Hello, blog!
Well, we had a great Thanksgiving with some neighborhood friends! It was very nice to spend it with other people since it has been quite some time since we've been able to do that. I was crazy this year and agreed to go out with some of my friends for black Friday sales. We went to Walmart at 10pm on Thursday evening. I have never in my life seen a Walmart so packed full of people. I didn't have anything specific in mind to purchase, which was best because the people who do are usually the ones who pitch a tent outside the store for a few days. How sad, to miss a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner with family for a bargain. We also went to Target at midnight. I guess now I can at least say I've done it, but I don't think I will ever be doing it again. There were some really nice deals, I bought some blu-rays for 5 bucks a pop which is pretty much unheard of.
Now, I am shopping for Christmas gifts. We've set our budget and now I am just trying to figure out fun things to get for the kids. I am almost done with Nathan's gifts, but I am stuck on stocking stuffers. I have hardly any idea what to get for Ayla. So, the search continues. I am determined to get all of this done and everything wrapped so that I can enjoy the days before Christmas without having to worry about last minute shopping. We seem to be having a heat wave of sorts. Probably not what anyone reading this would consider a heat wave, but to us it is rather nice. In fact, I think the temperature has even risen above freezing today. The snow looks like it is a little melty out there. I've decided that each year we are each going to pick out a new Christmas ornament for our tree. We hardly have any ornaments except for bulbs and some bows and stuff, so this way we can gradually build a family collection. I also picked out an ornament for both kids to put in their stockings so they can put them on the tree on Christmas day.
Nathan has been driving me to my wit's end lately. He has been saying "no" to everything whether it is warranted or not. Questions, answers, songs, exclamations...always "no!" Maybe I am a bad mother, but I feel like I need a break from the kids pretty badly. I rarely ever have a moment away to myself, and it wears on me. I can't imagine what next year is going to be like. I guess I will pretty much find out what it is like to be a single parent. Such is the life of a military spouse. I sure hope God will help me through because I don't know where else I will find strength. It would be nice to have a date night with Mike every once in a while, too, but it's very hard to trust people to watch the most precious things in your life when you see news articles daily about kids being abused in various ways by people that the parents of said kids thought they could trust. It would be nice to be close to family. But, on the other hand, we really have much to be thankful for. Like this small moment I am enjoying writing this blog while amazingly both of my children are napping...at the same time!
We went to see the Nutcracker in Anchorage again this year! It was very enjoyable and Nathan really liked it. Afterwards we went to McGinnley's Pub for some beef and guinness stew in a bread bowl! Yummmmmmmmy! Unfortunately, we didn't do our research and forgot that the light up ceremony was also that evening. We didn't stay for it because we didn't bring proper outdoor gear, but it was very nice last year and I wish we had been prepared. Perhaps another time.
As you are all just beginning to get your first taste of snow, it has looked and felt like winter up here since mid-October. The sun is rising at 9:45am and setting at 3:48pm after making a dim arc across the far southern sky. Most of its time up it is concealed by the mountains...or clouds. Alaska has some very wonderful things about it, but this is certainly not one of them. Well, I do believe that is it for now.