It got all Christmas in here!

I have got to get a grip!  Seriously, Joy.  Get over yourself!  You have been nothing but a cranky pants, whiney butt all.weekend.long. and everyone (including me) is tired of hearing it! 

Now if that doens't make me sound nuts, nothing will!  :)

I need a good kick in the butt.  It was such a beautiful weekend.  Picture perfect!  Yet, I couldn't climb out of my funk.  I fell in neck deep and it just wasn't going away.  I haven't been feeling the best and I blame it on my germaphobia issues.  Every time I'm in public, I worry about catching something.  I almost feel like I get ghost symptoms of being sick, when I'm not sick.  What is wrong with me?  It's getting to be too much.  Really.  It's pulling clouds over my sunshine. 

Saturday night we took Kinley to go and see Santa.  That was a mess!  Haha  She *freaked* out!  Bad.  She even did the silent cry.  You know the one, her mouth is WIDE open but no sounds are coming out, until a few seconds later, and then its WAAAAAAAAAA!  Yeah, that's the one.  Santa got that.

So mommy had to forfeit her perfect picture chance to run over and hold her *next* to Santa.  Luckily, the "for hire" Santa photographer got a decent shot before the silent cry started.  So $20 later, I own his version of Kinley meeting Santa. 

I actually got "dressed up" that night and wore something other than my jeans and hoodie.  It is because I have all of those pretty clothes from my Black Friday shopping trip!  :)  So despite being terrified of being in public in leggings, I did it.  I wore leggings and hooker boots.  To see Santa.  Classy?  Yep!

Richie said that I looked hot.  And I felt hot!  And so he took me out to dinner at a nice place (yes, we took Kinley--and she behaved!).  Walking out of the restaurant, Richie had his hands full with keeping Kinley covered (we ate at an outdoor mall and had to park a pretty good distance from the restaurant) so I was on my own to get through the snow/ice/slush in my hooker boots.  I am not the most graceful...but I didn't wipe out.  However, that would have been hilarious to see me go flying, in my leggings.  But some stranger guy came up behind me to hold my arm while I negotiated my way through an icy patch.  But not in a creepy way.  More like a "I'm one of the last true gentlemen to walk this Earth" kind of guys.  The kind of guy that just might have put his coat down over a puddle for me.  So thank you, mister stranger guy.  I hope your wife didn't beat you when you got to your car.  :) 

Saturday night, we also went cruising around the neighborhoods that we'll -never, ever, in a million years, be able to afford- to look at the professional decorated Christmas lights.  It has to be one of my favorite things to do in Chicago-land.  There are some amazingly decorated homes out there....and while this one isn't one of my favorites, it is one that I could get a semi-decent picture of without seeming all paparazzi-ish.  But it is a pretty one, nonetheless.

And then on Sunday, we visited another church.  And it made me warm, fuzzy, and happy.  Enough so, that we will go back again.  Not this coming Sunday, cause we'll be out of town for Kinley's birthday party--gulp.  And then not the next Sunday either, cause we have company in town.  And then not the next Sunday either, cause we'll be at mom's for Christmas.  And then not the next Sunday either, cause we'll be with Richie's family for Christmas.  But then the *next* Sunday.  We'll be there.  See what I mean about us traveling too much?  Yeah, after the first of the year, that's ov-ah.  For sure.

After church, we came home to have lunch and put up our tree.  Kinley got to "help" and she was so excited!  I think the bead garland was her favorite.  It surely made the yearly tradition much more difficult special to have her helping us. 

The family picture in front of the tree was a NIGHTMARE!  Getting Kinley and the dog and us all posed right, yeah.  Not happening!  So this is what we got....and after 15 takes of me setting the timer, running, making the dog sit up (she is so lazy and wanted to just lay down) and looking like I didn't just do all of the previously stated....yeah.  Like I said, this is what you get.

And now, I reveal.....the tree.  Ahhhhhhhhhhh!

It's up in the loft so that we can (hopefully) keep Kinley out of it.  But with her mad stair climbing skills....I'm not so sure that's going to happen.

And did I mention we got snow?

About 4-5 inches on Saturday morning.  And today, it's 9 degrees.  N-I-N-E.  Winter is here.