Well, Christmas has come and gone. It was fun with Ellen and Matt here this year, but also hard because of the kids, as predicted. I can't say if it was harder than last year, probably, but there were other problems going on such as the gastro stuff with Connor and other factors that probably made it seem harder. The 3 boys just really cause issues with each other for some reason and then you add in Emmeline who tends to just play by herself because she doesn't want to be involved with all the fighting and teasing the boys do, so she needs an extra person to watch her most of the time. Laura did a lot and I thank her for that. It's just that I feel like I can't help because all Connor and Emmeline want is for "Mommy to help." Oh well.
We watched The Last Jedi, which I enjoyed. 2 more years until the next. 2018 will be a great year for movies, though, after watching the previews. Lots of Marvel movies coming out and stuff. Not that we will be able to watch it in the theaters, but we will probably watch 1 or 2 at least.
To add to all the hubbub, my Mom came the day after we got back to Oklahoma City. We scrambled to clean up the house as much as we could and then after she arrived, Laura had to make all the New Year's celebration stuff. It didn't seem as much work, or stress rather, as the previous years, but everything came out great and the party went well, aside from a few fits that Connor had with the boys. Always the boys.
We have a lot of projects to do this year. Unfortunately, they're projects that require a lot of money. The first big thing is the backyard fencing. They neighbors are redoing their fence, so it's a good time to do it and will allow us to at least split the cost of it. not sure if we want to do an 8-foot fence on the street side but we need to decide that soon. After that is done, I think we want to clear out the back area of the yard and put a big shed in to put all the patio stuff, toys, and perhaps a workshop into. The original plan for a 7x7 might be too small, so I found a 10x7, if it fits, that is only like $100 more than the 7x7. Then, after THAT, I want to make a small, standing fort for the kids right next to the shed. I think there will be enough room for all that. We also want to do the rest of the yard, too, including paving with stones the narrow side yard, mulching all around the big tree where the swing is, and other stuff I'm sure.
Other things I want to accomplish this year include making some money with the storybook idea I have, playing less games that I'm wasting my time with, working on my patience with the kids, helping out in the house more, and waking up with Laura to help her out more.
It's a big task, but I have to start somewhere...I just can't seem to start...
Oh, and don't get me started about the "possible frozen pipe" issue we had a few days ago...ugh. Long story short, I don't think it was a frozen pipe, but I do have to empty the hot water heater and then replace a shut off valve in the kitchen this weekend. Oh, the dishwasher I think is clogged, too...
