Christmas Morning-getting ready to move



Christmas eve right before bed



Christmas came and went-It is funny that you prep for it for so long just to have it go by in a flash. Kids had an absolute blast and loved everything they got. Being 2500 miles away from all of our family makes for a super full Christmas tree. The kids received multiple gifts each from Dana/Troy, Jenn/Dan, Tara/Jon, Kelly/Dan, Mom/Dad, Cookie, Dawn/Lou and Barbara. If we were home their gift opening would happen a little here and there when we visited with family...but here they opened everyone's gifts Christmas morning. It made for a Christmas tree on steroids. I actually did not put any gifts under the tree since it was so dead and wilted. All had to go in front of the tree and around there. Since I am super anal and have to show every box/package it spread out quite a lot.Frank and I got them an easel and one small toy each when the rest came from Santa and all of our generous family members that love them. Santa gave Devin the blue wrapping and Riley the Disney Princess and the rest was from family members or for Frank and I. Frank took the pictures while I videoed and the kids did a pretty good job at taking turns. One thing I will never allow is mass chaos of tearing paper open. Take turns, see what you get and move on. Definitely never open a package until all the gifts are unwrapped. We filled up 7 trash bags full of packaging and (thank God) we have nice trash guys that will pick it all up. I do feel bad for them on the pick up days after Christmas.

All the decorations are put away and the house is picked back up again. Putting ornaments back in the boxes they came in is super annoying and I definitely do not look forward to it. Thank goodness for Hallmark making their boxes in three general sizes which makes it easy to put them away in a big storage box. The house is looking bare without all the warm and cozy Christmas decorations, but it was nice while it lasted.

On to the news everyone is interested in. All knew we were moving home. It went from sometime this coming summer-to this winter/early spring to the next few weeks. Frank is moving home on Jan 15th and I will follow sometime that next month. No, I do not know where quite yet...but somewhere in the Burlington County area. Frank will be staying down by work for the few weeks I am still in Vegas and then we will move into our new home once we figure out which one. It is very exciting, very daunting and very sad at the same time.



loving his Batman jammies

I called a few schools today and I was very disappointed with their curriculums. I did not realize that Devin's school was that much better than your typical preschool...or just that the type of school he goes to now is hard to come by in the South Jersey area? One of the schools that was recommended to me told me that they "hope" to accomplish these by the end of the school year

-count to 20

-write first and hopefully last name

-know sounds of all letters

-shape and color recognition

-know at least 12-15 capital letters
-use scissors to cut a triangle, square and circle

  

-----I had to ask her if she was talking about the 4 year program and she said "yes, and it is OK if your child is not able to do all these, and that its just a guideline." I honestly thought she was reading the 3 year old program off to me. What 4 year old does not know all their letter sounds? or colors/shapes? Count to 20? Devin has been able to do that since 3, and this year he can do up to 100 with guidance here an there. Write first name? That should have been the 3 year old goal! They should know all their capital and lower case letters by the end of the 3 year old program as well-and have the motor skills to write them all by now. I asked if they did math, science or social studies and she said come April they start adding 1 by 1 up to 10, no subtraction though. Again Dev has been doing math addition and subtraction all school year.

I have to give huge props to Devin's current program. Not only did he go just two days last year, he only goes 2hrs 45 min this year three days a week and is levels ahead of these kids. Not to  mention this particular school wants $620 a month for three part time days while we now pay $430 a month for three part time days of a much better education. Now I know all kids learn at different paces and I work at home with him all the time, but come on. That is highway robbery for a sub par program. I have one more phone call to make to a different school, but it looks like we may continue his education at home until the start of school in September. There is no reason we should pay for a preschool where he is leaps ahead of the other kids and he will just be bored. The only other school I was interested in (Moorestown Friends) only offers the pre-k program at 5 full days and thats not what we need. Boo. It was pointed out to me today that having worked with Devin myself and challenged him at home has given him an upper hand and helped him to excel. Maybe I should start my own in home preschool this fall for Riley...

So for now, boxes are ordered and will arrive in the next few days and I will slowly start to pack. I have at least five more weeks here so I cannot pack everything to soon, but I can start slowly.  Its wierd that I have been waiting for this to happen for so long that it is so surreal that it is actually here. We have heard so many times that we are moving, and this time its finally happening and it is back to home. Sigh-

Christmas eve! No family obligations.

Christmas Eve is here and it really does not feel like Christmas.  I am not sure if it is the sunny and 60* weather, the fact that we have no family around or just because it's on a Sunday. Devin is beside himself with excitement in anticipation of this evening and Riley just wants to open presents. Tomorrow morning will be fun for sure but I am just blah.

It's temporary, I know this. Next holiday season we will be back to the cold weather, somewhere near our families and have full schedules with visits to all the family. It is nice to not have obligations and stay in our jammies all day while living out here...but it will be even better to be able to share the holiday celebrations with family. Frank's family has always had the Christmas Eve tradition with getting together which works out well since my family has always done Christmas Day. Our first Christmas married we skipped brunch at my cousin's house and I did not hear the end of it for months. We will NEVER do that again! So thank you Cousin Gene and Uncle Jerry for the guilt trips :). 

Tonight we are having hors d'oeuves for dinner and the kids will get to open their jammies after dinner.  It will be a quiet night with some wine and of course putting together Devin's bike and setting up their easel. Everything else is done and the cookies are made. It is nice to not have to worry about wrapping or organizing last minute. 

Riley has a lil cold and is crabby. It was worse, but she is on the road to recovery. She (gasp) has started to fight me on the nap taking which totally stinks. Devin did the same thing and fully gave them up around 2 yr 6 mo. Riley is 2 yr 9 mo and still needs it. She just thinks she is going to miss something if she takes a nap since she knows Devin does not take one. He will grace me on a blue moon with one, but it is definitely not often enough.

It is kinda surreal that we will be moved home to NJ in about 6 weeks......

Santa, I know him!



official Santa pic



Visit with Santa was a breeze. We went to the District and we were the only ones there to see Santa. Sunday hours for Santa started at noon and we got there about 12:10. The weather was wet since it had rained earlier in the morning....and it was chilly yesterday so I guess there were not that many people who wanted to shop at an outdoor shopping area which was awesome for us. Every hour from noon til 3/4 they also have an outdoor concert there which Devin saw when we were there Thanksgiving weekend. Its cute and the kids loved it to sing and dance around to.

I will only go to Santa's with a real beard etc, and I knew this Santa was the real deal. He was on the quiet side and the kids were fine with him. Devin gave him his list and Riley told him she wanted a baby and a bat girl? I have no idea if they even make Bat Girl toys....but that is what she asked for. Devin also thanked Santa for sending him an Elf to keep at the house. We then went to lunch in the same plaza and the kids were adored by all sorts of people in their holiday outfits. Love having super cute kids ;)

Today is a day that I have so much to do and want to do NOTHING. My playroom looks like a bomb hit it and there is loads of laundry to do/iron. Blah I loathe laundry. I think this is because it never ends. I need to start baking since we have play date plans Tuesdays, Wednesday and Thursday but again-I do not feel like it. WTH is wrong with me? I am usually Suzy Homemaker meets June Cleaver. At least I can get Devin to do the playroom while I do the rest of the second floor. I am sure I am not the only one who feels like this from time to time, but man alive is today a non motivating day.  I really wish coffee had an effect on me. I have been drinking it too often and caffeine no longer makes me all amped up. BOO.

 I attempted to take some pictures of the kids yesterday since they were all dressed up in their Christmas clothes. What a debacle that was. They were either messing around, trying to run away, making silly faces or pushing one another. It is SO frustrating when all you want is one good picture of the both of them looking at you and smiling nicely. Just one...please!



tree last year on Christmas morning

Christmas is in 6 days! Hip hip hooray! Devin and Riley are SO excited and he wants to put presents under the tree. We have received gifts from some family members in the mail and I put them away, but Devin wants them out and under the tree now. I thought about it for a split second, but Riley cannot seem to leave them alone. Not to mention the tree is 100% dried out and if they touch it it may shed all it's needles that instant. I also have this weird thing that I have to lay out all the gifts super pretty and organized on Christmas eve. With the different colored paper interspersed and sizes and shapes of gifts laid out nicely...I like it to look like a catalog picture. Call me crazy or ocd, but it does look awesome :)

Christmas baking-would you eat food from a "stranger?"



kids this afternoon



Christmas is in 8-9 days depending on how you look at it. I say 8 days because this time in 8 days it will be Christmas eve and just a few hours from dinner time...but one may say 9 days because really Christmas is on the 25th blah blah blah. I have been done shopping and wrapped for a while now and it makes it super easy to enjoy the actual holiday time since all the work is already done. I baked some chocolate chip banana bread to toss in with the preschool teachers gifts yesterday and apparently my mail man was jealous so I need to bake for him next week. He really is a great guy and talks to Devin and Riley on average 3 times a week when they walk out to get the mail. Out here in Vegas we have mailbox clusters similar to that of condo communities except we are all single family homes. I leave a gift every year for our mail person (has been different every year) in our mailbox on the last day of delivery before the holiday. It is always baked goods and usually a variety of cookies and bars and homemade chocolates.



Now that brings me to this...I was listening to the radio a few weeks ago about gift giving and what to do in almost every circumstance. You always tip your hair, nails etc extra and the delivery guy if you get food...we all know this. It said to tip your trash people and we give them a gift every year so I felt good about that...then it said the mail workers are to be tipped too in gift cards and the male radio guy stated that his wife makes cookies yearly for their mail person. I was shaking my head in agreement as they were discussing this. The female host said "why would they feel safe eating homemade treats?" I was dumbfounded....why wouldn't they? Then I guess she is right. We are strangers. They do not know me more than a mom who comes out with their kids to get the mail or to wave to the trash truck on pick up days. I forget that I no longer live in a small town in South Jersey where everyone knows everyone and our mailman growing up was the same guy for 20+ years. Do I look like a threatening person who will poison you? or someone that has a dirty home? It is so sad that some people really do not trust anyone-then again I do not blame them.  Ever since owning a home in 2005 I have packaged up baked goods for our mail delivery person. And since 2008 I have given them to our trash guys too along with another gift of some sort. Have these people been throwing out my presents in fear of tainted food? I am hoping not, but I guess I cannot hold it against them if they have. 

Last year I also gave Devin's teachers some saltine toffee bars with their gifts and I would assume they both ate them. I know one teacher commented on how her two boys would not share with her. Like I said, I made banana bread this year and I guess I will see if they comment on taste or whatnot. I mean they see me twice a day on pick up and drop off and he has one of the same teachers this year as he did last year so she should know it's OK?

What would you do? Would you give baked goods to your mailman? Trash guys? a teacher? The good thing is the mailman requested cookies yesterday after he saw me in my apron and smelled the baking bread when he brought packages up to the door. I know he doesn't think of me as a serial killer. I am however super excited to be getting back to a small town feel again this coming year. Somewhere neighbors know each other and are social. I lived on a street for almost 4 years and of about 22 houses (all on top of one another w yards .05-.11 acre) I know maybe 6 houses.  People do not even wave back to you when you wave to them. The few neighbors I do know are all great and we hang out together....but it is definitely not like back east.

Also, the radio guys were talking about tipping the UPS/FEDEX guys who deliver you stuff...I could see this if you were an office or someone that received deliveries on a regular basis. I do not agree with the occurrence of extra deliveries for Christmas packages. Isn't it their job to deliver lots of gifts? The radio guys said its customary to tip them just for dropping off holiday packages to you since they are working so many hours. I disagree with that one. A lot of callers never heard about tipping the trash guys. An employee for Waste Management actually called in and said he would never tip the pick up guys but now that he is one-he really appreciates the gifts/tips they receive. This is something I am proud to do. My guys bust their asses on my street and are so nice to my kids. They bring my rolling thing up to my garage for me if we do not go out to say hi. They honk for us and even let Devin pull the lever that smashes the trash in the truck. Something in Las Vegas which SUCKS-Waste Management works 365. Yes, two years ago they had to work my route on Christmas day! They pick up in my neighborhood twice a week and one of those fell on Christmas day. So lousy. That year we had a husband and wife team and thankfully the wife was able to take off and the dad worked with a stand in. We also give bottles of water/Gatorade to them if we are home when they do pick up. Devin got all bummed out the other day since we were out of drinks so he ran out Fruitables juice boxes to them and told them he was sharing his juice since we were out of "Gatorador and water."

Do any of you do this? Is there something else I am missing? I do not have a house keeper. My bug guy finished 6 weeks ago, took care of my stylist, waiting on a pedi until I run another 10K on NYE....I think we are good. What about you?

The air balloon picture was taken this past Sunday. Every weekend (and sometimes during the week) air balloons take off a few miles up from my house. This past Sunday there were three which was so pretty. Typically there is one or two-but three...LOVE! All you NJ peeps, yes those are mountains...I live in a development called Mountains Edge and we really are at the edge of the mountains. My house stands at 2700 feet. I will miss this on the weekends just as I will miss my mountains-but I will have my best friend; the ocean. Good trade :)

Half Marathon, Hofbrau Haus and Christmas sings at School!



Dan decorating houses with
the kids



Kelly flew in last Friday for a weeks vacation in Las Vegas. She and her boyfriend Dan stayed at our house Friday through Monday and we dropped them off at the strip Monday after lunch. They stayed at the MGM until Thursday am when they headed back to NJ. Devin and Riley had such a great time playing with them. Devin (for the first time ever) was genuinely crushed when he had to say good bye. He did this for the first time Monday when we dropped them off at MGM. He did not want them to stay at the casino, he wanted them to come home with us. It was so sad. He and Riley cried the entire way home from the strip. I was able to side track them for a day since they knew we would see them Wednesday for dinner at Hofbrau Haus. After dinner Wednesday he did the same thing. Truly crushed that Kelly and Dan were not going to be around the next day. It was so sad. Thankfully he is old enough to understand that we will see her sooner than later and once we move to NJ he will get to see them all the time.

The Las Vegas Rock and Roll half marathon was good. Kelly was assigned a different corral than me, but started in my corral so she would not have to wait to take off. I was assigned corral 11 out of 40 so we took off close to the front of the pack. I could not believe the amount of walkers (that jumped corrals) and were literally walking 100 yards into the race. No these guys were not to the side, no they were not courteous to get out of the way of runners or stay to the right. They just walked in the middle of the road and would not budge from their groups of 2 or 3 that made a wall of slow speed to get past. It sure was hard to pace with having to dodge and weave around all the walkers and picture takers. Thankfully by 3 miles they seemed to drop in numbers and I was able to run with the pack and by 7 or 8 miles in the pack thinned out enough for me to not have to run in and out of people the entire time. By 10 miles I was able to run straight and keep pace with the people ahead of me. Frank has a super fancy GPS watch that tracks distance, pace and lots more but for the first 3 miles and the last three miles I was not able pace since the satellites could not keep a good contact with the watch since I was in the thick of the casinos. I ran 13.24 miles in 2 hrs 15.33 minutes.



see me in green in the center (between orange 
 and yellow shirt)  trying

to cross the finish line



 Now a half is 13.1 miles and I was tracked at 13.24....I have to imagine there is a .05 error and the rest was me weaving all over the place and actually ran an extra tenth of a mile by doing so. It was fun to run in a large crowd once it thinned out a little bit, but the finish was a disaster. Huge bottle neck and you actually could not "run" across the finish line since there were so many people trying to get through. My knee was/is seriously f-ed up afterwards and I am losing three toenails but I did it, and did it at a pace of 10 min and 19 sec miles the entire time which is good for my first one in my mind. There were people passed out, vomiting, shitting themselves afterwards while the rest of us just hobbled through the carnage back to our cars. I did have belly issues afterwards (and for a few days) but thankfully was able to get through the mess and home with no hiccups. Apparently my body did not know how to handle the extra distance at the pace I was running at. Ha, you learn something new everyday :(



Devin had his Christmas singing concert at school while Kelly and Dan were visiting which was great. Devin was super excited to be able to have them come. He sang about 8-9 songs and had all sorts of hand movements down for the songs. After their concert they had a special visit from Santa and Devin was super surprised and excited. He told Santa that he wants a new bike and no, he does not need training wheels. I guess this summer we will work on riding without them. He was handed a candy cane and he broke it in half so Riley would have some too. How sweet! He really can be such a sweet boy.  I am glad that he was able to have Frank and I there along with Aunt Kelly and Dan.





at a few weeks old-slept through
all the noise



Frank has been asking for over 4 years to go back to the Hofbrau Haus for dinner. I do not eat German good....so I have no desire to go there. We went when Cookie and Kelly came to visit when Devin was a few weeks old and have not been back since. Frank always tries to recruit our visitors to go and finally we had to chance. Kelly's boyfriend Dan actually lived in Germany for a few years while his dad served and BOOM interest to eat there! The kids loved it since there was a group of three musicians who were right near us singing in German and getting the crowd into it. Devin and Riley even raised their "steins" when asked to. Kelly, Frank and Dan all ordered brats, wienersnitzels, veal things other things ending in "zels" and kraut and potatoes...I had a side salad and some beer. Kids even ate a traditional German hot dog made with natural casing. I was interested to see if they would eat it since it was not grilled and was a different color than what they were used to. At Hofbrau Haus when you do a shot you get paddled by the wait staff. Kelly and Dan got to experience this lovely tradition. Both said it really does sting, but since I was driving I got to skip it. In the gift shop Devin was fixed on getting a lil paddle to hit our bums....yikes-he did settle on a German sports car from Aunt Kelly. Frank did get his Das Boot to drink out of and Dan joined in with one of his own!

Last night Frank and I went to see Andrea Bocelli. Frank gave me tickets for my birthday and I was so excited that it was finally time to go and see him. I saw him in December of 2008 at MGM by myself and it was just amazing. We went out to a casual dinner at Brio beforehand which is always delicious and then made our way to MGM. It was chaotic with so much traffic to get there but thankfully he came on 15 minutes late. Frank was impressed with the sheer size of the orchestra on the stage and the amount of choir on the risers behind them. Andrea sang mainly in Italian and a few in English. He has a Italian Soprano named Ana Maria sing a bunch of songs and another woman named Heather something sing as well. Both had amazing voices and were very powerful. Its so amazing to hear live and have all the different sounds of the instruments playing right infont of you rather than in a pit. I am glad Frank enjoyed it...that means I we get to go again sometime in the future :)