As Good as it Gets

The best possible way to spend a Friday afternoon.

Thanks, Ali!

High on life. Or on sleeping pills. You decide.

Tonight as I write this post, I have a very small window to work with because I took my sleeping pill before sitting down at the computer. (oh, the delight of sleeping drugs; as my mother said not-so-long-ago, "I am in complete control of my sleeping patterns. As long as I have my sleeping pill.") I didn't realize how much I had to write about until I began loading photos; a lot happened, yet not much. The dichotomy that is my life. Lots going on, but nothing monumental. I suppose that is what composes our lives--many seemingly inconsequential tidbits combining to create a life of meaning. (Aristotle, anyone?)

So, a quick run-down of the weekend before I fall into a drug-induced coma onto my keyboard. We received this package on Friday from my mom, which was stuffed full of books for the kids. I was kind of expecting them to open it and say, "Awww, books," and fizzle away to play; instead, they said, "BOOKS!!!" and wanted to read them immediately. Max is very excited to read his, which is an adventure about a boy lost on a river, but can't tear himself away from Fablehaven quite yet. Thanks to the Grande Dame of Good Mail. We love you!


Also in the mail on Friday was a letter tres elegante from darling Claudia. These two morsels of mail cheered my otherwise blase day.


I have been living in between worlds this last week--half of my brain has been dwelling in this book while I go about my daily rigors:
I finally finished on Monday, feeling physically and mentally EXHAUSTED. I'd been reading late into the night, thinking about it all day but unable to read (busy toddler!), then reading again late into the night. A fun read.



Max has been taking Jack out for evening stroller rides, before Baby's bedtime, to calm him down. Unfortunately, that habit is coming to a close due to the sudden chilly weather.


The girls spent Friday afternoon setting up their school--and played far into the night with our cute neighbors, Emma & Lucy. They were so enthusiastic about it and playing so perfectly together, I didn't have the heart to put a stop to it. So basically school was in session in the girls' room from 4-9pm. And the next day Lucy was at the door, 10am sharp, ready for school, bright-eyed and ready to play. They played school ALL DAY, again, from 10am-6pm. I was kissing Isabelle & Mimi goodnight on Saturday, 2 yoga-breaths away from melting down because of their trashed bedroom, and stopped in my tracks and just had to smile. I realized that they hadn't watched one minute of tv or played one minute of video games all weekend. Totally worth the mess.

And then I remembered walking into the room earlier that day, baffled at the total chaos and asking them, "How do you girls make such a giant mess???" Mimi looked up at me from the floor where she was diligently doing her "schoolwork" and said, "But we like to PLAY!" Well. That pretty much sums it up. Totally worth the mess.

(I love these sweetie friends for my girls. They're all going to have such good memories of playing their guts out with each other! Remember Emma from the Cilantro Incident? And their mom Christine, of the famed Yellow Diet Coke Cup, is a lifeline for me. I don't know how I could have survived this last 18 months without her! She's the kind of neighbor who's got your back. The kind of neighbor who won't turn you into Child Protective Services. Thank goodness.)

Anyways. We somehow managed to watch General Conference on Saturday; actually, it was pretty manageable. The girls and friends and baby were in their room listening (mmm hmmm. sure.) on the radio, enabling Mike & Max to watch peacefully in the family room and me to watch on the internet downstairs while I assembled their conference packets for Sunday.

I loved Elder Scott's talk about spiritual promptings and also Elder Bednar's talk about 3 ways to become more "diligent & concerned" at home. These can be downloaded here. Hopefully I will remember to post later about these talks because they impacted me quite deeply.

After the Saturday Conference sessions, I beelined to Ali's house to help with her baby shower she was hosting at her house. Isn't her buffet table pretty? I take no credit for the table layout; I acted as dish-doer, food-replenisher, water-refiller, platter-hauler, punch-maker, brownie-bite-sneaker (did I say that aloud?), kitchen-tidier only. I can't even claim altruistic motives because I was there gathering reconnaissance for my own future gatherings: I wanted to snoop out the logistics of a successful event because I have hostess phobia.


Sunday I made our traditional Conference cinnamon rolls. Actually, it's not much of a tradition, more of a hit-and-miss kind of thing, but it WILL be a tradition. Starting....now. (quoting Kramer from "Seinfeld.")


Monday was chilly and we all thought Jack was so cute in his fall fleece. It was a day off from school (girls, of course, held school upstairs in their room), so we spent the day hanging around the house being cozy and then went to the park.


Here are the kids before school today. Immediately after taking this photo, I thought of this one photo of myself in 1st grade...I have Mimi's EXACT FACE in that photo! It's uncanny, really. And after I emailed this picture to my mom she responded, "This is the most Crystal-lookalike Mimi Rose I have ever seen yet!" (we've remarked through the years, at her different stages, how much she looks like me at said stage.) I really must get ahold of my 1st grade school photo and post the two faces together.


Here's a back view of her hair--what we call "Mouse Ears." I take a photo of Mimi's hair nearly every day because we have such fun doing it each morning. I will have quite the photo documentary of her kindergarten mornings!


This is the Favorite Walking Path this morning. Chilly and the leaves are turning.


Baby wasn't too keen on the 34 degree weather. I suppose I'd better bite the bullet and just start going at 6am again, instead of dragging him out at 9:30. Sigh. It is SO hard to drag out of a cozy warm bed and go running (wogging) in the cold dark!!!

The sky was crisp and blue this morning.

I really, really love this path.

In just 6 short days we went from weather suited to this:

to this...

...to this!

What happened to a nice, crisp Fall? It's frigid!

Jack & I play Run & Chase as part of our morning routine. He giggles uncontrollably and it tires him out for naptime.

These pictures are blurry because he's running.

And chasing.

We also snacked quite decadently on pumpkin chocolate chip bread. Look at that cute little bird mouth. This kid is my joy. I just love him to pieces.
And...the post that I started at 9:50pm has taken me two hours to write. TWO! Now I'm having a anxiety about my 6am wogging-wakeup-call. Drat.

Elf Crystal, At Your Service

{coaster}

Wednesday night I met up with Kara for our unofficial holiday tradition of dinner and then me acting as her elf, helping with her Christmas shopping. Every year we just sort of find ourselves convening during the holiday rush and before I know it, there we are, shopping again for her five girls. I imagine we'll be doing it years from now when we're old(er) & feebl(er).

As it was, we were mocking the sensible shoes we already wear. ("They absorb the heft, they don't launch the heft!" HA! Favorite quote of the night. Possibly of the year.)

We had our favorite-ever pizza at CA Pizza Kitchen, pear gorgonzola, then shopped, then dessert. I think my sleep-deprived self bored poor Kara to tears, but our friendship has survived worse. The next day I awoke sleepy (out late), but happy (good time with friend). It took me a while to get out of my groggy state & then I spent some time with my little kitchen helper making tiny tea party cakes and then bread.

{tiny cakes}

{soup}

Earlier in the week, baby got to help put up the little tree in the girls' room; the kids & I were cracking up at him laying perfectly still, entranced by the lights. He was utterly relaxed and immobile and remained this way for well over ten minutes!

And no, that is not a real tiger tail. Just in case you were alarmed.

Thursday we made paper chains and christmas tree cards to send for Grandma's wall at the nursing home. My mom circulated a schedule for our family to do a "12 Days of Christmas" for Grandma, assigning each of us a rotating day. I wish I were better on my own at doing little things like that for my two grandmothers. I definitely think this should be a New Year's Goal for me. I have very good intentions, and very little follow-through.
Please take note of Max's hat, which I bought for him the day before during my elf duties. He loves it and seriously does not take it off. I caught him sleeping in it tonight. Sleeping! In! It!

He made this little modeling clay tea set for Mimi and told me it was her Christmas present. Upon realizing it was not actually clay, but plastitak (that sticky goo used to stick stuff up on the wall), he said it could just be the prototype. How does the kid even know that word?

{Tea Set Prototype}

Our Thursday ended with this happy plate of cookies left on our doorstep! I love getting doorbell-ditched with treats! We gobbled them.

And because I know you're thinking it...here is a closer look at one of my most favorite things in the world:

{delightful.}

We miss you Ann!

Alright, I am finally adding the text to this picture! Wendi, Ali, Amy & I went to "Mama Mia" a few weeks ago and had a BLAST! What fun to dance in our seats and sing along. Afterwards, any and all ABBA songs were in my head for a week straight. After the show we caught a late dinner and I had perhaps the funniest moment ever, watching my friends get hit on by both a bartender (very cute) and a drunk, psycho lesbian (so not cute) in a 10 minute chunk of time! I think dinner and a musical should be at least a bi-annual tradition from now on. Amy, when you read this, you are my assigned seat-neighbor from now on because you were so much fun to seat-dance with.