Going, going, going...

waiting for the parade at Disneyland

Oh November has been a blur. We have been going non-stop since before Halloween. It's been fun, but...shoot, could you give me another week before December? I just don't feel up to it yet!
I had all these dreams of getting my house decorated for Christmas this week. And baking cookies. And a bunch of fun Christmas crafts for the kids.
But I just can't seem to get myself there yet.
Remember to tell me next year not to plan a vacation in November. This is two years in a row we've done it, and while it's fun at the time, it seems like getting ready for Christmas is much more of a hassle, or well maybe overwhelming, than it should be. Or than I want it to be. I want to enjoy December. But every year I feel pressure starting the day after Thanksgiving, like a looming dooming cloud. And then it all flashes by like a dream and it's over 27 days later.
Next year I'm decorating on November 1st, like they do at Disneyland.

The castle, Walt and Mickey waiting for the fireworks

I'm thinking of doing December Daily again this year. I got my book all ready last year and then ended up skipping the whole project. :( I love my album from 2008. This year I'm thinking of doing all digital and then printing as a book from Shutterfly or something. Probably using Ali Edwards' templates. I like instant gratification, but I don't have a properly working photo printer right now, nor do I have the money to fix it or get a new one. I also don't have the patience to wait for my photos to be printed by Costco or whoever. So I'm thinking I can get instantly gratified by creating my pages each day digitally and then getting the book printed in January some time. In theory.
One last quick note...if you are the praying type, I could sure use some prayers for my dad. I mentioned before that he had been diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma and that he seemed to be doing well after chemo. Well this weekend we were visiting and I could tell that he wasn't feeling all that great. He called today to say he was on his way back to the hospital at the advice of his doctor because he was having a hard time breathing. Last time they had to remove about a quart of fluid that was around his lungs and he's thinking they will have to do that again. I really don't know any more than that. They're waiting to hear what the doctors have to say. He seems in good spirits, but wants to find out what's going on. Naturally. So I'm waiting too, to hear from him or my step-mother. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous or scared. I'm trying to keep in good spirits and keep myself busy until I know anything else. Thanks for your prayers!

I can't believe....

...That it's Thursday already.
....That it's already been a week since going on vacation. (which i do have a lot to say about, but not sure if everyone really wants the details or not)
....That Thanksgiving is in ONE WEEK. holy crap.
....That Christmas is in 33 days or something crazy close to that. (why does this stuff always just sneak up on me like this??)
....That our school year is just about 1/2 over already. Already?
...That it was 80 degrees yesterday, and tomorrow it's supposed to be freezing and raining like crazy.
...That Christmas is in 33 days! Did I say that already??
....That I'm getting a cold. And I can already tell it's going to be a bad one. not that I really can't believe that, it's just ugh....I don't want to be sick.

Anyway...
so speaking of Christmas...what is TOPS on your kids wish-lists this year? Our kids already know that Disneyland was a big (read: expensive!) part of their Christmas this year. So I'm not going all out but...
Anyway, Megan still is at the age where she doesn't really have anything specific. She still just likes horses. And clothes.
Jake, on the other hand, really wants a Nintendo DS. And I was sort of all for it....until I saw the price. Man, those things are not cheap! Of course, I think everything over a dollar is expensive ;) but $169?? It's more than I wanted to spend on just one thing. What do you think? Do your kids have one? Is it worth the money? I mean, I know the kids like them...everywhere we go we see some kid with their face stuck to one. So...maybe I'm just being cheap. Which yeah, this is ME we're talking about here. ;P

Well, that's all I got for now. My nose is stuffy, and my throat hurts. Off to nurse this yucky cold...

10 on Tuesday.

1. I have no energy today. I've been excited and pumped up for days, and now the day I have so much to do..the day before the day I've been anticipating for 2 months is here and I just want to take a nap.
2. It might be because I was up all night with a little girl coughing and coughing and coughing. ugh. She's fine during the day. But she coughs all night. :( BUT! I did find a cough medicine that actually works (over the counter!) Children's Mucinex. It does exactly what the box says it does. It took a little while for it to kick in, but once it did she was silent and sleeping.
3. Oh, in case #1 makes NO SENSE at all....We're going to Disneyland tomorrow. EEEK!
4. My tummy was in knots all morning. I hate that feeling. And it's exactly what happens every single time we go on a big vacation. Make it stop!
5. I probably won't be able to sleep tonight. Because I'm such a nerd that vacations still make me feel like a kid on Christmas morning. The morning can just not come quick enough. Is it time for bed yet? It's only 3 am?? Can we get up yet? Breakfast? Who needs breakfast?! Lets get this show on the road. Literally.
6. I've done entirely too much planning and research for this trip. I downloaded an app for my phone that will tell us all the wait times on the rides. I already know when all the parades, shows and fireworks are happening and what time/what day I want to see them. I also made us reservations for dinner at the Blue Bayou. The restaurant that's inside the Pirates of the Caribbean! I'm excited for that. Never eaten there before.
7. Why do my kids still ask for candy every time we go to a store, knowing FULL WELL we have a ginormous basket full of candy at home? Why?
8. I have so many other things I should be doing right now. The kitchen needs to be cleaned and dishwasher ran. The glitter box needs to be cleaned and extra food and water set out for the cat. I need to find the memory card for the camera.
9. I just want to take a nap! did I say that already?
10. ARE WE THERE YET?

Wordless Wednesday

10 things about Halloween.

Halloween Camping 2010

1. I brought my camera. But I was very lazy. So I just used my phone for pics.
2. It was pretty cold. Generally, it tends to get cold right after Halloween here. Not this year. Ok, well, Halloween day was nice, but because we were camping, the campground celebrated on Saturday. And Saturday was kind of miserable. Weather wise, anyway.
3. I'm constantly amazed at how creative people can be! It didn't seem like as many people went all out, like they did last year. But still some sites were just amazing! There was one that had set up a couple of Easy-Ups and made a 'Fun House'. All the people dressed up like clowns. Except they were scary clowns. They had the music of a fun house, the lights, balloons...everything! And when you walked into the fun house, they scared the crap out of you! LOL! It was great. Megan I think might have had a small heart attack. But she made it. And then a few minutes later said, "that was fun!" YES!! Jake on the other hand, was not impressed.
4. I didn't dress up. I was going to, but I just couldn't get over the fact that it was windy and cold and drizzly. I wanted to be as warm as possible. That wasn't going to happen in a costume! I don't know how you Minnesotans do it!
5. Halloween camping is so much fun. But a LOT of work. Thank you Mom and Mike for making it memorable for my kids. They really do love all that you do! You can sort of see from the first pic up there that they had 2 EZ-ups set up (because of rain) and a little graveyard path that went back to the 3 witches and a cauldron of candy. Oh yes, and the graveyard butler at the beginning of the path. He was a big hit! Everybody loved him.
6. Note to self and to mom: bring twice as much candy next time. Seriously, what were we thinking? We didn't have nearly as much candy as we needed. Well, we maybe had just enough. By the time it got dark, we were completely out. But most people were done by then anyway.
7. Speaking of candy...Holy cow! I kid you not...we have at least 10 pounds of candy. At least. No two children should ever bring home this much candy from one night of trick-or treating. It's just ridiculous. Think about it...there were at least 200 campsites at the campground. 99% of them were occupied, 100% of those were handing out candy-many people giving more than one piece at a time, times that by two kids...equals a $^# load of candy!! Even in a night of trick-or-treating in a neighborhood, I doubt you would hit 200 houses. Would you?
8. But it was all good candy. The kind of candy that needs to be hidden immediately! I'm talkin' 10 pounds of Reese's, Snickers, Kit-Kat, Skittles and Starbursts. No raisins or rolls of pennies!
9. People were creative with their campsites, but not so much with their costumes. There were, of course, a few great ones. But mostly I just saw kids in store-bought cheaply made costumes and no make-up. Now, don't get me wrong. My kids' costumes where NOT masterpieces by any means! Megan was wearing a cheaply made store bought costume. I wish I had the talent and time and know-how to sew my own, but I don't. As I'm sure most people nowadays can relate to. But still. I still think you need to do it up as best you can. A costume is not just a piece of clothing. It's head to toe show, man! Take the time to do hair and make-up. It makes that store-bought costume really come to life! To me, it's the funnest part of dressing up anyway, right? I know it's Megan's favorite. She couldn't find a mirror so she spent the better part of the afternoon looking at her reflection in the pot sitting on the stove inside the trailer! I'm serious.
10. I can't wait to go next year! I'm already thinking of ideas since we'll have our own campsite next time. This year we stayed with my mom but we've already reserved our spot for next Halloween now that we have a trailer of our own!! Pete had a trailer for a ranch he was hunting on right after he sold the other pig ranch. He's no longer doing hunts there, so the trailer is ours to use whenever we like! It's old, but it's nice. At least it's not pale blue and dusty rose on the inside! LOL! I used to be a 'camping purest' tents are the only way to really camp I used to say. Then I had kids. And I got real.