Spa report and family stuff

The spa weekend was amazing! I don't think I've had three days with absolutely no responsibilities, obligations, or schedules since I was a baby! I slept when I wanted, ate when I wanted, lounged around the rest of the time, and enjoyed good company with Matt's two sisters and his mom. I always like spending time with them, because they know so much more about the family. I don't know if girls are more observant, or if some things are more important to girls, or what. For instance, Matt's Aunt Cindy's real name is Mary Hope (I think? I might have gotten it mixed up). Her older brother came in and wanted to call her Cindy because Hurricane Cindy was in the Gulf at the time she was born. When I asked Matt about it, he was surprised and had never heard that story.



We went to the Hill County Hyatt in San Antonio. They had excellent food and the spa was very luxurious. We went into San Antonio one afternoon and ate great Mexican food, then wandered around downtown and rode the boat on the Riverwalk. Most of the rest of our time was spent laying around the spa in big thick robes. I got my hair highlighted in the salon, and got a spa manicure and pedicure and a facial. The time just drifted away as we drank flavored teas and took steamy showers. It was lovely.



Matt drove Addie up to Dallas the same day I left so she could have some one-on-one time with Grammie (my mom). They had lots of adventures together doing fun Christmas outings and activities. Matt had Ryan alone from Friday to Monday, when he picked Addie up again. He and Ryan did really well together. They went to the electronics store, had BBQ lunch together, and probably wrestled a lot on the floor. Matt said Ryan was really good, and I know how blessed I am to have a husband who is able and very willing to take responsibility for the kids. He was more than happy to do it!



Addie can sing so many Christmas carols already. She's got the Christmas story down and loves to see all the Natvitiy scenes in the yards as we drive around town. Ok, she likes the Santa on a motorcycle and snowman on the seesaws too. We'll probably drive around looking at lights next week, right before Christmas. Addison plays "Santa and his sleigh" a lot with her animals and the laundry basket. Lately, a big huge stuffed lion we have is "Santa", and he appears in my face asking in a low voice, "What do you want for Christmas, little Mommy?" Addie then tells me not to be afraid and to sit on the lion's, excuse me, Santa's lap to tell him what I want. Ryan is mostly just happy running around after her and screaming a lot. He dances around and around in circles and claps while he "sings", and he has discovered throwing. It's not wild, crazy throwing - he'll just pick up a toy, look at it and examine it, and then fling it as hard as he can. Usually it's stuffed animals, but last night it was my pots and pans, so that game ended quickly. He is also the climbiest baby ever. He crawls all the way up the bunk bed now (he'd been up on the ladder a lot, but couldn't get all the way up), so the ladder had to be unscrewed. And he can climb onto my bed, but has no sense of edges or balance, so when I let him try to be up there, he immediately stood up and toppled backwards. I caught him luckily, but he is too little to be up there with any sort of judgement. I don't remember if Addie was more careful of edges, or if she just didn't climb up when she was still so young. He carries the stool all over the house and sets it by counters, couches, and doors, so he can stand up and see what he can be naughty with. Overall he's still a good baby - not as active as some boys are, but there are definite boy tendencies showing through. He takes his socks off whenever he can and loves to carry his cup of milk around. His new favorite game is dancing in a circle with Addie and I holding his hands singing Ring Around the Rosy and all falling down. His words right now are: Casey, DaDa, Bah (ball and bear), Num, Uh Oh, Thanks, and he's started saying Papoo, which is what the kids call Matt's Dad. Oh, and he says, "Ho Ho Ho" and "There it/he/she is!" when he hides and peeks out at us, or when we hide and peek out at him.

We're doing Christmas at the farm with Matt's family this weekend. I have most of my shopping done, but haven't wrapped anything yet. I love wrapping presents! I'm also working on finally finishing Addie's room. It is entirely painted and the chair rail is up. The furniture is moved to where we want it, and I've started putting the ladybug decals up on the walls, but I'm waiting to get the shelves put up so I can see how to arrange things on the walls. Today I'm painting some of the shelves, and I still need to repaint her "Addison" letters (I'm taking another picture of them so I can remember how they looked with her nursery stuff). I want to have it all done before Christmas.

Addie is loving all the Christmas shows that have been on lately. She has seen Rudolph many times and loves it, and can sing all of Frosty the Snowman. I still need to bake my banana bread and I might make a pumpkin pie for this weekend.

That's it for now, folks!