Christmas Memories

When we were at my inlaws' house celebrating Christmas, my sister in law asked everyone what the worst Christmas present they ever got. (This was an unusual question, I thought. Normally people ask your favorite memory or present, or the most meaningful Christmas). Everyone went around the table talking about the unwanted gifts they got in years past. Landon said his was when he got underwear for Christmas (He has NEVER gotten underwear for Christmas!).

Finally it was my turn, I thought of several gifts, most of which were given to me by my grandmothers. They are both well intentioned, but seem to give unusual gifts. This year's present from my grandmother, was the most bizarre of all. A couple of weeks before Christmas I stopped by her house to visit. She was asking about our Christmas plans with my mother and said that she and her husband would be joining us for dinner at my mom's house on Christmas day. Soon after she said she got the kid's a special Christmas present, and wanted to go ahead and give it to them since she might not see them. I reminded her that we would see them Christmas day and she should wait until then. (My grandmother's memory is horrible! The doctor's told her several years ago that she is in the beginning stages of Alzheimer's. Frankly, I think we are beyond the beginning stages!) I stayed at my grandmother's house for about 20 minutes. During that time we had the same conversation about the gift at least 3 more times.

When Christmas day came, my grandmother and her husband came over for dinner. She had a grocery sack with the present inside (she never wraps any gifts). She explained that she had a friend that gave this to her grandchildren and she thought it was so wonderful, that she wanted to do the same for all of her great grandchildren. The kids were excited, they opened the sack and found a book. They love books! We opened the book and it was empty, a bunch of blank pages. The pages had headings, questions, and topics on them similar to a baby book, but nothing was written on them. My grandmother explained that her friend had filled in all the pages for her grandchildren, but that she just did not have the time and thought I could do it. The questions on the pages were things about our family history and special memories. "Just what I need," I thought, "One more thing to feel guilty about not doing". (I have already written about how much I hate scrapbooking!). I thanked my grandmother and tried to act sincere. I closed the book, and noticed the title on the front of the cover: A Grandmother's Gift of Memory!

Our Thanksgiving

On Thanksgiving Day is snowed! This is a shock considering we live in a desert region. It was the most beautiful snow I have ever seen. The snowflakes were huge! About the size of my hand. The kids were excited and begged all day to play out in the snow. I told them I would let them later in the day when we went to my aunt's and uncle's to eat dinner. They live out in the country and have four children ranging in age from 9 to 18. I knew there would be plenty of time for the kids to play out there, plus they would have more people to play with. Besides that, I had some cooking to do.

After nap time, we headed out to their house. And the kids were not dissapointed to find my cousins pulling a sled behind a 4-wheeler. They had a couple of friends there, as well as my other aunt's three teenagers. One was driving and the rest would chase the sled and jump on in a huge dog pile until they would fall off. Then they would start chasing the sled again. The 4 wheeler was going in a large circle and did not stop to let on or off the riders.

My boys stood on the porch for a while watching. Soon, Landon was out in the middle of the circle. He would run towards the 4 wheeler, but by the time he got close, it had passed him by. Then he would start running across the circle to catch it on the other side, only to miss it again. I watched him do this for quite a while. Then finally, it was like the lightbulb went off. When he missed it, instead of running across the circle, he stopped there at the edge and waited for the 4-wheeler to make a lap and come around to him. He was standing in the exact right spot to catch the sled on the next lap. As the 4-wheeler makes the lap and is close to the house, it stops and all of the kids load off and come inside. It was time for dinner!

My heart hurt for Landon. I could see the disappointment in his posture and he made the long walk up towards the house. His face was red from the cold air. He said, "I didn't get to ride." "I know, Honey. I bet after dinner the kid's will go out again." My aunt suggested that I feed my kids first and then let them watch a movie in the bedroom while the rest of the family ate. I thought that was a good idea, because she had her nice dishes on the table (not the paperplates my children are accustomed to). Landon ate at lightening speed and then asked to go outside. I suggested he watch the movie and assured him I would get him when all the other kids finished eating and headed outside.

Once dinner was over, Landon and Cason came running, already with their socks, shoes, and coats on. They ran out the door. The big kids were still inside, taking their time to get ready to go back out. I looked out the window and watched as Landon and Cason sat on the sled, patiently waiting for someone to come out to drive the 4-wheeler. After a while, Luke and Sam made it out there and took them for a ride. They were so excited!

Beautiful Cows

Last Sunday Todd took the boys hunting with him. Todd got on a hunting lease this year with a couple of guys from work, including his boss Tim. Tim is from Ireland and has 3 children, the youngest of which is close in age to our boys. So, from time to time Todd and Tim will both take their sons hunting. Tim's inlaws have also been here visiting. On Sunday, Tim had also brought his father-in-law along for the hunting trip. The boys really seemed to like the father-in-law. He comes from an agricultural background and was talking to the boys about some cattle nearby. He said, "Those are some beautiful cows". Without missing a beat, Landon replied, "Their not women you know."

Superheroes

Landon's preschool class had a costume parade on Tuesday. As I took Landon to his class to drop him off I realized that all of the boys in the class were superheroes of some sort. Landon had decided to be Batman, he had been Spiderman earlier in the week. Last year he was Superman. There was another Batman along with two Spidermen. There was a cowboy and a military pilot, which are just a more real life version of a superhero. The girls were all dressed up as princesses. One of them was even dressed as a bride. Isn't that what we all really long to be...men: the hero who saves the world and women: the beautiful princess. The costume parade went off well. This picture is of Landon and two of his best buddies: Jack as Spiderman and Will as a cowboy (not Woody, just a cowboy)!

Sunday School

So, we took Cason for his first day in his new Sunday School class. He was actually supposed to be in another class, but I requested the same teachers that Landon had last year. They are an amazing family. The mother, father, and two children teach preschool Sunday School every week. Landon absolutely loved the class. And the teachers loved him. You could tell they really took a special interest in each one of the children. Each week when we would pick him up, they would tell us how smart Landon is, and that he always listens to the Bible story and answers all the questions. Landon loved playing with the son Cory. Seeing him was the highlight of his week. They would give the kids special treats, and would usually bring an extra one for Cason. You can see why we requested for Cason to be in their class.

The week before promotion Sunday, I spent time talking to the kids about their new classes and new teachers. I reminded Cason how much fun Landon had last year and told him he would get to play with Cory in Sunday School. He was so excited. So the day came and we took the kids to their class. When we went to pick Cason up, the teachers said that as soon as he came in he started asking where Cory was. They assured him that he would be coming soon. (They are convinced no one cares if they are there, only if there children are there). They also told us about the lesson. They talked about how Paul's friends got into trouble and were in jail and how he prayed for them. The teacher asked, "What do we do when are friends are in trouble?" Cason said, "Put them in Jail!" We all got a big laugh out of it...I guess mercy is not his spiritual gift! I think he would make a good police officer when he grows up.

Shark Boy

Landon watched Shark boy and Lava Girl while at my sister-in-laws house. Since then, he wants to have his hair stick up all the time. This past Sunday he told me that he wanted to have his hair like Shark Boy for church. I explained to him that we could do that a different day, and we needed to comb his hair down for church.

When we picked Landon up from Sunday School, he came out with wet hair sticking straight up! The teacher said that he went in the bathroom and did it himself. He said, "I look cool!" Todd and I shook our heads and laughed. That day we had taught in Sunday School about different temperaments (personality types). Todd and I were both very shy and reserved as children. We never would have done such a thing that would have drawn attention to ourselves. Landon is the total opposite of us. Almost everything he does is motivated by wanting to get attention, to be noticed, or approval. He has never met a stranger. I am so grateful that Landon has such great self-esteem. He tends to be a leader and obviously has a desire to be a trend-setter!

Injury at Cornfest

Some friends of ours have an event every year at their house: CORNFEST! Cindi's family grows corn and when it is ready, Barry drives to New Mexico to pick up the corn (by the truckload). We then recieve "the email" that cornfest is less than 48 hours away. They cookout hamburgers and the night is spent shucking and eating fresh corn.

Monday night was cornfest. We were having a nice evening with our friends (there were about 70 people there). I walked in the kitchen to check on the kids who were at a kiddie table next to the buffet line. Todd had been helping Cindi move the desserts and was standing at the kitchen sink washing his hands. I didn't think much of it, until my friend Taffy came and told me that she thought I needed to take Todd to the emergency room. She said Todd cut his hand pretty bad.

Todd was helping to move a cake and someone had left a butcher knife on the back of the cake plate. Todd didn't realize the knife was there and when he moved the plate the knife started to fall...Right towards the kids' table. So like any protective parent, he caught the knife with his hands, cutting it very badly! He actually cut in between his pinkie and ring fingers and obviously needed stitches. By the time that I arranged for Taffy to take my kids to her house and we moved around carseats, Todd was being tended to by a nurse, Linda.

Linda and her husband John just came back from the mission field about a month ago. They had been in Africa for over 10 years. She was an ER nurse before they went, and while they were there she was more like a doctor. She offered to glue his hand back together, so that we didn't have to take him to the emergency room for stitches. Which saved us a lot of time and money! I am very thankful that Linda was there and was willing and able to help us out.

Hair

Last spring at MOPS, a woman in my MOPS group gave a testimony. She talked about losing her hair starting about age 3, and by junior high was mostly bald due to alopecia. She then took off her hair and revealed her bald head. She talked about how kids teased her, and how once she got a wig it was so obviously a wig that boys would try to tackle her in the hall and take off her wig. Even though I have known her for several years, I had never noticed that she had a wig. She always has nice looking hair. She shared about her struggle and how the best thing that ever happened was getting a human hair wig.

After her testimony, my MOPS group decided to grow our hair to make a mass donation to Locks of Love. So for the past year, I have been growing my hair. I have also been trying to talk friends and family into making the donation with me. So on April 9, 2007, we made our donation. We all met at a local salon, and stylist donated their time and skills. We had about 19 people donate hair that night (I even managed to talk my sister in law Tawnya and my niece Tori into making a donation as well). In order to donate, you have to donate a minimum of 10 inches of hair. So, I now have a short summer do. I hope you enjoy the pic of my mini makeover.

Shortly after the donation, my friend Taffy's daughter, Lora, started losing her hair. At first, they thought she was pulling it out, because she would have a handful of hair when they got her out of bed in the morning. Soon she became more and more bald. Lora is one year old and was born about 10 days before McKenna. She has always had a ton of hair and even won best hair in a baby pageant when she was just weeks old. After several trips to the doctor, they diagnosed her with alopecia. They think the hair loss will not be permanent and some of the bald spots have started growing back. Anyway, I wrote all of this to say that I think I have decided to keep letting my hair grow and then make another donation.

Bed time prayers

The other day, I took all three kids with me to Mervyn's. Taking all three kids anywhere, is insane, but especially in a clothing store during a big sale. But, they were having a great sale that I couldn't bear to miss. As I was looking through the racks of clothes, Landon said, "Mommy, Mommy, do you see that lady over there?" He was trying to whisper, but was still very loud. I was mortified. I knew which lady he was talking about. I had seen a lady in a wheelchair that obviously had some type of permanent disability. I try not to stare, but I also try not to ignore someone with a disability. I always feel like I am walking such a fine line.

I tried to be discreet and told Landon, "Yes, I see a lady over there". "We need to pray for her." Landon said. "Why is that?". "Because she has a hurt hand." I hadn't even noticed the bandage on her hand. Landon then said, "I need to go tell her that we are going to pray for her." Again, I broke out in beads of sweat. It was all I could do not to say, "No, don't bother her." So, I took a deep breath and followed Landon around the rack of clothes to wear the lady was. "Excuse me." Landon said. "We are going to pray for you tonight at bedtime." "What?" the Lady said. "We are going to pray for your hurt hand tonight at bedtime." he repeated. The lady's whole face lit up and a big smile appeared, "Thank you!". My heart totally melted.

I wish I had an ounce of the bravery that Landon had. I wish I could be as bold about my faith with people I don't even know. That night at bedtime, Landon reminded me to pray for the Lady with the hurt hand (you know, he never once mentioned the wheelchair). I am reminded how often I tell someone I will pray for them, and then forget. Sometimes I think my children are the ones teaching me, not the other way around.

Cason's B-day

Cason turned 3-years old. Wow, it is so hard to believe. He was born March 22, 2004. He was actually supposed to be born 2 days earlier. I was scheduled to be induced, and all of our family came to town. The night I was supposed to go in, the hospital called and said there were no beds available and to call back the next day. This went on for 2 days. Our families were sitting in my living room staring at me, waiting for me to give birth. They fed me spicy food, took be for long walks, anything they could think of. At least once an hour, my dad would say, "You call that hospital back and tell them you are coming in to have that baby". I was sure glad when they finally said there was room. I actually went in the night before, so that they could give me medicine to make me dilate. They also gave me sleeping medicine. It was great! I actually got a good nights sleep, and got away from all of the family, for a mini-vacation before the big day.

That next day, they induced labor. After they broke my water, I was ready for the epidural. All was well. At least until I started feeling a lot of pain. I realized I could move one of my legs and had complete feeling on that side of my body. Well, there wasn't really much they could do at that point, because I was ready to push. I started flipping out (not my best moment). With Landon, I had to push for about 3 hours, so the thought of enduring another 3 hours in that much pain freaked me out. The nurse told be to give a practice push. Then started yelling for me to stop. She held her hand on his head to keep him in. The doctor ran in the door, with no time to put anything on other than a mask, and caught Cason as he came flying out. Cason weighed 8 lbs 3 oz and was 21 inches long.

Cason is our middle-child. And probably the most strong willed of the three. But he can also be the sweetest, most helpful, and most loving. He plays with his little sister, helps fold the laundry, helps cook dinner, etc. Cason is also the most shy of the three. He goes to soccer and practices with Landon's team. He is actually probably one of the best players out there (yes, he is even better than his big brother). He is quite the little athlete. He has had a knack for throwing from an early age. When he was less than a year old, he threw a bottle and hit Todd's grandmother right in the head! I thought he was going to knock her out! Luckily, she was OK. Todd thinks he would make a good baseball player.

This past year in Cason's life has been an interesting one. He barely talked a year ago. In November we started potty training. Which was very difficult given how strong willed he is. This past December, Cason and Landon were rough housing and they fell and Cason hit his foot on the coffee table. He ended up breaking it in several places! He crawled for about a week, before he was able to walk using the boot. He is all healed now, but it was a major set back in the potty training department. I am so glad that as we celebrate his 3rd Birthday, he is potty trained and talking well. I am sure this next year will bring much more excitement!

Tattoos

Cason found a package of temporary tattoos that I had bought and stashed away. The boys had gotten tattoos at parties or friends houses, but I had never gotten any for them. So at 8 am this morning, I was allowing the boys to pick tattoos. Cason picked one of a sword and skull, and then picked one of a cobra for McKenna. Landon picked one of a skull and an ax, and then suggested I wear an anchor. So, the four of us went about our day today sporting tattoos. Landon's little soccer team was especially amused by McKenna's colorful snake. The boys were afraid to get the arms wet when showering tonight, for fear that the tattoos would wash off. They are already talking about showing their tattoos to all of their friends at preschool tomorrow. I just hope I remember to take mine off!

Lazy Mom's Grilled Cheese

Landon (4) loves grilled cheese sandwiches (almost as much as Cason loves PB&J). He requests grilled cheese almost everyday for lunch. I hate to cook them on the stove, especially just to make one sandwich (and if it is the middle of summer, you can forget me adding any heat to my house!). So, here is the solution I came up with: I put two slices of bread in the toaster. When they are done I butter the toast, put a slice of cheese in the middle, and microwave until the cheese is melted (usually only about 20 seconds). And VOILA! A grilled cheese sandwich in a fraction of the time without heating up my kitchen.

PB&J

Cason loves peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. He asks for one everyday for lunch. One day when I was at my friend Shane's house for a play date, she made the kids PB&J by mixing the peanut butter and jelly in a bowl first before putting it on the bread. She said it makes it spread on easier (and it does!). Shortly after that I was in the grocery store and noticed the Smucker's Uncrustable PB&J sandwiches in the freezer section (they are too expensive for me to justify saving the time).

After these two experiences, I came up with a system: I buy a loaf of bread, peanut butter and jelly. I use a lot of Peanut Butter and a lot of jelly and put them in a big bowl and use a mixer to blend them. Then I make a whole loaf of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I cut each one and wrap them individually, then put them all in a large freezer bag, or back in the bread bag and throw it in my freezer (it only takes about 10-15 minutes to make them all at once). Now on school days, I just get one out and throw it in a bag with a drink and some fruit. It is a major time saver. It freezes very well, and thaws in time for lunch. I have even tried one myself, and it tastes great!

First Fish

Todd took the boys fishing today. Last summer, he took Landon (3 at the time) camping, fishing, and to the Carlsbad Caverns. Landon caught a black bass (which he has talked about for the past year). So, this year Todd told Cason he would be able to go, as long as he was potty trained. Todd gets so excited about imparting his "manliness" on the boys. So, last night Todd announced that he would take the boys fishing (they need practice before the big trip). The problem is that we live in the middle of the desert, the nearest lake is over an hour away. Todd got on-line and found out that they stock a couple of the man- made ponds at the parks around town with fish.

This morning, Todd loaded up the boys and headed out to the park to catch fish. Todd said it was a slow day, since they got there after 9 am. But never-the-less, Cason (2 years old) caught his first fish (a rainbow trout). He was so excited, but not half as excited as Todd was. When they got home, the boys helped Daddy clean the fish. We are planning to cook fish for dinner tonight.

A failure already

I know, I know....You don't have to say anything...I have already slacked behind in my blogging. I am afraid that I am a failure already. I choose not to look at it that way though. Instead, I choose to look at it as a minor disruption. In fact the last month, has been one disruption after another. But after all, that is when life happens isn't it? Life happens when we deviate from our lists and schedules.

My husband called from out of town about a month ago. "How about you and the kids go with me to Houston on my business trip next week." Normally I would be hesitant, but being married to Todd has taught me to be a little more spontaneous. I immediately started packing. We made a mini vacation of it, stopping to see friends along the way. I shopped during the day while he was in meetings, and took the kids to see the play areas of all the malls. In the evening we ate out. We ate at all the places that I haven't eaten at since we moved from the big city. On the way home, we even dropped in on my college roomate Shelley, whom I had not seen in 3 years.

We no more than got home and got unpacked when my 10 month old baby McKenna got sick. She had rotavirus and ended up in the hospital. She is better from that, but is now battling ear infections. In the midst of this craziness, I started a home-based business (Southern Living at Home) and my husband finished the fort he built for the boys (this has been a 6 month long project, which deserves a whole entry of its own). So, we decided to celebrate with a fort grand opening and a Southern Living at Home business launch.

We invited about 100 of our closest friends and their families to our house. Did I mention that I am not a good housekeeper. So, having an event at my house entails a drastic amount of cleaning (and hiding). We had a good turn out and the kids had a blast! It was a good night for my new little business too. The party was this past Saturday and then Todd left town again. He returned tonight just in time for the 4-year old soccer team meeting at our house (since we are the coaches). Sometimes our lives seem so busy. So, the next time I don't have an entry for a while, you will know that Life is happening!

Non-Scrapbookers Anonymous

I have a confession to make...I do not scrapbook. I know, I know...I am a failure as a mom. I have a lot of friends who scrapbook and an overzealous sister-in-law who is convinced she can convert me into being a scrapbooker. But, I have no desire. I would like the final product, but I don't enjoy the process (which is the key according to my scrapbooking sources). There is a secret society of scrapbookers. They get together religiously and have their secret parties. Some even go on scrapbooking retreats. This all sounds a bit cult-ish to me. I am even a little suspicious of this whole Blog thing because it is rather scrapbook-like. But since it takes very little time, no real commitment, does not cost a cent or make a mess, I have decided that it may be a good alternative.

I was sitting with a group of my good friends at playgroup when I first came out of the closet. "I do not scrapbook!" I waited to see the look of disgust on their faces or the sound of judgement in their voices, even perhaps a sigh of pity at the thought of my children with no scrapbook of their childhood. But instead I got an overwhelming sigh of relief..."I don't scrapbook either", one said. "Neither do I", said another. At that moment, I realized that we were kindred spirits. Oh, how I enjoyed being able to talk with other moms, great mom's whom I respected, who don't scrapbook. Until one day, we lost one of our own. My dear friend Taffy came to me with a confession..."I have started scrapbooking again" she said. I felt like I had been punched in the stomach. Then, she ripped out my heart by adding, "And I really like it". So, there is an opening in our non-scapbookers anonymous group...Want to join????

To Blog or not to Blog...That is the question!

My Dad came to visit in September and was saying that he thought I should blog.
Blog?
Yes, Blog!
But I don't have anything to write about.
You can write about whatever you want.
Who would want to read my ramblings anyway?

With that I brushed the thought aside, until my college roommate Shelley starting blogging. I have been reading her blog for several months and get a kick out of hearing her stories. I know I don't have anything revolutionary to say, but thought this might be a good way for our friends and family out of town to keep up with the funny things that happen around here. So with that I will attempt to start my blog.