Life Updates from the Gish Fam

Apparently it's time I started blogging again, per my sister. I guess that's true considering in the time that's passed between my last entry, we've moved to a new house, we went to Disney (again), I got a new job (again), and Abby's continued growing and changing at an alarming rate. I never even wrote her 2 year update- all of the details of which are now long forgotten and have been replaced by thoughts of "how do I handle the fact that she calls me by my first name?" and "potty training isn't actually required, is it?"...

We DID successfully detach her from the pacifier although it took a little white lie (isn't that all parenting actually is?) about Mickey Mouse needing it for some babies that didn't have pacifiers. And sometimes she still brings it up... and I'm slightly worried our next trip to Disney will consist of her marching up to Mickey, folding her arms/stomping her foot and demanding he return her paci immediately.

So where was I... oh yes. The house. We built a house. We sold our old house and we built a new one... like from dirt and wood and stuff. Well WE didn't build it...but we paid someone to do it and I picked out (and subsequently stressed about my choices) all of the details. Then we moved in, unpacked, and put a bunch of boxes in the basement where they will sit for the next 10 years. We also put in a fence and are fiercely debating between a deck and a patio.

Then we went to Disney World. We were super excited to take Abby to the Halloween party and for her to see the parade that she watches endlessly on YouTube in person... but Hurricane Matthew ruined all that fun. We ended up coming home early.

Then I decided to shake things up by getting an awesome job offer and leaving my job of less than a year. Between that, Joey's golfing and Abby's ballet lessons, we've been busy this Fall.

Thanksgiving came and we bravely offered to host both my and Joey's families. We only ruined one turkey in the process and other than that little mishap (tip: don't take your turkey out to thaw and forget about it...for a day) and the fact that I bought twice as much food as we needed, I'd say we were successful.

So here we are. It's Christmas time now and we are doing all the Christmassy things like making gingerbread houses and visiting Santa at the mall. It's going to be weird this year without Dad, but we have the memories and we have each other. 

Abby is starting to get Christmas (or at least, Santa) and I tried explaining the Christmas story to her when we visited "Baby Cheezus" at the living nativity at our church.... (all she remembers is that there were goats). Maybe next year...

I hardly blogged this year but maybe 2017 will be different. Or maybe it won't. I can at the very least assure you that we won't be moving next year. Or ever again.

Hope it's a very merry one for you and yours!!!

~SG