Superwoman.. .

Even on days that I wake up exhausted because little ones were nocturnal, I still find myself planning a to do list a mile long for when they go to sleep that night. When will I learn that if I start out tired at 6:14 am, I am not going to have Superwoman strength and gusto to deep clean the entire house, wrap all the Christmas gifts, organize the pantry and clean out my car as soon as the kids go to sleep!?! 

Honestly, all I want to do is eat the Lindt milk chocolate truffles I got from the Ladies Christmas Cup of Cheer party and watch Shark Tank and fall asleep in my sweats. 

Please tell me I am not the only one struggling with this grandiose idea to conquer the world at midnight??

Anyway, despite 10 loads of clean laundry waiting to be folded (Georgiana has named it "the mountain!"), and constantly being behind on a load of dishes, we really are enjoying this Christmas season. I have no memory if I blogged about Thanksgiving, in my mind I did...

This year we headed out to The Father's Ranch (in a nutshell a Christian Women's Recovery Center) to participate in a Turkey Shoot. Well, Kelly participated and the kids and I visited with friends who we hadn't seen for a ridiculously long time. It was so much fun to meet our friends' sweet little ones and sit and visit and just enjoy each other's company. I do have some pictures, but they are still on my little camera. Kelly and his dad were the Range Marshals and helped keep all 60+ shooters safe. We came home with a freshly harvested 25 lb all natural truly free range turkey. The turkeys ranged in size from 15 to 50 lbs!! Yes, some turkeys do not fit in the oven! Kelly's turkey weighed in at 20 lbs, which sent me into a panic. My Grandma entrusted the Emerson Thanksgiving turkey to Kelly, "the great white hunter," and Grandma always has a 23-27lb turkey. Thankfully Kelly's brother, Cory, had two 25 pounders and was generous to swap with Kelly. Cory saved Thanksgiving :) 

We are thinking maybe the scale was off, or the weight of turkeys at the grocery store includes water and sodium or something, because Grandma is convinced the turkey was a 30 pounder, and we had more leftovers than ever! No complaints here. Oh, and I was educated on why dark meat is dark. I have never liked dark meat anyway, and now the thought of it induces a gag reflex. Yep.

Moving on. 

In addition to our Duck Dynasty style turkey, we also added a very simple activity to Thanksgiving that actually added a lot of discussion and really put the focus on being Thankful! Each family member wrote down something he/she was thankful for on a paper feather, then we hung them up, and all talked about it at dinner. It truly was so easy, but was definitely one of my favorite parts of the day. I got the craft from Party City. 

Georgiana was thankful for her new fence, her playhouse and baby brother. Almost everyone said "Family," and some got creative "warm socks," "March!" (When my cousin Ashley comes home from Thailand!!). 

After a lot of turkey, we headed home and I got up at the crack o' dawn, which was about 10 minutes earlier than I normally get up, and went shopping. It's tradition and I love it. As long as I get my free doughnut holes from Fred Meyer, I am good to go! 

Friday night we headed to a Christmas Bridge Lighting, which as bah humbug as this sounds, Kelly and I both remember it being so much more fun a couple of years ago. It was okay, but I think next year we may just get a Christmas movie and relax at home. 

Saturday morning I got my haircut. I got glasses about a month ago and felt like my hair needed a tweak to accommodate the frames. My regular stylist was booked up, so I booked an appointment with an unknown. My Saturday stylist ended up being a 60 year old man named Thor, he discussed 30 years of rock concerts, Shakespeare and Valentino. The conversation was easy and I actually really liked him. My haircut was not at all what I had envisioned, but after a week, I am glad I changed things up a bit, nothing major at all, but just enough of a change to make me not feel so much like a child wearing glasses to school for the first time, everyday.

Then, Georgiana and I met up with Allie and her 1 year old Tatum to go to a dear childhood friend's baby shower. How in the world did we not take a single picture at the shower!?! Serious bummer. The shower was a lot of fun, but oh my word, if you ever have a friend who says "my child is not normally like this." Please believe her. As Georgiana gave "Goliath eyes," sprawled out on the floor complaining she was tired, circled the table messing up the tablecloth with her hand over and over again, and then used the same hand to dive into the blueberries handful after handful, I wanted to hold a banner that said "I promise she really is not normally like this!" I just wanted her to visit with people, sit quietly on my lap, you know, just not act like a crazy person and be her sweet little self. Cest la vie. 

Sunday, that sweet little dolly of a personality came out at our friend's Christmas concert held at Kelley Lake Farm. Side note, anyone looking for a wedding venue? Kelley Lake Farm (the barn) was gorgeous!! I am confident it would be gorgeous any season. If you need a coordinator, just let me know, my brain was spinning with fun ideas for that location. At the concert Georgiana just visited away, she asked permission to make rounds to go say hello to other tables and she was a doll. At the end of the day, she is 3. She is unpredictable and fun and truly keeps me on my toes. 

This weekend I had the women's Christmas party for my church, an event I always look forward to, then my Aunt's work Christmas party. Again, how do I walk away without a single picture!?! Not everyday do you get to see Santa Claus and his elves come off of a plane directly from the North Pole (aka the C Concourse). Georgiana and Levi both had a blast, Georgiana played on inflatable after inflatable and by next year I don't think Mr. Levi will settle for being a spectator. 

Sunday, church and a long rehearsal for the church Christmas play, then off to Journey to Bethlehem at Auburn Adventist church, and then swinging by the "Our neck of the neighborhood Christmas bonfire gathering." Why I feel the need to list our activities, I am not sure, but busy we have been. Today the kids and I took on Costco. It was truly an adventure that ended in a grand finale with my vehicle blocking an entire parking lot aisle on a busy Christmas shopping day while a police officer gave my car battery a jump. Thank you Officer Smith for your chivalry. It was probably best Kelly was in his police car, I am sure we would have received quite a few more glares for blocking the aisle had we both appeared as civilians. Oh, and I apologize to the officer's who will be told "what do you mean you don't have jumper cables, I saw a cop helping this crazy looking lady and her two nearly hysterical kids in the Costco parking lot!!" 

I got a new Winter coat. I LOVE it. It is huge, but I refuse to take it off any chance I get.

Sleeping baby picture number 542. Each one just as sweet.

What's that, you think I grew up too fast!?! My Mom thinks the same thing.

My Mommy really did only look away for second, well two. I am FAST. Oh, and I did this to the dishwasher and it broke. Tiny but mighty. Take that 10th % for weight.

Thanksgiving attempt at taking a picture of the tiny Smith's.

Keepin' it real.

The hunter. The bird. The chef!!

I am Thankful for... And yes, that turkey in the upper right is an Indian turkey. They all got an Indian feather by the end of the night!

Tatum and Georgiana. The only picture from the baby shower day.

My sweet dolly at the Singin' Sisters Christmas Concert. 

Anna and Emily, this sisters.

Frosty the Snowman for the first time ever!

That mistake of buying plastic ornaments our first year of marriage. No mistake at all. God's providence! They greatly resemble balls to a certain 1 year old in the Smith house.