"Not The Same"

I figured I had better write about Thanksgiving and such, before December is more upon us than it is already. I have sat down and tried to blog several times in the last week, but it is definitely not as high on my list anymore. Showering and brushing my teeth take higher priority most days. :)
Last Tuesday, the 23rd, we were expecting the biggest snow storm of the year. Well, it lied. We got about 4-6 inches all in about two hours and that was about it. I mean it snowed for a long time, but it did accumulate much. Schools, stores, the whole city closed down early on Tuesday in preparation for the big storm and everything was open again on Wednesday, because it was such a pretend storm. Tuesday night, my sweet relief society president through me a baby shower for Hadlee. I really don't know very many people in the ward, so it was kind of weird, but it turned out to be super fun. It was pretty small, but that was good, because it allowed me a chance to talk to everyone there and really strengthen some friendships. Which I really need in this ward. So it was great. Plus, the gifts were an added bonus. :)
Wednesday we did not even leave the house. It was great. We just played all day long. We did get dressed, just never did anything else. I mean, after dinner, I made chocolate pie for Thanksgiving dinner and Keelia helped me. It turned out pretty well. We had kind of a rough night sleep-wise that night, but got up like champs the next morning to get things done for Thanksgiving.
We had to finish putting some dishes together and then of course we watched as much as we could of the Macy's Thanksgiving parade. But we headed up to Sean and Shelley's for dinner. We ate early, which was nice. And it was fun to have kind of a quiet, quaint turkey dinner. All the food turned out super yummy and the kids had fun playing and running around. After dinner and pie, we met the Radandts in Sandy to see the movie "Tangled." It was SO cute. By far, one of my favorite Disney movies ever! I can't wait to see it again. Keelia was really tired, so she kept wanting to go home to bed, but I think she liked the movie. And Hadlee slept through the entire adventure. She didn't really nap when we were at Sean and Shelley's. We got home just before 9pm. We got Keelia to bed and then I got myself to bed. I think I finally went to sleep about 11:45pm, only to wake again at 1:45am for Black Friday. (And somehow, on Thanksgiving, Hadlee turned six weeks old! How is it happening??!!)
I woke up early because Hadlee didn't, so I had to make sure Hunter had an emergency bottle just in case. My brother Sean and I met at Target downtown and waited in line for it to open at 4am. I LOVE Black Friday. It is one of my favorite things about the holidays. I know. That is weird, but that's okay. I got everything I needed from there. Sean was not that lucky. We also went to Wal-mart and Best Buy together and then we both hit a wall, so we decided to quit. Well while trying to get out of the Best Buy parking lot, I got my second wind. I went to Target (yes, again) and Sam's Club. I got home just before 7am. I got A LOT done and it was great! Hadlee didn't wake up until 5am and was satisfied with what Hunter fed her, because she didn't wake up until 7:30am to eat again. Hadlee and I went to sleep again and slept until 11am. Hunter got up with Keelia. Then we all got ready and headed to Sean and Shelley's to have left overs and get our Christmas tree. We picked our trees, but couldn't take ours home because it was too far on the freeway for the tree. So Sean kept it in the garage in water until he could bring it down to us. We headed home exhausted and ready to go to bed. However, we got Keelia to bed and Hadlee was still asleep in her car seat, and I somehow got my third wind and decided to go shopping some more. I went to Toys R Us, Michaels, and Old Navy. I got such good deals on a bunch of stuff I needed. I got home about 11pm and was surprisingly not tired. So Hunter and I finally watched "The Bounty Hunter" and we both thought it was super cute. By the time the movie was over, I was super tired and was glad to go to bed.
Saturday we did a whole lot of nothing until it was dinner time. Then we headed up to Sean and Shelley's to have dinner up there. Jeff and Matt drove out to go to the BYU/Utah game with Sean. So we waited for them to get back and had dinner all together. It was nice to get to see Jeff and Matt. And for them to meet Hadlee. :)
We woke up Sunday morning, barely, greeted by an actual snow storm. I would say by Monday morning we had about 12 inches of fresh snow. Sean brought down our Christmas tree to us around noon and we decorated it. Yes, that's right, another week of church missed. Hunter had a sinus infection and I was not about to take two kids out in the snow, by myself, to church. Hopefully next week we can actually attend some or all of church. We had fun decorating our tree. Keelia LOVED it. She had so much fun. Her eyes lit up with every new ornament she got to hang. She loved helping with the lights and even the tinsel. However, I think her favorite part is the star on the top of our tree. She just loves Christmas, so far. And that is what really makes Christmas special, as a parent. We watched Christmas movies while we decorated and enjoyed the snow falling. Here are some pictures of us decorating. Only our girls were dressed, so no judging.

Monday we did a whole lot of nothing. Which is what we do most days, I know. However, I did have my six week check up. Apparently I broke some doctor/patient code by not bringing Hadlee, but it was so cold and she was asleep, so I just left her at home with Hunter. For dinner/F.H.E. we went to the Gateway to get a few Christmas presents. We got a late start and forgot the stroller, but it was fun. And we got some things crossed off my list, so that is always good.
And yesterday, Tuesday the 30th, I was so busy, but somehow I did nothing. I was going nonstop, but got almost nothing done. Or so it seems. I mean, we had a home cooked meal and both kids survived the day, but my to do list only got bigger, not smaller. I wish I didn't gauge my life by my to do list, but I do. I guess that is something I need to work on.
Hadlee is doing well. We still have her off the Zantac. It seems to be what is best for her. She is still sleeping pretty good at night. We are having a harder time getting her down when she wakes up for her 11pm-ish feeding, but once we get her to sleep, she sleeps well. She is starting to fill out just a little bit.
Keelia is getting so tall! I wish I knew how tall, but her pants are getting shorter by the day and she is just growing up.
We have so much to be thankful for this time of year. We are very blessed. I can't wait to get to go home for Christmas this year and just be with our family. It will be a nice break for us.
Hunter is less than two weeks away from the last day of classes for the semester. And then he has finals. I can't believe how fast this semester flew by, but at the same time, it has gone by slow. You know how it goes!
One night last week, I can't remember what night now that it has been so long, I was putting Keelia to bed. And we just laid there talking, instead of having a nightly story. And she recalled several memories that she has of my dad. I didn't really say much because I wanted to hear her talk about it and because I was fighting back the tears. And after she finished telling me what she remembered, she said "if we miss him so much, we should just be able to go pick him up and bring him back." Oh the sweet faith of a child. She is so wonderful and I find myself in awe of her so often. She teaches me so much, that sometimes I can't believe I am supposed to be the parent.
Needless to say, as the holidays have slowly descended and are now flying by, I miss my dad. I can't help it. I think going home for Christmas is going to be strange for me on a lot of levels. And I am excited for it, but also a little nervous. I think of my dad often and wish I could just sit around and talk to him sometimes. He was so smart and was always willing to offer advice, whether I wanted it or not. :) And these last few months, there are times when I needed it.
Well, now that I am fighting a losing battle with the tears, I should probably finish this up. Here are some random pictures of the girls. The first one is Keelia all ready to play in the snow. The second and third are of Keelia holding Hadlee and Hadlee falling asleep. Keelia has never been so proud.