Merry Christmas.

We are still here in Oz and the weather is kicking my ass. Eventually I will have photos to prove that I am alive and I have kids that actually celebrated Christmas morning. Hugs, MD

Baby it's cold outside.

It's cold here in the Land of Oz. Yes, Kansas. I have bought slippers, a knit hat and stock in Swiss Miss Cocoa Mix. Seriously Though, I am a wuss and I am not loving the cold. I am ready to get back to flip flops and Coppertan.

Good Morning, Illinois.

It's 5 am central. Are you still sleeping? See you all soon.

Safe and Sound in Illinois.

A recap of Christmas Travel Day 1: We left home at 8:54 am Est and arrived at our hotel at 7:10 pm Central. For a total of 760+ miles and over 11 hours in the car. BUT amazingly we made it with only ONE stop at noon for lunch and rest. We were back on the road at 1:06. We did pull over for coffee and gas at 3:30, but we took turns and left the car running and continued on. We made it through South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky and too Illinois. Wheew! We did hit some rain in Tennessee that slowed us down to less than 50 mph, but other than that no delays.

Hotel: swimming, room service, beer, baths and beds. Tomorrow 7+ more hours of driving, hopefully with a short stop or two. No rush getting on the road, but lots of caffeine.

Friday, with no relief in sight.

Hey. I wish I could say that I am busy doing super cool festive things that involve glue, glitter, cocoa and kids, but I am not. I am dreading the 18 hour trip ahead of me, and the fact that nothing is packed yet is not helping me.

This morning I spent cooking 9 pounds of nuggets for Jason's class party, then running after the kids on the playground and shouting, "Stop eating dirt, Ryan! Zachary, spit that out!" Then I went to the eye doctor to order 4 boxes of contacts for the both of us. I also bought an Elmo Live and a Batman movie for Jason. Then went to the Post Office (Bell and Reid, Packages Headed Your Way!) and Sears. I bought some new clothes for all the kids and myself some jeans.. We won't get into the sizes. I also got a Hershey's Chocolate Milk Tornado Maker, which I am stoked about.

Jordyn and Shelbert: I have yet to get the two of you any Christmas Gifts. I will take you both shopping when we are home. Miss You Both Bunches.. Well not really you, Bert.

Lewis: Looking forward to some massive pounds of food at HKB, See you next week.

Julie: Thanks for finally joining me on the Twilight Obsession. Go, Edward!

Soooo I have a week's worth of photos to post and we are leaving in the morning. I think the laptop will go with us, so I will see you then. We should be in Kansas on the 21st. Hugs, MD

Thursday Update.

I am stealing wireless from a new neighbor. Later today, I should be online legally, if the ATT guy shows up. I will post more then. For now, we are all well, busy and super stressed. I am still sleeping with Zachary (who will soon be voted off the island) in the recliner.. That makes 12 nights in a row. Cable was hooked up yesterday and the contractors were here ripping out the bathroom floor boards. Tonight is Jacques Christmas party at work from 5-8 and he has to cook 3 turkeys for the event.

I'll Be Home for Christmas.

Woohoooooooo! This plan is contingent on all of our health and the weather. We should arrive home in Kansas late on December 21st and stay until the 27th.

I am posting 3 videos to flickr tonight from Jason's Christmas program earlier today. Please head over there to see them. He did a really good job with his part and as an elf. And he made such a handsome elf. Photos Later.

Note: Tomorrow is the move. I may be without the Net for a short period. You know the digits if you need me.

Too smart for me.

I turned on Batman Forever with Val Kilmer. One of the villians was The Riddler, Jim Carrey. So I say to Jason..

Me: "Jason, the actor that plays Riddler plays the Grinch."

Jason: "You mean Jim Carrey?"

Me: "Oh, um yeah."

Christmas, don't come too fast.

Maybe it is the massive lack of sleep or the exhausting stress of buying a house, but I am not feeling the spirit of Christmas. We have made out Jason's List and I am sure that "Santa" has all those packages hidden under beds, at the top of the closets, and under the locked kitchen sink cupboard. But other than that, I am empty. Out of Fuel. Zilch. Zero. Grinch.

We do not have the tree up and it is December 13. It is usually up before the 1st of December. There are no lights on the house, Jacques usually has those up pretty early too. Tonight on the way to Target, on the side of the road, they were selling fresh mistletoe. I wanted to stop, but again, no point in hanging yet. Maybe later I can get some. I have never had any before, fresh or fake. And never in my very own home. I have a ton of Christmas to do crafts, none of which are started. It will most likely be turned in to next years list of to dos.

Basically, I feel horrible for the kids, mainly Jason. The kid needs a tree up. Some decor wouldn't hurt either and some snow..

This upcoming week will be super full with handymen, cable guys, movers, kids, a husband. Plus a trip to Charlotte, 2 Christmas parties to attend, 2 days of speech, 1 birthday, a school program and lots of cleaning in both houses. We need to be 100% out of this house to turn over the keys on Wednesday.

Last Night and Today.

If you read the post below, you probably think that I went to bed early and got a good night's rest. You would be wrong. After I posted, I crawled in to bed. Three minutes later, I was up back up with Zachary. Not even kidding. It was exactly 3 minutes later. I rocked, fed and laid him back down. But 10 minutes later he was up again. This time while I was rocking him out in the living room, I hear Ryan wake up too. I was not a happy camper.

Today. Coffee and Cinnamon Rolls, and A Lot Like Love. Packing. Babies. I have to buy dress shoes for Jason and a white shirt. I need to bathe, so do all 3 kids. House is tore up with boxes, toys and half eatin' crackers all over the floor. Nice, Yum.