the first object he sees—a few names include Candy Cane, Candy Cane Lick, Towel, Cup, and Chair. Per Mark, he also proclaimed that Samuel L. Jackson was his brother when he saw him on TV (I hope during a commercial, because there is no Samuel L. Jackson movie appropriate for a three-year-old). But, all of these brothers come and go, while John, Joan, and Gene remain constant.

Despite John being blamed for “what the frek,” it appears Joan is the real trouble maker. As Nick says, “Joan’s so naughty.” He causes all kinds of trouble and makes Nick do all kinds of things he shouldn’t. I secretly love that Joan’s the bad one, because one of my dear friends is named Joan, and she is definitely the naughtiest of the group. It’s fun hearing her name around the house! John seems to be the protector and poor Gene just dies a lot—often through attack by a wild animal.

I will tell you, this kid has the most amazing imagination and I love, love, love this new element. Except for yesterday when he had a complete tantrum, because I couldn’t take a picture of his brothers. He was very mad at me, as were John, Joan, and Gene evidently. Sorry boys—I really would love to have a picture of all my sons* together!

*UPDATE: I’ve learned that John, Joan, and Gene aren’t my sons. Their mom’s name is Johnny and their dad’s name is Donny. No explanation was provided on how they became Nick’s brothers. 

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

The trail of candy and gifts..

'Twas a very Merry Brandi Christmas! We enjoyed Christmas morning with the kids watching them tear through gifts from Santa and us. The biggest hit from Santa was the Lion Guard Tree, which really is a pretty amazing play set. Both kids love it and I have no buyer's remorse on the price. Nick alone has spent hours over the last week happily playing with it. Another Santa favorite was the Walkie-Talkie set that came with a a surprise opportunity for a lesson on privacy protection. We were getting quite a bit of cross-over from unknown users. Not so merry to hear a strange man's voice coming from our living room while we enjoyed our Christmas breakfast. Yikes! 

Speaking of "breakfast," Santa once again stopped by the North Pole bake shop and delivered Christmas cakes and cupcakes. Always a hit!

The start of a sugar-filled week

I'm also happy to announce we added two new members to the family! Introducing Foxy and Molly, our two beta fish. These babies came from Mom and Dad--no way was I letting Santa get credit for these. Mark bought the fish and set up the tank a week before Christmas, and we hid it under a box with the back cut out, so the fish could get light from the window. The kids NEVER suspected a thing! 

Not a puppy, but they still love them

My family rolled in later that day. Chris and Sean cuddled up with the kids for a movie, allowing Mark and me to sneak a quick Christmas nap before Dad and Sharon arrived. We had a lovely dinner together, before round two of presents began. At this point the kids were completely wild with sugar and high on new toy smell, so things were a little spastic. But, their uncles and grandparents have to share some of them blame for spoiling them rotten. A few of the favorites from the ridiculous bounty included an Easy Bake Oven for Lainey, dinosaur eggs that you "excavate" to hatch little dinosaurs, and of course a triceratops that "poops" jelly beans (thank you, Uncle Chris).

Grandpa really got into the spirit this year

Everyone stuck around for a few more days to get their fill of the kiddos. Dad and Sharon let Chris, Sean, Mark, and me escape to see Rogue One on Monday, and Chris and Sean gave me the best gift of all when they took the kids to see Sing! on Wednesday, granting me a few hours of alone time to recover from the holiday and prepare for two days alone with the kiddos (also know as Christmas detox. It was rough, but we all survived and are stronger for it).

New Year's Eve was a very simple affair. We let the kids watch a movie, so Mark could watch football in peace. Then the kids and I donned our Buckeye shirts and watched them lose miserably (well, watched the beginning of the miserable loss--we shuttled them to bed before the official disappointment). After the kids were tucked in and dreaming, Mark and I made a nice dinner of Steak Oscar and then watch the new Ghostbusters, which was super funny! The movie wrapped up right at midnight and we kissed 2016 good-bye and welcomed 2017 in. May it be a good one for all!

Maybe next year!