Wreaths, ribs, and teamwork.

It's been a rough couple months (going on five!) of shouldering most of the parenting and household duties while work has gone nuts and Seth has struggled to deal with the pain in the ass that is trying to do anything by wheelchair and keep up a normal work plus teaching schedule while wrestling with this hard-to-kick infection. Neither of us has been particularly charming, and we've kind of retreated to our own foxholes.

And then today I had huge issue hit at work that I couldn't skate on, and by 0930 Ford had projectile vomited at daycare 3 times. So it's going to be one of those weeks.

It turned out to be a real circus of a day, but was a nice reminder that in a pinch, Team Nieman always pulls it together. Albeit in our own way. I'm typing media responses and drafting litigation frantically on one screen and googling holiday cookie exchange recipes on another. (The holidays are upon us, and in a place like this, the festive obligations really take over.) Seth and Ford are, according to my last phone update, deer hunting. Finley's coming to work with me tonight after I pick her up under bribe of soda (seltzer water) and with any luck I'll have a nanny lined up for tomorrow (Ford is expelled until Wednesday) so we don't have to do this again. 

It's a weird version of nailing it, but we're doing it.

And every once in awhile, for PT I get to jog up a mountain and get this sunrise view. So that doesn't hurt.

Luckily we got in a much-needed "life admin" weekend. It already seems like a distant memory, but at least being temporarily caught up on laundry helps. We made it to the Trimbles twins' birthday party, at which Ford hilariously discovered ribs,

 and hung out with the Ryans (all on one piece of furniture, apparently.)

Finley got to get into trouble with Tommy Ryan,

and talked me into dragging both kids to the West Point holiday show (which was great)

and waiting in line to see Santa (which was as awful as it sounds, although she loved Santa.  Ford flatly refused to have anything to do with that weirdo.)

Ford did get to practice his football drills while we waited for the horrendous traffic to subside.

And we placed wreaths at the cemetery as part of Wreaths Across America, one of my favorite traditions. The kids loved it.

We're all looking forward to Jayne's arrival Thursday, and Seth and I can hardly believe we're going to get our first getaway maybe since Ford was born as we head to Philly for the Army-Navy game. I mean, the game will be great but I really just can't wait to sleep in. I've forgotten what it's like.

We'll miss these guys, though, all the craziness and vomit cleanup notwithstanding. Two more favorites from the week are of Finley sporting the Pippi Longstocking braid she not insists on wearing every day (it sticks straight out and she thinks it looks fancy)

and terrible Ford, acting terrible and trying to hide from bedtime.

Beat Navy! and here's to teamwork, grandmas, and the prospect of sleeping past 0645 just once.