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Pepe Roni was found, shot in the back, in his restaurant La Speranza. A murder in the neighborhood and there were 8 suspects.

Ok, not a real murder, but a murder mystery dinner party! I received this as a Christmas gift from Nate’s parents and I have been so excited to host! The party in a box comes with invitations, character books, and secret clues that get revealed throughout the evening. The party planning book has suggestions for decorations and menu, but for the most part, it’s a pretty simple concept- invite 8 friends, assign each a character, and then there are 3 rounds that include scripted dialogue, facts each character reveals, accusations each character is supposed to make, and the secret clues that get shared through the night.

I asked my neighbors if they would be interested and everyone was excited. There were 14 of us who wanted to play. The planning book said you could have more guests- they didn’t get to be characters, but could help solve the mystery. It worked out that a few people didn’t want to be characters, so I assigned the 8 roles and sent out invitations. The invitation had character descriptions- dressing up optional, but my neighborhood went all in.

I’ve been planning this party for 2 weeks. I had so many ideas for details and every idea made me happy and excited. My mom commented that the party was a lot of work- yes and no. I put in a lot of time, yes. But this is my most favorite thing in the entire world- facilitating fun, taking a theme and making it come to life. When I left camp, this was the thing I was most afraid to lose- I LOVE being creative, thinking up tiny details and making a production. The party was fun, so fun, but the preparation was just as fun for me.

The box came with a police report and clues. But when I imagined it, there was an evidence board. We knew there was a gun nearby and an earring left under the body. I’m a visual person and I imagined those things hanging on the evidence board. I crafted a giant diamond earring and printed a cardstock gun- both into evidence bags and hung on the wall.

Over the years, I’ve accumulated a lot of random hosting supplies. I also have 2 bins of “program supplies” that I use for parties or other things. Most supplies I bought for this party came from the Dollar Tree or were crafted/printed by me. The 8 main characters didn’t get their books and secret clues until the party. I put those things, along with a pen and some after-dinner mints into red envelopes. But if I went to a party and most of the guests got exciting red packets and I didn’t, I would be SO bummed out. So I scanned and re-created the books for the non-character guests so that they could follow along with the script and have packets waiting for them too.

I made menus (that looked like a restaurant menu) so everyone knew what was being served. Sean’s comment when he saw them, “you are insane. Completely bananas out of your mind.” Accurate. But also what makes me fun.

The planning book suggested having a prize for whoever solves the mystery. But what if all 12 people (not including me who knew the murderer and the murderer) solved the murder? I needed 12 prizes! I decided on boxes of pasta because it followed the theme, allowed me to have 13 prizes (one for the murderer too) and if everyone didn’t solve it, I would be left with a year supply of pasta.

I printed signs for the door (“when you’re here, you’re family” which is the Olive Garden’s slogan), the bathroom, and cheesy restaurant signs to decorate.

Xander and Augustus went to Grandma Debbie’s for the night, but Xander was pretty outraged that he didn’t get to go to the party. He decided to add to the decor of the evening with a sign on his bedroom door. He suggested I make his bedroom “the kitchen” and made a sign that said “Kitchen employees only”. He’s good with a theme and is going to be an excellent co-host when he gets a little older. Red and white checkered table cloths and flowers in olive oil bottles.

I googled italian cocktails, and had fancy garnishes to go on them. I knew tiramisu was the dessert I was going to make, but we also sampled panna cotta, orange polenta cake, and lemon ricotta cake over the last 2 weeks so that I could have a second dessert option. Lemon ricotta cake for the win!

After weeks of party prep here and there, I was mostly ready, although Saturday was a busy day finally putting it all together. Do I love a party that includes an itinerary?! Of course I do. Do I love a party that starts with me going over rules? Yes!

Everyone arrived looking amazing. I had aperol spritz (an italian cocktail), bruschetta and stuffed mushrooms to start. Then everyone got to look at their character packet and then we began with everyone introducing themselves- providing some character background. Each round had a scripted part that everyone read, followed by information that you revealed about your character. There was also an audio accompaniment to each round.

After round 1, we took a break for dinner. My house is NOT made for a sit down dinner for 14 people, but we made it work. We ate lasagna, chicken alfredo, salad and bread. There were SO many bottles of wine.

After dinner was round 2, followed by tiramisu and lemon ricotta cake.

By round 3, we’d gotten the hang of it and people were doing a great job of staying in character (including accents). I haven’t laughed so hard in a long time.

Round 3 was followed by another italian cocktail- negronis with bulldog shaped ice and a flower garnish.

After cocktails, it was time for final statements and accusations. Tara Misu, Rocco Scarfazzi and Father Al Fredo were the top suspects. In the end, only one person correctly guessed it was Andy as Bo Jalais! He was a fabulous murderer and was a very intentional choice. I knew he would be cool and wouldn’t accidentally let it slip that he was the killer. I was worried that I would be the one to slip up and spoil it, but luckily I played it cool too.

This was such a fun get-together. Every time we get together as a neighborhood, whether it’s drinks, a meal, or an activity, I always end of laughing until my cheeks hurt and having the best time. This was an entertaining way to spend a night and I was so happy everyone got into it and played along.

On the back of the book, there is an advertisement for more murder mystery boxes- everyone agrees that Mardi Gras needs to be the next party! I am already googling recipes and decor. Summer Mardi Gras garden party planning has begun!

2 weeks ago, I ended my update with “a very fun week ahead!” Did I jinx us?

Monday of last week, the boys had the day off of school for President’s Day. The plan was to go to Grandma’s house. Gussie and I both woke up sick, so Nate took Xander, and Augustus and I spent the day in my bed, eating popsicles, napping, and being miserable. On Tuesday, Xander went back to school and it was day 2 for Gussie and I in bed. Body aches, chills, fever, absolute misery.

On Wednesday, Gussie went back to school, but Xander stayed home, and I was still unable to move from bed, absolutely miserable. It’s been a very long time since I’ve been that sick. Nate was a rockstar, taking over all household and parenting duties, while also keeping me fed and hydrated.

The issue with being sick all week wasn’t just that I wasn’t able to get anything done and I was miserable, it was that Nate and I had exciting plans on Thursday and I HAD to be healthy.

Thursday morning, I was still mostly a disaster. I was slightly better, and DETERMINED to mind over matter any lingering flu symptoms, but I was struggling. Eventually I rallied a little bit and managed to get the house ready, get myself ready and be a functional human.

Nate isn’t usually the planner between the two of us, so weeks ago, when he put “Natalie and Nate hotel” for 2 nights, I was like, “ok!” But it wasn’t just 2 nights away- he had booked us dinner reservations at a restaurant called Demi, which serves a 7 course tasting menu. The two of us watch a lot of cooking shows and I have said for years that my dream is to be a diner at one of the Top Chef competitions. I want to eat a meal where they place tiny details with a tweezers and the ingredients are things I’ve never tasted before. It wasn’t Top Chef, but the owner has been a guest judge, and it was the fanciest meal I’ve ever had (including the tweezer placed ingredients).

It’s a tiny space with the chefs in the middle of the U-shaped table. They brought out wine pairings for each course, and the chef delivered each course and explained what everything was. I wasn’t feeling 100% but my appetite wasn’t affected and it was truly such an extraordinary meal. At the end of the meal, they brought out gift boxes of tiny treats. I loved every second of it. Every single bite was exceptional.

The boys and my mom had pizza/movie night and lived their best lives.

Friday, Nate and I slept in, relaxed, went out for afternoon drinks and had just the most relaxing, luxurious day. I didn’t take any photos the whole time, which must be an indication of just how relaxed and lazy we were! Nate had packed bags of snacks and drinks. We ate good food and hung out and it was so wonderful.

On Saturday, we were back to normal life, which was ok because I missed the boys, even though I loved our mini vacation. On Sunday, my mom and I went to the Guthrie to see “Dial M For Murder” which was a fabulous show.

This week, the boys were back to normal. I, however, was still fighting for my life. I wasn’t flat on my back like the first 3 days, but I was low energy, had a hacking cough and was miserable all week.

The weather has been unseasonably warm and we’ve taken advantage by being outside as much as possible.

On Saturday, Xander’s basketball team had a tournament, and it was SO exciting! The first game was very even and the energy was palpable. Usually I don’t care- win or lose, Xander is happy either way. But this game was intense! They won by one basket and it was thrilling!

They didn’t have much time as the next game was immediately after the first. They were tired, but fought hard. Unfortunately, the next team they played was pretty good and they got beat and were out. But it was very fun and they did a great job.

In the afternoon, we had a neighborhood cookout! Aaron and Melissa fired up their grill and all of us gathered and made dinner together. The kids ran around the neighborhood until 7:30- it was dark, but still warm outside. We ate and drank and laughed and the kids played. It was a perfect night.

Today, the weather was 70 degrees outside in March in Minnesota! The boys played all morning, and around noon, they came home and demanded a picnic lunch. I brought their lunch to Sam and Abby’s porch and they are outside and then went right back to playing.

Xander had a playdate this afternoon at a friend’s house and Gussie spent the afternoon with Sam and Abby. It was a relaxing, warm day- the back door was open and I sat outside reading a book for a long time. Spring weather in March is very much appreciated!

I’m finally (after 2 weeks) feeling almost back to full health. I am hopeful for a normal, happy, easy week ahead.

It’s been a lovely week counting down to Valentine’s Day, celebrating, and then ending the week with the ultimate representation of love- MONSTER TRUCKS.

Starting on February 1, I put signs up for each of my men, “counting down to Valentine’s Day, reasons I love Nate/Xander/Gussie” and each night, I added a new heart with a love note listing something I loved about them.

We ate a lot of heart shaped things this week- both in the boys’ lunches and for dinner. I love a theme. And, proving that Xander is SO my child, he surprised Nate and I with breakfast in bed- heart shaped toast and a strawberry he had cut into a heart. He is so thoughtful and so sweet and he is the one who most appreciates my themes.

On Valentine’s Day, the boys had pokemon club, so in addition to Valentine’s for their classes, we also sent special macarons for after school. I brought Valentine treats for after my workout class. I love all holidays!

Nate surprised me with my favorite fancy candy, as well as corned beef and rye bread from a nearby deli- he knows the way to my heart.

I made all three men cute Valentine boxes that, when you took the lid off, the sides opened up with lots of fun treats. I saw them on instagram and immediately started working on them for the boys- Xander and Augustus had candy, pokemon cards, and gift cards to the card store. In Nate’s, I put candy, a new wallet, and gift cards to some different things. The boys’ reactions were so fun!

On Saturday morning, we started the day with a very exciting basketball game- Xander scored twice and his team won by a landslide. He is getting more and more confident and it is so fun to watch him each week.

Saturday night, we headed to Monster Jam- an annual tradition I never imagined would be part of my adult life. But the boys really enjoy it and it’s a great show. We ate a lot of fun snacks, cheered on our favorite trucks and had a great time!

We had a blast at Monster Jam and the boys were up past their normal bedtime but not THAT late. Everyone felt great… until about 2am, at which point Augustus woke up burning up, complaining about his body aching, and spent the rest of the night tossing and turning. He was miserable and as a result, I was up all night.

He woke up in the morning feeling much better than I’d expected, but by mid day, he was pretty run down. Forced rest time resulted in him falling asleep and taking a very long nap. He spent the majority of the day in bed, both Nate and I took turns snuggling, reading to him and keeping him company.

While he ate popsicles in bed, Xander played with Sam and Abby, and then his buddy Mateo came over and joined in the fun. Those 4 played all afternoon and had a great day.

We had family movie night and ate dinner on the couch, followed by bath time and early bedtime. Xander seems to be developing a cough and so do I. I DO NOT HAVE TIME TO BE SICK, so everyone needs to get a good night of sleep tonight. A very fun week ahead.

These last 2 weeks have been so intensely busy. We’ve had so many fun things on our schedule and I am so grateful for our friends and family.

The last week of January was pretty routine. The boys had swimming and basketball. They also started Pokemon Club, which happens after school on Wednesdays. They get to play pokemon, trade cards, and the 2 teachers who lead it are young, fun, know a lot about pokemon cards, and basically spent the whole time actively engaging with them in serious conversations about pokemon cards. The boys were thrilled.

Last Friday, Nate and I went down the block to Kelly and Silas’s house for game night and hung out with the whole neighborhood, laughing hysterically. Saturday morning, I woke up feeling the late night, and so Nate ended up taking the boys to Xander’s basketball game on his own. I spent the morning getting ready for our Thanksgiving 2.0 dinner party extravaganza which was happening later that day.

We had so much fun at Thanksgiving and enjoyed having a huge meal with a million side dishes, that the day after Thanksgiving, I texted everyone and insisted we do it again (with a new menu). This time around it was red wine braised short ribs, risotto, chicken wings, smoked mac and cheese, tres leche cake, and more. We ate and ate and ate, played games, and laughed until my stomach hurt.

Recently, Xander very thoughtfully said (completely out of the blue), “ya know, we never see Danny and Heather arm wrestle.” I told him that married couples don’t typically arm wrestle, but agreed that, yeah, it DOES seem strange we’ve never seen them battle it out. Luckily, we were able to convince them to go against each other, which made Xander very happy.

Last Sunday was a nonstop playdate- Xander was busy with Sam and Abby. Gussie had his good buddy E over for the first time (this is the young lady he told me he was in love with). Gussie and E decorated cookies, did some craft projects, played outside, played in the playroom, ate lunch, ran around, and stayed busy all day (10-3 was a long play date, but I think they could have played longer!). At 2:30, Xander’s buddy’s dad texted and asked if he was free, and then he came over to play. The weather has been unseasonably warm, and as playdates overlapped, our yard was filled with kids running, playing, and having fun. I was exhausted by the end of the day (as were the boys).

This past week was another pretty normal week, with a few exceptions.

Nate’s friend has a golf simulator in his basement, so Nate and the bros go to his house and hang out regularly. They have an ongoing competition where they add money to a pot and whenever anyone gets a hole in one, they get to keep it. Apparently that doesn’t happen very often, because Nate won a fat stack of cash when he hit a hole in one this week! It was very exciting.

Xander is showing interest in cooking and this week made eggs and toast all by himself. I was so proud of him and I can’t believe how grown up he is.

Speaking of growing up, another big milestone- Xander learned to tie his shoes! When we went to buy new ones, the pair he wanted had laces. We looked at “no tie” laces, but the shoe salesman said, “oh, if he’s playing basketball, he wants to tie them for the extra support.” SOLD. He was ALL IN on learning to tie his shoes. It took a few tries, but he is a fast learner and had it in under an hour. Such a big kid!

This weekend was FULL.

On Saturday morning, I somehow signed myself up for a rowing marathon at the gym. This was a memorial event for a young man who was a member of the gym and tragically passed away. I wasn’t going to sign up but my neighbor Aaron convinced me that it would be fun and that I should join his team. Our team had 5 members and we rowed 42,195 meters in 2 hours and 43 minutes. We switched off every 2 minutes, then 90 seconds, then every minute- taking 21 turns each total. It was BRUTALLY hard. And then our friendly, not-that-competitive event, got harder when people started saying our team was on track to finish first. OMG, I have never pushed myself that hard, but I wasn’t going to be the reason we lost (my 4 hard core bro teammates were KILLING IT). And then we won! I was so proud of myself just for showing up, but then to win was a huge surprise.

But a rowing marathon was just the beginning of the weekend of fun. After lunch, we went to Xander’s basketball game where he scored 2 baskets and their team won their first game! It was very exciting. By the afternoon, I thought I was going to pass out from exhaustion, so we ordered pizza for dinner and had a movie night.

We had early bedtime, because Gussie and I were up early on Sunday for his first swim meet. We had to be there at 7:45 for warm ups. Xander and Nate were going to arrive later to cheer him on, but the meet was PACKED- like, wall to wall bodies crammed into the bleachers. I encouraged them to skip this one, rather than fight the crowd, so Xander spent the morning playing with Sam. Gussie swam the 50 yard free style and 50 yard backstroke races. He was one of 2 6 years olds (out of nearly 500 kids who were in this meet). He was SO tiny and I was so nervous for him. But he did well and he was calm and cool. I was so proud of him for just being there!

We got home from the swim meet around lunchtime and I had just a few hours to do some light house cleaning and food prep before the whole neighborhood arrived to watch the Super Bowl together. We had so much amazing food, spent lots of time laughing, snacking, chatting and hanging out. Xander LOVES Patrick Mahomes and was glued to the game (more than anyone else I think). I put the boys to bed after the halftime show. Xander was super bummed, but I promised to write the score on his whiteboard so he could see who won as soon as he woke up.

When the game went into overtime, Nate was pretty convinced that the Chiefs were going to win, and so we decided to wake Xander up to watch. He was VERY excited and happy he got to see them win.

This morning, our neighbor Sean texted Nate and I that he saw Xander outside this morning playing football. Sean said, he was “running up and down the block saying, ‘Patrick, go Patrick’. You made a great decision to wake him up to see his hero win.” I agree. Also, what an amazing text to receive first thing this morning.

It was a packed weekend and I am exhausted but happy.

January is rolling along and we’re in a good routine with work, school, basketball for Xander, and swimming for Augustus. The boys had the last 2 Mondays off school- last week, MLK day and this week, I don’t actually know. Last Monday they spent the day with Grandma Debbie. They went to a nearby ninja gym and then swimming at her pool.

The rest of the week was pretty normal. On Friday afternoon, Xander rode the bus home with his friend Mateo for a playdate. He was very excited to ride the bus and had a fabulous time playing at his buddy’s house. Xander and Mateo were actually at Kinderberry Hill together, so we’ve known them for many years. I am super happy they are becoming good friends this year because he is a sweet kid and I really like his parents.

On Saturday, we met up the Mayberry and Wilson families to go ice skating. The boys are getting pretty good at it and it was fun to see them get more and more confident on skates!

This week, another Monday of no school. I took both boys to the dentist and then they spent the afternoon with Grandma Debbie at the Shoreview Community Center. These kids are busy all the time!

On Wednesday, I got to go with Augustus and his class to Woodlake Nature Center for a field trip. We took a mile long hike, stopping to play in the cattails, climb on fallen trees, look at animal prints, cross a bridge, and play some games. It was a very nice weather day and fun to be outside. With just moments of the hike left, we nearly lost the entire class to starvation and we went from having fun and enjoying ourselves, to every single kid DYING for snack time. Luckily, we managed to get back to the building, have a snack, and everyone was as good as new once they had some crackers.

On Thursday, I was back to school, this time to help out in Xander’s class. They were put into small groups to go on “expeditions” around the school. Xander’s group was assigned to Gussie’s classroom. One kid had to draw things in the room. One kid was the photographer. Xander was the reporter, so he got to interview Gussie’s teacher. I was the chaperone who got to go with on the expedition. Leading up to Thursday, Xander was SO excited. His group did a really nice job and it was fun to see them all take their jobs seriously.

On Saturday, Xander had his first basketball game of the season. They didn’t win, but he’s getting better with each week and it’s fun to watch him.

On Saturday afternoon, the boys and I went to Snake Discovery to pet some reptiles. Earlier in the week, Xander came home and said he wanted to get a pet snake. Step one was to make a list of questions for him to ask his Environmental Ed teacher (who has a snake). Ball python was the recommendation. Did you know they live 30 years?! I asked Xander if this snake would be going to college with him and he said, “yeah, then I’ll always have a friend!” I didn’t say that if he brought a snake to college, that might end of up being the ONLY friend he has.

We took a field trip to Twin Cities Reptile, which is… quite a store! There seems to be a connection between snake ownership and face tattoos… We learned more about owning a snake- the number one advice being, “make peace with the fact that you will get bit.” Especially baby snakes are real bite-y. Ugh. Baby snakes eat mice, and as the grow, they eat bigger and bigger mice until they eat rats. You can buy mice and rats frozen. Nate was HORRIFIED. I don’t necessarily think it’s that different than having ground beef or chicken breast in your freezer…

So on Saturday, we went to see snakes close up. We got to pet a lot of creatures, and learned more about pet ownership. Like many things, Xander gets very excited and then moves on. I am hoping this is one of those things. Because I am not sure we are ready for a slithery friend who eats rats and bites.

Today we met Grandma Debbie and Cindy to see the play, “Dragons Love Tacos” which was a very cute musical adaptation of the book by the same name. After all that talk/songs about tacos, I was dying for a taco and made Nate take us to Taco Bell. The boys had never been, but they were impressed. It was a lovely afternoon taco snack.

We’ve got a pretty regular week ahead. I can’t believe that January is ending this week!

Happy New Year!

I started the year off having some technical difficulties with my blog, so happy January 14!

Rewinding all the way to New Years, Nate and I rand in 2024 with our neighbors at Kelly and Silas’s annual New Years bash. When we we young, we had new years plans for a few years in a row and then we both sorta decided there was no point to fighting crowds or risking our lives on the road late at night. But now that we can walk 3 doors down, I am back to loving a good party. And Kelly and Silas know how to throw one! There was tons of food, lots of fun people, and we all were challenged to dress like our favorite drink. I LOVE A THEME.

I decided on sparkling rosé because I figured I could find something pink and sparkly pretty easily. I went to my favorite second hand store and happened to mention the party theme. All of a sudden, all of the women who worked there (there were 4 of them!) and a few shoppers surrounded me. They started handing me things and started a dressing room for me, and everyone was invested. Oh my! I have never had a more intense shopping experience. Finally they all decided on a floor length skit, that DID really look like sparkling rosé, and while I am not really the floor length kinda gal, they were all so excited about it, I bought it.

It was SO fun to watch everyone walk in, drink in hand, and have them explain their outfit. I LOVE LOVE LOVE a theme. We ate one million snacks, enjoyed drinks (some on theme and some not), laughed, hung out, made 2024 predictions, and kissed at midnight. The boys and Grandma Debbie did their best to stay up til midnight, not quite making it, but they had a great night as well and were very tired the next day!

Last week, Xander quietly said to me, “I’m thinking about cutting my hair”. I stayed calm- I don’t care what he does with his hair- long, short, it doesn’t matter to me, but I was surprised. He has been growing his hair out for almost 2 years now. I asked what he was thinking for his hair and he said, “have you ever hear of a faux hawk?” And so a few days later, after he thought about it some more, we headed to the salon and shaved off his beautiful blond curls. He looks about 10 years older!

After a month of holiday fun, so much excitement, early mornings, traveling to St. Louis, winter break for the kids- I was READY for us to go back to our normal boring schedule. But no, no, January 3, I headed to Minneapolis for Youth in Government. This year, I ended up at the hotel a day early as we had an alumni event the night before the conference. It was well attended and a nice event. It was also sort of fun to check in early and be there before the madness began the next morning.

It was my 19th year at YIG! Holy cow. After a few weird years due to covid, we were finally back to normal. Last year, the Hilton was switching management and it was clear in their organization and customer service. This year, they were on point, and everything was so smooth. It was really nice to have check in go well, everyone smiling, and things go as they are supposed to go. It was good to see old friends, difficult to miss some who were missing, and overall, the same as always. The boys visited me last year and this year, Xander was determined to be there for 2 nights. I actually have to work while I am there, which I explained to him, but both boys were unhappy that they couldn’t just be there. Nate dropped them off on Friday night and he had a relaxing night to himself while we partied at the hotel.

When they arrived, we walked around, collecting snacks (which are everywhere) and then went to the pool. We ate dinner with the hotel directors, and then it was “YIG-fest” which is a bunch of blow up things, free cotton candy and popcorn, and many other activities. I brought the boys into the big room about 30 minutes early to “test out” all the blow ups before the big kids arrived. They jumped, bounced, and had a blast. They were eager to “show the big kids how it’s done” and hung with them for about 45 minutes.

At about 7:45, they were eating cotton candy (for reference, that is typically the time we put them to bed) and running around like crazy people. Xander LOVED sitting at the hotel director’s desk and definitely has a future in management. Gussie joined in with the teenagers- I wish I had a video of one kid looking him up and down, confused, saying, “I thought you had to be in 8th grade to be in this program” and 100% accepting it when I said, “he’s a genius, he’s 6 but in 8th grade”. He is so confident and so comfortable whenever he goes. Xander, meanwhile, was pretty interested in the fact that I kept telling kids they had to have their name tags on (a strict rule at the conference). He was ready to be promoted and given the ability to stop them. Sometimes he is so much like me it’s amazing.

We eventually made it back to the hotel room where they both passed out. The next morning, we had breakfast in the hotel, collected more snacks, and Nate picked them up around lunch time. I spent all day Saturday and Sunday morning at the conference and then headed home for a normal Sunday afternoon.

The boys spent Sunday at Grandma Debbie’s house- she got a new dishwasher and had a giant box that was perfect for a fort. They were very busy, fort making, swimming, and all the things they do with Grandma. I was grateful to be able to get home, grocery shop and get back to normal while they were having fun.

I have only 3 photos from this entire week. It was a NORMAL, 5 day week of work and school. REGULAR SCHEDULE. I was so happy to be back to our routine. The boys went to school. Nate and I went to work. Gussie had swim team. Xander started basketball. The weather was pretty cold, so after school, the boys spent a lot of time playing inside. Everything was very normal and boring.

This weekend, our calendar was EMPTY. I can’t express how excited I was to have NOTHING on the calendar. We had family movie night. We did family clean up (the playroom needed all 4 of us!). The boys played with Sam and Abby. It was SUPER cold weather outside, so we stayed inside, drank cocoa, ate lots of snacks, and hung out. It was fabulous. Welcome to 2024.

Weeks of festivities and excitement and Elf shenanigans have finally come to a close with MULTIPLE Christmas gathering. I really enjoyed spreading out the family celebrations and while I am exhausted, I think it was actually a really good pace for all of the fun. I love Christmas. I love the details and the decorations and the Elf and all the things. But yes, indeed, I am READY for normal, quiet, boring life to return… and maybe reasonable wake up times for our children.

Our final few days with the elf were fun- we had a climbing wall day, a basketball day, complete with new shoes. There are a ton of elf accessories and merch that you can buy these days, and mostly I have resisted. The majority of our elf fun is DIY. But I could NOT resist spending $8 on these shoes and wish I would have bought them sooner. He will never take them off. Our final elf visit is always bringing the boys an ornament, wrapped in the wrapping paper their gifts will be in on Christmas morning.

A few weeks ago Xander said, “I’m wondering if maybe you’re the elf?” and a different time, Gussie said, “he’s just a doll” so I know our time with them believing in the elf is limited. I fully plan to continue the elf until they are in college, but them actually believing… this might have been the last full season of magic. I am hoping I have one more year though…

A few days ago, Xander said, “I think I am going to add guitar to my Christmas list” and then proceeded to explain an elaborate plan of writing his own songs, being wildly famous and going on tour. I was offered a position on staff as his manager, Nate will be managing his money and Augustus will be working security. Super stardom here we come. What I didn’t say was, “dude, Santa has been done Christmas shopping for weeks, so don’t add anything to the list!”

I have ZERO musical ability, like, I think it’s possible I’m actually tone deaf. I can’t clap on beat. But I WISH I could play an instrument. So, Christmas aside, if Xander wants to be musical, I’m here for it! I am not “rush out an spend a lot of money on a new guitar” level supportive, but I am, “post on the buy nothing page and see if I can get a guitar for free” level supportive. I got lucky and had a kids-size guitar in my hands 10 minutes after posting on facebook. Xander was VERY excited. We tried some youtube guitar instruction, but it hasn’t quite caught on. I think after Christmas we might see about a few lessons and figure out if this is a real interest.

The boys had school on Monday and Tuesday, and then spent the day with Grandma Debbie on Wednesday.

Wednesday night was “Christmas eve”. Gussie ended up in bed super early as he wasn’t feeling great. Xander was in charge of putting out the cookies and milk for Santa on his own.

Long after both boys were asleep, Nate and I carried up all the gifts and as I was putting them under the tree, all of a sudden, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Nate LUNGE. He was halfway up the stairs with a very sleepy/confused Augustus before I even realized what was happening. I ran up after him, telling Augustus, “thank goodness Daddy grabbed you, the puppies were being so crazy.” He wasn’t 100% into my lie though and said, “no, I saw you putting presents under the tree” to which I replied, “no, that was the present I just wrapped for Daddy!” We got him snuggled into bed and back to sleep, hoping the combination of being sleepy and cold medication would erase his memory.

At 3am, Gussie woke up screaming and complaining of ear pain. At 4am, I was making an online appointment for the Urgency Room. At 5am, Xander woke up and I told him it was too early to get up. 6:30am, we were all up and ready for presents. Gussie rallied and was in a very happy mood. Both boys were VERY excited and it was so fun to watch them delight in every gift.

The puppies were VERY excited by their new toys and brought an added level of chaos that every Christmas morning needs. After presents and stockings and ripping open every new toy, Gussie’s adrenaline was gone and he was pretty miserable. Perfect timing, as he and I left to go to his appointment. Ear infection.

We got some antibiotics and spent some time resting.

Shortly after we returned, Brad and Angela came over for brunch and visiting. At that point, Augustus was back in bed, where he stayed for the whole day. But the rest of us had fun playing games, chatting and hanging out.

Overall, “Christmas Day” was pretty relaxed and low key.

On Thursday we got up and had everything packed and loaded into the van before 9am. Gussie was feeling much better and we were ready for a road trip. I have struggled with the car since I was a kid and it’s never gotten better. I get carsick. I get antsy. I hate being in the car. Xander gets carsick, but overall, the boys are way better at car trips than I am, and Nate could switch careers to be a trucker or a delivery driver or something, because he enjoys the car. However, overall the 9 hour drive wasn’t terrible. The boys watched a lot of movies. We had lots of snacks. Xander and I both napped in dramamine induced hazes. And pretty soon, we were in St. Louis!

We were all very excited to meet Baby Reece who is already 10 months old. The boys got on the floor to play with him and Nell (who is now 3 and the most precious child of all time). And then about 10 minutes into playing, Xander said, “I’m gonna puke!” and then proceeded to frat-guy vomit all over their bathroom. Closed toilet seat, which made puke hit the walls, the shower curtain, the trash can, basically every possible surface. It would have been impressive if I hadn’t had to clean it up! We continue to be the WORST houseguests, but luckily it was just a combination of carsickness, fast food, and 9 hours in a car, because he didn’t end up actually ill.

We spent the next several days playing games, eating good food, enjoying the gorgeous weather, and spending time together. We went to see some amazing neighborhood Christmas lights. Kyle and Renee are building a house about 30 minutes away and so the boys and Nate went on a field trip to see the construction zone. I stayed back and managed to write an entire article for the magazine. On Christmas morning, we opened presents and then the boys played with their new toys. Nell let me braid her hair and lent me bows and sparkly clips for my hair. I loved having some girl time, but there is no doubt, I was meant to be a boy mom. At one point, she brought me a lightsaber, and my first instinct was to poke her with it, which would not have gone over well with a sweet little girl! I wish we lived closer together though, because I want to hang out with her more!

The boys were both obsessed with their baby cousin. Xander kept picking him up and they both really liked making him laugh. He is a chubby, smiley little dude and just the cutest!

My mom sent updates from home as she was the dogsitter while we were gone. It was nice to spend several days relaxing and hanging out. My mother-in-law is a fabulous cook, and it was a treat to not have to cook everything. It was really nice to spend time together and stay up late chatting and hanging out.

On Tuesday, we loaded everything back into the van and headed home. Actually, no, we didn’t pack everything. My work computer… the one that has all my interviews and half completed articles for the magazine saved on the desktop- that stayed behind. We were 2 hours away from St. Louis when Jud and Kara discovered it. Ugh!!! I told them I would pay to overnight it and BLESS my brother in law, who were right to fed ex to get it shipped so I would have it asap. We are the worst guests! Luckily it arrived on Thursday- professionally packed, all in one piece and magazine writing was able to continue.

Aside from forgetting my computer, the drive home was uneventful and smooth. Wednesday, both Nate and I were on PTO and our family spent the day playing with new toys, taking down all the Christmas decorations, running errands and hanging out.

On Thursday, Nate and I were both back to the office- luckily my computer arrived first thing in the morning and I didn’t have to spend an entire day trying to do meetings on my phone. The boys spent the day at Camp St. Croix. It’s been unseasonably warm, so there wasn’t any snow at camp for the typical sledding and outdoor fun. But they built some gnome homes, played games and they got a break from each other for a day. It was perfect timing because they were starting to bother each other and they needed some fun time apart.

On Friday, the boys spent the day with Grandma Debbie. They helped her set up for the Christmas party in the party room. They moved presents and food and by the time Nate and I arrived at 4:30, we were all ready for Christmas #3.

We had dinner, exchanged gifts, and then played a super fun game that Danny and Heather gave us called Klask. Klask is kind of like air hockey, and we played it all night.

On Saturday morning, the boys were up bright an early, blasting music on the Alexa, assembling legos on the table that was still piled high from the night before. And then it was time for Christmas #4.

We were back to Grandma Debbie’s party room, this time joined by aunts, and cousins for our annual Christmas bingo! I ate so many chicken wings and so much smoked salmon- there was SO much amazing food. We played games, we chatted, we played bingo. It was so nice to see family we don’t see as often. It was another wonderful Christmas celebration.

Today is Sunday and the celebrations continue. Tonight is New Year’s Eve with the neighbors and then there are a few more days of winter break for the boys. I am ready for our normal routine to come soon, but not quite yet…

I love the Christmas season and I will be so sad when it is over, but also, and I can’t stress this enough, I am exhausted in my bones. Between the magazine, cookie orders, the elf, end of year giving, and every little detail for Christmas, I am stretched as thin as I can possibly go. I am ready for the festivities and also for it to be over.

Last Sunday, the boys had a scavenger hunt in their Christmas countdown box. They had to collect hidden eggs which were filled with puzzle pieces. They had to assemble the puzzle and then flip it over for a clue. Then they got a prize.

The next day, our silly elf left “egg” sayings all over the wall.

• What was all the EGG-citement about yesterday?
• Are you EGG-cited for Christmas?
• I’m EGG-static for Santa to come
• You will need to EGG-ercise some patience for Christmas is still a few days away!
• You are such EGG-ceptional kids!
• I’m not EGGs-aggerating, Christmas is going to be awesome.
• How EGG-stravagant do you think the presents will be?!
• Do you think you will get EGG-sactly what you want for Christmas this year?
• I am EGG-stremely serious, Christmas is gonna be amazing.
• I am EGGs-ploding with happiness, Christmas is coming!

The boys couldn’t find the elf and when I came downstairs, Xander was disgusted. He said, “it’s just a bunch of egg sayings! But we can’t find him…. Maybe we should check the eggs!” They were very excited to see the elf in the refrigerator and he had brought kinder-eggs for them as a surprise.

There was a Mario Kart course on our table, clues all over the house leading the boys to the basement where there was an elf gym made of candy, a new elf pet friend who brought a book, an alien abduction, ice skating, and an airplane suspended in air with clouds spelling out “5 days” which is how long until our Christmas. There were several 10pm projects- building a candy gym, a foil lampshade and some impressive engineering using the thinnest fishing line, where I really questioned my own sanity!

We only have a few more nights with the elf, so I am soaking up all of the magic I can.

I was insanely busy with work this week, and every night, I was baking nonstop. My best friend Christine regularly reminds me of the phrase, “I’m sorry I am not available” to me. I know that I can say NO, but I never do. So it’s a cookie extravaganza at our house every night. The boys are my taste testers and m0ost of the time, they approve of the flavors I create.

This weekend was very low key. We had NOTHING on the calendar both days, and I was very protective of that. Both boys have coughs, and are also exhausted from all of the Christmas excitement. They spent a lot of time drawing, playing, playing with neighbors, and hanging out. Today we baked chocolate chip cookies and made homemade ice cream sandwiches. Both nights were early bedtimes.

This week the boys only have school on Monday and Tuesday and then will be on winter break. Our letter to Santa was accepted and he will be visiting us on Wednesday night so we can celebrate Christmas on Thursday. After that, we are off to St. Louis for a Christmas celebration with the Whiteds. It is going to be quite a week!

This week we were up early every day, excited to see what the Elf was up to. We’re reading lots of Christmas books, updating the list for Santa, and all things holiday cheer. The elf made a tiny gingerbread house, real life candy crush, brought “star-bucks”- never a dull moment.

Augustus is a combination of the sweetest kid I’ve ever met and also a tiny gremlin. When he saw the tiny gingerbread house, he rushed to wake me up first thing in the morning, whispering, “the elf did something so adorable!” And later in the day he said, “I hope the elf leaves the gingerbread house for us, because I want to put it in between our gingerbread houses!”

The next day, when the eld did leave it, he had it in his hand and said, “I’m gonna eat this!” I said it was fine as long as Xander didn’t care, and he didn’t care, so Gussie munched the whole thing down. “It’s crackers!” But it turns out that wheat thins and royal icing is a good combination because he ate the whole thing.

Also a Gussie quote from this week-

**Deep sigh, pensive look, out of the blue, “I’d like to catch a butterfly….”

“I’d eat it for protein.”

Maybe he was growing this week and needed some extra snacks.

The early mornings are making me crazy, but I am trying to savor every moment of their excitement. Recently Xander said, “I’m wondering if maybe you aren’t the elf” and I had to force myself to stay calm, but also not lie to him. I said, “and why do you think that?” and he said, “I don’t know, I’m just wondering.” But then he moved on and didn’t say much more about it.

I don’t want to lie. I also don’t want my children to be weirdos who believe in Santa at a much too old age. But I don’t know what age that is- it’s not 2nd grade though, is it?! I hope not! I’ve been hopping out of bed since then, trying to savor the moments of excitement and awe.

Also I bought a non-religious book about the true meaning of Christmas being that people are the reason behind the magic and that holidays bring out the best in people. I wanted to have it on hand for the day that one of the boys really does decide Santa’s fake. It’s a gorgeous book and while I did almost burst into tears while reading it, I think it will be a really good way to transition them when they eventually figure it out. I hope more than anything that they will understand that the elf and Santa and the easter bunny (also tooth fairy and leprechaun) really were magic, just not in the sense of a real life creature sneaking into our house. But that I have put in hours of planning, crafting, and effort to try to surprise and delight them every day. I’m not sure it will translate, but I hope some day it will.

On Friday night, we had an impromptu dinner for 10 at a nearby Mexican restaurant with Silas, Kelly, their kids, Aaron and Melissa. We laughed, we ate nachos, had happy hour drinks, it was fantastic.

On Saturday, the boys played all day while I spent the entire morning working on the magazine.

Saturday night, our neighbor Olive came over to babysit the boys, which they were super excited about. Nate and I went to our neighbor Rachel’s Hanukkah party, which was fantastic. The food was amazing- the best brisket I’ve ever eaten, latkes, dips, desserts. We ate, drank, laughed, and stayed up way too late for how early we are getting up.

On Sunday, we joined Grandma Debbie, and also Christine and Lucas for the North Pole Express. You board a train at Union Depot, and ride to “the North Pole”. My mom bought the tickets and I have been so buried with work, I didn’t even bother looking up what we were doing. I think I ended up enjoying it even more than the kids- they were given stationary to write letters to Santa, hot cocoa, and then a series of performers (a magician, a musician, a singing fairy princess) came through and entertained us. Outside the train was decorated like the North pole, so there was Santa’s workshop, elves that were doing silly things, etc. Then Santa arrives and each kid gets to visit with him and give him their letter.

It was such a cute experience and I was just utterly delighted with each new part.

When we got home, the whole family scattered- Xander went to see if Joe wanted to talk about Pokemon. Gussie went to play with Sam and Abby. Nate went to watch the football game with Silas and Kelly. I was exhausted from our late night on Saturday, but I ended up making some cookies and then heading down to Kelly and Silas’s house. We ordered pizzas and watched the game and the kids ran around and played. It was super fun.

At this point, we’ve had too much fun and holiday cheer and I’m exhausted and ready for a quiet week.

Back to regular scheduled life. The boys went back to school on Monday, while Nate and I were busy with work. The mornings were EARLY this week- they boys were so excited to see what the elf was up to, and hopped out of bed earlier and earlier until we told them they had to stay in bed until 7. It sorta worked.

The elf has been busy doing silly things, bringing treats, and making the boys jump out of bed every morning.

On Saturday, we had our annual gingerbread house playdate with Skylar and Phoebe. This year I made the gingerbread from scratch. In years past, I’ve bought the kits from Target, but many years ago, pre-kid years, Abby and I made gingerbread houses for the entire camp staff for a few years in a row. It took HOURS of hard work. We hand cut out all the pieces. It was a ridiculous project. And every year that I have bought the kits, I felt like I was cheating, because I COULD make the gingerbread from scratch because I have done it before. So finally I buckled down and did it, prepared that I could bail at any point and go to Target at the last minute. But it was easy! I made the dough, rolled it out, cut out the pieces. Boom. I did use hot glue to put the houses together, because using icing is HARD and I needed these houses to go together and be sturdy. The kids took a lot of time this year, creating beautiful masterpieces. Gussie said, “I’m going to put a butt on mine! A Christmas butt” which is exactly what I would expect from him.

After gingerbread houses, playtime, and lunch, Phoebe and Skylar had to leave, and the boys headed to Grandma Debbie’s house for a slumber party. They had a lot of plans- Christmas shopping, movie night, swimming, pickle balling. While they were having a great night with Grandma, Nate and I went to the Edward Jones Christmas party. Many of Nate’s EJ buddies were unable to make it, so the party was sort of a bust. However, the food was great, we had a few cocktails, and were home snuggled on the couch by 8, so actually, that was my ideal kind of party.

I picked the boys up this morning and they spent the entire day playing with Sam- alternating between houses. It was a really nice, low key Sunday.

December has arrived and people need cookies. I like to have shells and plain buttercream on hand so that I can fill last minute orders. I am not a bakery, but when I can help people out, it feels good. So I will be baking in all my spare time.

Bring on the week ahead.