I hope the title doesn't mislead you to think that I was standing outside in the cold or fighting people for the last flat screen tv or waiting in a line at Walmart that snaked through the store. No way. I really can't think of a single thing that would make me want to deal with the chaos that is Black Friday....or Thursday now it seems. I hope I'm not eating my words three years from now while I'm out on a hunt for the season's most desired toy. Online shopping it much more appealing to this girl. Cyber Monday, here I come!!! Don't get me wrong though, we did do some shopping. But it was in a calm environment and we waited in no lines. All of the hard core Black Friday shoppers must've been in bed catching up on sleep. Here's our story from the beginning......
As we were packing up to leave after Thanksgiving day with my family, the girls asked me if Hallie and I would be back over the weekend. I really hadn't planned on it as I'd been dreaming of relaxing at home. But the more I thought about it I thought it would be the perfect thing for Hal and I to do while Riley did his man activities like hunting and messing around in the garage. He insisted on us going and having some fun so we got up and around early Friday morning so that we could get to Enid with enough time left in the day. Hal started her day off with a breakfast of champions like she usually does. Nanny taught her how to tip up her bowl to drink the last bit of milk....she is still working hard to perfect this skill though....
Practice makes perfect
"Just tell me...are we there yet??"
She was a sweetheart on the trip there and watched her Veggie Tales DVD and had some interesting conversations with herself. There's nothing more heart-warming than listening to her chatter non-stop in the backseat. By the time we got to Enid I was convinced that her chatter was simply her listing all of the foods she wanted to eat for lunch because she was STARVING!! We pulled into Lisa and David's house to find him and Garrett outside on the ladder putting up Christmas lights. Inside we found Lisa and Dara pulling out Christmas decorations from a stack of containers. Hallie played her usual h"and-in-mouth, I'm gonna act nervous for a little bit" role until we plopped a plate of ham and Thanksgiving leftovers in front of her. Nothing like some food to loosen Hal up. We spent about an hour with the girls before we went to see Gman and pick up Aunt B for some shopping. She was on a mission at Gman's. We had taught her how to feed the doggies their treats from the bag so she wanted to pass out treats of course.....
"One for you and here's one for you..."
I had called my dad earlier that day to tell him we were on our way and in the middle of our conversation I got an itch to revamp his tree. We have been cycling angels, candy and Coca Cola for as long as I can remember for my parent's tree theme....so I suggested that we get some new bling for the tree this year. I promised to do all the work with the help of the girls and we would have it ready for him in no time. My motivation was of course a pretty tree....but even more so that meant a trip to Hobby Lobby. The Christmas aisles just get my heart pumping!!! Aunt B joined Hallie and I in the car and we went to tackle Mission Gman Christmas Tree. It didn't take us long after we'd picked out some colors. We stayed on budget (kinda) and came away with stuff that would match his living room perfectly. Oh and the best part is that there were no lines and no busy aisles. The only hiccup we had was keeping Hallie from throwing the breakable ornaments out of the basket. Mission accomplished. We returned to Gman's house to find him in some pretty bad shoulder pain. He was begging me to help him with his shoulder but I had to tell him what I always do...."ICE THE DANG THING!!" So he did just that while us girls headed to the mall to meet Garrett, Dara and Aunt Lisa. Hallie appeared to have come to terms with the fact that she would be our shopping buddy for the remainder of the day and she settled into her content with an attitude persona.....
"Ya know Aunt B, I wouldn't mind so much if we stopped for a snack every once in a while"
"...and I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't make me wear these furry boots!"
I'm sure she was actually just getting sleepy but it's kind of fun to give her an attitude if you haven't noticed. We went on a hunt for some new baby fur boots because it didn't take long to find out that Hal's boots were a bit ill-fitting. She looked like a duck walking in the, poor baby! For the first time in my little girl's life she actually tried on shoes. It was so surreal watching her test each pair out and walk around the store in them. She can't be that big!!!! Noooo!!!! ;) In the end we didn't find a pair that big her boxy little foot well. We will keep on searching though. She was on her very best behavior which was perfect for meeting Santa. At least for that moment in time Santa saw her being nice instead of naughty. My sweet girl ended up having a blast during our shopping adventure. Mainly because Aunt Lisa and Dara didn't make her stay in the stroller. Hal and her fellow red-head entertained us while Garrett shopped for jeans......
The only time she wants her bow is if someone else is wearing it. ;)
Watching Garrett shop for jeans was entertainment in itself. He made sure to surface from the dressing room and "test out" each pair by doing squats, lunges and toe touches to check for fit. All of the running through clothes racks and being chased by Dara wore this girl plumb out....
She slept during our trip across town to drop Aunt B off at the repair shop then back across town to meet the gang at Lowes. Her little snooze was just what she needed to energize her for some more trying on boots....
"I think these are the ones!!"
"But seriously Garrett...where else can you tap dance on feed sacks?? I bet they don't have this kind of store in Florida, huh?"
We scratched Walmart off of our list because it was clear we weren't getting anywhere near there. Someone had called in a bomb threat and the whole place was deserted. Bummer because we were on a mission for a wagon. Lowes to Atwoods to Hobby Lobby....shopping was peaceful, traffic was bearable and our bellies were hungry!!! I didn't purchase a thing while we were out but that's okay by me. Like I said, Cyber Monday better look out!!! We settled in at Lisa and David's to relax a bit. I had lost Hallie's sippy cup somewhere in the hustle of the day so we improvised....
"Does this make me a big girl??"
I had assumed she would be a big fan of this new cup with a straw but she was quickly obsessed. She drank down an entire cup in no time flat. Gman went a mission to buy a new sippy cup while we all chowed down on some Papa Murphy's that Lisa and Dara had picked up. I love that place....
Hallie was less worried about dinner for once and more interested in her new cup....
She had quickly transformed into one of Santa's little elfs. A mighty mighty cute one if you ask me....
There is something about her Santa hat that makes it hard not to pick her up and smother her with kisses! Speaking of kisses, Hallie seemed smitten by Mr. Snowman earlier in the day but was playing hard to get that night....
"He hasn't even spoken a word to me. How rude..."
"Ok, did I do something to offend you??"
"Forget it! Just forget it!"
One guy that didn't offend her was Gman who brought back a new sippy cup. But she wasn't ready to part with her big girl cup just yet....
Miss Sassy Pants & Gman
It was beginning to look a lot like Christmas as Lisa and Dara finished up the decorations and blinged up the red and black tree. Meanwhile little Santa baby avoided bedtime as best she could....
"You do a good airplane Uncle Spence"
"I'm not stalling....I'm bonding."
In the end daddio was impressed and we were happy with our work!!! I hope mom likes it!!! But something tells me she might have said that the tree topper was a little over the top. ;) That's how we do momma!
The tree was lit, the lights were dimmed and we settled in for a movie I'd been dying to see. After some tough talk from the guys we settled on Water for Elephants. I really enjoyed it after only reading the first 100 pages of the book. The others faded in and out of sleep but stayed awake for the most part. Everyone gave it a thumbs up. Yes, even Gman. ;)
We all made our way to bed and I could not believe my eyes upon waking up that morning. I rolled over at the sound of Hallie crying to see something that about made my eyes pop out of my skull. The clock on my phone read 9:10 a.m.
EXCUSE ME!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?
Now 8:00 is one thing.....but 9:00 is out of this world. I was a happy momma as she hurried around quietly and made our way out the door around 9:45. We made a special drop-in on Meme and found her just finishing up her therapy. We got to walk back to the room with her and her therapist who just so happened to be one of my mom's old co-workers. I was astounded by the progress my grandma had made. Her walking was so much better than it's been for quite some time, she's just more on top of her game. I went from one happy momma to one happy granddaughter. We stayed for about an hour while Hallie requested "cracka" after "cracka". She showed Meme some of her new tricks and kept us laughing. I don't think it will be long before Meme is headed home for good and I think it will be a new start....she is no longer on oxygen which is a huge improvement. For once in almost a year I can picture her getting back out and returning to her old life. Good thing too because we need Meme more than she knows. Hallie in particular needs her to play horsey with her.....
"Giddy up!!!!"
The lil stinker was more than antsy to get home to her dada. As we neared town she started to close her eyes which was what I was trying to avoid. She had stayed awake the entire ride as I'd hoped for so that she would be ready for her afternoon nap in her crib when we got home. I handed her my phone with a video playing in hopes that it would keep her awake. She had other plans besides watching the video.....
"Hello? Dada? We're almost home."
She napped for a good part of the afternoon and spent the rest playing with her favorite person on earth....dada. I took the opportunity to go do some much needed grocery shopping by myself. Hallie and Riley were up to their usual mischief and he taught her a new trick that is proving to be very beneficial to us as tired parents....
The best trick of them all!!!!
She can now go get diapers and bring them to us and throw them away!!! This all came in very handy tonight as we were cuddling with her book and milk getting ready for bed. I think the girl wanted to try out her new trick because she had two wet diapers in the course of fifteen minutes while we read. Of course I sent her on two missions to get a new diaper and then to toss the old one. She came around the corner clapping each time. When can we start practicing the whole bring mama a bottle of water from the fridge trick?? Let's start that one tomorrow.......;)
Have I mentioned lately just how incredibly much I love and adore my family??? Can we somehow just get rid of that ninety minute drive separating Woodward and Enid?? Until someone invents a teleportation device I will settle for that relatively short drive to spend time with them. But they better be paying us a visit or two or three once we get settled into our new house soon! It brings me peace knowing that my dad has his Christmas tree up. Even though it probably isn't something he felt like doing, it was of course a tradition that my mom wouldn't have wanted to change. There is something so comforting about being in the company of those who know you best and those that you love do dearly. I speak for both Hallie and I when I say that we had a perfect day in Enid. It wouldn't have been perfect without all of the help that everyone gave me in keeping my girl happy, fed and entertained. They all love her so much and it amazes me how much joy she continues to bring everyone when we all get together. We weren't ready to leave but we had an anxious dada waiting at home for his girls. Oh and I better mention just how much we love him too!!! Ok, I'm done being sappy. For now.......
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