9 Days of Christmas 2019

For the first time in a while, I decided to take the entire week of Christmas of of work. It was incredibly relaxing, because it allowed us to spread out the Christmas festivities over the entire week instead of trying to cram it into one day.  So, here goes the Nance Family 9 Days of Christmas 2019.

On the first day of Christmas, the Nances went to see the last of 9 Star Wars movies.

On the 2nd Day of Christmas, the Nances felt great when Nana and Papa came to celebrate.

On the third day of Christmas, the Nances took a break and got ready for the rest of the busy week.

On the fourth day of Christmas (which was really Christmas Eve), the Nances stayed at home and opened gifts like it was Christmas morn.

On the fifth day of Christmas (the real Christmas Day), the Nances drove to Litchfield and Greenville to see lots of family.

On the 6th day of Christmas, the Nances chilled in G'ville with my parents and my sibling.

On the 7th day of Christmas, the Nances came back home, and enjoyed the many gifts we received.

On the 8th day of Christmas, the Nances decided to go venture to Ikea and the Science Center.

On the 9th day of Christmas, the grand finale, the Nances cheered the Blues to Victory.

Blues Game Fun

We had the opportunity to go to a Blues game today. It was their 8th win in a row, and it's always great to see a win. It's also the first game we've been to this season. AND, Barrett played at the first intermission.  Since it was an afternoon game, it meant

Since Barrett was playing, our families came to watch as well. It was awesome to see Macie watch the Blues, even if we couldn't get her to cheer "Let's Go Blues."

Fletcher did try to show her how to do it though. He kept cheering constantly during the first period.

At the end of the first period while we were anxiously waiting for intermission so we could see Barrett play, Fletcher started getting tired. The game started at 2, which is right in the middle of nap time. He told me he wanted to go home, so even though he insisted he didn't want to nap, I knew he was wanting to drive in the car so he could sleep.  After dealing with his excessive hyperactive behavior for the entire intermission, he actually managed to fall asleep in his chair for most of the 2nd and 3rd periods. And, not long after him, Macie fell asleep too.

And, as for Barrett, well, he had fun. He did not score any goals this year despite really good effort. He was pretty disappointed about that, but I think that's mostly because he didn't get to pick whatever he wanted from the concession stand. I am so proud of him though for finding something he enjoys, trying hard at it, and sticking with it. It is so fun to see how much he loves playing hockey. 

Snow Days

The past 2 days, the kids were off of school because of a large amount of snowfall over the course of 2 days.  I mean, a large amount here in St. Louis is around 4 to 6 inches. Nonetheless, the roads weren't great. And, we had a bit of a non-traditional snow day(s). We headed to Greenville so we could go to my Uncle Bill's funeral. Still, the kids managed to find time to enjoy playing in the snow.

When we first got there Monday afternoon, it was still snowing. So, Barrett helped his Papa shovel the driveways...with a plow. He had so much fun, but came in wet and cold.

Tripper also had fun. I have never seen a dog refuse to come inside despite the fact that he was limping because of the ice frozen between his toes. I did finally manage to get him in and dried off, only for him to go running outside again as soon as someone opened a door.

Today, after the funeral, the boys decided to get the rest of the ice off of the driveway before they started playing in the snow.

Barrett started trying to build a spaceship sculpture, but it wasn't working, so he improvised and made an ice mountain instead. It came complete with a waterfall.

Once Audrey decided to join the boys, she gave them a proper mission and they set to work. A snow fort prepped and ready for snowball fighting was there mission. I could not believe how long and hard they worked on it...all together...without fighting!  if this is all it takes to help them get along, we may need to have snow days more often.

I think Tripper had the most fun of any of the kids though. I couldn't believe how hard that dog ran and ran and ran.  He chased the kids, he chased birds, squirrels, and he even chased my brother down the road as he was leaving in his truck. That dog just loves being outside, no matter the weather.

At one point, I even caught Tripper going into the lake to swim after some birds. No wonder he had ice between his toes!  This picture was right after I caught him swimming and made him go inside to warm up so he wouldn't form icicles!

At the end of the trip, none of kids could stay awake in the car. Fletcher was asleep before we even got on the interstate. I must say that, even if it is nice to be at home on a snowy day, the snow sure is beautiful on the lake. And, I think the kids had a memorable snow day (or two).

Entering the Holidays

Thanksgiving is late in November this year, so Christmas is coming on fast. Now that Thanksgiving is over, it's full steam ahead to Christmas. I must say that the holiday season does feel a bit more relaxed this year, with recitals already out of the way, and most of the upcoming events being a bit more spread out. Thanksgiving weekend helped set the right tone too.

Wednesday night, the kids all made pies with my mom.  Fletcher wasn't feeling well, so he went to bed early, but Audrey, Barrett and Macie all helped roll out the pie crusts and the make some cinnamon rolls. They did pretty well, although I am pretty sure that Macie thought the dough was playdough.






Thursday, we spent the day with my family in Greenville, and then did some early Black Friday shopping Thursday night. It was the first time I had been out in the Black Friday craziness on Thursday night. I have to admit, it wasn't as terrible as I expected. And, we did get some great deals.

Friday, while mom and dad slept in, the boys went for a boat ride with Uncle Brian and Papa Pat. I thought they were crazy, but seeing the boys with their life jackets over their winter coats was pretty stinkin' cute.

The kids also did some crafting with my grandma, making ornaments for their grandma's tree. And Audrey made a gingerbread dog house that was a bit of a challenge, but in the end was super cute.

After that, we headed home after lunch, did some ice skating Friday night. It was the first time Fletcher got to skate with full hockey pads, and he was ecstatic.  He was waiting with the big kids ready to jump out on the ice. And, for the first time, he didn't freak out when he fell down. He did struggle getting up tough, and by the end of the session, he was exhausted.

Saturday and Sunday, we worked on getting the house decorated for Christmas. We took it slow and didn't get in a hurry, which made it much more enjoyable for me. I think Billy just wanted to get it done, so I appreciate him being patient and letting me just enjoy it. Our house really does look beautiful decorated for Christmas, and I love that the whole family gets to be part of the process of making it look that way.I am also thankful that Billy didn't fall off of the ladder helping put the star and ornaments on top of the tree.

Here's to another amazing holiday season! I pray that our focus will be in the proper place and that the stress of all the events and activities won't cause us to lose sight of what really matters.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. -Isaiah 9:6