Weekend in Wausau

Nolan, Madeline, Gunner all ready and bundled up to go cut down the Christmas tree!

Last weekend on Saturday morning I drove up to Wausau to spend the weekend with my family!  Shannon, Colleen, and I surprised Nolan and Maddie and took them to see Frozen.  I had the absolute pleasure of sitting next to Shannon for the 85 minute film.  Have you ever gone to a movie with Shannon?  The first 30 seconds of the movie, she looks at me and says, "Okay, this is already too much singing."  This was actually my second time seeing the movie, so I'm thinking, Oh, she is not going to like this.

Well, there was a moment in the movie that Shannon seemed to enjoy.  A line in one of the songs, "what's a ballroom with no balls" sent her into a laughing fit.  The only two people in the theater busting a gut: Shannon and Me!  I'm pretty sure the people in front of us, behind us, and next to us were ready to kick us out.

What I LOVE about hanging out with the Mudler family is they always having something going on, but always make time for naps.  And, boy did we nap yesterday!  It was awesome.  What makes napping even better is there are kids eager to snuggle.  Nolan, Gunner, and I crashed in the spare bedroom on Saturday night and I woke up with Gunner's head pressed up against mine.  Nolan had his arm underneath me and wrapped around my rib cage in an I'm-never-letting-Aunt-Kiki-go kind of grip.  There really is no better way to wake up.

  

Shannon has some Grandma Jean tendencies, I've noticed.  As soon as I snuggled myself up in the recliner with a blanket and a 5-year-old lap warmer, Shannon comes out looking like this:

Apparently, it is that time of year when we rearrange the entire house and prepare for the Christmas tree.  So, there I sat in the recliner watching all of this crazy cleaning happen thinking to myself, "it's going to be cold out there, but hey, I can be a lumberjack."  

After the prep work was completed, we bundled up the children in their boots, snow pants, winter coats, hats, mittens, and scarves until they were walking like Randy from A Christmas Story.  And, we ventured out to the tree farm to find the perfect tree.

NOTE:  Shannon had no part of cutting down the tree

Nolan

Gunner having a hard time getting back up.

Melissa's Christmas List

Someone asked me about my Christmas list and it isn't even Thanksgiving, yet.  I can't remember the last time I had a "Christmas List".  I love the holidays, but I'm not about the presents.  (I'm all about the egg nog, cookies, and spoiling the kiddos!)  Thinking about the year I have had, I thought about some things that I could put on my Christmas list this year.

COMPRESSION STOCKINGS 

Because every 31-year-old elderly woman needs a drawer full of these.  Not to mention, my list would be completely naked without them.  

BLOOD GLUCOSE TEST STRIPS

Because every 31-year-old woman who is not diabetic needs to have these on hand at all times.  Hopefully Santa's elves are good at making these because he'll have to sell Rudolph to pay for a pack of 25.  They aren't cheap.  Nor are they something someone would open on Christmas morning and be so excited that they leave a yellow puddle of joy behind.  Except for Melissa.  She'd do that.  

KIT KATS

You should not get someone test strips for their blood sugar without stuffing their compression stockings FULL of Kit Kats.  Christmas isn't Christmas until someone's blood sugar is 450 and they are passed out on the couch with A Christmas Story playing in the background.  

SANDALS

I have come to realize that I just can't have compression socks without some sandals to go along with them.  The socks are probably slippery and I've already been in the ER five times this year and I don't need any broken bones to add to my list of ailments.  

A SCOOTER!!

I belong in this picture and that is all that needs to be said on that.  Because I am working on a bottle of wine as I blog, I will say a bit more, though.  My scooter would be decorated like a cop car, complete with lights and a siren, and I'd pretend to be chasing these two.  The only reason I'd be a cop instead of something cooler is because then I'd have a box of donuts on my lap.  You know, just in case my blood sugar drops, I'd be ready.