It is Stirring

You know how Twas the Night Before Christmas says "not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse". Well it's New Year's Eve and creatures are stirring including a mouse. Grayson and Maggie are vicious and fierce hunters only in their dreams. They've been standing guard around the couch downstairs and run after it into the non-exercise room and back to the couch. It's a game of cat and mouse you could say. I doubt they will be having a midnight toast to the mouse and the mouse will live to see 2009.
Cheers and Happy New Year!

Edit: The mouse may have seen 2009 but not much of it. (I'm not Gil Grissom or anything, so I can't say for sure.) Sorry for any mouse advocates out there, but Maggie didn't mean any real harm. She was just playing with it and having fun with her "toy".

Still December

Christmas seems like it takes so long to get here and then it's done in a flash. I blogged and photo'd every day of Christmas week. And now we're in that odd little place after Christmas but before the end of the year. Time to look back at what's been done and then to look at what could be on the horizon. I never try to look too far ahead, but I catch myself daydreaming a lot (like winning just a small chunk of change in the lottery, sitting on a nice beach somewhere). I've been reading a blog written by a hilariously funny woman in Canada. She's been doing a theme called "Days of Grace". In addition to her regular posts she also posts a daily list of 5 things she is thankful for that day. Sometimes it's little stuff like being able to pack a suitcase in 10 minutes, or big stuff like having siblings home to decorate for Christmas. It's an ambitious project. I don't think I could do it on a daily basis. I sure could give it a try on a semi-regular basis because I am grateful for the little things and the big things in my life.
We had five days at home for Christmas. A lot of family bonding time and it went fairly smooth with only small hiccups. We're supposed to be getting back into a routine today. Adrian is still off work for another week but he has appointments lined up (vet, chiro, lunch, etc.). It's almost 8 am and I am the only one awake. I was going to put my coffee in a travel mug. Instead it's in a regular mug so the boys can have just a little more sleep. I think they have taken to this sleeping in thing a little too well. Don't get me wrong, it's grand. But I do have a job to get to, which I am also thankful for, considering the alternative. Of course I could play hooky and stay home. I would play on the Wii all day. I'm already a pro in bowling. I KO Adrian every time we box. I need to work on my golf game. But then what kind of example would I be setting for my children? Hmmm... Since I'm already dressed with my hair done, I'll go on to work today. And I'll drag the boys out of bed and make them get dressed too. At least we'll have Thursday at home, and then the weekend. Friday will just seem out of sorts this week.

Christmas Week - Saturday

I wish this picture came out more clear (maybe I should have also ironed my shirt). It's one of my new favorite things. My stepmother gave me a necklace for Christmas. It came from this artist (link), in case you want one too. There's a silver hammered square for each child with their name stamped in it, and a little hammered heart. It's precious and I love it!

Christmas Week - Friday

Just after 10 am the day after Christmas, guess who finally decided to get out of bed. He must have worn himself out with all the excitement.

Christmas Day

Christmas morning started early. Nicholas was up and ready to go around 7:15 am, a reasonable time in comparison to stories I've heard from other families.

Nicholas was so excited that Santa gave him exactly what he asked for - a light saber and Storm Trooper helmet. He also got some Playmobil figures - knights and a pirate. Travis wasn't sure what to make of everything. He made his way through with some help and got what he would have asked for, if he could speak. A Weebles treehouse, Duplo blocks, a rocket ship, and the list goes on. It's amazing how that Santa thing works out.
We ate a hodge podge breakfast of french toast sticks, waffles, fruit, and juice. We all got dressed and ready for a drive to Winston to see my family. I forgot about the gift Nicholas picked out for Adrian and got it from its hiding place just before we left.

Something tells me it was really for himself. Adrian was happy anyway because it's the thought that counts, right?

While at my mom's, Travis received a travel size and full size MagnaDoodle from his Secret Santa cousin.

Tony Stark, I mean Nicholas, got an Iron Man costume from my mom. He loves it! Can you see the hilariously large muscles?

We came home from visiting my mom and assorted family in Winston and immediately Adrian set up the Wii. Travis tried to figure out the Wiimote. So far it's been great for family entertainment. Adrian and I will be competing in several events later this evening after the kids are in bed.
Thank you to everyone for making this a great Christmas. I think the boys loved every minute of it. And we did too!

Christmas Eve

While Adrian was cooking (I know, hard to believe) I took the boys up the street. We drive by this house every day. There's eight big inflatable things, some of which are mobile. An insane amount of light up candy canes. And new this year, a row of small trees with bows and lights. Seeing it at night is an even more special treat. There's a huge star type of thing on the second floor that spins around, or appears to.

And we have the luxury of living directly across the street from this house. So we can see it any time we like just by looking out our windows. You're jealous, right?

Here you have two little boys all clean and wearing pajamas sitting by the fireplace with their best "I've been extra good this year" expressions on.

I read "Twelve Days of Christmas". Nicholas only chimed in for the 5 golden rings and partridge in a pear tree lines. He definitely has my singing ability! I found "Twas the Night Before Christmas" on the internet. Sadly we don't have a copy of it.

Soon both boys will be snug in their beds waiting for Santa's treasure trove to appear.

Christmas Week - Tuesday

Please dismiss the messy dining/craft room in the background.
Thanks for all the Christmas cards! I think I left a couple at work. The cards always kick off the holiday spirit around here. Kudos to Morgan for being the first card this year.

Christmas Week - Monday

Thanks Grandma Do! I bought some new earrings. And a belt. And a winter hat. And part of a baby sitter for Saturday night. :)

Christmas Week - Sunday

How could I pick just one photo to represent the day?


I just don't have the words for this one. Except maybe...blackmail. Ha Ha Ha.


Travis taking possession of a wiffle ball.


Nicholas dressing himself. He said it was wacky tacky day at home.


A duel. This went on for quite a while this morning. Lots of giggling. The fly swatter was a good choice for the little guy.


I found where Grayson sleeps. In front of a heat vent, under the tree, surrounded by presents.

Random Stuff

A holiday craft project we picked up at Michael's last week. It was a lot harder to create than the directions led me to believe. I challenge a seven year old to put that together by themselves. The poor snowmen have toothpicks all in them to hold the foam balls together.


A shot of the gift bags for the boys' teachers. I used leftover fleece to make the bags. I really should have gone the easy route and made them pillowcase style, but that didn't occur to me until I was trying to sew the bottoms onto the bags. Oh well. I printed off a poem a friend of mine wrote about how teachers are planting the seeds of the future with our children, baked some cookies, threw in some Lindt truffles and a packet of hot cocoa mix, tossed in tree ornaments, and added a little Thank You card for an extra touch. Since pretty much all of it came from stuff around the house or was handmade, it was pretty cheap.


Poor Travis is growing a mullet. The only part of his hair that is growing is the curls in the back. The sides just will not grow in. No one has mistaken him for a girl...yet. We are in NC, so maybe he'll be mistaken for a redneck baby.

I had read on another blog about celebrating Winter Solstice with new pajamas. Since it's the longest night of the year, it made complete sense. The boys and I went to Target and picked out new pajamas. Anything new excites Nicholas, especially if it comes from Target. He is so pleased with his striped pajama pants. He calls them big boy pajamas because they don't have any emergency or construction vehicles or animals on them. Travis is probably happy to have pajamas that are not hand-me-downs.

I don't have a picture of it, but all the leaves have been raked down to the curb. Adrian had spent the last two Saturdays coaching a lacrosse team in tournaments. Eight boys came to our house on Thursday with all their leaf gear (blowers, ear covers, rakes, etc.) and went to work. It took them a couple hours. I'd say that amounts to the same amount of man hours that Adrian spent away from home, so it's all fair. And in typical teenage boy style, they put tons of leaves around one guy's SUV to block him in. Then they took video and photos of him trying to pull away from the curb. Ahh - teenage testosterone. I can't wait until about 12 years from now!

All is Calm

So it's a Monday morning at 7:15 am and I am the only one awake. Really we should be out the door in the next 30 minutes. I am dressed with hair done and no one has even stirred. It's the scary quiet around here. Birds chirping, the neighbors are slamming car doors as they set off for the day, the sky is still kind of grey because even it hasn't woken up yet. I also know that any moment someone will wake up and the domino effect will start. Nicholas will slink his way down the stairs and sit on the couch to watch TV. Or Adrian will not-so-quietly fumble around upstairs to find clothes and take a shower. Or Travis will throw his pacifier and blankets out of the crib and scream until someone comes to free him from "jail". Whoever wakes first guarantees the others will follow.
Now I have my cup of tea, green and white fusion and I will wait out, secretly jealous, the slumber party. This tea is important. I ran out of tea and only various flavors of decaf left (vanilla red, double spice chai, raspberry). The only tea with caffeine in the house is the family size Lipton bags that are meant for iced tea. Out of desperation I brewed some. I didn't let it steep as long as normal but still it was pretty strong. It served its purpose. I am glad I remembered to put tea on the grocery list because normal tea is much better.
What mug am I drinking from? It's a Far Side mug with dinosaurs sitting around a table. It says, "Well, time for our weekly brain-stem-storming session."
What's coming up this week? Adrian is only working a couple of days then he's off for the rest of the year. Punk. I hope he knows he is in for a honey-do list. I will have to make it extensive because it will not be completely done and prioritizing has no influence. I have to improve my odds of getting what I really want done by adding a bunch of other less appealing tasks.
The boys have a holiday deal at school on Thursday, I think. I believe all the sign up slots for bringing in stuff were filled up. Drat (sarcastically). At least I don't have to remember to bring in anything.
Well, people don't seem to be waking themselves and we are going to be dreadfully late. I might have to go round up some pots and wooden spoons and do this myself.

Chores

Nicholas was helping me clean the tub and shower this morning. While I was in the hallway bathroom cleaning the tub (which requires removal of a ship, a fleet of ducks and fish, and 12 suction cup non-slip ducks) he was doing something in the master bathroom. Later when I came to the master bathroom to start cleaning the shower, he announced, "Look mom, I put the green ones together and the white ones together." At first I had no idea what he was referring to. Well, until I looked on the counter. The contact lens cases had been "fixed". One case had only green lids, and the other had only white lids. Luckily, I already had my contacts in so I knew my case was the empty one and I didn't know the extent of lid swapping that took place. And I forgot to tell Adrian, who had not put his lenses in yet, what Nicholas did. So I'm wondering how he fared sorting left lens from right lens.

Haircut

Nicholas got his first professional haircut today. Such a big step for the little guy. He had developed a phobia of clippers, and my attempts at a scissor cut were a bit choppy. It had been almost 3 months since his last haircut and it was growing over his ears and sticking up wildly in the mornings. I found out Cost Cutters has toys each month to keep kids coming back - nothing like old fashioned bribery. But it worked! Nicholas got a key chain watch and last month's toy, binoculars, and a lollipop. He was so pleased with how well he sat still and got a big boy haircut. He asked the nice lady to cut it like the man in the poster. It was funny that he knew to say that considering he's never been to a hair salon.


Before


After

Big Thanks of the Day

This one goes out to Erica. She deserves special recognition today. Note to her: spoiler alert! - if she's paying close attention. The rest of you can keep on reading.

• Based on her very enthusiastic response to a gift I selected for someone, I have now closed out my Christmas shopping. Credit cards have been charged. The spreadsheet has been updated, tallied, and closed. A big woohoo to that accomplishment!
  
• One of her gift requests sent me to a long forgotten store where I got suckered into the "buy one, get one 50% off" special. I might just love some Brazil Nut Body Butter. And no, it's not any of the edible stuff, get out of the gutter. It's awesome moisturizing stuff for my knees, elbows, and cuticles. Plus it smells so rich.
  

Almost Done

I burned a vacation day for Christmas shopping, and other domestic tasks. I've been having some neck and shoulder trouble recently. The chiro is working on it. I bought one of those memory foam contour pillows that I am hoping will be a life-altering experience. I also cleaned the toilets inside and out, totally yuck when you have two males that use them.

Happy to report - I am so close to finished with shopping. I would be 100% done if the following two things could have happened:

1. I had a web-accessible phone so that I could check a price of a book on Amazon.
2. My 3yo owned a cell phone so that I could ask if an alternate super hero calendar is okay or if it has to be Batman.

Now I also have to figure out how to get this stuff wrapped. Is there any place Adrian could take both boys? Or will I have to burn a vacation day just for wrapping? Are there magical gift-wrapping elves that will do it?

On another note, I made these delicious deviled eggs (see: recipe). You can never go wrong with bacon and cheddar. It makes me think of the Beggin' Strips commercial when the dog is screaming, "bacon, bacon, bacon...I smell bacon." I took them to the annual sock swap event yesterday (you bring 2 pairs of normal socks and 1 pair of wacky socks, wrapped separately, and swap yankee style). And I came home with three pairs of practical socks, thanks to very lucky number drawing in rounds 2 and 3. I can't say the same for the other 25 attendees. Some lucky lady went home with a standard pair of chimney socks (red brick with white fur "snow" at the top) that had an addition of black felt Santa boots sticking out. Hee hee. It was even funnier when someone else brought the same chimney socks, sans Santa boots of course.

Lucky Day - So Far

As promised, my mission was to go to a store today and get more lights to correct the hedgerow fiasco. Adrian headed off to an all day lacrosse thing in Durham. So I got the boys and myself dressed and ready. We were at Home Depot before 9 am! I got 2 boxes of clear lights to go in place of the LED in the pattern Adrian created. We picked up a three foot stake of Nicholas's choice. It has Santa's sleigh and says "Merry Christmas" on it. On our way to the check out an employee mentioned the Kids Workshop in the back of the store. I had no idea it was happening so we went to investigate. I registered both boys, it was free and no age limit. They received kid size Home Depot aprons with their names on it. Little stations were set up with overturned buckets for seats, plywood tables, safety goggles and hammers. We built two table top easels to display their artwork. How fun, and such a random lucky occurence.

Nicholas modeling his apron and showing how the pockets hold his tools perfectly. And don't forget safety goggles. Safety first, never last.

We've been in this house for eight years. This is the first time we've decorated outside for the holidays. You can see the fake wreath Adrian purchased. Totally worth the money because I don't have to figure out how to adorn it. We've always had these baskets flanking the entryway and they're usually empty yearround. Since our house is south-facing, I can't put flowers in them because they would roast all day in the full sun. I decided to get creative and filled them with pine clippings, berries, and pine cones. All of these are readily available in vast quantities in my front yard. I think they turned out rather nice.

Like Mother Like Son

I allowed Adrian to buy outdoor Christmas lights all by himself. According to him, there were only 3 boxes of clear lights so he bought 2 boxes of LED to cover the hedgerow. Maybe in the daylight it didn't look so bad. When I got home I could not believe my eyes. My hedgerow had an alternating clear light - LED pattern. I was speechless. How could this have happened? Adrian knows my longstanding opinion of mixing lights. You either go one way or the other for traditional decorating. The Griswolds, that's just a whole other world that I could not live in. While I am embarrassed to leave them on all night, I will wait until tomorrow to purchase more of one or the other kind of light and correct the situation.
I cooked noodles for dinner. We were low on egg noodles and farfalle (bowtie), so I threw them both in the pot. Travis went to town on them. I served a bowl to Nicholas and you would have thought I had just backed over Mr. Potatohead with a steamroller. "There's two kinds of noodles!" The meltdown passed and he agreed to eat, but only the egg noodles.
Looking back, I find it funny - sometimes he is just like me.

Calendar - Done

Behold! Christmas Countdown Calendar 2008!

It seems kids will still put all the ornaments at the bottom of the tree even when gluing paper.

He loves putting up a sticker every morning until the big day arrives! Then the calendar usually stays on the wall for several months. I had to take down his birthday countdown calendar to put this up. Yes, I know his birthday was in March, but it was so cute with the Easter stickers.

Taking the High Road

Yesterday I received a letter in Nicholas's folder at school. It was addressed to "Fellow Parents". They're organizing a teacher appreciation holiday party. I was given a list of ways I can be involved.

• Sign up to prepare and bring a desert for Friday December 5th
• Donate $5-$10 (we'll be ordering some of the deserts, coffee, and hot chocolate. We'll also be providing some gift cards for game prizes)

Aside from the minor errors throughout the letter, I was really caught be the idea of having deserts at the party. I thought about responding to the e-mail address provided and offering to bring a diorama shoebox complete with cacti and tumbleweeds. However, I know the mother that signed the letter. We've hung out while our sons played several times and she's cooked us dinner before. I decided to not take the risk of insulting her intelligence and will just let it go. It's a common mistake and spell-checker is not going to catch it. My favorite way to remember the spelling of dessert is: it has 2 s's because you want to eat twice as much!

Coworker Suspicions

For several weeks I've suspected the girl sitting across from me is pregnant. We've been wall mates for almost a year so I sort of know her habits. Nothing has been confirmed but I'm getting closer to the truth I tell you. She probably thinks she's being sneaky. Little does she know, I have can be keenly observant when I don't want to be working. Here are my clues thus far:

1. Stopped bringing in homemade lunches everyday and has been buying lunch from the cafeteria (which is good food, btw). - It's because she's too tired and/or nauseous to make them in the mornings.
2. Looser fitting clothes, going as far as wearing a really baggy sweater which I would swear belongs to her husband. - Obviously having a fashion crisis with her regular wardrobe.
3. Working from home about 1 - 2 days a week which she never did before because her husband works from home everyday. - It's because she's too tired and/or nauseous to make herself presentable to appear in the office.
4. And finally today she wore an empire waist shirt which could totally pass as maternity. - She has accepted her state and is almost ready to go public.

So there you have it, my keen observational skills at work. One of two things will happen - either she's pregnant and will let us know soon, or she's gained some weight and is feeling really insecure. Stay tuned...

Thanksgiving Part Deux

It's a tradition in my family to celebrate Thanksgiving on Saturday at my sister Lorre's house. This year we decided to spend the night at my mom's afterwards. Especially because my little sister Morgan and her husband Brian were also staying there, along with their chihuahua Carlos. We arrived on Saturday around 10 am. Travis went down for a nap and the rest of us walked over to SECCA (a contemporary art museum behind my mom's house) to go geocaching, not to look at art. We were 3 for 3 on our finds for the day. I think they all enjoyed learning a new pasttime. Then back to the house for lunch for everyone. Once both boys were down for nap, Adrian and I snuck out to Whole Foods to buy our potluck dinner contribution, bread.


At dinner, we tried to take group photos since everyone was there. It's not often this happens with such a large group. The estimated head count for dinner was 40 plus.

Sister, brother, half-sisters, half-sisters' half-sisters

Top row: Lesley, Eanne, Lorre, Cam, Chris, me, Alden
Bottom row: Morgan, Lauren, Elizabeth, Kate

Grandchildren

Top row: Madeline, Kathryn, Meredith, Travis, Ellen, Cortland, Alec, MacGregor, Jimmy
Bottom row: Isabel, Mary, Colleen, Jacob, Nicholas

All of the above plus parents and spouses

A whole lot of people!

It's Official

Travis has decided that he is now ready to walk. He started with just the convenient steps between things (i.e. table and chair). He is now up to walking about 90% of the time. If he falls down he finishes his route by crawling.



I have some amazing video footage but it errored out and I'm not tech-savvy enough to figure it out. Maybe my resident support person will step in.

We Are Thankful

Look at the bountiful harvest, full tummies, and happy children. I don't know if we could be more thankful. :)

It's a Girl!

Isn't she just the cutest little girl monster you ever saw?
And the dress isn't sewn across the neck so it could be like a pocket. Is it strange that you could hide things down her dress?
Please give feedback on the coordinating bow. It was Adrian's idea.

Not a Happy Place

We (the boys and me) stopped by Whole Foods on the way home to pick up our pre-ordered Thanksgiving dinner. Yes, my time is that valuable. There was no holiday love at that store. Oh my goodness. Complete insanity. The one in Raleigh is teeny-tiny with a teeny-tiny parking lot with teeny-tiny parking spaces. It seems there is a big running race this weekend and people were doing early check-in at the running store next to Whole Foods, too. We parked a reasonable distance from the entrance to the store. Apparently the rule of yielding to pedestrians was tossed aside today, especially the one applying to pedestrians carrying a child and holding hands with another child. My adorable son stopped to smell all the flowers right by the door. Who am I to stop him, I thought it was awesome that he could be oblivious to the craziness and stop to smell the flowers. Once you're inside and you have to locate the check-in for pre-orders and put your life is at risk. People pushing their teeny-tiny shopping carts will ram right into you and your loved ones. We survived the collection of our order (the lady was giving away free truffles while you wait) and got in a check-out line. That went fairly smooth (thanks friendly cashier girl!). Back out to the evil parking lot. We jumped the shopping cart off the curb (a convenient slope couldn't be found) and again not being yielded to got back to our car. People actually waited with turn signals flickering while I loaded the trunk. Now what did they think was going to happen to my shopping cart? I never ever just leave my cart, and as you can probably assume, a cart return is only located by the store entrance. Ugh. Hike ourselves to the cart return and back to the car. Finally we are buckled in and squeeze out of our teeny-tiny parking space while yielding to pedestrians. I am thankful for my pre-cooked Thanksgiving dinner. And thankful for my parents teaching me all the proper and polite ways to behave in the parking lot. I am hopeful that all the crazy shoppers I encountered today will slow down and enjoy this Thanksgiving holiday. Really, people, just take it easy out there!

New Creatures

Based on the feedback from my attempt at photography, I did a half-hearted effort today to close that out. You will just have to be surprised when the postman comes to your house. Instead I focused on a different project today. I picked up fleece remnants, fur, and felt at Jo-Anne's. One of Nicholas's books was the inspiration and he gave significant input on the project.

Your Vote Counts

Today was a beautiful day and the boys were being agreeable (and tomorrow is the last day of Snapfish's big photocard sale). I took over 100 pictures and narrowed it down. I am looking for your opinions. I can't decide which one is the best?


1. Clapping Leaves

2. Inspecting Leaves

3. Seriously, mom?

4. Looking off

5. Travis thru the net

6. Nicholas thru the net

7. Goal perspective

8. Boys thru the net

9. Nicholas in goal

10. Side by side in goal