This week was a fun mix of hotel elevators, time spent in Pittsburgh, ENT waiting rooms, frosting everywhere, and even a winter bike ride! We stayed a night at the Fairmont in downtown Pittsburgh, had a family evening involving a gingerbread train that was mostly eaten before we even assembled it, and Sadie and Jimmy squeezed in a daddy–daughter movie date.
A city stay and sweet days pretty much sums it up!
Fairmont Pittsburgh: A Quick Holiday Getaway 🏙️
Let’s get right to the extra fun stuff: Jimmy and I spent a night in the city! For the past few years, Jimmy has booked us a one-night stay at the Fairmont Hotel in Pittsburgh around Christmastime and we really treasure this tradition.
This year was no different! We dropped the kids off to my parents (thank you, mom and dad!) and checked into the hotel on Saturday afternoon. From there, we spent the evening wandering around Pittsburgh. We visited a holiday market, ordered dinner, and simply relaxed!
It was our first night away from Dakota, and she did great. Since we don’t get a ton of time away from the kids, we really leaned into doing a whole bunch of nothing—and it was perfect. It was wonderful to check out the city, eat dinner uninterrupted, and get a good night’s rest.
On Sunday morning, we had a lovely room service breakfast and I even brought along my book so I could do my morning devotion time!
Then it was off to pick up the kids and head into church! We were away from them for less than 24 hours but it was just enough time to recharge our parenting batteries. It was such a nice getaway. 😊
A Daddy Daughter Movie Date 🍿
Jimmy and Sadie went on a special date night! He surprised her with tickets to see David, a new animated musical based on the biblical story of David. They were out late that night, so I put the littles to bed and then crashed as well!
They both enjoyed the movie and I was so glad they could go on a surprise date together. 🤍
Family Christmas Night 🎄
We also celebrated our family Christmas by having a fun little family night! We set the table with a green table cloth, green paper plates, and napkins. We lit a candle and had dinner! Afterwards, I gave the kids a wrapped gingerbread train kit and a new pair of pajamas.
Was it chaotic and loud, with candy falling on the floor and little hands putting more candy in their mouth than they put on the train? Yup! But I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I love our crazy family nights.
After we laid Dakota down for bed, we all hopped in the hot tub and watched a Christmas show. It was a great night celebrating as a family!
Scenes from the Week 📸
Jimmy and I brought Dakota to her ENT appointment. The doctor said she still has fluid in one of her ears from her most recent ear infection. She recommended ear tube surgery, so we are thinking that through.
The biggest thing we want is to protect her hearing and we know that fluid sitting on her ears, especially if it’s constantly infected, isn’t good for her hearing and speech development. We also don’t love the idea of her needing stronger antibiotics every time she gets an infection. On the other hand, we aren’t excited about surgery but we need to weigh the pros and cons and pray it out!
Mordecai climbed into Dakota’s crib with her one morning and I snapped a picture on the baby monitor!
Sadie did the same thing another morning and the girls were snuggling so adorably.
I just love seeing the kids together. These are the moments I dreamed of only a few years ago!
We had a day where it was warm enough to get the kids outside on a bike ride while I pushed Dakota in the stroller. It was glorious!
Sadie painted my toenails and then gave me a “spa treatment” with Hello Kitty stickers on my face. I wore them for a few hours and then took them off. I missed one or two and the kids were cracking up that I hadn’t noticed.
I also shut my hair in our car door after church. 😅
And Jimmy and Sadie were adorable by our Christmas tree!
Other Notes and Thoughts 📝
- It’s December 21st as I type up this post! I’m so excited to celebrate Christmas. As long as nobody gets sick (there’s so much going around lately) we will be going to church on Christmas Eve and spending time with family on Christmas Day!
- Currently reading this novel and I’m enjoying it!
- When Jimmy and I stayed at the hotel, we ordered from a steakhouse and got steak bacon and it was so cool and delicious—the thickest bacon I’ve ever seen. I can’t stop thinking of it!!
That’s a wrap on life around here lately! Lots of joy and special memories. 😊
Living My Full Life 