Christmastime Fun!

After finding out about my new job, I rewarded myself by buying one of those cool kid car track sets that they have set up in mall kiosks.  I always have told the kids we could not get one.  Were they ever surprised to come to the apartment last week and find the track set up all around the Christmas tree!!

I know, lots of people might have gone out and bought new clothes, or jewelry - I bought a toy!

Today, Christmas Eve Eve (as Kelton informed me), we baked and decorated sugar cookies.  As you may note, we used a rather unique rolling pin.  :)

Kelton was more interested in printing and coloring pictures from Wizards 101.  He was doing a great job, and later, Kaylen joined him.

We rounded out the night with more coloring, watching Christmas shows, and eating Chinese food we had delivered.  (Or at least, that is the plan...I am currently updating my blog while Vicki is coloring with the kids and we await food delivery.) We are all enjoying our pre-Christmas fun, and looking forward to Christmas day!

WAHOO!!! NEW JOB!!!

I am so very, very happy to report that I was offered a great job yesterday with a company that I have wanted to work for since I interned with them in my third year of law school!  They are in the utility industry, are located about 3 miles from where I currently live, are known to be a good company to work for, have a beautiful building, there is a lot of growth potential, and based on the interview, I like the people with whom I will be working. Oh - and the pay is really good too!  There is probably no need to say that I accepted their offer!  I will likely start the first week of January.

Last night, I celebrated in style - with my kids at their winter festival.  I have to say, I couldn't have had a better time at a 5-star restaurant.  I watched/helped them do crafts and play games, have their picture taken with Santa, and have a good time with me and with their friends. Today, despite my plans to sleep in, I woke up excited and figured I might as well be up and get the most out of my day.  I was at our outdoor Saturday Market, in the pouring rain, by about 11:00, and was happily choosing among artwork prints,  jewelry, pottery and more as I searched for Chirstmas/Thank You gifts for those that have especially supported me over this past year.  I later found myself warming up at the mall that was on my way home, and found another couple gifts I had been searching for.  (Bonus to all of this - I was on foot - did not have to drive anywhere!)

I was home by 2:30, ordered a pizza, watched a bit of a movie, took a very brief nap, then got up to sort through all the fun gifts that have been purchased for the season.  It has been a really good day, and I am happy to say it is not over, yet.  May still do some web surfing, reading, or even some writing.

I feel very grateful to finally be at the point where I was hired as a result of my legal degree and experience. Finally time to start putting the knowledge and skills to work.

Lost First Tooth and Other Fun

The pictures say it all:

The Christmas-Related Fun:

 Zoo Lights:

Wanted: Good Sleep

Historically, I have had no sleeping problems at all.  Over the past year, I have developed some, on and off.  Vicki is trying to help me figure them out.  I think it is a combination of stress over still not having a job in the legal profession, , my current job going half-time, ongoing kid and divorce-related issues, and the fact our new apartment is too noisy! We are on a busy street and even though traffic is low at night, garbage trucks seem to start everyday at 3:30 in the morning, and throughout the night, there is occasional truck or bus noise.  Now, I am not the type to be awake worrying about anything. I am generally not much of a worrier....but sometimes lately, once I wake up, I have trouble going back to sleep.  I sometimes am thinking about the previous day, or the next day, or something fun coming up....almost never about any actual difficulties.....I am just awake.  If this keeps up, I will have to look into under eye wrinkle cream or some such product.  Oh, last night, the problem was easy to diagnose - do NOT drink a Red Bull after 4:00 pm.  (Although it does make it easier to stay awake watching Harry Potter! We just finished the third movie, with three more to go before going to see the new release!)

Little Tasks Adding Up

You know how sometimes you just need a day to catch up on all the small tasks?  I think I could use one of these every week!  None of the tasks take long, and I usually make a list so I can cross them off, because it feels good to know they are done!  First - there is always sorting through the emails - which are maybe Christmas sales I actually want to look at vs ones about the best male enhancement products which I am certain I will NEVER need.  Then there's things like paying the bills online, uploading pictures from the camera, backing up the computer files onto a portable hard drive, checking into status of a student loan, updating my blog, and checking the job posting sites.  I am splitting those things up over the course of a few days this week, and it feels a bit fractured, but I can say as my list gets closer to completion, the happier I feel!  It should be a "duty-free" weekend!

Lego Fun at Buy.com

More shopping - done!!  How much fun does this toy look?

Way, cool, right?  This is Emporor Palpatine's Shuttle OK, well, presumably not the real one, but it is a way cool Lego model that includes 4 mini figures - Battle-damaged Anakin Skywalker with Darth Vader helmet, Emperor Palpatine, medical droid, and clone pilot. The shuttle has folding wings, functioning landing gear, opening cockpit and transformation bed. The completed model measures 12” long and has a wingspan of 15”.  This is 592 pieces of intergalactic fun that I suspect is going to make my son very happy this Christmas.  :) *shhhh...don't tell*  He has been somewhat into Legos for a couple years, but this year, he became VERY interested and skilled at building sets and making up his own creations. I am quite supportive of any constructive ways he finds of expressing creativity, so Legos gets my vote any day.

This ship is from Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith.  I never actually saw any of the prequel movies...never beyond the original movies with  very young Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher. I suspect I will soon see the movies I have missed though. They are sitting in a boxed set under the TV as Vicki is a huge fan of Star Wars and owns them all.   Sounds like a good marathon theme on some cold winter day.  

Anyway, the Palpatine Shuttle can be found on sale at many locations this Holiday season, the reviews are great, and I know where there is one hiding in my apartment.  :)

Weekend Fun!

Wow - what a full weekend we had over the Thanksgiving holiday! It started with a potluck Thanksgiving at my nephew's house. There were about 16 adults and 8 children - turkeys both baked and deep fried, 3 kinds of stuffing, plus a variety of veggies and, of course, desserts!  It was fun that the kids got to play with their cousins that they mostly only see at holidays and birthday parties, good for me to catch up with people, and nice for Vicki to spend a bit more time with my family.

Later weekend fun included Zoo Lights - a light display at our local zoo featuring animals, decorated trees and colored lights of all sorts.  I will upload some pictures soon.  We also decorated the tree, made a gingerbread train....and....duh, duh, duh, duh  (sound of trumpets)...Kaylen lost her first tooth!! It took a bit of prodding from me....but it had to be done. She was crying almost everytime she ate because food was hurting the loose tooth when she bit down.  When I pushed on it the last time ("come on, let me see it again"), she started to get mad because it hurt, but then she realized the tooth was loose in her mouth and shouted, "I lost my tooth!"  She was so excited! She ran through the apartment showing Kelton and Vicki, and then called Casey.....big excitement!  We celebrated by going to see Disney's Tangled, which we all enjoyed very much!  Kaylen was so sweet the rest of the weekend - looking at me and saying, "thank you for helping me loose my tooth."  What a sweet girl!

We had a nice balance of quiet time in the apartment and outside activity, which is something I am striving for, especially as winter sets in.  A very nice holiday weekend!  Pictures to follow. :)