Survival Mode...

I kind of go into "survival mode" from Thanksgiving until New Year. I will admit that being on single parent duty 5 nights each week plus Saturday mornings wears me out. I am not nearly as nice or patient as I should be and I take it out on him more than I should. But I really miss him being around to share in all the extra fun and special things that we do during this season. 

To ease the busy and keep mommy sane I came up with a great plan, and it worked! I sent the bigs to GiGi and Pops' house for FOUR whole nights!! And although I missed them tons, it gave me the opportunity to decorate for Christmas, get every bit of my shopping done and spend some alone time with Landry and Ryan. I just happen to have the greatest parents in the world. 

Mom sent me pics from their visit and I forgot to blog about it until I dumped all my pics from my phone onto my Mac, so here is a week in the life of Rad and Emmy at GiGi and Pops.

First up - my hometown Christmas parade! This made me really sad - I wanted to be there so bad when she was sending all these pics. The kids had a blast and came home with tons of candy!

Radley even scored some Ramen - which is exactly what one would think of when celebrating the birth of our Savior. ;)

They played outside. Lots. My parents can't get them to stay inside when they are there. Which is weird, because they always want to be inside here. (I remember being the exact same way when I visited my grandparents).

They even visited the Cameron Park Zoo with Nana one day.

Mom said that Emmy walked the whole thing and couldn't stop giggling.

How awesome is it that they can walk around without heavy coats in December? Perk of crazy Texas weather.

They helped decorate Gigi and Pops' Christmas tree (and Radley scored a new sleep shirt). Gigi lets them pick the spots they want each ornament to go, unlike their OCD momma who kept moving them all around.

Radley would crash each night after playing hard all day...

But Emmy was always ready for more!

I am so thankful to have parents that recognize when I need the help and even more thankful that I can ask for it without feeling guilty. I LOVE that my kids are growing up with grandparents close by and that they play such a special part in our lives. Thanks, Mom and Dad for helping me not just survive - but thrive as a wife and momma. I love you tons!!