Sunday morning was a doozy. After we evicted our unwelcomed guest, Brandon and I decided cleaning the carpet upstairs was a must. Yes, the mouse was only in our house for less than eight hours, but still the thought of him walking around on our carpet….Blech. We have a carpet steamer, as we’ve discussed before, so it’s not like it was a big deal but Sunday was going to be particularly busy.

Brandon was scheduled to fly out around 11:00, and I had two families scheduled for Christmas card shoots. The first family was coming to our house. Word is out that our house looks like the North Pole. So, there was last minute cleaning, Brandon was steaming the carpet, and the kids were running around like maniacs. To top it off, it snowed and our walk needed to be shoveled. More like swept, but still. Poor Brandon left for the airport late and sweaty. When he landed in Minneapolis, he had a voice mail telling him he wasn’t needed in the office after all. I think he was secretly happy to leave after a week home with us.

The first family got here around 10:30 and bless their hearts the kids were ready to play, not sit and have their pictures taken. We took lots of breaks and I bribed with M&M’s. I always feel for moms because the Christmas card picture is so important to so many. It may be the only time of year others see pictures of their kids, so there’s a lot of pressure. I get just as crazed, unfortunately so I totally understand. These little ones are my kids age and then there’s a baby in the mix too. It was work, but we got a few great pictures.

The other family I had scheduled are our across the street neighbors. The good thing about being my neighbor is being able to call and say, “Never mind, we’re going to have to reschedule we’re having a meltdown!” Then, I can just hop across the street later in the week and hope for the best.

I promised the kids we’d play in the snow if they could keep it together while I shot the other family. They did. Sort of. So, we played outside until we were starving and cold. It didn’t take long. At least for me. They would have stayed out until Christmas. Mind you, we had about and inch and a half accumulation.

I’m feeling a little squirrely this week. I think I might have the bug Alex had last week. Not overtly sick, but just queasy. And before you get any ideas…NO. I think it may just be God telling me to watch it with all the snacking.