a new year

Well, 2017 was a good year for our family all in all. I would still say that my parenting style was mostly just survival though. In 2016 I was barely keeping afloat so I think this last year was an improvement. I enjoyed the kids more, especially when school started in the fall. And Angus is slowly needing me less and less, which I am TOTALLY okay with. 

So, with a new year comes new changes for me. I want to start doing well in life. I've totally embraced the fact that with four little ones, there is no way to do it all. There's really no way to do half of it. But as they grow and need me less and I get more sleep, I feel confident that I can make some changes to improve my attitude, energy and quality of my days as a mom. And by extension improve the quality of my kids' days. 

I guess I'm pro New Year's resolutions. Why not? It's always good to improve right? First, I'm deleting Instagram and Facebook from my phone. I still have Facebook on my computer though. I do enjoy occasionally checking up on friends and family. I'm going to try putting a couple of books on my coffee table where I like to drink my coffee in the morning. Maybe one funny one and a devotional type one so I have a choice. I should probably put the bible there too. Always a good idea.

Maybe I'll dust off the old camera and take it for a spin more often. For some reason it has become a giant habit to sit on the couch with my smart phone and scroll through Instagram and Facebook and occasionally yell at my kids or take cute videos all from the comfort of my loving couch. It’s time to get up and do stuff. Time to join the gym and do my laundry everyday like a good mom. Maybe I'll empty the dishwasher in the morning and take the kids to the park after school and make an effort to catch up with friends. I know this all sounds cliche but also totally doable. 

So December is always NUTS around here. Our days are full as it is just caring for the little people. Addie's birthday is November 27 and Winter's is December 21st. We also host our annual family Christmas party. Then throw in the usual Christmas craziness like shopping, parties and decorating. I'm not really sure how I made it through honestly. The night after we hosted our Christmas party, December 23rd, Winter and I came down with the stomach flu simultaneously. Dan and I started freaking out wondering if it was food poisoning and thinking we poisoned 30 of our family members. But it was just us, luckily. Dan worked the 24th and came home Christmas morning. We were all well and able to enjoy opening presents. Good timing I guess. 

It took me a good week to recover from Christmas and start doing stuff around the house again. I've done about 10 loads of laundry in the last two days. Ugh. Laundry. I will forever hate it. I haven't taken the decorations down but will soon.

So, because I've deleted Instagram, I will have more material for the blog once again. And because I'm a giant cheeseball I like to give things names like... WAGENBRENNER WEDNESDAYS! Yep, admit it. You're already loving Wednesdays now. Or at least you will. 

So, here's a giant random post for the first Wagenbrenner Wednesday:

Black and white December is just 3 photos because of the craziness mentioned above. Surprised there are any at all. 

Praying for his mac and cheese.

OJ and boots.

Best Dad <3 

And now for the random December pics...

There are tons of toys in our house that are missing feet or heads or limbs or noses in this camel's case. Sometimes the dogs get hungry, sometimes Angus feels destructive and sometimes it's just a mystery...

Here's a typical morning about two seconds after I sit down with my coffee. Look how tired I am and how tired they are not.

Winter has been a pretty good sport about sharing her birthday month with Jesus. So far.

I hate the elves on the shelf almost as much as laundry. But I love my kids so I keep them around. I didn't put a whole lot into it this year. In fact, Mya informed me that they made toast last year too. Wups. 

Winter had a bad day so I used the elves to cheer her up in the morning. She wasn't sure if they were talking about her or the season. I told her I'm sure they were telling her they loved her.

I'm not really sure if Winter believes in Santa or the elves. So I just play along. Last year, she found out that nothing was real including the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy, thanks Mya. But she must have blocked it out. I found this letter under the tree Christmas Eve. Translation: Dear Santa, I want a baby alive and a new barbie house. When I was being good, I played with Addie. She was happy. From Winter. 

She did get a baby alive doll but no barbie house. She already has one. 

Our family Christmas party pic. 

After Christmas, we took a little trip to visit our favorite farm in Bakersfield. Mom came with. Dan worked.

Wendy loves having us there haha!

Mya is obsessed with curly hair. She got some curlers for Christmas. The spongy kind you sleep in. 

I had these little neighbors over one morning. For about 5 seconds they all sat on the coffee table and watched Elmo. 

Angus has chosen his chair at the head of the table. No one else is allowed to sit there. It was a pretty big deal that he shared with Addie.

His daughters gnawing on cow bones actually brought a tear to Dan's eye. He was so proud.

I got the brilliant (or horrible) idea to fill the water table with dirt. For some reason, I feel that little kids, especially boys, need dirt in order to have a full and happy childhood. 

Addie is four now so I've started dressing her in 4T clothes. She's still a little too small for them. But she's been in 3T forever so I'm getting tired of those clothes.

And yeah, a little weird to mention but I feel that everyone needs to know about it. Avocado oil is at Trader Joe's and I love it. It has a 500 degree smoke point so you can cook it at super high temps without it burning. And it's good for you! I've felt bad using olive oil to cook with since I found out that once it is heated up, it changes its molecular structure (or something like that) and becomes not good for you. Google it. It's true. Also avocado oil doesn't taste like avocados. It doesn't taste like anything. There. Now you know.

And while I'm being weird and random, I thought I'd mention what a life saver it has been to have a clothes line above my washer and dryer. Thanks Dan. Also, if I forget to hang something up like a collared shirt, I can just spray it and smooth it out after it has already been dried. So smart. 

Our family sock pile. Going to tackle that one soon. 

Well there you have it. Our December in a nutshell. See ya next Wednesday!