- Alive and [not] Thriving -

[A bellowing] "Hallooooooooo from the other side!"

Just checking in from RSV Quarantine Camp to let y'all know we're still alive! Our pediatrician strongly recommended us to lay low this week and stay away from family gatherings and New Year's Eve parties [yeah lady, try telling my husband he has to miss his cousin's NYE bash and stay home alone all day with a sick toddler while I work a 12-hour shift tomorrow... #not].  ...Although we put that argument on the back burner for now and then my boss gave me an extra vacation day this week [#happyholidayz] and so actually it's been a very lazy feelin', movie watchin', pajama wearin', all-day snugglin' type of week around here.....and I can't say I'm super upset about being on complete house arrest for a few days... ;) :)

^^ ...but it's really gonna be a post-Christmas miracle if I don't catch this virus before it's all said and done. Breathing one inch from the breath of death all night err' night for a few weeks on end isn't exactly the smartest thing I've ever thunk up; but move one muscle out of line, and the bebe immediately wakes up and moans, "Mommmmaaaa!" in this super pitiful, hoarse little voice and.......my throbbing momma heart just can't refuse.  [<-- Was that whole paragraph really just one sentence?!]  

In other news, Harper got a prescription for these "breathing treatments" -- AKA, the pediatrician's cool way of describing an inhaler connected to a pediatric mask and chamber -- that we're supposed to administer every 4-6 hours until she hasn't coughed for THREE FULL DAYS. Ha...ha...ha......slow laugh..... I almost fell out of my chair when I got this instruction combined with the prediction that her cough would last "approximately" 6-8 weeks.  And as we assumed, she hates the inhaler and thinks the mask + chamber combo is some sort of old medieval torture technique instead of a modern-day evidence-based medicinal practice that will make her feel allllll better real soon.  Come on bro, it's only two puffs.  Please just play nice and do it.  I digress. 

We ordered Chinese last night because the fridge is running critically low but no one really wants to get dressed and run in town to the grocery store sooo ...why not order out?... and Harper's fortune was:

I stay absolutely clear of horoscopes and fortunes and all other weird satanic readings/cards/sh*t, but I wouldn't mind -- just this once! -- if this worthless little piece of paper actually held some truth... *side smile/grin*

Anyway, that's enough rambling from me... I really do see slow, steady improvement and think we'll be up and running sooner than later! I hope you all have a great weekend bursting with exciting plans and adventures; after all, you only have 30 more hours to make 2016 count!!! :-*

xoxo

- 'Tis the season... -

Fa-la-la-la-laaaaa-la-cough-cough-coughhhhh. 

Deck the halls and cue the jingle bells, cuz:

I'M THE WORST MOTHER IN THE HISTORY OF BAD/WORSE/WORST MOTHERS!!!

We just left the pediatrician's office a few hours ago where sweet Harper Bear swabbed positive for RSV. :(  I guess brushing off two weeks of congestion + coughing up a storm at nighttime -- AKA neglect -- is what you get when your mother is a hard-hearted, knuckle-headed nurse... 

Dear Lawdddy, strike me with a lightening bolt and curse me until the day I die for not making the prudent choice to be a stay at home mom [more commonly referred to in the world of legit stay at home moms as "SAHM"].........which would therefore result in my princess not being pushed out into the "real world" two days a week where she surely contracts all these deadly illnesses.

Here we go again...

Every time Harper comes downs with a runny nose or boogery eye or small cough, my momma heart just shatters into a thousand pieces and I immediately consider putting in my two-weeks notice so I can be a full-time SAHM and keep Baby Bird always nestled in my wings. 

...But then she gets better and bounces back full force all is swell.

[And Brian comes home from work and talks me down from the ledge right before I jump.]

It's a terribly vicious cycle, though.

And the #momguilt is sooooo real.

I should've picked up on this nas-tay virus a few weeks ago when I noticed something just wasn't quite right:

But instead we just swept it right under the rug and declared the next day a "lazy day" -- which consisted of never leaving the house or even changing out of our PJs.  There was lots of elf-work and snuggling and book reading to be done, and my partner in crime seemed to be on the mend...

Mostly better?! I think so! Helping Great Grandma trim her tree! :)

All smiles! [[Picasso Claus on the right!]]

Three cheers and several handfuls of M&M's for Christmas baking! [Momma assumes] I'm feeling better and growing stronger each day!

Then we suddenly yanked on the reigns because: one step forward always equals two steps back ...and a full night of hacking and coughing easily earned this beauty another pajama day with Mommy...

[[Got an Omaha Steaks delivery from Daddy's work! ^^ And 'dem curlzzz, tho!]]

Friday nights aren't what they used to be... ;) :) Donned our finest sweatpants in perfect fashion to construct the gingerbread house! Kate came over to help!

On the last few pieces of candy, Harper realized the candies AND icing were edible...

...which went over reallllll well, of course.  :)

And suddenly...

...here a cough, there a cough, everywhere a cough! cough!...

...and the days of December came and went and Christmas Eve Eve be officially here!!!

Weeeee! 

'Tis the season [fo sho!] for sniffles and sneezes and snots [and RSV, apparently]...

...but 'tis the season, too, for family and friends and fellowship and spreading all kinds of Christmas cheer!

So!  

I'll switch up the sob story gears and get off my pout-box [for now] so I can go snuggle my sick little nugget while she naps, BUT! We wheezed right on through the holidays so you betcha there's plenty more holly jolly Christmas Eve + Day posting to come!

Merry Christmas...almost!

Bye now!

- Happy happy happppppy! -

...HAPPY BIRTHDAY to this guy right hurr! We celebrated thirty-six years of bad-@$$-ness at Popeyes Chophouse in St. Rose with great company. Thanks to our awesome family for flying under the radar and helping me pull off the dinner surprise! :)

We love you so much and are so lucky to call you ours! Hope this year is your best year yet! 

- Love is ALL you need! -

When your brother makes a surprise trip to the homeland and your mother requests a family photo, you pull out the stops and do whatcha can!  I'm no professional, but we threw up the tripod and clicked away anyway! I've been forbidden to post before now so as not to spoil Grammy Resa's Christmas cards, but the holi-daze are ova so here they are! I love this beautiful family that God gave to me!!!

Harper and Daddy golfed while we set the scene! :)

A lot has changed since our family photos in 2015, but really has anything changed?!

...It's true what they say: love is all you need!!! 

- xoxo -

- Fall Firsts -

Going through some old-ish photos on my computer this morning [to make room for new-ish ones, of course!] and I fell love all over again with a few fun "firsts" from this fall!  This little beauty is the apple of our eyes and y'all should know by now that not many things go undocumented around here... ;) :)

Keep trialing and erroring and exploring and learning, little munchkin; you are gonna move mountains!!! :-* :-*

- Croatian Crazies 'n Crybabies -

You better watch out, you better not cry...

...you better not pout, I'm tellin' you why...

...Sannnnnta Claus is coming to town!

^^ 2/5 of the cousins followed the song's instructions and 3/5 didn't give a flying rat's @$$ that the dude dressed in red has a list and they were teetering the line between naughty and nice.  Harper even got a second chance to sit on Santa's lap and just wasn't digging him at all this year:

[Quite the opposite reaction of 2015.] But as soon as he picked up his satin toy sack and left the building, all was well in the world again and the Croatian Lodge Christmas party could go on!

These two loved their babies from Santa [almost as much as they love each other]! 

Thanks for all of your hard work in throwing another successful party, Aunt Stephanie [and Uncle Mike, I think?!]! Love you!

- "I just like to smile!" -

"..........Smiling's my favorite!"

Hitting up our hometown's lighted Christmas parade was the perfect mood-setter to send us coasting right into December and the Christmas season!  The parade theme this year was "Elf" [the movie], and Buddy himself was the parade marshall! 

"The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear!"

"Santa! Oh, my God! Santa's coming! I know him! I know him!"

...Wait, that's not Santa...is that Grandpa's truck pullng his State Farm float?! It is!

"I'm in love, I'm in love, and I don't care who knows it!"

Being at the parade with our family and friends was so great! And for tomorrow? ...

 

"I planned out our whole day. First we'll make snow angels for two hours, then we'll go ice skating, then we'll eat a whole roll of Tollhouse cookie dough as fast as we can, then we'll snuggle." 

 

^^ Touche! Can't wait! ;) :) 

- Rut roh: there's some altered tradition in this edition... -

There's a little traditionnnn we started when we got married called "decorating for Christmas on Black Friday"...

...and I broke it rull good this year.

Say wha'?  That's right, I hate shopping and crowds and so why even bother with something that involves shopping AND crowds together? 

Who knows.

But...

...BLACK FRIDAY SHOPPING this year for the first time ever! Goin' big cuz we ain't goin' home...

Mom and I hit the road at 6am [after a McDonald's coffee stop] ...and then the sun rose and the rest of the day was history! It seemed like the perfect time to be at the stores because all the super early bird crazy peeps were already gone, but all the others who wanted to Black Friday shop -- just "not as seriously" -- were still at home in bed!  All the rest I'm gonna say about the day is that a) I only have a couple more Christmas gifts to buy (!!!) and b) I saved $390 at Kohl's so...well...we'll just leave it at that! ;) :) 

After the all-day shopping extravaganza, I was wayyyyy too sleepy to decorate the house. We settled for putting up the tree and then taking a family nap...

...and doing the full-fledged decorating on Saturday!  Harper was an awesome helper this year!

The first year for some outside decor!

And of course, it wouldn't be Christmas without the nativity scene...

...though I foresee a little problem this year since Harper only wants all the figurines taken out of the stable and face down on the table... And she thinks "Bee-bee Cheeeech" [AKA Baby Jesus] should sleep on the angel's perch.  Last year, I failed miserably at teaching the Christmas Story, so my efforts are in full force for 2016. Dontcha worry.

The house is soooo beautiful in all its Christmas glory...!

********************

Annnnnnd then I'll just throw down a couple of deese old classics: 

• Christmas Decorating 2015
• Harper's childhood handiwork 
• Christmas for newlyweds [2012]

It's [fo sho] the most wonderful time of the year! :)