lacy.lynn: A busy November and a grinchy December

Whoa. I knew I needed to write a December post but here I am realizing November went so fast that I didn't post it either. A combined post it is!! Farewell 2022. I...won't miss you.

What We Did -

I started off the month hot, combining a head cold and a Lizzo concert for my birthday! Luckily I had mostly recovered a week later, because then I went to LA with Jami and Ashley to see Harry Styles. We also had time to go to Venice, the Santa Monica pier, and spend half a day at the Getty. It was one of my favorite trips. My family went to Malad for Thanksgiving, and to the Natural History Museum with Brian's sisters. We decorated for Christmas and went back to the museum because we decided to get a membership.

In December we got hot chocolate a few times, saw our favorite Christmas light house in the Avenues, and went to Christmas in Color. We decorated a gingerbread house. Ev and I went to Norah's Christmas show and all the grades sang their songs twice because the principal had timed it on Zoom for every class to take 10 minutes. I never actually felt Christmassy but I was pretty good at faking it.

We did Christmas crafts with friends. We hosted Christmas with my parents and brother and the whole day is a blur of wrapping paper and cooking and eating and pieces of toys and presents EVERYWHERE. Ev went to stay with my parents for a few days and we took the girls to a movie one day and out to eat on another. For New Year's Eve we toasted with the kids and Martinelli's, ate some Crave cookies and watched Bob's Burgers.

Inspired by -

The canals in Venice. The beach. How excited the girls were to find Strawberry the elf each morning.

Watching -

Love Life S2. Our new favorite show, Taskmaster. I binged both seasons of White Lotus. S2 of Sex Lives of College Girls. We also watched all three Princess Switch movies which I highly recommend if you're in the mood to see Vanessa Hudgens play three different characters. Which, honestly, you should always be in the mood for.

Reading -

Corinne and All of This. 'Twas a light reading month(s). To make up for it, I did watch a lot of TikToks.

Thinking about -

Why I don't feel Christmassy. A constant gift count for the kids. (THEY HAVE TO BE EVEN!) What summer felt like (I can't remember).

Listening to -

The four part Comedy Bang Bang Best Of episodes. If Books Could Kill. Up First. (Jami was listening to it on our LA trip and I subscribed immediately.) The new SZA album.

Organizing -

ALL. THE. TOYS. It's not going well.

Cooking + Eating + Drinking -

The best donuts of my life from Blue Star in Venice. The best THANKSGIVING THEMED ice cream from Salt and Straw. A nightly bowl of cereal. A giant tin of butter cookies I got from Sam's club. Chocolate oranges. Drinking copper cow pour over coffee. The best hot chocolate from Hatch's.

Grateful for -

Happy kids. That we can give them a big Christmas. Getting to sleep in sometimes.

What the girls are into -

Norah - Calling things suss. (to be fair, this has been going on for moooonths). Her new dedicated art desk. Going to the Natural History Museum. The Nintendo DS she got for Christmas. But especially the new, very nice doctor's kit from Lakeshore Learning. It has gotten SO much use, and I wish I had been buying toys there from the beginning.

June - making "sharp nails" out of stickers. Making jokes about her butt. Going to the Natural History Museum. Very into drawing and writing letters. She is also getting a lot of time in with the doctor kit. They've seen a LOT of patients.

Both - singing the opening line to Circle of Life. All the time. All day.

What Everett is doing -

Dragging a chair over to the fridge and then sticking magnets in between the fridge doors. Drawing whenever he can. Singing Wheels on the Bus. Always playing with cars. Asking to watch/listen to "Let it Go." Wearing his fireman jacket for two weeks straight.