A quick check in!!!!

It has been a very quiet, low key break.  We of course had a great time celebrating Jesus' birthday.  Benjamin made the cake and Jacob made the frosting.  I thought it was ingenious for him to use wafer cookies for the name.

Our Christmas Day was literally spent all day in our pajamas.  We went to Christmas Eve service and then skipped out on Sunday morning.  We keep Christmas pretty low key with just small items.

I have enjoyed not having to work with my boxes.  I have gotten some things cleaned up.  One thing I really like about after Christmas is how the days start getting longer.  I watch the shadows everyday in the back yard creep closer and closer to our yard.  I look for the day when the sun actually hits Bree when she is in the backyard.

I also spent a day and a half doing one of my favorite things....working a puzzle.  It was one the boys were not interested in, so I had it all to myself!!!!!  1000 pieces just for me!  (I love working with the boys too)

No plans for the weekend.  Just the way I like it.  We have a really cold snap coming again early next week.  I did my last workout of 2016!  It was a mentally tough one.  We had to row 10,000 meters (that is just under 6.5 miles).  52 minutes of rowing, rowing and rowing.  I talked the coach into putting netflix on so we could at least watch Planet Earth, instead of our rowing monitor.  I burned 587 calories and did it feel good!  I am ready to start the new year.

The sun is out!!!  All day!!!  We have come through the cold snap.  Last Saturday morning we had to get out and go to the church for the boys to practice their Christmas program.  This was the temp.

Once we got to the church, this was a picture from the inside.  So much ice on the inside door because of the outside temp.

All the boys have been building snow forts.  I am somewhat bummed I did not get pictures before they settled and collapsed.  Benjamin shoveled the entire back yard and had one about 4.5 feet tall.

We have already had huge bowls of snow ice cream.  Ok, maybe my boys just had a bowl but I have had bowls.

Bree loves the snow.  She could stay out in it for long periods, I am the one worried about her little paws.  See the snow on her nose, from rooting and digging in the snow.

Just her back end because her head is often buried.

I spent all day yesterday baking.  Made 10 loaves of bread and about 30 treats for all the teachers!

The boys have school on Thursday and then off Fri, 23rd through Mon 2nd.  We have no plans.  It looks like lots of snow for the weekend, so JR will probably be working.  I need to get a game plan together though with some fun activities.  Hopefully we will get enough snow and can go sledding and ice skating.

Winter has hit hard!   When we wake up Saturday morning it is going to be -25 (yes, negative 25!).  That is just cold!!  We have already had 8 inches in the last 24 hours.  And guess who loves it....Bree.  She digs in and rolls around in the snow.  It is suppose to snow most of the night.  I recently talked with our school secretary, who has worked in the district almost 20 years.  She said the district has never had a snow day since she started working there.  Not sure what it would take for that to happen.  Good thing the -25 is happening on a Saturday.  I certainly would not want to get out in that.

The other day after school we had Italian Sodas and corn dogs.  I challenged this kid to Connect Four.  Sure love it that they are old enough to really compete and challenge their momma.  I still prevailed.

 I gave all three of the boys an early Christmas present....they all wanted NFL beanies!  Benjamin Seahawks, Jacob Broncos and Joseph currently likes the Dolphins, but the Eagles and Cowboys are a close 2nd and 3rd.

Jacob and I have been busy with puzzles.  Jacob actually told me I could not work on the puzzles while he was at school.  He rocks them.  We often finish one in a day.

The company I work for was getting overrun with products so they have put the home assemblers on a break. I will probably have 3 weeks off. Not real sure what I am going to do with my time. I know I will set up one of my puzzles, that the boys won't work on ~ it is all gummy bears and really small pieces. Just a challenge that I like.

I have been doing some weight lifting at the gym. The other day we had to do max effort dead lift. Dead lift is where you start with the bar on the ground and just stand straight up, with bar ending around mid thigh. I was able to hit 200 pounds! I was so stoked. One of the coaches that trains us tried out for the Olympics. She did not make the team but was in the top 6. (I am not looking at competing, just really enjoy it and the workouts.)

Off to my nice, warm, cozy bed!

Our Christmas tree has been standing for over a week now!  (That is huge given there are three boys and a dog that share a space with the tree).  This year I got everything out and put up, except the ornaments.  I had the ornaments organized into the boys' own piles.  Then they came home and just had to hang their ornaments.  It worked beautifully.

I am not sure how they got Bree to sit still long enough, but isn't she cute.

 Benjamin woke up this morning at 5am in pain.  We just assumed it was a crick in his neck and encouraged him to stretch it out.  He was getting some mobility then I encouraged him to take a hot shower and try to work it out more.  After the shower the pain was so bad, we were at the chiropractor's office by 8:30.  A few weeks ago, he started carrying a book bag...the kind you put on one shoulder and run the strap across your body.  (He did this because the school does not allow backpacks in the classroom...security reasons.  Not sure why they think a book bag is safer than a backpack.)  Anyway, carrying his books on one shoulder finally proved to be too much for his body.  He has a pinched dorsal scapula nerve.  The chiropractor worked on it for close to an hour.  It is better but it keeps seizing up.  We will probably go back later today, Thursday and then hopefully a follow up on Monday.  He has been excused from any physical activity or quick movements.  He was excited when he realized that meant cleaning but then very bummed when he realized it meant no xbox or Wii.  Turns out him getting in the shower was the worst mistake.  I always get confused on whether you use heat or cold and the doc said the only time you use heat is if you need to warm up the injury to work it out.  Otherwise, in this case, it softened and relaxed things but then when they cooled down it was twice as bad.

In a little bit I have to get Jacob out of school because he is having 2 teeth pulled.  The orthodontist is very concerned about his upper cuspids become impacted.  So, we are pulling the baby teeth (which refuse to come out) and hopefully the adult teeth will slide down into place.  If not...I don't want to think about the if not.  We will know by early summer if they cooperated or if we have a huge problem on our hands.

We have been in the single digits the last 2 days.  Not much snow where we are but the cold temperatures.  I am so glad all of my early, weekly, standing appointments are done and I can stay home.  No plans for the rest of the month.  The boys have a short break.  They are out of school Friday, Dec 23 and then go back on Tuesday Jan 2.  Just laying low.