Where did the week go?

Seriously, where did it go? I feel like we were super busy all week, and then had a lovely, restful weekend that still went by way too fast. I suppose this is to be expected as the kids get older, but wow! Crazy!

Let me think back to this past week... On Monday, we had an impromptu playdate with some friends. The boys (twins) are both in kindergarten, which means they are only available in the afternoons. And it turns out that Mondays are the only days that their mom (my friend) doesn't watch other peoples' kids. Nikos had been BEGGING to play with the boys for a while, and they really had a great time! Plus, the weather was warm enough (50 degrees!!!) to play outside for a little while. It was fantastic! And then, to totally negate all the positive effects of playing outside, they came in and played video games. Doh!

On Tuesday, the kids went to school, as usual, and I continued my 5K training. As things currently stand, I could finish in about 40 minutes, I think. Maybe less, depending on the adrenaline! So it's not hopeless. I'm starting to feel a little more confident about actually being able to finish!

That same evening, I went to a Zumba class at the local community center. I convinced a group of friends to go with me. I was so nervous! I had never, ever participated in a group exercise class. But BOY, was it a workout! Oh my gosh! I haven't laughed that hard in a long time, either. We are going to go back again tomorrow night, and sign up for an eight-week block of classes. I was also amazed at how many people were there. It was in an old multipurpose room, and there were probably forty or fifty women there, ranging in age from about 30 to about 70! A pretty diverse group! And some of those older women really put me to shame... Oh well, I am doing my best!

Wednesday morning, we woke up to about four inches of snow on the ground, with more continuing to fall heavily. I dragged my achy post-Zumba body outside to clear the driveway, since both kids had dentist appointments that we needed to get to. I didn't want to use the snowblower, since the snow was still falling, so I decided to shovel two paths, just for my tires. I even managed to stay on them, for the most part, haha! The drive through our town and the next was fine. The roads were cleared, salted, and sanded, and the drive wasn't bad. It was actually very picturesque, as evidenced by this picture I took with my phone while stopped at a red light.

Once we got down the hill and closer to the dentist's office, it was a different story. The roads were slippery and packed with snow... I did, in fact, skid at one point, and it scared the bejeezus out of me! The parking lot was pretty bad, too. I was a major stress case by the time we sat down in the dentist's waiting room! HOWEVER... both kids did GREAT at their visits, and got a perfect bill of dental health. The dentist predicts that Nikos will need braces at some point to close the gaps and correct a minor crossbite, but he thinks Maya might actually not need them. That would be awesome! I am okay with that! :)

And, by the time we left the dentist, the roads in the area had been cleared much better than before. The drive home was uneventful. Though I spent the next two hours wrestling with the snowblower and snow shovels, getting the driveway clear. I was sore for days after that! Really, I wanted to take a nap that afternoon. But Caryn and her kids were expecting us to come over and play, so I sucked it up and we braved the roads again. I did, however, sleep REALLY well that night, haha!

Thursday was another preschool morning, and a chance for me to breathe (whew!). I ran two miles on the treadmill while they were gone, and then cleaned the house. It was actually sunny and fairly warm-- close to 40 degrees! Caryn and her kids came over to sled in the afternoon, and it was perfect weather for it! We had to drag the kids inside when it started to get dark, but they would have gladly stayed out for hours and hours!

Friday, I was crazy and decided to paint the coat closet door and all the trim in the entryway. This is not terribly exciting to most people, but it looks SO much better now! :)

Saturday, we went shopping for a new car seat for Nikos. Again, not very exciting, unless you are Nikos! He is very happy with his new seat, although Maya is less-than-thrilled to be moved into his old one. But he is getting too big for it, and Maya's seat (originally Nikos') is about to expire. So it was time for a change! And when we got back, Nikos and Gus played baseball outside for a while. Maya even joined in for a little bit! Someone is VERY excited for t-ball to start up again!

Then, on Sunday, we had ice skating lessons, as usual! They did so, so well! This week, they worked on moving backward across the ice, which was a very slooooow process. But going forward is getting a lot better. Look at them go! Niko is at the front of the group in the black sweatshirt and jeans... Maya is near the back in her pink sweatshirt and jeans, with the pink helmet! When we got home, Nikos really wanted to play baseball outside again, so we got our warm clothing on and headed out. Maya and I hung out together, playing with stomp rockets and going "exploring" in the woods. It was a perfect day for it!

Last night, Gus and I actually dropped the kids off at Caryn's house and got to go out to dinner. Alone! An actual DATE! It was lovely. We tried a place we had never been, and had the entire dining room to ourselves. Everyone was in the bar part of the restaurant, watching the Patriots play the Ravens. But the food was great, and so was the service. We will definitely be going back!

And today, we went to go see Rise of the Guardians at the local second-run movie theater, along with every other kid in the area. It was packed! But we all enjoyed it, and Nikos always loves getting popcorn, haha!

And... that's it! By the time we got home, snow was starting to fall again, and the next few days look like they are going to be VERY cold. Maybe I will actually find some time to post, since we will be stuck inside! ------------------------------ On a side note... I don't think I picked up my actual camera all week! My phone is sort of liberating in that way. The pictures are definitely not NEARLY as nice, but it is kind of nice to take a break from lugging The Beast around (said with affection, since I do love my camera!).