Life as a Lewis

I feel certain this is true for everyone, but December is a marathon. However, if you can make it through all the sporting events and holiday parties and recitals and programs, not to mention a regular work schedule, then time off during the week of Christmas is your reward. Everything comes to a screeching halt for our family the week of Christmas, and I anticipate this week all year long. Brian's parents came for a quick visit this past weekend; kids had exams, and I attended 2 work parts. We also hosted a small party at our house Saturday afternoon. It was a lovely way to close out the busyness of December. Brian and I deliberately planned for down time beginning Sunday afternoon and it has been wonderful. The kids are sleeping until noon; we're watching movies and playing games. I'm reading book #68 of the year, and I have cooked zero meals. We will open presents with the kids Christmas morning and then join my parents, grandparents, and Liz for lasagna; Becky and ...

We almost always travel for Thanksgiving, but for multiple reasons, we spent Thanksgiving at home this year. It was lovely, and we gained much-needed time in this short break by not spending it on the road. Becky flew in for a much too brief visit; Uncle Dennis and Aunt Dana, Corey and Diane drove up just in time to eat lunch, spend a few hours chatting over many, many desserts. No, really, we had a lot of desserts: chocolate cheesecake (Dennis's specialty), chocolate birthday cake for Becky, vanilla cheesecake for Diane's birthday, and pumpkin dump cake because Thanksgiving. Our Thanksgiving holiday included too much eating, two intense games of Nertz, less intense games of dominoes with Addison. Becky was here just long enough to have one quiet morning at Liz's house, mom and dad's, and our home. The adults left the kids at home (isn't it amazing to be able to do that?) and went to see It's A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood at the theater. The conse...

1. When Camden overslept recently, Brian grabbed Camden's favorite stuffed animal from childhood (let's be honest, Camden only recently stopped sleeping with this thing) and snapped this picture in order to bribe him with it. Brian promised Camden he wouldn't post it on Instagram, but I made no such promise about not posting here. 2. After a tournament last week and 2 games this week (and 2 games before Thanksgiving next week), the basketball season is in full swing. Rory is playing soccer this year, and they're already squeezing in weekly practices although the season doesn't begin until March. As I delivered a meal to a family with a new baby last night, I kept thinking how much simpler life was when I could still refer to Camden and Rory as kiddos instead of teenagers. 3. A Barefoot Dream s blanket, robe, cardigan (anything!) have been on my wishlist for years so when I saw the $180 blanket on sale for a fraction of that price on Nordstrom Rack, I im...

Welcome to November, friends. We're already halfway through the month which seems impossible. Also, a bit melancholy since November and December are my two favorite months of the year and I don't want to speed through even a little bit of it. It's hard to know where to pick up since I have been so negligent in this space for much of 2019. Did I mention Brian backed up the van smashing our Yaris into smithereens? Should we talk about the night Rory didn't tell me about the overflowing toilet until said water was inches deep? Or how she brought me a hand towel to soak up the inches of water? Or how about the toilet water dripping through the ceiling? I say we should move right along! 1. I'll start with Rory's first overnight youth group trip last weekend. A friend texted me over the weekend with the words, "How is she old enough to be here?" and that sums it up. Brian, Camden, and I went to see the new biopic Harriet ; we all highly recommend the ...

Everyone was on fall break at the same time this year so Brian, the kids, and I hopped in the car for a drive to Oklahoma to see Becky and the boys. While I've been to OK on my own, Brian and the kids haven't been for 4-5 years. Here's how we spent the days: Day 1: Will Rogers home place Day 2: Mother Road Market, The Gathering Place, and a football game. We also picked up coffee and visited a Mexican bakery with .70 cent churros. Day 3: the girls visited Pawhuska (otherwise known at the homeplace of The Pioneer Woman) while the boys went on a hike and then played video games for hours. We browsed around the shops (the crowds were crazy), ate potato and leek pizza with the best garlic knots you'll ever eat, drank a spicy cowgirl iced coffee which was insanely delicious. It was a really fun day and I think Rory enjoyed a little time away from the boys. ...