This is what our week was like: Sometime at the beginning of the week,
we put up our Christmas tree and decorations. We couldn't fit the fake tree we had last year, so we used just the top of it on a little table in our kitchen. Nolan helped me set up the nativity and Patrick put lights around our kitchen window. It's all very cheery and nice and helps our kitchen seem more cozy and inviting. Monday, Patrick took the day off. He had a dentist appointment in the morning, so we all took a trip to Ithaca. Gerret, Nolan, and I went to Target during part of the appointment and spent the rest of the time in the car, singing songs and eating snacks. After Ithaca, we did family stuff at home. 
Tuesday, it was back to the grind (well for Patrick). Nolan helped make cookies while Gerret took his morning nap, then the three of us took a trip with Lisa Richardson to go Visiting Teaching. Taking my boys anywhere semi-public is always an adventure and they did not fail me on this occasion. 
Wednesday was Grandma Murray's birthday and we spent the entire day getting ready for her birthday dinner/party, which we hosted. 
Gerret was totally wasted after Wednesday's excitement and he just kept sleeping Thursday morning. I started getting a little worried after he'd been in there for 14+ hours and finally broke down and woke him up just after 10 am. Then the boys came with me to an Enrichment Activity. Taking Gerret places sometimes makes me feel that we should just stay at home until he's two. He doesn't want to play by himself, but he doesn't want to sit still in my lap. He doesn't appreciate toys; only taking interest in things that he could significantly damage or that could harm him. These four facts are true at home, but seem to combine against him and take over his entire character when we're in public or semi-public. So I had a monster on my hands and had to leave the activity early. I backed my dad's '95 Dodge Ram out of the driveway and then it stalled in the middle of Rte. 96. I fiddled with the ignition while cars started to pile up behind me. I turned on my hazards and the cars started to go around me. I got the engine to catch just as the public transit bus swerved around our truck. By this time (a whole maybe 90 seconds of frantic fiddling), Gerret was fast asleep in the back seat and Nolan was fading. Thursday night we had the missionaries over for dinner.
It snowed all night Thursday and into Friday and we ended up getting enough for school to be canceled, so I watched The Aunts, which really ended up being The Aunts watched Nolan. He really likes them and was so excited when Aunt Olivia took him outside to play in the snow. When Patrick got home, we piled in the car and went to the Ithaca Chapel to see one of my young women get baptized. I have been the Young Woman President in the branch since August-ish and had only one partially active young woman until recently, and then suddenly my once-a-month Young Woman's Sunday meeting turned into an ev
ery week investigator class with two interested young women. Well, one of them got baptized this Friday and we went to it (the other girl is getting baptized next week and my investigator class will turn into a new member class). Saturday afternoon I left the boys and went to see Ithaca Ballet's performance of The Nutcracker with my mom and sisters. It was really good and I'm thinking about taking up ballet now. We got home just in time to hop in the car for the Branch "Christmas Party". Really, it should have been called the Branch "Christmas Feast", but we enjoyed the food and all was well. 
Today, Patrick and I both spoke in Sacrament meeting. After church, I stayed to sing with our choir in the Trumansburg Area Churches Christmas Concert. And now we're here, ready to collapse before it all starts again tomorrow.
