Tardy

So I'll just jump in then, ok? Not that you have a choice in the matter. It's my blog. Neener.

Last week my brother, Uncle P, came to visit. We did lots of fun things, including doing the full rounds (Art Museum, History Museum, and Glass Museum) on Tacoma's free Third Thursday program, but the day that we got documentation was the day we took the ferry from Bremerton to Seattle to visit the Science Center (where they were having a special model train exhibition) and the Experience Music Project (which is just cool).

Uncle P and Girliness looking eerily alike on the ferry:



How very PNW the day was...



A rare picture of me, with BittyPrincess. Looking cold, because we were.



At the Science Center, BittyPrincess' favorite was, of course, the playmobil train. There were SO many set up, and I can't help but think that it was a LOT of work for an exhibition that only lasted one weekend. Still, it was pretty cool, and I don't even really care about model trains. Francesco does, though, and has a lot of old ones from his childhood either laying around in our garage or in his dad's storage, which he now wants to get out and rebuild with the kids.



Hey, check out the old guy wearing a Chubble-clone (complete with carrier that's almost-but-not-quite like mine):



So, we had a pretty decent day. We, in fact, had a few more-than-decent days, and then we bid Uncle P farewell so that he could go check out law schools and talk to friends and whatever impressive things it is that he does when he isn't dealing with my kids.

Does 'Scribble' Start with A?

I asked BittyPrincess to draw something that started with A after practicing writing her letters. "Does 'scribble' start with A?"

This pretty much sums up what's been going on with my blog lately, and I don't have anyone to say "nope, no internets/snacks/coffee until you do your work!"

Still, somewhere between my "buried in business start-up paperwork and busy-work" and my not terribly unique (but useful) "CLEAN ALL THE THINGS" brand of procrastination, fun stuff is happening that I really should document somehow.

Later.

Push

I officially opened my business, Gig Harbor Midwifery. I have a client enrolled; having that first visit at my office was pretty much the highlight of last week. My website isn't up yet, my office is a wreck, and my lab accounts are supposed to be up and running, but I can't sign on to check that until Monday. The Washington State DSHS provider application I sent in (electronically) apparently got lost in some kind of crazy system conversion shitstorm, and now I can't access anything there, which is stressing me out more than a little.

My to-do list is extraordinary in that it has many things on it and many of them are daunting in either difficulty or expense.

But I'm doing this, damnit, I am. Come hell, high water, debt, or bureaucracy.

Boyness Goes to Hawaii

I should really post this after the fact with some pictures, but I don't know if he's even taking any. As long as he's enjoying his time, I don't care how he documents it.

He left with my sister after her visit and will stay for just over a week. We video conferenced last night and I think he was MUCH more interested in seeing the baby than in seeing me. My feelings aren't hurt; I like that the kids are so attached.

When you take any one of the kids out of the house, the usual bickering cycle that they all set up together short-circuits and happiness and calmness tend to prevail (this is true no matter which child is removed). So I'm hoping for a week+ of very productive business creation time that I get to feel completely not guilty about, because it isn't like Boyness is banished; he's wanted to go to Hawaii for an alone visit forever and thrives on the kind of 1:1 attention he'll be getting there.

Paper, Paper, Everywhere

But not a contract to...um, bill? Advertise with? The saying fails me. Still, here I sit amidst piles of paper. As I printed out several hundred pages of user manual for the Department of Social and Health Services Provider One Enrollment (the actual enrollment takes place online, this is *just the user manual* weighing more than any novel I own, and I own some doozies) I thought "wow, how on earth could I need all of this paper to tell me how to fill in an online application? Turns out, I STILL have questions about what on earth some of their acronyms mean and how they apply to me (and yet I am assured they do).

My to-do list is extraordinarily long and boring to everyone but me (to whom it is daunting and somewhat panic inducing).

So, that's where I am. Like, forever.

That Crazy Christmas Post

First, baby in a ball! Yes, she's happy:



While I am very much aware that there are about 5 billion of these posts on the internetz right now, and that my family's Christmas isn't super special, I still can't help myself. Besides, this is my photo book, so you'll just have to suck it up and suffer through another Christmas post. Unless you click away. That's fine too.

BittyPrincess' birthday is the 22nd, but her party was on the 21st. Our big Christmas/Solstice/Whateverthehell Party was on the 22nd. It was pretty well attended this year.

There's nothing spectacular about the photo that follows. It does, however, look like a stock photo for "party," which I find amusing.



They partied till they dropped:



The parents looked pretty droopy too, but for their sakes I'm not going to post that photo (it was funny though).

I love this nursing photo and don't know why it refuses to rotate:



Final head-count at our party was 29, and the damages were minimal. Excellent.

That night, the baby didn't sleep. NOT COOL Chubble. I know you're growing and all, but nobody needs to eat every half hour.

Babysat on the 23rd.

Went and hung out with ~L~ and family on the 24th, and then came home when Francesco got off work at 5pm to have dinner together, and eat gingerbread houses:





And watch a movie with some Christmas cookies and milk:


We rolled the kids into their beds at around 10pm (normal for us), but then had to wait until 11:30 before we could actually bring out presents and get things set up. So it was 2am before we had all the Santa gifts arranged. And we got the kids (and us) a Wii for Christmas, and needed to hook that up too. And then we almost forgot to eat cookies and drink milk and all of that holiday-feel-good stuff that the kids would totally be ruined if we didn't do.

Chubble didn't sleep again.

Thankfully, the kids didn't get up until 8:30.

Before the kids dug in:



Canwegocanwegocanwego!?



It's like Christmas!



Chubble didn't quite get it.



She kind of reacted like a baby, and kept checking something out for half a second before noticing something else.






Santa brought hot chocolate:



Meanwhile, Chubble was still at it:







She wouldn't rip wrapping paper. She wouldn't eat it either. She loves gift bags, though!



We should totally have taken video of the kids opening the Wii box (we'd hidden the console after we set it up, and made them open our presents last). But alas, we didn't think of it, so you'll just have to take my word for it: they had a totally gratifying running-screaming-jumping-around-the-room reaction.



And after all that craziness ("this is the best Christmas EVER!!!!"), we headed over to Nana's for some more present-exchanging and some lasagna.



We managed to leave by 5:30, which is a much earlier escape than we've managed in years previous, but we were TIRED. Basking the glow of happy post-Christmas kids this morning. And doing laundry.

Happy Birthday BittyPrincess!

6 years old, awesome! We celebrated with a girlie sleepover, a trip to Jump Gig Harbor (awesome, by the way), pizza with the 5/6yo brigade, and cupcakes not just once but twice; once with the 5/6yo crowd:



And once later with the family:



Thank you Auntie Betsy!!! This photo wins Best Present-Opening Reaction for the day:



And because (at least until she's one) no post is complete without some Chubble...it turns out Chubble LOVES having little bows stuck to her head. Like, she got mad at us if we tried to take them back.

Santa

Gingerbread House-ing

From scratch, even! We got our recipe here:

http://homecooking.about.com/od/cookierecipes/r/blcookie111.htm

I then proceeded to not really follow it; I added 8 cups of flour in the mixer and the kneaded in the final cup. I didn't pre-cook gingerbread slabs; I rolled them out on parchment paper, cut patterns, and lifted away the excess. It worked out fabulously. Except that I forgot that gingerbread takes like an hour to bake, so instead of doing one more project before bed, I wound up waking up to get the final batch out of the oven and saving the decorating for the next day.

And our house part pattern here:

http://justgingerbread.com/patterns/small1.jpg
http://justgingerbread.com/patterns/small2.jpg

All laid out, ready to bake! Extra flour courtesy of BittyPrincess, who took my advice to add a little flour if she felt like it was sticking to her hands a little too seriously.



Houses, assembled, with remarkably little drama considering there were three kids, me, and a baby at work:



Starting to decorate. Apparently this is hot work, because Boyness has no shirt on. Then again, any excuse...



Buying off Chubble midway through:



The almost-finished wreckage (it got WORSE after this, believe it or not):



YAY, gingerbread houses!!!

Dada Time!

I don't really have anything to say, I just have pictures. So, yup. Daddy Time.



And bottled beer:



A new bed for Chubble:



And yes, she was in it at the time:



More Daddy Time, at Zoolights:



Last bit of Chubble cuteness for the day:

Phew

Someday, the kids will appreciate the fact that I just spent several hours perched on a ladder trying to get the #(@*#&$(*#&$ lights up. For now, I just hope they enjoy the magic.

Tree Time

On our annual trip to Alpine U-Cut Tree Farm: