Merry Christmas!

I love Christmas! Really, I do. I listen to Christmas music all year and I love to decorate my house. Normally I start decorating in November and don’t put all of the decorations away until February. (Brittany makes me put them away before Valentines Day.)

But this year was different.

Three weeks before Christmas I began to panic because I knew “Santa” had no presents for us and we didn’t have a tree to put them under anyway. So, what went wrong? I couldn’t get excited about decorating or shopping. Finally, Morgan and I drug out the tree and a few decorations. I put ornaments on the top half of the tree, just out of Zane’s reach, and hung a festive snowman sign on my door. I spent a couple afternoons shopping on-line and made a couple quick trips in to town.

Then I was done.

The stockings sat on the couch until two days before Christmas when I finally got out the hangers and put them up. My plan of getting things done early was completely shot so we waited until Christmas Eve day to pass out goodies to the neighbors. I don’t know how it happened but Christmas snuck up on me before I was ready! We did have a nice time with Scott’s sister and her family on Christmas day.

I think that is what it is all about – spending time with family and friends.

It wasn’t a Martha Stewart Christmas but we had snow and we had fun.

That’s all that matters, right?

What is that Boy Saying?

The kids are playing peacefully as I frantically try to finish washing the dishes before one of them needs something. Then a little voice behind me says “Mom. Mom. Mom.” I turn to find Zane standing in the kitchen calling my name as if he has something profound to tell me. When I ask him what he needs he replies with the most sincere gibberish. What is he talking about? It sounds important but all I can do is nod and tell him okay. He seems satisfied and wanders back to the toys, still “talking”. If only I knew what he was really trying to say! What makes me nervous is Brittany was the same way – and she hasn’t stopped talking since. There are still times when I have no idea what she is talking about either. I fear he is going to grow up to be just like her.

Happy Day

We are having a happy day! Just thought we would share.

The Doctor is In

After nearly two months of not sleeping, I took Zane to the doctor. It was either that or move his bed to the garage so the rest of us could get some sleep. Some nights he would wake up every 20 minutes and cry. Other nights he would wake up and cry for hours. If only kids came with a check engine light. Then we could plug them in, run some diagnostics, and get a print out on what needs to be fixed. The receptionist at the doctor’s office needed to know what Zane was being seen for and I wanted to say, “to save his life and my sanity” but I didn’t. We talked to the doctor about food allergies and the possibility of being lactose intolerant. The doctor wants to wait until he is three to do the blood tests and told me to try Tums at bedtime for now. He has had a stuffy nose for two months also but fortunately no ear infection. So last night he got a dose of Dimetapp for the stuffy nose and Tums for the belly ache and we actually got some sleep. He slept for 10 hours! I felt so rested that I got up at 6am and surprised Brittany. It is amazing what a little sleep will do for you!

Thankful for Turkey

It was an exhausting but uneventful drive to La Grande. Morgan was so excited to go to Grandma and Grandpa’s house that she had her stuff packed a week early. It was nice to relax and visit with family and see the new baby. I think the highlight of our trip though was when we all sat down at the table to eat on Thanksgiving Day. The conversation had quieted as we all became focused on our food. Morgan plunged her fork into the stack of turkey on her plate and then held a piece over her head. “Gobble, gobble, gobble!” she exclaimed excitedly and then stuffed the piece of turkey into her mouth. It was like some kind of turkey toast. Maybe we should have all raised our turkey and shouted, “Gobble, gobble, gobble!”

The View

The view from my kitchen window is nothing special. Most days it is boring. The dog is usually curled up asleep in the middle of the lawn and occasionally a truck drives by, creating a cloud of dust, on the road just beyond the fence. And like most potato fields, the one behind our house is not very entertaining. But one morning we awoke to the sound of machinery in the field. It was harvest day. The kids were suddenly fascinated with the kitchen window. While one truck was being loaded there were at least two waiting in line. When the lead truck was full it would move out and the next truck would slip into place beside the digger just as another truck would find its place at the end of the line. The trucks moved across the field as if in a well choreographed dance, everyone knew their part. Morgan was impressed with how well the trucks took turns. Zane was excited to see what was making all the noise. Even the dog sat at the fence most of the day watching the view.

Typical Thursday Morning:

6:45am: Try to jump in the shower before Zane wakes up – too late, he’s awake
7:00am: Breakfast with Zane and say goodbye to Brittany
7:20am: Shower with Zane while he screams
7:30am: Get Zane and myself dressed so he will stop screaming
7:45am: Morgan is awake now, fix her breakfast and clean a little in the kitchen
8:00am: Do my hair and makeup while Zane destroys my bathroom
8:15am: Kick Zane out of the bathroom so I can put it back together
8:25am: Get Morgan dressed for the day while Zane destroys the living room
8:45am: Kick Zane out of the living room so I can put it back together
9:00am: Scoot Zane and the toys back into the bedroom and pack the diaper bag
9:10am: Ignore the mess in the bedroom, feed Zane a snack (put his shoes on while he is tied down in the highchair)
9:30am: Help Morgan with her shoes and coat, wish I had left Zane in the highchair
9:35am: Put Zane in crib so I can put all of the books back on the shelves
9:45am: Out the door and headed for town
10:00 to 10:30am: While Morgan is in Speech Therapy attempt to entertain Zane in the waiting room, mostly just apologize as Zane throws the balls and trucks at everyone
10:45am: Back home – is it nap time yet?!
11:00am: Fix lunch while Zane empties the kitchen cupboards
11:15am: Put Zane in the highchair with his lunch, clean up the kitchen, convince Morgan that her turkey sandwich is a ham sandwich, and eat my sandwich while making chocolate milk
11:30am: Clean Zane, the highchair, the wall, and the floor while both kids are locked in the bedroom
11:45am: Nap time is finally here!

Pony vs. Teddy Bear

I handed Zane a soft, cuddly pony to snuggle with as I prepared to nurse him before his nap. He looked at it and immediately dropped it on the floor. He was sure all he needed was Mom. I scooped him up with the pony and tucked it under his arm as he settled in to nurse. He again dropped it to the floor. Just then Morgan called out from the bedroom. I sat Zane on the floor with the pony so I could quickly help her before we got too comfortable in our chair. Zane, crying now, followed me to the bedroom and vigorously threw the pony at me. Apparently he didn’t want the pony to be his secure attachment object. As we settled into the chair once again I assured him that he would need to find something to be attached to, besides me. A few days later I went to get him out of his crib after his nap and he was clutching a red teddy bear. He had made his selection. Now, when it is time to sleep I ask “Where is your teddy bear?” and he promptly finds it. Dad wants to know what happened to the pony. . .

Let’s Eat Cake!

Not every teenage girl is content to have a birthday party with a bunch of preschoolers. Especially when it’s her 16th birthday! The neighbor kids were at our house all day. I had them help me decorate a small cake, make birthday cards, and fill Brittany’s bedroom with balloons. The kids could hardly wait to eat the cake. We were playing outside when she came home so she wouldn’t suspect anything. We all ran to greet Brittany and she thought we were just happy to see her. Then one of the children shouted “Let’s eat cake!” The surprise was over. Happy Birthday Brittany! You are so awesome! We love you!

The Beginning

I have decided that it is time to go high tech. Everybody's doin' it so why not try. As if I don't have enough to do during the day. However, it has been great to keep up on what the family is doing in Oregon and Georgia so I thought they might be interested in what we are doing in Idaho. I am not going to commit to writing everyday but I will try to update it often and include some pictures very soon. So here goes . . . My first post.