Recovering.

I'm dragging today, thanks to an incredibly exciting National Championship game last night. I can't remember the last time I watched a non-Army or USC game to the final seconds, but this one was a real nailbiter. At least I thought so. My gamewatching buddies tapped out early (not that I can blame them. Ford has been up at all hours teething, and last night it got the better of the boys.)

Luckily, it's a writing week for me so I don't have to drive in to school and am sleepily folding laundry instead of trying to keep my eyes open during class today. (We'll see how much writing I get done, but it's 14 degrees and icy out, so making homemade bread in my PJs is way more appealing than legal research anyway.)

We've kind of hunkered down and enjoyed downtime at home over the recent cold snap, and are finally starting to feel caught up after our insane holiday travel. (Even though Seth has vowed never to fly with children again.) The box of presents we had to mail home arrived, and the kids had Christmas #2. (Note to self: next year just repackage toys they already own. The joy factor is not diminished.)

We've done pretty well so far tackling New Year's resolutions. (That is, we've stuck to decent workouts, although I have yet to buy a ranch in Montana or a four wheel drive vehicle, Seth's resolutions for me.) This is Finley doing "squats" with me. She loves working out.

Jury's still out on the new (-ly converted) toddler bed (our resolution for Finley, who learned on vacation how nice it was to climb in with Mom and Dad: sleep all night in your own bed!) The Sheriff Callie bedding I finally caved and bought seems to be a hit.

Ford and I even squeezed in a weekend nap. (Not a resolution; probably should have been.)

When we got cabin fever after all the indoor time, we took the kids to an indoor playground Seth found in Central Valley. It was a hilarious good time, although not free of "funniest home videos"- worthy spills.

And Seth locked in "dad of the year" for his willingness to squeeze himself up many stories of tiny playground staircases.

We also had a hilarious-as-always evening at the Ryans', during which Finley discovered both dress up clothes and nerf guns, and was perfectly happy to mix the two. It cracked us up.

As if those aren't priceless enough to qualify for photos of the week, my two other favorites are of my little mirror buddy getting ready for school with her new "makeup kit,"

 and Handsome Ford (what Finley calls him now) working out. Even teething, he's all smiles.

We've been loving our post-holiday recovery time (and I've loved being a "trophy wife"!) but we're slowly getting back to the grind. Best of luck to everybody doing the same!

Survived the Holidays.

We made it home at last. We hit the driveway a hair before midnight on New Year's Eve, another long day of travel under our tired and not-great-smelling belts. The kids ran around playing with all their toys while we dumped our suitcases in the laundry room. There was no champagne, and we eschewed party hats for a hasty bathtime. We dined on frozen leftovers which had definitely seen better days. Seth didn't even make it to midnight, while Ford and I watched the ball drop before passing out on the couch. It was good to be home.

We wouldn't have had it any other way. 2016 just was a shitshow, with a baby, a toddler, a return to work for both of us, and a big and nutty move. It seemed appropriate to close out the year gasping for breath and prioritizing sleep. There will be plenty of fireworks and lots of toasting in our collective futures, but this year we were just glad to arrive alive.

Our holidays were a fabulous, hilarious whirlwind. There are too many stories to share here. Too much laughter, too many misadventures, too many Christmas cookies. Our original flight- 12 hours after my last final- was delayed a day, which gave us an extra day at La Guardia. We spent it well, at the New York Hall of Science (and the truly incredible airport Hampton.) We got snowed in in North Dakota and drove to Arkansas, giving me a new appreciation for Seth's insane winter driving skills and what little traveling troopers our children have become. (And Cracker Barrel. God bless Cracker Barrel.) We hiked, we drank beer, we terrorized a nursing home, we explored northwest Arkansas (and discovered the bizarre Christ of the Ozarks), we opened a zillion presents, we wrote New Year's resolutions for each other (family tradition. no one cried.), we baptized our children. Finley appointed herself Chief Brusher of Ford's Teeth.

Not in that order. 

There are a billion photos here.

Finley and Ford became fast friends over the course of our adventure, which has been the most gratifying chapter of our lives to date. 

Finley's grandma taught her her about pedicures, and now she expects full service at home. When she doesn't get it, she does it herself. (In related news, lime green turns out to be a lovely color for a bathroom carpet.)

The big Christmas present hits were the Duck Death Trap (above), and Ford's activity table, opened and fought over upon our return. It is, naturally, Finley's new favorite thing.

Good thing we got her a bicycle.

And now we're back at it. And the photos of the week depict the recent developments that have us graying early. Finley can climb out of her crib,

And Ford can pull himself up on the coffee table. What. 

Here's to 2017 and our fabulous families and new adventures and hopefully no major emergency room time logged, as the kids continue to amaze us and we continue to wonder why all parents don't start drinking at lunchtime.

Finals, the roses, snow days, and vuh-CAY-shun!

I was less than thrilled when, on the first night of my waytooshort week of exam prep/ paper writing time, Seth had a ridiculous work-related drinking event. Still reeling from Ford's Great Three Week Plague, I was behind on a 40 page paper and had back to back exams the following Monday. Major crunch time. Seth had promised to step it up this week so I could have time to study, so you can imagine my enthusiasm for an "I really need to go to this completely optional and idiotic event."

But it meant I got to take Finley to her daddy-daughter music class, which means I got to see this. Seth had simply reported that it was "cute," but I feel like that was a wild understatement for this kind of unbridled joy.

And, since I had to drag Ford along, he got to play the sticks and had a blast. So it was totally worth it. 

What a reminder to stop and smell the roses.

I definitely got more rose-smelling than studying done this week. These two are pretty irresistible.

They've started interacting more, and it's the best thing ever. Even when Finley subjects Ford to very aggressive toothbrushing

And spoonfeeding.

I eventually got the paper done. (I pulled a "write 'til it's done" late night at school, and Seth redeemed himself wrangling both kids on his own and getting all the chores done to boot.)

Which meant we could celebrate with gingerbread cookies

and a gingerbread house that lasted exactly 30 seconds before collapsing. Not that Finley cares what kind of shape the vehicle for sugary treats is in.

We had a snow day

on which we attempted to take Christmas pictures (you can see what a hit that was) while Seth got in some deer hunting (he got one!)

and a long and involved dance party to all the Christmas songs I could think of.  A "Go Army" foam finger was involved.

I just got home after my last finals. They were, predictably, a nightmare, seeing as most of my studying wound up looking like this. 

But they're done! And Seth survived his long day at home both kids (although on my way home tonight I got the following hilarious text. "The house is kind of a mess. They won.")

Oh boy, do I know the feeling.

And we're frantically throwing warm clothes in a bag because for some reason we thought it would be a terrific idea to catch a 6am flight tomorrow. Good thing we know Grandma & Grandpa are looking forward to seeing these two, because we might sleep for a week.

(My favorite photos this week are a tough pick, but I love these, of Ford stealing Finley's guitar during her naptime, and Finley insisting on wearing all her jackets to school.)

And now, we're on what Finley calls delightedly "vuh-CAY-shun!" Tomorrow starts our midwestern adventure. Happy holidays, and wish us luck!

We beat Navy. (And Finley discovered cake pops.)

Army-Navy weekend is always kind of indescribable. It's special, it's emotional, it's a little crazy, it's full to the brim with plans and meals and beers and shouted conversations and half-finished sentences and friends and acquaintances and people we love and people (mostly of the Navy persuasion) who very nearly escape encounters with Seth...

But this time there really aren't words. After a 15-year losing streak (Seth was on the last team that beat Navy, in 2001), Army pulled out a huge, emotional win in Baltimore Saturday. It was a great game. And I'm pretty sure Seth will never forget this moment. (You have to be pretty dedicated to watch it, since Lena captured the last several minutes of the game.)

Naturally, this was the year I had decided to take one for the (Nieman) team and skip the game so we could bring the kids along for the rest of the festivities. (It is way too cold for them in the stands.) I will probably never quite get over missing it (and am a little concerned that a superstitious Seth will never let me attend in person again.)

But Finley and Ford got to watch the game in front of the fireplace at Josh and Michelle's, and play with Scott and Grace and the dogs to boot.

And they had fun hanging out in the hotel, which had- to Finley's delight- a Starbucks. (No, we do not usually allow her to eat goldfish crackers out of the bag, but all bets are generally off Army-Navy weekend. Hence, also, the cake pop. Her new favorite thing.)

And we hired a nanny to come to our suite both nights so I got to do some celebrating too.

OK, plenty of celebrating. (This photo was taken in a bar/club we were clearly much, much too old for, and we beat a hasty retreat not long after it was taken. Still...)

But not as much as Seth. (This picture, from Saturday morning, cracked me up. Two peas in a pod.)

On top of the huge, emotional win, we had a terrific time- as always- catching up with our friends-who-are-family, in what has become one of our favorite annual traditions.

(And their dogs, to Finley's delight.)

Naturally, we stayed longer than we should have and drove home late and in the snow, and now I really have to buckle down for finals week. But couldn't let this weekend go by without a few words. None of which, as I said, are sufficient. It was incredible.

Oh, and so was Seth's spot on the CBS pregame video, available here: https://www.facebook.com/CBSSports/videos/10154450942856773/

And this photo, from a Ruby Tuesday's stop on our road trip.

More finals, Santa, and Finley's first snowball fight.

The finals crunch continues on this last week of classes (and I'm trying to frontload a ton of work before we head to Baltimore for Army-Navy weekend), so just a quick overview of what still managed to be an action-packed week around here.

We got snow! And Finley learned the joy of throwing snowballs. (Thank you, Seth.)

Finley and Ford both inexplicably starting waking up at 4am, and I discovered that they would go back to sleep if I threw them in bed with Dad. Where they promptly took over my half of the bed.

We had the Ryans over for cookie decorating

which devolved into a fashion show in my closet, complete with underwear headdresses. Finley had a blast. We haven't yet recovered. I'm still finding sprinkles in the couch cushions.

We took Finley to the nature museum's Yule Log celebration, where Ford bundled up and took a nap

and Finley got to help find the yule log.

Although she liked setting it on fire best. Naturally.

Sunday morning we had breakfast with Santa. Finley loved the fancy tree at the West Point Club

and decorating cupcakes with her friends

and both kids were thoroughly unimpressed by Santa. (Finley matter of factly informed him that she would like a bike. Please. And then shook him down for candy canes.)

But the waffle bar was the biggest hit.

So we're definitely glad we got everyone up and dressed and on their best behavior early on a Sunday morning, when we could have just gone to IHOP in our PJs.

We also got the Christmas lights up this weekend. Or rather, Seth tossed all of the clearly substandard ones I had purchased, picked up his own decorations, and did it with no help from the clearly incompetent yours truly. And then we took the kids for a Christmas light walk, in Walters family tradition. Ford glowered at all the lights and was generally furious that he had gloves on and couldn't suck his thumb, but Finley oohed and ahhhed enthusiastically.

And we spent the rest of the weekend mediating toy disputes, since the weather has taken a turn for the chilly and Ford is finally old enough to act disgruntled when Finley swipes whatever he's playing with. Which she invariably does.

Luckily, they also crack each other up, which is kind of the best.

Photos of the week are of a still-skeptical Ford making an attempt at dinner

and Finley's first snowball fight. Check out that face. She's a natural.

Beat Navy.