Holiday Weekend Part 2

I made it through Black Friday in one piece and came home exhausted. Of course just because I got an early start to my day didn't necessarily mean I got to go back to bed and catch up on my missed sleep. Matthew was quite excited to see me when I got home and wanted to see what I bought. I tired to explain to him that no, he could not see his gifts that he needed to wait until Christmas Morning to see them and of course he started to cry. The next morning he greeted me by saying that there were no presents for him to open so I have a feeling this is going to be a long long wait for him. He doesn't quite understand the difference between Christmastime and Christmas Day so we are working on that concept. I need to find Advent calenders for the kids. Maybe the daily piece of chocolate will help make the time go by faster. Friday afternoon was also Matthew's first eye doctor appointment. He had been referred a few years ago at his three year check but since his eye contact was so poor I did not trust the eye scanner they were using to give an accurate reading. Even at his next check I was still skeptical since the nurse told me that the instrument was very sensitive and gave a lot of false positive readings and although his eye contact was improving it was (and is) still hard for him to look at something or someone. Hubby had to fill out paperwork for next year's benefits and the company offered vision. We weren't sure if the yearly cost was worth it since none of us have sight problems but I decided that we could make an appointment for Matthew and if he did need glasses then we could take the vision coverage. Well when Jim and Matthew came back I was told that yes, Matthew does need glasses. I don't remember why but it has something to do with an astigmatism of some sort. Our next dilemma was when to get the glasses. Our coverage does not start until the new year and prices range from $89 up to $300 depending on what kind of frames and lenses we get. At this point we decided to wait until January to get them. We have Andrew's ear tubes this week so we already have necessary medical expenses to take care of. I know we are probably bad parents but there are only a few more weeks of classes before the holiday break and I'll have more time to shop around and ask for a good place to buy the glasses. Doctor appointment done it was time to put he lights up. Hubby started the task and managed to get the roof done before it got a little too dark to safely continue. We decided to do Pizza Ranch since we hadn't been there in months and it was early enough in the day that we would avoid the supper crowds. Right next door to Pizza Ranch is an arcade called County Fair Fun. Almost all of the games are a quarter and they have a section of ride-on animals for the 4 and under set that are free to use. Everyone had fun and the kids were ready for bed when we got home. Saturday morning found the loving husband and I working off the food sins of the previous two days. There is a cardio kickboxing class Saturday mornings and we were there. I had gone out shopping Wednesday night and purchased a new pair of workout shoes and a new (I totally love it) sports bra so I was ready to go. Footnote on the bra--Class on the previous Monday plus Tae Kwan Do the next night killed my other one and I need to sew the strap back on before I can wear it again but only for walking and light workouts. Class was brutal, lots of bagwork and punching along with a few killer ab and leg exercises. I'm soo feeling it today. Later that afternoon when we returned home and Andrew went down for a nap hubby went back out and finished up the lights and I started on the tree. The kids this year were actually helpful and it did not take me as long to set it up as in years past. It is nice having two children who know colors and can hand me the correct color coded branch when I need it as opposed to picking up said branches and hitting each other with them. Jim also helped me with the lights since he is a little taller than me and more able to reach the top portions. One of these years I'm going to get a pre-lit tree. After supper the kids helped put the ornaments on. Andrew thought they were balls and kept taking them off the tree and throwing them at us. Thankfully they now make plastic shatterproof ones. Carolyn like the tree so much she brought her stuffed animals out and sat them on the couch so they could look at the lights. This morning Andrew was up early early but hubby was nice enough to let me go back to bed around 7. We decided to go swimming after breakfast. The big pool at the wellness center is closed for repairs but they have a smaller warm water therapy pool that they are letting members use instead. Normally it is only open a few hours each month for open swim and usually during times when we can't be there. After an early morning wake up and a big swim in the pool we figured Andrew would take a huge nap. He didn't. After trying to get him to go back to sleep we opted for fun outing number two, get rid of the hamburger buns. I had bought them a few weeks ago for the birthday party but they weren't used. I hate throwing bread away so instead we went to Arrowhead Park. It is an old quarry that now houses a flock of really fat geese and ducks. The sky was grey and overcast and the wind was brisk but the kids had a blast. Andrew showed no fear as he walked around. Some of the birds were bigger than he was. I took the camera with and got some nice shots of the kids and Daddy feeding the geese. A couple who also happened to be photographers stopped by to take pictures and she offered to take a picture of the family. The photos look OK but of course there isn't one with all of us looking and smiling at the camera so I'm not sure if that will be on this year's Christmas cards or not. All in all we had a great Thanksgiving weekend-- topped off by the Minnesota Vikings beating the Chicago Bears. Yeah!!!!!