Right Now: December Edition

I've been a slacker lately on my blog. December is such a busy month for us! Between preschool and Playgroup Christmas parties, celebrating Ayden and Rylee's birthday, and Christmas, there's been so much to do! So I thought I better sit down and write a (not so quick) post.

Reading: Ayden got Pete The Cat for his birthday, and it has quickly become a favorite. We are also still reading How the Grinch Stole Christmas on a frequent basis. The kids can almost recite it by memory now, and correct us if we miss a word or say something wrong. It's quite humorous actually.

Watching: Hallmark Christmas movies!

Listening: Christmas music, of course. Favorites around here are "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" (of course), "Away in a Manger," "Jingle Bells," "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town," and "We Wish You a Merry Christmas."

Drinking: Water, but not near enough lately, and Minute Maid Light Lemonade.

Eating: I just finished a bowl of ice cream. Chocolate Brownie Thunder. Mmmmmmmm.

Wearing: My flannel softball pj pants that Tony made for me several Christmases ago. Seriously, he actually sewed them himself! With his mom's help. I'm also wearing a very worn out t-shirt that a friend brought back for me from Alaska many years ago, and a long sleeve softball shirt over that because our downstairs doesn't get any heat and I am freezing!

Loving: The kids' excitement for checking our advent calendar and finding our Elf on the Shelf, Macaroni Cheese, everyday. Ayden is especially excited about it and can hardly contain himself until he sees what the Elf may have left for him each morning. Sometimes it's just a note, and other times it might be a little treat or gift.

Anticipating: Tomorrow we are taking the kids to an overnight trip to the coast for their birthday. The hotel we are staying at has not only an indoor pool, but also a splash pad and indoor playground. Every room has an ocean view. We are looking forward to them being able to watch their first sunset at the coast. They've been noticing the different colors in the sky at sunrise, and occasionally at sunset if we are out and about, and commenting about how pretty it is. This will be our first time at the coast when the sunset will be before their bedtime!

I'm also anticipating Christmas morning. They will be so excited that Santa came. Although, I also fully anticipate them being a little pissed off at not actually SEEING Santa when he stops by our house.

Hoping: For very few meltdowns over the next few days. Ayden's been having a bit of a rough time lately, so we will see...

Following: I suppose I'm a little boring. Other than blogs (and not very well), I'm not really following anything right now.

Wondering: If I will ever finish painting our house. I haven't picked up a paintbrush since we did all the painting when we first moved in. I am unmotivated to get it all set up while the kids are in preschool, only to have just a bit more than an hour to actually paint before I have to pack it all up again before I leave to pick up the kids. Someone asked me awhile back if I could just leave it and paint when the kids are home. Uhhh, that is a big NO. Ayden and Rylee have to help with EV.ER.Y.THING. They always want to be right there, no matter what it is we are doing. I have no doubt that Rylee would insist that she is a really good painter.

Trying: To get Ayden to actually pee IN the toilet! Oh. Em. Gee. So much pee. And I am so tired of cleaning it up. He waits until he really has to go, so of course he then pees at full blast and is hitting the back of the toilet, through the seat, which then floods the floor. I'm not talking little drips here people. I'm talking about having to use half a roll of paper towels to soak it all up. This happens at least once a day, but more like 2-3. Tony says that Ayden just needs to grow a little taller. I completely don't understand this logic, since this has only been a problem for the last month or so. He didn't get any shorter than when he was able to hit IN the toilet before! Ugh. I'm so tired of cleaning up pee, and having our bathrooms smell like pee all the time.

Worrying: About Ayden's meltdowns. He has such big emotions and is so sensitive. We have no idea what has brought this recent bout of meltdowns/full on fits, but it's breaking my heart when he is so, so sad. It's also completely frustrating when it's about not wanting to share, or over something he thinks he needs to have. We took the kids shopping for each other last weekend. We went to Toys R' Us; Tony took Ayden and I took Rylee. Of course their little minds were blown over all the toys, and they just wanted to buy something for themselves, but we are trying (unsuccessfully) to teach them that Christmas isn't all about GETTING, but also giving. At one point during this little adventure, Ayden actually yelled at Tony, "you're ruining everything!" because Tony wouldn't let him pick out something for himself. This wasn't one of his major meltdowns that has us concerned (we actually thought it was a little humorous), but it is another incident of selfishness. I know some of this is normal at this age. I KNOW that. Rylee has her own 4 year old selfishness about her, too, but Ayden seems to take it to a whole other level.

Planning: To sign up for another 5K after the holidays. I have not had any time the last few weeks to get out and run, because I needed to take advantage of those few hours the kids were in school to get things done for their birthday party and Christmas. I plan to get right back to the running after the New Year though, and need sign up for another race to keep me on task with something to work toward.

Contemplating: Going to bed. Actually, I'm not really contemplating. It's exactly what I'm going to do as soon as I hit "publish" for this post. Good night!