Days with the Dorans

 We spent our last day of 2017 with our framily! Kurt and Eric hosted another "Stanquist Rockin' Eve" as we called it. The food, fun and friends were many and it was a great way to celebrate the end of the year. Of course our night was spent playing games (what we do regularly) we had the euchre games going and played "What do you Meme?" again which was a blast! I don't know what Eric had me laughing at here with my (half-marathon) friend Jodie but it sums up the night. You know it's a good night when your face and sides hurt from laughing! I didn't drink much but I laughed A LOT! The kids had a blast too (though I didn't see them that much). I think the girls spent most of the night upstairs while the boys were in the basement. I actually went down to check on the boys at some point and Z started showing me a book he found (one of those world record books). He started reading it too me and it was so interesting I stayed ther...

The day after Al's birthday, JoJo asked if we wanted to grab a bite to eat at UpTown (along with the Gearys and Kurt and Eric)! It was great because we ran into Joey Mal and we left our boys at home which saved us some bucks! The bonus was Al got to see some of her friends too! The food was yummy and I was so surprised when they brought out a cake that Eric made for Al, Angie and I (December birthday sisters). He is SUCH a cook cook/baker and the cake was delicious even though I wasn't at all hungry! So blessed to have great friends!

 It's hard to believe that we have another teenager! Time is truly flying!! It feels like it was just yesterday that this little rainbow was born but I can't imagine or remember my life before her. As beautiful as Al is outside, she's even more beautiful inside (when she's not tormenting her brothers). Al decided she'd like to see Star Wars so we got tickets to the theatre (so nice to be able to reserve seats). The Cosmans and Gordons came too even though they had seen the movie before. I see why they went again. We LOVED it!! Ali had decided she just wanted to celebrate with family but it was nice to see our friends earlier in the day too. We enjoyed popcorn of course- and I enjoy the free refills to feed all my kiddos! I'm digging the $5 movies! We also saw "The Greatest Showman" which we also LOVED! In the afternoon, the Drapals all came over and of course Auntie Jodi too. She didn't bring anyone because they are all sick (boo!). ...

Now that I've been running for over 2 months, I can officially say I'm hooked! I can REALLY say that after this past week~ since I'm running even though I still have my awful cough and today it was -4 and I still went out! Here are the Top 5 things I've learned about running!! 1. I love that it's ME time. Not only that but I'm not at home so no one can bug me. I'm not plugged into my phone- I have no music but the songs in my head (that I often sing). I pray. I think. I problem solve. This may be what I love the most... 2. I'm strong. 3 months ago I didn't think I could run a mile without stopping. I have learned that I can "Just keep running" and that feels amazing! I don't have to be the fastest but I can keep going. The more I run the stronger I feel. Weight and looking good doesn't feel as important as being able to say, "I ran 5 miles today to start my day." 3. Feeling supported is awesome! My dad is ...

The day after Christmas is the day we travel north to see all the Dorans.  We got to see baby Zeke and the crew again but sadly missed JD again because I think he was working. The kiddos really missed him too! The Gillespie boys were with their dad so we didn't see them either. We had a yummy dinner and then it was time to open presents! Seany played Santa and did a great job except for the time he said, "I don't think I can read this! It's in cursive!" He's so funny! Grandma got the kids all things they were excited about and the kids got Grandma special presents too. We gave her an echo dot and a speaker and we even figured out how to hook it up even though she doesn't have a prime account! We were worried for a bit but it worked!! Yeah!! After dinner we played a fun game with Jim, Trish, Mary & Zeke called Codenames. It was fun. We love playing games at Grandma's! Most of the time the kids were running around playing laser tag. ...

After our Christmas, we headed to the Drapals. We pulled in at the exact same time as Danny! The roads weren't great but we went slow and steady! As excited as everyone was, I don't think anyone was more excited than Gordie Waffles and Marty! Marty was sporting his new "Adidog" sweatshirt and the two of them spent much of the day frolicking in the snow! To make it even better, Marty's best friend, Dale (my parents' neighbor) came over with a Christmas treat for he and Gordie!! STEAK!! There's a reason the boys love Christmas and especially love Dale! The kids were pumped for Christmas! My kids woke up at 4:10am but their cousins beat them waking up at 3:58!! We had a nice Christmas and everyone enjoyed opening up gifts and I felt like it went slow and steady and I got to see most of the openings! Of course the presents from kids continued (we love the dollar store) and Seany was all about thanking and hugging everyone!  I got TZ a neat...