Not Me Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to http://www.mycharmingkids.net/ to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week

I did not tell Wesley that he needed to stop wiggling his loose tooth on Christmas Eve because Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy don't work on the same night.

Speaking of things I didn't tell my kids, I certainly didn't tell Wesley that he slept through Christmas when he woke up on Christmas morning.

I did not refuse to give up one of my scarves to put on the snowman the kids made. And I certainly wasn't a little bit embarrassed when my mom proved she is Super Grandma by giving up her own scarf for the snowman.

Homesick

Can you be homesick for a feeling, rather than a place? I've been feeling down again the last couple of days and I think I'm homesick. Not for our old house really, but for the feeling of our family in our own place. Living with my mom and stepdad has been great so far. No blow ups. We're not tripping over each other. They have been warm and welcoming and wonderful.We all get along really well, so what I'm feeling has nothing to do with them, but I miss being home.

I miss knowing where my stuff is. Is it in storage? Is it in one of the boxes we brought to the house?

I miss my cats desperately. My parent's cat is nice enough, but he doesn't snuggle me. He doesn't sleep on the bed. He doesn't sit on my lap while I eat or type on the computer or watch tv.

I miss having people over to hang out and play games.

I miss the feel of my own bed and furniture.

I know it's silly, but I swear, I'm homesick. And I think it's gotten worse lately because if all this house stuff had gone the way it was supposed to, we'd be moving into our new place next weekend. The time in limbo would be almost up. Instead we have three more weeks of not really belonging anywhere. I also can't get over the fear that something will go wrong yet again and we STILL won't have a house to move into.

I know we'll be able to laugh about it all by this time next year, but for now all I can think is that Dorothy was right all along. There's no place like home.

110% Boy

Remember a week or so ago when Ryan was lying about his age? Well, the transformation from 4-year-old to teenager continued last night.

Duane was building something out of one of the Lego kits the boys got for Christmas and Ryan was watching him intently.
"What's the f*&#?" he asked.

"What?" Duane asked. "What did you say?"

Ryan replied "What the f*&#?"

Duane handled it better than I would have and told Ryan, "I don't think that is what you mean to say and that is not a nice word. You should say something else. Next time you say it there will be an issue" So Ryan said something else and that was that.

Later that night Ryan was sitting on my lap and ... shall we say caused some vibrations.

"UGH! Ryan! Did you just toot on me?

Ryan looked at me, grinned and said, "Yep!"

Before bed I asked Ryan when he got so big.

"Today," he replied matter of factly.

Let's see, dropped the f-bomb in front of dad and his grandparents, broke wind and found it funny and "obviously" knows more than mom. I'd say he's about fourteen years old and trapped in a four year olds body.

A Boy Who Believes

Wesley informed us at dinner tonight that he thinks the Santa from the zoo was the real Santa.

"He knew we went to school and that we were trying to be good and we didn't even have to tell him!" Wesley said.

I'm so glad he still believes.

Snow Day

I may have been the only person in the house that had to get up early and go to work the day after Christmas, but that means I was the only one who got that special joy of hearing "we're closing early because of the snow."

I came home on icy roads to find Duane and the kids in the backyard building a snowman. A great mommy would have put her boots and gloves back on and headed into the yard to joing the guys. A good mommy stayed dry and warm and had hot chocolate waiting for them on the stove when they came in.

I am so happy the guys made a snowman though. Just last week Ryan asked if our new house would have "a nice flat spot to make a snowman when it snows." Our new house will, but Grandma and Grandpa's house had a great snowman spot too!

And lest you think I'm a slacker mom who sends her kid out in the snow without a hat, Ryan took his off and filled it with snow a minute or two before this picture was taken. For some reason he didn't want to put it back on.

Christmas Day Recap

In my own true Christmas fashion, I was the first one in the W. family to wake up. I mean, come on, there were homemade chocolate cinnamon rolls to put in the oven. My mom was already up too, putting our traditional Christmas morning casserole in the oven as well. We gave each other Christmas hugs and took in the quiet for a bit, but then I snuck off with a cup of coffee to sit by the Christmas tree and pray.

I love sitting by the tree alone in the morning before the craziness of the day begins in full. It felt good to spend a little time talking to God and centering myself. To praise Him and remind myself of how many blessings I have.

I thought I was going to have to wake the boys up again this year. I headed upstairs at 7:45 to get Duane out of bed and ran into Wesley in the hall. When he realized it was Christmas morning he raced to get his brother out of bed and they absolutely tore down the stairs! We opened stockings and headed to the tree to see what Santa, parents and aunts and uncles had left beneath the tree. Even though we tried very hard to scale back, the boys were showered in gifts. And they loved every second of it.

Think Wesley had a good morning?

Little Mr. Model posing with his new scooter (from Grandma and Grandpa)

Ryan loved his new recliner, but he also loved the big box it came in.

We headed out to Grandma W.'s next. It was kind of a quiet day there because my neice and nephew were visiting their dad's great grandma, but that meant Wesley and Ryan got to hold everyone's attention - and they loved it! Ryan got a dream light stuffed animal/nightlight thing and made everyone go into the bathroom with him so they could see the lights. So cute.

Wesley spent a big part of the day working on his art - including this drawing of The Pigeon in his activity book. He also handed out a TON of pictures to his Grandma and aunts.

Ryan taking inventory of the stickers Aunt Melissa brought for the boys.

I earned some mommy points by assembling Ryan's Lego space shuttle. I think I did an excellent job.

Ryan enjoyed it for about 2 mintues before taking the whole thing apart and putting it in the Lego case Wesley got (and was willing to share)

Our last stop of day was to Grandma and Grandpa P.'s house. It's always the time I feel like I can take a deep breath and just relax for the evening.

Wesley and Grandma Sandi. Sandi broke some ribs and was in the hospital last month. Wesley was so gentle with her and gave her lots of hugs.

Me and my daddy-o. He'll always be my number one guy!

Wesley playing Santa again.

It was a wonderful Christmas. A day filled with family and food and smiles. It was busy and yet didn't feel stressful at all. It was the kind of holiday memories are made of.

Christmas Eve Recap

Now that Christmas is over for another year, I can actually take the time to blog about what turned out to be a great holiday. I was a little nervous about this year. I've been so depressed and our living situation has been so up in the air, so I happily surprised by how much I enjoyed myself this Christmas.

The boys and I started off the day by making snowmen rice krispie treats. We usually spend part of Christmas Eve day making a gingerbread house, but for the life of me, I could not find a gingerbread house kit to buy when I was looking over the weekend. The snowmen were really easy and fun though. 

Ryan's snowman is on the right, Wesley's is on the left. Wesley gave his to Grandpa H. to enjoy.

I made the boys go with me to pay a visit to Sanders at the vets office. I think I wanted them with me for two reasons. First, Grandma and Grandpa had a lot to do and I wanted the kids out of the house. Second, seeing Sanders makes me want to cry. I miss him so very much and he looks so bad to me most days. I'm so afraid he isn't going to live to see the new house. If the boys go see him with me, I am forced to fake cheerful.

We took Sanders a little Christmas treat of peanut butter. He loves the stuff - but a partial spoonful goes a long way!

 

When we got back from the vets office, it was almost time for lunch. Grandma had purchased the fixings for reindeer sandwiches (reindeer shapes, NOT meat), so that's what Ryan had. Wesley is a creature of habit and refused to eat one, insisting on a hot dog, cheese sticks and strawberries instead, but check out what Ryan got to feast on.

It might not have been the healthiest lunch, but it was tasty and fun!

For a twist on tradition, the family went to the 4:30 children's service at the church Duane and I attend. We figured we'd get home early enough that we could have a leisurely evening and not have to rush through dinner and gifts to get to church on time.

Pre-church photo of the boys. Wesley ROCKED the necktie

I cannot put into words how much I love this man!

The church service was short and different, but great. We sang some carols accompanied by the worship band. The pastor delivered a short message and Santa Claus came to the service to read a story about the real meaning of Christmas. The kids had glowsticks to hold during the candlelight singing of  "Silent Night." It was fun AND meaningful.

After church everyone headed back to Grandma and Grandpa's to eat dinner and open gifts.

Wesley the mini-executive waiting for the gift giving to begin.

I love this picture of the cousins

Of course, I love this one too!

Wesley took the job of handing out the gifts this year since he could read all the tags. He did such a nice job. First he handed out all the gifts he bought with his own money for people - Grandpa H. got some cleaning wipes for his computer, Grandma H. got candy, Daddy got two Spiderman bowls, Ryan got Sour Patch Kids and a puzzle, Aunt Cathy got a book written and illustrated by Wesley and I got a picture frame and a colored coloring book. Next, Wesley handed out gifts to everyone else, saving his own presents for last. I was very proud of him putting everyone else before himself.

Wesley and Ryan were still pretty wound up after everyone left. At one point they were doing laps around the coffeetable and singing made up songs about Christmas. Ryan's song went, "Jesus is a baby. He's a special special baby!" They did finally settle down and head to bed though. Wesley told Ryan that they weren't allowed to talk so they could fall asleep and Santa could come.

And then it was a silent night.

Not Me Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to http://www.mycharmingkids.net/ to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week

I did not have to ask Wesley what day of the week it was one day because I simply could not remember.

I did not go to bed at 8:30 one night just so I could snuggle up with Ryan and his stuffed cat.

I certainly did not ask my mom to sneak some peanut butter in for Sanders when she went to visit him at the vet.

I have not prided myself on keeping out of all the Christmas cookies my mom and I made, only to gorge myself on the plate of cookies a friend sent home with Duane.

A Little Bit of Culture

The boys were home all day yesterday, so Duane and I decided it was a good idea to take them someplace after church today. We decided on the art museum since it is free on Sundays, but we didn't tell the kids where we were going.

When we pulled into the parking lot I told the kids we were at the art museum.

"An art museum!?!?" Wesley exclaimed. "That's awesome! I'll get all kinds of ideas for my art here!"

We had a really nice time. The boys were quite well behaved and the museum has so many interactive elements now, that it's a great hands on experience.

Getting ready to dive into some art

Wesley answering the question, "When do you wear a mask?"

Ryan wrote his answer too.
 

 There was an exhibit on making faces that we all really enjoyed.

Wesley making faces in the fun house mirrors

Drawing faces on the glass with crayons

 

Now THAT'S a funny face!

Ryan loved using the pictures of every day objects to make faces.

Then we moved on to the Lego exhibit that is at the museum now.



 

There was an area where you could make your own white Lego creation. Here's what Ryan dreamed up.

A proud little artist

My city in Legos

 

We did check out some other parts of the museum. Ryan loved the Chihuly sculptures and Wesley really liked the mosaics. Of course, my favorite part was when Ryan saw a really neat piece of art and hurried back to Wesley so he should show it to his big brother. It also resulted in my favorite picture of the day.

Wesley in shadow.





We didn't stay overly long at the museum, but it was such a nice change of pace from the holiday hustle and bustle.





Short Stories

Wesley was playing negotiator at dinner again tonight and trying to figure out how much he had to eat in order to get dessert.

"Finish your sandwich and banana and then you can have dessert," I told him.

Wesley insisted that since he had already eaten a piece of cornbread, there was no way he could eat the rest of the sandwich AND the banana AND still have room for dessert.

Luckily I am a person who really does understand how important dessert is sometimes and I told him that as long as he ate half of his sandwich and finished his banana, he could have a piece of fudge.

"Wow!" Wesley exclaimed. "You're not usually that nice!"

____________________________________

Ryan tried a piece of cracker toffee for dessert tonight. I asked him if he liked it and he responded, "It's better than socks on pizza."

Gee, I should hope so.

____________________________________

The boys have been watching Mickey's Christmas Carol and Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas. Of course, that means they are also playing Mickey's Christmas Carol and Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas. Ryan has been calling Scrooge something really funny and I wanted to blog about it, but I couldn't remember what he had been saying.

"Ryan, what have you been calling Scrooge?" I asked.

His response? "Umm....Daddy?"

Ouch! Guess who's getting coal in his stocking!

Can I See Some ID?

As I mentioned in my last post, we went to the zoo to see the lights last night. What I didn't mention was that Ryan was ready to lie about his age the whole time we were heading there.

"No one at the zoo knows I'm four," he told me.

I agreed. "Nope. Not unless you tell them."

"No one knows I'm four," he said again. "They might think I'm seven."

Throughout the night Ryan would occasionally say "No one knows that I'm four." It's like he thought he was tricking everyone or something.

Of course, maybe I should start checking his pants for a fake ID.

Doing Better

I'm doing a lot better today than when I wrote yesterday's post. I'm still pretty sad about a lot of things, but I think the sun is starting to peek out from behind the clouds.

A friend offered to pray with me this morning and even though life got in the way and we were not able to meet with each other as planned, knowing that she was praying for me anyhow really helped.

I actually got to do something Christmas-y tonight and went to the zoo with Duane and the kids. I think I might have even laughed. There's just something about all those lights that makes me feel happy inside.

Sorry this is a little fuzzy - until I get my computer and scanner back, the best I can do is a cell phone picture of the actual print picture.

Me and my sweeties at the zoo
 

We arrived home to two more surprises. First, the extension for BOTH the sale of our house and the purchase of the new one. Of course, the sellers of the house we're buying can't make it easy on us. They don't want to give us possession until January 21st now, but we're kind of at their mercy.

My biggest problem with the new possession date is that I don't want to be without my cats (especially Sanders) that long. I'm hoping we can work something out to get Sanders out of being boarded at the vet's office and back with me. Even if he has to be in a crate/cage when I'm not home, it would be better than having him there. Not that they don't take care of him. Everyone there loves him. It's just that he's old, he's super skinny, he misses me and I miss him terribly. Last night I even thought he was walking around our bedroom. I tripped over nothing when I got up to go to the bathroom because I was trying to avoid a shadow that my mind (heart) thought was him for a minute.

But that does bring us to the other surprise I had waiting for me when I got home. Apparently Santa visited the vet's office last week.

 

I've always kind of scoffed at those pet with Santa pictures, but with Sanders being away from me and so old and skinny (he looks much worse in person) I know I'll be treasuring this picture. But I really hope a vet's office Santa gets paid extra.

What I Wish I Could Post

I wish I had a fun, funny post for you. I wish I had good news to share. I wish I could tell you about all the Christmas-y things we've been doing as a family.

But I can't.

The boys (especially Wesley) have been behaving very badly lately. Duane is sick. There is no good news on the house front. We haven't done anything remotely Christmas-y.  I don't even think I've watched a Christmas movie this year.

I want to post about the magic of the season and I feel like the magic is missing this year. 

Not Me Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to http://www.mycharmingkids.net/ to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

I did not find myself at loose ends the entire day I left my phone at home. Nope. Didn't happen.

I know I didn't mess up the salted caramel sauce I was making as a gift for Ryan's teachers less than 12 hours before having to give said gift. And if I did, there is no way I packaged it up anyhow and passed it off as caramel syrup instead.

I certainly didn't forget to pack Wesley's lunch and not remember it until I was heading out the door that morning. Even if I did, I know I didn't shoot down Wesley's idea that someone could bring it to school later and tell him, "You can eat a hot lunch or be hungry. It doesn't matter to me." Yeah, I would never do that.

There is no way I have cried big fat tears every day for the past week. And it certainly hasn't gotten to the point where my oldest son is asking me to please not cry around him.

Ryan's Christmas Program

Ryan's preschool Christmas program was on Thursday. I fully expected him to cross his arms and not really participate, but he did a very nice job. I mean, he didn't really do the motions, but he sang all the songs and behaved, so I was a happy mommy!

Ryan was a little nervous until he saw us in the audience. Then he was fine.

 



Glad that's over!

 

The Bad, The Good and the Unthinkable

A long and rambling post....

Yesterday was one for the record books. The roller coaster of emotions that I found myself riding must of been one of the craziest rides I've ever been on. I'm not even sure where to start.

I guess I'll start at 3:30 yesterday morning when Wesley came into our room covered in goosebumps and saying he was freezing while simultaneously being burning up to the touch. We gave him some medicine and let him crawl in bed with us where he slept happily until 7:30. He woke up with no fever at all, but refusing to go to school. Now yesterday was also the annual holiday shop at Wesley's school and I had planned on volunteering all day. Not really sure what to do, I woke Grandma up for a quick powow. We decided that Wesley should probably stay home and I'd go help at the school for the morning only instead of all day.

I got to the school and was getting ready for the first class to come to the shop, when my cell phone rang. It was Grandma saying that Wesley had decided he wanted to go school after all. I said that was fine since I was already there and would be in the building if he felt sick again. But the poor guy didn't even make it through breakfast when it became abundantly clear that he'd be staying home all day.

I ended up only helping at the holiday shop for half of the day because I didn't want to stick my mom with a sick kid and Ryan on a day she thought she'd only have one of them. But I did have a magical moment at the holiday shop. I was helping a girl in a wheelchair do some shopping. She is blind, cannot talk very well and has some additional difficulties controlling her body so really, I picked out her gifts to give and kept up a rolling stream of chatter. As we were waiting for her gifts to be wrapped, this girl reached out, grabbed my arm and, with more strength than I ever would have imagined, pulled me down to her wheelchair and wrapped her arms around me in a hug.  I hugged her back and said, "Well, aren't you a sweetie pie?"  This little girl smiled and said in a garbled voice, "Seetie. Pie." And right there, my heart filled with happiness that I could make this little girl smile.

I spent the rest of the afternoon napping on and off with Wesley. And it wasn't really that bad of an afternoon, but as evening crept in my mood began to turn dark.

My mom had told me I had a surprise coming yesterday evening. Here's something you should know about me. While I love the idea of a surprise, actually being surprised is not my favorite thing in the world. And if I know something is up, it's even worse. I start to stress about what I should wear, if I have to put on a game face no matter what I am feeling, if I have to go out when I really just want to stay home. So I was getting grouchy.

Around this time Duane was talking to our realtor and discovered yet another hold up in the sale of our house and purchase of a new one. Basically, the person who was in charge of our buyer's loan messed up a great deal of paperwork and the account had to be reassigned. The guy working it now seems really on top of it, but all the paperwork had to be resubmitted. Which means we aren't closing on the 21st and maybe not until January 11th. Which means that unless the sellers of the house we want to buy are feeling EXTREMELY patient and generous, we may lose the contract on the purchase of the new house. We should know more on Monday and know if there is any way around this mess (like if we can close on the new place first).

I don't handle news like this well. Not at all. My immediate instinct is to imagine the worst and how I would deal with it. In my mind, I heard that we are going to lose the contract on the house we are trying to buy. So I started crying. A lot. Sobbing would be a more accurate description. Duane was trying to keep me calm, I was freaking out and my mom was becoming more angry with the bank than I have ever seen her be in my entire life. It was a pretty tense - and loud - few minutes in the house.

So there I was, sitting at the breakfast table in my mom's house, sobbing away and who should round the corner? My best friend Cheryl. My best friend who lives in California. My best friend who I had absolutely no idea would be in town for a few days helping her brother move. I cannot explain how much I needed her right at that instant. I pretty much threw myself into her arms and just hugged her for what probably seemed like forever and then things were better.  We all had dinner and I got to go out for ice cream and a drink with the woman who has known me for 25 years. I only got to spend a few hours with her since I had to work today, but it was exactly what I needed. I am so blessed to have a friend in my life like Cheryl.

And it got me to thinking. I am so upset about the whole house thing because it's what's happening to me and my family and, of course, that is my focus. But then I hear about the horrible school shooting in CT yesterday and the children killed in China and about my friends who have lost their husbands or children this year and I think, "What right do I have to be upset about a stupid house?" I am so blessed in this life by family and friends. I got to look for my child's lost teddy bear last night (which we couldn't find) when there are parents out there who will never hold their child again. I got to cry in my husband's arms when I have friends who will never again be able to cry on the shoulder of the man they pledged their heart to. I got to eat a meal cooked by my mother, when there are people who are starving or no longer have their parents around. I slept in a warm bed, in a house that, although it isn't ours, I know we are welcome to stay in as long as we need to when there are people living on the streets. What right do I have to cry and complain?

This year may not "seem like Christmas" to me and may not be the holiday I had pictured in my mind, but I am not suffering. Not really. My heart, while a little bruised, is not broken or wounded. My family is displaced, but we are intact. We have each other. I need to remember that what I have is joy. Even when I feel like crying, I need to make myself remember how very blessed I am. Because what right do I have to cry?

Double Dog Dare Ya

Wesley is a carnivore. Ryan is a junk food junkie. Neither of them has much interest in trying anything new to eat. What is funny to me is that they will each try to get the other to try something they themselves love, but the other won't touch.

Most recently Wesley wanted Ryan to try some spicy chicken Italian sausage and Ryan wanted Wesley to try egg nog. They finally decided that they would each try one little bit of the other's food.

Ryan took a small piece of sausage, put it in his mouth and gulped it down with a huge gulp of chocolate milk. He claimed to not like it, but I'm sure he never even got a taste of it.

Of course, since Ryan tried the sausage, Wesley had to hold up his end of the deal. I poured Wesley a teeny bit of egg nog, figuring that if he gagged on it, at least I wouldn't have a lot to clean up. He wound up loving it and announcing that he wished he had listened to his brother and tried it sooner.

While I'm happy they each tried something new, I'm a little worried about how they were able to goad each other into it. It makes me wonder what kind of stupid things they will double dog dare each other to do. And how many of those things I won't find out about until they are out of college.

A Boy of a Certain Age

It's official. Wesley has reached that special time in a young boy's life. A time you don't discuss in polite conversation (but when has that stopped me?) A time teachers and parents alike find themselves dreading.

What magical time do I speak of?

The full blown love of potty humor. That special phase of boys that seems to happen sometime between ages 5-8, although I think Ryan may be advanced in this area.

Tonight as Duane and the boys were heading upstairs for bed Wesley said, "Dad! Look under there!"

Duane looked around and innocently said, "Under where?"

Immediate giggles from the boys. "Ha!" Wesley laughed. "You said underwear!"

And thus, the oldest joke in the elementary school joke book debuted in our house.

Little Mr. Model

Grandma and Grandpa P. gave the boys each a very nice outfit to wear this holiday season. Ryan was particularly taken with his new clothes. When Duane and I went to pick the boys up, Ryan couldn't wait to show off his new outfit, which he was already wearing.

"Do I get to take home?" he asked while running his hands over his sweater.

"Of course," I laughed.

When we got home Ryan was still in full outfit adoration mode.

"Want to feel my new pants?" he asked. "They are super soft!"

I declined, but I'm so happy to know he loves his new clothes. At least we now have one outfit I know he won't fight me about putting on.

To Quote My Husband

There's nothing fair about a funeral for a five year old.

Not Me Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to http://www.mycharmingkids.net/ to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

I have not suddenly blanked out about our living arrangements and started reaching for things where they would be at our old house. And I know I don't get annoyed when I don't find said item where my subconscious thinks it should be.

I did not go out with a friend and tell myself I was only going to have hot chocolate, only to order and eat every bite of a decadent sundae.

There is no way that Ryan, has become such a streaker at home that I felt it was necessary to remind him to keep his clothes on at my library party.

I did not actually hit the dance floor at my work party. And if I did, there's no way I blamed it on Wesley needing a dance partner.

Modern Advent

Wesley and Ryan have really been enjoying their chocolate Advent calendars. It's the first thing they do every morning. Their calendars are identical, but they still check with each other to make sure they get the same shape of chocolate.

This morning Wesley opened his calendar, looked at the chocolate and announced, "Ryan, today we got an email!"

Confused, I walked over to see what shape the candy was. It was an envelope with a heart on it, but I guess it did kind of look like the email icon on my phone and iPad. And they play on my phone and iPad every day, so I guess I can understand where the association came from.

"Wesley, that's not an email. It's a letter. Like the kind you get in the regular mail."

"Oh," he said. "It looked like email to me."

Not Feeling It

I'm trying really hard to get in to the holiday spirit, but it seems to be eluding me so far this year. I just feel overwhelmed and too sad to do anything about it.

Our closing has been delayed AGAIN. Our realtor is hoping to get both closings done on Dec. 21st, but I've just about given up hope.

And too many of my friends are in too much pain this Christmas. My friends have experienced such great loss this year - husbands, babies, young children. I ache for them. I find myself crying at work, in the car, in church.

I want things to be better. I want to feel the joy of the season, but it's so hard this year. I feel like I'm just going through the motions.

Public Service Announcement

I know I joke around a lot on this blog, but this is going to be a serious post.

On Wednesday, a friend and co-worker of mine lost her 5-year-old son when a car ran a red light and hit the vehicle carrying my friend's husband, son, and 3-year old daughter. Her husband and daughter were both released from the hospital, but her son died from his injuries.

The man who was driving the car that struck theirs was driving under the influence and has a lengthy record of OVI. Of course, he was not injured.

My heart just breaks for this family. I cannot imagine the pain they are going through and I have held my children's bit closer and tighter all day.

As we get further into the holiday season, I want to remind everyone to not drive if they have been drinking. Don't drive if you are on anything - even if its legal and you just don't feel quite right while taking it. Put your phone in the back seat - that call or text can wait.

These children were buckled in their car seats and their dad was obeying the law, but some one else's thoughtlessness and total neglect of the well being of others ended the life of a sweet boy whose life had hardly started.

Be careful out there, folks. Life is too precious.

Not Really Bragging Rights

I think Ryan is having a tougher time adjusting to the move and our temporary living arrangements than we thought he would have. He doesn't say anything about it, but in addition to the meltdown at preschool yesterday, he's having quite a few bathroom accidents. The other night he wet the bed for the first time in ages, and we didn't have a waterproof sheet on the bed he's using.

We took a family trip to Target to pick up a waterproof sheet and a few other odds and ends. By the way, Target is just down the street now and I LOVE that! Anyhow, we found the sheet we needed and Ryan not only insisted on carrying it through the store, he proudly told any attractive woman he saw that he was getting a waterproof sheet and would hold it up to show them.

"Um, Ryan, that's not really something you want to brag about," I told him. He didn't care.

Fast forward to check out. Duane is paying the cashier, Wesley is getting cranky and Ryan is in a very good mood.

"Ryan, you behaved pretty well tonight, so you can have electronics back tomorrow," I said.

Wesley immediately went into cranky big brother mode. "Why does Ryan get something and I don't?" he demanded.

I sighed. "Ryan isn't getting anything, he just earned his electronics back tomorrow."

"But that's not fair," Wesley insisted.

"Wesley, you didn't lose electronics so I can't give them back to you."

Wesley pouted for a few minutes more then whined, "How come Ryan always gets everything and I never get anything?"

I spun around and demanded, "Wesley that is not true and you know it. Name one thing Ryan got and you didn't"

Wesley barely had time to think before Ryan piped up, "A waterproof sheet!"

All I Want For Christmas

All I want for Christmas is for this closings on the house we are selling and the house we are buying to actually happen! Once again, it looks probable that the closing on the sale of our house isn't going to happen (again) this week. Which would mean we can't close on the new house on Monday.

Our realtor says this just happens sometimes and that we will "have a happy ending. It just might be a novel instead of a short story."

Ugh! Can't we just skip to the last page?

He Knows if You've Been Bad or Good

The bad: Ryan was a big old brat yesterday morning after I left. Just awful at school drop off and during the first part of school. I was embarrassed just hearing about it all from Grandma.

"I'm probably going to have to tell Santa about how you acted today," I told him.

"Noooo!!!" He called. Then Ryan hung his head and sighed, "He already knows."

The good: Wesley voluntarily tried pan fried fish at dinner last night. He tried one bite, then tried a second bite with ketchup. "Not too bad," he said, "but I don't think I'll have any more." Still, two bites was more than I ever dreamed he'd try.

Continuing with the good, Wesley drew a picture to hang up in Sanders' cage at the vet. It's a picture of me holding Sanders, Wesley holding Sadie and Ryan holding Gus. Then there are a bunch of pink girl cats in the picture who are all in love with Sanders. That should cheer Sanders temporary place right up.

Getting Ready for the Holidays

Ryan is busy getting ready for the holidays. Yesterday on the way home Ryan told me about the songs they are learning at his school for the holiday program. "There is a song about a dreidel. A dreidel is kind of like a top, but it's a cube with a cylinder on top and an upside pyramid on the bottom."

I can honestly say I was a little surprised by that. Not that he knows what a dreidel is, but the way he described it. He's really taken by the idea of a dreidel too. Last night as Grandma and I were heading out to go shopping, Ryan called out, "Could you please get me a dreidel?"

Turns out that was a little easier said then done. The only dreidels we found in a three store search, was a four pack of sports ball dreidels. I just don't think that's what Ryan had in mind, so the search continues.

Ryan is also busy prepping for Christmas. Yesterday while Wesley was at school, Ryan went to see Santa and his workshop with Grandma and Grandpa P. I think he had a great time. He had the opportunity to make a wooden train in Santa's workshop, but he didn't want to do it then. Luckily the "elves" let him take the pieces home and Ryan and Grandpa did the assembly later on. Grandpa + Ryan + power tools = well, I was going to say trouble, but I think it actually equalled fun.

Not Me Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to http://www.mycharmingkids.net/ to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

I did not see a bag on the seat of my car and think "Oh, how sweet! Duane left me a little surprise" before remembering that it was the toothbrush and floss I got at the dentist office that morning.

I did not take the kids to eat at the Target food court when the three of us went shopping because it seemed easier than trying to take them to more than one place that evening.

I did not get through 98% of the move without injuring myself, only to pull something in my back and nearly render myself immobile while reaching for the shampoo in the shower.

I did not allow Ryan to make, and attempt to eat, a hot sauce sandwich for dinner one night.