The most important thing I have to say about the past weekend is this: We survived.
We had so many things to cram into the span of three days! And on one hand, I'm sad that we were so busy that we didn't get to spend much quality time with Doc's parents who were in town, but on the other hand, I don't know that we would have survived had they not been here. They were a HUGE help in so many different ways. I honestly can't thank them enough...but I will try with extra presents under the Christmas tree!
As soon as they arrived Thursday evening, we piled into their car and headed out to see the kids in their school's Christmas production.
Both kids had speaking parts in the play and were very excited about it. I'm so glad we were all able to go see them perform. I tried hard to get some good pictures, but here's the thing - during the photography class I took back in the spring, no one ever told me what setting my camera should be on when I'm in a dark gym and too far away for my flash to reach my subjects. So all I was able to get is some crappy pictures.
They started by all singing a Christmas carol together. Anna's in the front row and to the right (in white). See the white column over to the left? Wyatt's standing right behind it.
After the first song, it was time for them to move to the stage to begin the play - "Follow the Star." Anna took her spot in front of the microphone.
Wyatt was King Herod so he got to sit in the throne.
He had lots of speaking parts and did a great job! My favorite part was when his character got frustrated and yelled "Enough already! Will someone just tell me the news?!" He did some great acting.
Anna, as a Page, got into her role too. She really put some arm motions into "Hear ye! Hear ye!"
After their speaking parts were over, they returned to the bleachers to sing with the rest of their classmates. Luckily for me, they sat next to each other so I could easily get pictures of them both.
Wyatt's King Herod costume looks strikingly similar to his Harry Potter halloween costume from a few years ago. I wonder if that's just coincidence.
After watching the whole program, I have to admit that had I gotten the chance to audition, I would've tried out for the role of the star.
I mean, check out that costume! And the star got to climb on top of the ladder and shine over everyone else. Sometimes this particular star got a little tired and had to lean on her ladder to rest. It was awesome.
Friday both Doc and I headed out to work and left his parents to fend for themselves. And do you know what they did? They went to the grocery store for us and turned our kitchen into a bakery in preparation for Saturday's bake sale. That's just reason #976 why I love them.
That night, Doc wanted to load up on carbs before his big run on Saturday morning. Our next door neighbor is a big-time marathoner and suggested he eat sushi instead of pasta the night before. It doesn't feel as heavy and weigh you down as much. Doc gave it a shot last year and it worked so we decided we better repeat the sushi meal this year.
I think sushi is so pretty! I should've taken an "after" picture...there were four of us eating and we devoured every last bite. It was delicious!
Saturday started really early as we all headed out the door for the marathon - Doc to run it and the rest of us to cheer him on. I think my pictures from the morning will have to be a post of their own.
When we returned home, the baking continued. I even fell asleep for a few minutes, but my awesome mother-in-law just kept on going. Check out all the goodies she made!
Peppermint-topped vanilla cupcakes:
Individual sized brownies with a hershey kiss on top:
Another batch of brownies with peanut butter chips on top:
Shortbread dipped in chocolate:
Peanut butter cookies with miniature chocolate chips:
Shortbread with orange zest and cranberries:
Is your mouth watering yet? That afternoon, when I was back in the woodshop getting ready for the shop sale, Doc's parents went to pick up the kids and then came back to keep baking. I completely forgot to take pictures of the cookies Anna helped with. They were so cute - Anna and Lala used food coloring to tint the dough and sprinkles and red hots to decorate. There was a good assortment of Christmas trees, wreaths, and stars. (I won't lie - I'm eating a handful of them right now as I type this - yummy!) We formed an assembly line that night to package all the cookies. They were all bagged and tied with a red or green bow and then we boxed up to travel to the shop sale.
Since everyone in our family except me has a birthday in December, we also squeezed in a birthday party Saturday night. Anna, Wyatt, and Doc all tore into their presents at the same time.
I think everyone was pleased with what they received. Doc opened new dress shirts and ties.
Wyatt got a new basketball, a puzzle, and some moolah.
Anna opened a new hair dryer, a computer art game, and some spending loot.
Like Saturday, Sunday started pretty early. This time we got cleaned up and headed to church. I was a nervous wreck that morning because it was the day of the shop sale. What if no one showed up?? What if no one liked any of my stuff?
The good news is that church seemed to calm me down. Or it at least took my mind off the shop sale. We had less than two hours between church and the start of the sale so what did we do? We squeezed in another birthday party. This time Beth got to open presents too.
Can you tell that Doc has to dress up for work everyday? New dress shirts are always on his wish list.
The party didn't stop with presents. In addition to all the sweets that were prepared for the bake sale, my mother-in-law also made a homemade-from-scratch chocolate birthday cake. Is she amazing or what?
I just realized last night that we forgot to bring the leftover cake home with us. Mom, I really hope you and Dad have enjoyed eating it. I really wanted a piece of it last night! At least I have the cookies here to keep me happy. (Speaking of last night - Doc surprised me with appointments for both of us to get massages at a local spa since we survived the weekend. Best. Husband. Ever.)
After we stuffed our faces full of cake, it was time for the sale to begin. Doc wore his new birthday vest and greeted all of our guests.
Anna did a great job at the refreshment stand. The kids were all supposed to be "growing their dollar(s)" for our church, but Anna did most of the work while the boys ran off and played football.
They raised $76 for the church! We still have time left to grow our dollars even more. Anyone have any great ideas?
Inside the shop, we managed to turn what normally looks like this...
...into somewhat of a "store."
And y'all, my fears and nervousness were for nothing because people came! Lots of them! And all at 1:00 on the dot!
It was a bit crazy for the first half hour and everyone filed inside to look around. I decided to park it outside at a "checkout counter" of sorts. If anyone had anything negative to say about any of my stuff, I definitely didn't want to be around to hear it. Even sitting outside in the freezing cold is better than that.
I'm happy to say the sale was a success! My sisters' paintings sold and lots of my stuff went too. Almost all of the little things were snatched up, and even a few pieces of furniture found new homes. While we still have a little bit of inventory left, I think the majority of it made its way out the door. Yay!
Doc's parents were helpful once again and drove the kids home while we cleaned up the aftermath. We all met back at our house exhausted and ready to just sit. We had pizza delivered and ate in front of the television. Doc made me a fire and I finally, finally!, got to address my Christmas cards.
It may have been busy, but it was a great weekend. I'll post the pics of Doc running shortly. Oh, and if Wyatt read this blog (we've tried to keep it a secret from the kids), then I'd write a whole post dedicated to him since today is his birthday. If you happen to run into him or talk to him on the phone, send him good wishes for his 11th year!
