Greetings from windy Wyoming! We got a couple Christmas cards in the mail this week. I didn't plan on sending Christmas cards out this year. I've had issues with grumbling my way through the holiday season the last couple years as I try to fit Christmas shopping, shipping gifts to faraway family, neighbor treats, holiday parties, and getting photos taken and cards sent out all into the month of December. With a toddler who takes one short nap a day, a husband who's working 13+ hour days (including most weekends) this month, and no nearby family, I knew that I'd need to cut down on some of the Christmas to-do list and finish my shopping ahead of time if I wanted to try enjoying the holidays this year. And whaddaya know, it worked! I finished 90% of our shopping in November, I'm not stressing about neighbor gifts (feels almost taboo with covid anyway), and we'll stick to a virtual Christmas card.
I've enjoyed December 1000% more this year through intentionally slowing down. But the other day I realized we hadn't set up a tripod for a proper family picture at all in 2020. Jared doesn't get home until well after dark, but he had Saturday off of work so we seized the opportunity to run out into the prairie and snap 4-5 pictures. The winter air is bitter cold here, so that's all Jared would give me. Can't blame him. This is the actual best shot we got, mostly because it's the only one where my hair isn't completely covering my face. Wouldn't have it any other way though, as this is a pretty accurate portrayal of what prairie life is like. Yay wind.
We're going to have one more go at a 2020 family picture when my parents come visit over New Years in a couple weeks. I'll do a "Christmas Card" blog post with highlights/lowlights of the year after that. For now, here are some highlights from this last week:
-Jared got his covid vaccine! He had chills the first night and a sore arm the next day, but those were his only side-effects.
-Laura is invested in Star Wars. I finally watched both seasons of The Mandalorian this month, and now I'm going back to watch all the movies and actually pay attention to them for the first time in my life.
-Jack is pretty darn potty trained. He'll continue to wear pull-ups at night/naps until we move and get him a toddler bed in June, but otherwise he's doing great.
-Jared is exhausted. On these especially demanding work rotations he comes home so thoroughly wiped out that by the time Jack's asleep, all he has left in him is to watch a show and maybe take a bath. In the past I've tried to keep tackling items on my to-do list while Jared unwinds, but after 2.5 years of residency I've noticed that I feel really disconnected from him after the tough rotations when we've had minimal quality time together. So this time around I'm suspending my to-do list in the evenings and sitting by Jared while we watch a Goldbergs or something Star Wars related together. It's only been one week out of six for this OB rotation, but so far so good. Feeling the love.
-Laura is prioritizing winter walks in the prairie. We live right across the street from wide-open prairie. It's beautiful and peaceful out there, especially during sunset. I take advantage of this nightly in the summer, but I've always been too chicken to continue the prairie walks in the winter because of the bitter, constant 30-mph winds. But since we're down to our last 6 months here, I'm bundling up in a huge coat, chunky scarf covering my face, beanie, and thick gloves and braving the cold whenever possible. And kicking myself for not doing so in past years. It's just as peaceful and pretty in the winter, as long as you're properly protected from the cold.
-Jack is going through a "rocket ships" phase. He got a rocket ship toy for potty training and he's in love. He spends most of his day counting down from 5 and blasting it off to space. He's also getting super excited for Christmas. He asks to drive around Bar Nunn and see the Christmas lights every evening after it gets dark (at 4:30). He loves all Christmas songs--favorites are "Jingle Bells" and "Fleas Nadidad" (Feliz Navidad). He was brave enough to talk to Santa Claus in the mall a few weeks back, and he loves to watch the old-school Rudolph, Frosty the Snowman, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Yesterday we had a lesson about baby Jesus and he played with our nativity set all day. It's going to be a fun Christmas this year.
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