The toe saga continues... and Christmas movie watching!

Christmas movies watched to date:
The Family Stone
Christmas Vacation (second half)
Love Actually

Update on my toe:
(Just in case anyone but me cares and also as a reminder to Husband there was a reason I spewed curse words and tears and nearly fainted when aforementioned wooden folding table fell on my toe.)
I went to a podiatrist this week. He removed my nail. (Insert tears here.) Before this happened, I said: "What if we don't remove it? What if we just let it fall off on its own?" He said we could do that. But he was concerned about what might be under it. Turns out, there was a "laceration" in the nail bed, which required stitches. He then decided to X-ray it; and thankfully there was no break or fracture, otherwise I could have been at risk for infection in my bone (due to the laceration) and "the only way to get rid of infection in bone is to remove the bone. You want to keep your toe, right?" ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? Of course he said this was the worst case scenario, and that I was not going to lose my toe. I admit once more to being dramatic about this. I know there are much worse things that could happen to a person and much worse things happening in this world right now. But this was/is kinda traumatic in my little world. The good news is the nail will grow back. The bad news is it will take 6 to 9 months, and who knows what it will look like. (Thank goodness for nail polish.) Folks, if you have learned anything from my little mishap it should be this: Don't drop anything on your toe. Ever. EVER.

Farm tree hunting, elf on the shelf, Silver Dollar City and more! It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

WARNING: At the bottom of this post is a picture of my smooshed big toe/toenail. If you are squeamish you might not want to look at it. You might be wondering, "Why would she post something so grotesque?" For posterity. In case my "new" nail grows back all funky, my children and grandchildren can look back at this and remember why it looks so funky. More on this a little later...

So, Christmas is just 10 days away, and the Wade kids are excited. I am really trying not to think about the impending post-Christmas blues (and the taking down of the decorations - gah!) and enjoy these final days before Christmas. This holiday season has truly been magical and fun and exciting (and exhausting) and all the things it should be with small children in the house.

Each year we put up a "faux" tree in our living room, adorned with all sorts of beautiful ornaments and lights. This is where we put our Christmas presents. The kids each have their own little trees in their bedrooms with their own ornaments, which we add to each year. But there's just something about a real tree. When I was a kid we always went out and cut down a real tree at Christmas, and over the past couple of years it has become a tradition for us to do the same thing. Last year our farm tree was a little too big, so this year we decided to pick out a smaller, Charlie Brown-size tree. Isn't it cute?

Here's the farm tree inside, with lights and candy canes. The perfect size! Popcorn and construction paper chain garland coming soon.

Pop and Gigi have the biggest snowman ever on their back deck. So festive!

Finn continues to have amazing bedhead. This morning it was really awesome.

I just love this picture. Matt took the kids on a four-wheeler ride to the creek over the weekend. While they were there he sat Lola up on this little bluff and snapped this picture. The outfit: all her. She loooves to pick out her own clothes and shoes these days and rarely lets me have a say. Sometimes I cringe, but often I admire her funky style. (Funny aside: Matt said Lola was totally freaked out while sitting here. Not because she thought she might fall, but because she thought there was a bear behind her. Wild imagination, this one has.)

Our elf on the shelf, Blueberry, showed up on the morning of Nov. 30. Some days we just find him perched on a high spot, like atop the Christmas tree or on the mantel. One morning we found him in the kitchen, where he had apparently gotten into the Cheerios and left this message for the kids. Tee hee. This is our third Christmas with Blueberry, and so far it has been the best yet. Every morning when Lola gets up (usually around 5:15 these days - yawn), the first thing she does is search the house for Blueberry. 

Last week we took the kids to Silver Dollar City. We took Lola at Christmastime last year, but this was Finn's first trip. They had a blast. Finn was able to ride most of the rides; kids have to be 36 inches to ride the kiddie rides, and he is 36.5. He loved the teacups and the flying elephants and the little pirate ships that go around really fast! However, you know the ride where you sit in a big ship and it rocks back and forth, back and forth? He hated that. He gripped the bar so tightly with his little hands and kept saying, "Stop! Stop!" It was so sad. I wanted to yell at the ride operator to STOP RIGHT NOW! MY BABY BOY DOESN'T LIKE THIS! But, I resisted, and he survived. Needless to say, that was Finn's last ride of the day. Matt and Lola rode the giant swing (see below, they're toward the back and at the bottom of this picture). Finn loves to swing at home, but after the pirate ship ordeal, we decided not to take him on this. Maybe next year.

What kid falls asleep in a candy store? This one.

Lola couldn't wait to sit on Santa's lap and tell him what she wants for Christmas. Yet when it was her turn the big guy made her go speechless. (A Christmas miracle!) The only time she spoke was to correct Santa when he called Finn "Ben." I was standing off to the side, while Matt took this picture. Matt said he overheard some people behind him say they thought these two were twins, but then they realized Finn is smaller, so they must not be... I guess they really do look a lot alike!

We ran into some other Wade kids at SDC. We all rode the train together after dark, which is one of my favorite parts of the SDC Christmas visit. Madison and Maddox were fearless when it came to the rides!

And finally. Here is what my right big toe looks like now. Take a good, close look because me thinks in a matter of days the toenail will be gone. (Gasp!) I know I'm being a little bit dramatic about this, but guys, it hurts. I mean, it really hurts. And I work at a marina and wear flip-flops often. I enjoy going for walks in the park (when time permits). I just got a new pair of boots and have only worn them ONE TIME this winter. And this little mishap has put a damper on my shoe wearing and park walking. All I can say is, thank goodness it isn't flip-flop season, although ironically, flip-flops are about the only shoe I can wear right now. So, here's what happened: Matt totally dropped an end table on my toe. (Just kidding.) Actually, I dropped an end table on my toe. What followed after that was blinding pain, every curse word imaginable and me nearly fainting. And I am not a wimp. Really, I'm not. Note to self and others: Don't drop anything on your toe, ever.

Christmas movie marathon

Movies. What are those? We don't really watch "movies" around our house these days. 1. Who the hell has time to sit down in one place for two hours? and 2. I'd rather be sleeping. BUT, when December rolls around, there is a list of movies that must be watched before the 25th. It's just part of the ol' Christmas tradition. It dawned on me yesterday that there are just 13 days til Christmas (gasp!), and we haven't watched a single movie. So, we started our movie marathon last night. And I'm proud to announce we made it through the whole thing without falling asleep. Here's our must-see list. (There are others we like and will squeeze in if there is time, like Fred Claus, Four Christmases and Bad Santa - even thought it's terribly inappropriate.) What are your favorites?

Christmas Vacation
Elf
It's a Wonderful Life
Love Actually
The Christmas Story
The Family Stone - CHECK (Dec. 12)
White Christmas - (okay, this is not on "our" list, just mine)

This boy.

Finn turned 2 on Nov. 7. He had his 2-year-old well visit this week. He's a healthy, growing little boy - besides the fact he has a double ear infection. I had no idea he was even sick until the doctor looked in his ears. He has had a runny nose for what seems like weeks but really no other symptoms. Boo.

He weighs 29 pounds, 1 ounce (+50th percentile) and is 36.5 inches tall (+90th percentile). He babbles nonstop, and we're finally starting to understand more of what he is saying. :) The nurse asked if he has a vocab of 50 words. Ehhhhh, hmmm. 50 words, yes. 50 words we can understand? Maybe not. But, communication with him is getting easier, and I am always amazed and surprised when he says something new, like I expect (want) him to stay a babbling little thing forever.

This boy is a lover. He gives hugs and kisses. He likes to snuggle and cuddle. He melts my heart. End of story.

KC/CoMo/Birthday Weekend!

Get ready for a picture overload. A lot has happened in the past month. We traveled to Kansas City (for Matt's work) and to Columbia (for Homecoming). We trick-or-treated. And we celebrated Finn's second birthday! This post is just the first one-third of all that: the KC-CoMo trip.

I started this post two weeks ago, and I'm finally getting around to finishing it. Whew.

So, after being home from Florida for just 13 days, we loaded up and headed out on a road trip for Columbia by way of Kansas City. Matt had continuing education all day on Thursday in Overland Park, and the kids and I decided to tag along. We headed up Wednesday afternoon and planned to stay with Caldwell, Kate and Liam. We had takeout from Oklahoma Joe's on Wednesday night. Matt left the house at 7:20 Thursday morning with Caldwell, Kate went to work, and Liam went to his sitter. So... the kids and I had the day to ourselves. My two goals for the weekend were to go to Ikea (we desperately need some storage solutions in our house!) and to Trader's Joe's. I did neither of these things. BUT, it was a really fun visit anyway, and I've decide I'll just have to go back by myself to do some shopping.

The weather Thursday morning was cool and a little rainy, but it cleared off, so we headed to the zoo. (Bonus: my friend Natalie was there chaperoning her daughter's school trip. We hadn't seen each other in a few years, so it was fun to run into her there!) We had never been to the Kansas City Zoo - it's awesome! And huge. We were there half the day and only saw maybe half the zoo. Of course we rode the carousel numerous times. The kids had a blast, and so did I. We'll definitely go back to see the other half.

Friday (Oct. 24) was my 35th birthday. Eeek!

We celebrated the night before at Bella Napoli's in Brookside with Caldwell, Kate and Betsy. This guy sang 'happy birthday' to me in Italian. That was a first. Food and wine were both delicious. The birthday tiramisu was the best I have ever eaten. I'll admit, I'm not usually a fan. I don't drink coffee, and I don't like the taste of it. But this stuff was good.

Friday morning we drove to Columbia and had lunch at Flat Branch. Afterward we went to the Quad to let the kids stretch their legs.

Friday afternoon we met my girlfriends from college at the winery. That night Lola and I and the girls went to see the house decs, and we toured the newly remodeled Tri Delta house. Saturday morning we watched the parade. (No pics of any of those things.) Then we tailgated. 

Billie practicing with Liam for her #2.

Kate was in Eureka Springs with some of her girlfriends,

so Caldwell and Liam had a boys day out.

 This lasted all of four seconds, but they were so stinkin' cute.

This is Billie's daughter, Embry.

 Jessica has a Finn, too. She came to CoMo solo, so we didn't get to see her hubby and two adorable kiddos, but she did a fine job snuggling mine. :)

 I love this picture. This is my pledge daughter, Beth, playing with Lola. For years I called her "daughter" and she called me "mom." She was my first kid. :)

Lola and Embry enjoyed sitting on the hill and cheering on the Tigers!

Love these girls. We sure missed Hannah.

And finally, the ride home. These kids were worn out.

(And so were we.)

Enjoying fall

Just a few photos from some lazy fall weekends.

More soon from our trek to Kansas City and Columbia last week/weekend.

No worries -the mower wasn't turned on. :)

Mud puddles = endless entertainment

Lola dancing to her own music. :)

Morning walk on a brisk fall day.

Pumpkin carving!

And painting! 

Boo!

Lola, 4 years old

Lola's 4-year stats:

Height: 45 inches (115th percentile - what??)

Weight: 45 pounds - (95th percentile)

Clearly, she is tall.

Photo above is Lola and her cousin, Keaton. (Keaton is 10 weeks older than Lola.)

115th percentile: how is it even possible to be over 100? Well, she was wearing shoes and had a ponytail on top of her head when they measured her, so perhaps the 115 is a bit of a stretch. But, still. She's gonna be tall. I am 5'9" and Matt is 6'2", so what else would you expect? More importantly, she's healthy. :)

New fall obsession

Cinnamon ice cream.

Get some vanilla ice cream. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Eat. Delicious.

(Thank you, Anna, for telling us about this culinary masterpiece. We LOVE it.)

To the beach and back: Boca Grande, Fla.

WE'RE BACK. Sorry for the hiatus. We spent the first nine days of October on vacation (aka lounging at the beach). Sigh. We took a family trip to Boca Grande, Florida - our first time ever visiting this quaint little town. We rented a house on the beach and shared it with siblings, cousins, grandparents... 14 adults and 5 kids altogether. We rarely left the house. Instead we cooked most of our meals (huge family-style meals for this big crowd): from breakfast casseroles and huge stacks of pancakes to fish tacos, grilled wings, shrimp pasta and even takeout pizza. We watched the sun come up most days (early risers, these kiddos are), we spent time on the beach, in the water and picked up shells EVERY day, we dodged jellyfish, we watched dolphins swim just yards away from the shore, we napped, we cheered on the Cardinals (and the Royals) in their post-season efforts, we drank adult beverages, we read books (I started and finished a whole book that had nothing to do with parenting!), we dug for clams, we found live starfish and kept them in makeshift saltwater "aquariums" on our deck so the kids could watch them, we found more sand dollars than I have ever seen in one place, we walked the beach and snapped pictures of our favorite beach houses, we watched a storm or two roll in, we ventured out a time or two to buy souvenirs and try some of the local fare, we rode in golf carts, we took (hilarious) family pictures, we ate desserts, we (okay, the kids) showered outside. We had a fabulous time.

BUT...

It's always good to come home. The kids were so thrilled to be home that they spent the first day back playing with every toy in their rooms. And I'll have to say, as nice and relaxing as it was being away from it all, we were sure happy to be back, too. There is just something about being home this time of year. The older I get - and especially now that I have kids - the more I thoroughly enjoy fall and being at home. Fall "cleaning" is a bigger deal for me than spring cleaning. At the end of a very busy summer season that allows me very little time to just be at home, I am always so ready to get my house (and life) in order and organize, organize, organize. And the cooking. Oh, the cooking. Soups and chilis, roasted veggies and casseroles, having the time to try new recipes... and the baking, oh my! It's just the best time of year to eat, isn't it?

So, we took a million and one pictures, but I managed to narrow it down to these couple dozen - and these are just from my phone. I'll post more from my camera once I have them downloaded and organized. No captions on these photos - the pictures tell the stories pretty well, I think. Enjoy!