where did YOU party tonight?

My plans were a nice retrospective on the year we've spent together, talking about our good times, eating a meal together since David was getting off work at a decent time, and maybe catching a movie all snuggled on the couch. Didn't happen. Dennis had a fever this morning (because he sensed that the doctor's office would be closed for the New Year's holiday) that got progressively worse throughout the day. When I went to check on him after his very long nap, he said "Mommy, Baby Bird is SICK." My heart melted appropriately, of course. When his temp reached 102, I paged the pediatrician, who confirmed my suspicion that I needed to get him to the hospital tonight to have him tested for flu. It's rampant here right now, and the vaccine hasn't prevented some people from getting it. If he had flu, we would have to start him on the flu medicine within the first 48 hours. So we had our New Year's Eve party in the emergency room, celebrating with a feast of Cheetos, Rice Krispie treats, and carbonated beverages while we waited for the life threatening emergencies to filter through and get transferred. He tested negative for the flu. We are so, so glad. He got a shot (and this was a HUGE ordeal--the screaming brought every employee to the room, and Dennis scored a new stuffed panda for his trouble) and some cough medicine. He's in bed now after INSISTING we take him to Walmart just minutes before they closed so he could buy the red Happy New Year hat he'd seen yesterday. He's asleep, of course, as he was as soon as we got in the car after Walmart. We spent 4 hours in the hospital tonight. We're all exhausted.

I found Dennis' Fisher Price castle loaded down with Army Men this morning when I went in to play with him. He had precisely set each man up to peer around the turrets. He said they were looking for bad guys. Pretty funny! And tonight in the hospital, I was trying to distract him from the coming shot, and I kept asking him if I could sleep in his bed or with this toy or that toy, or watch this movie or that one, (all his stuff, so he kept saying "no" and laughing). Finally he just said "no, Mommy, those are all MY options!".

So, 2010 was wonderful and we are hopeful and expectant for the same or better in 2011. Happy New Year, everyone!

under the weather again

I'm not feeling particularly prosaic tonight, having just made a late night medicine run for a sick little guy. No fever, again, but his cough got worse and worse as our night progressed. He fell asleep on the last page of his bedtime story book (Busy Boats, a book that always makes me think of Caedmon as do all the 'Busy' books: Busy Wheels, Busy City, etc, books from David's childhood that I remember owning and loving as well). He rolled over with his back to the book to go to sleep, and this is so out of the ordinary for him that David and I exchanged one of those parental-type looks of concern with each other before running for the Badger Winter Wonder Balm (like Vicks, but all natural). He has a runny nose and a cough, but those are his only symptoms. I went out for homeopathic stuff, not something you can find late at night in a small southern rural town (or even NOT late at night here) unless your mom happens to have some on hand (thanks, Gran) and I'll bet both our moms do now that I think about it. There was a much higher probability that Gran was still up, though, and she was when I called. She also (thank heavens) had a nice supply of toilet paper, something we had reached Critical Low Point on at the house, and I didn't remember until 10:57 (Walmart and Winn Dixie both close at 11 these days). Gran to the rescue!

Dennis is sleeping peacefully, not coughing, having no trouble breathing. So now I can rest easier! I'll leave you with this photo he snapped of his Lego Toy Story Army Men--pretty arty, I think!

pottery wheel fun

Dennis got a pottery wheel as a gift from Gran and Pop on Christmas Eve. He waited a day or two (what with all the gifts from Santa that came much later that night) before he began to tell us "I want to make a pot out of clay." The past 2 days, it's been a constant refrain. Yesterday I had the migraine and today we had another obligation scheduled for the afternoon, so it looked like tomorrow was the big day. The Tire Gods had other plans. After loading Dennis and his minimal accessories into the Tracker, I rounded the back end and discovered a VERY flat rear tire (and a fairly flat spare). There's a compressor here, but I'm a wuss, and I didn't want to deal with it with Dennis running in circles around the car while I attempted my first tire change. I've always wanted to know if I could do it, but I didn't have enough gumption today to find out, not when I have such a capable husband due home in a few short hours.

So, we had some hours opened up to us, and we set up the pottery wheel. Yes, it is as messy and as fun as you imagine it will be beforehand. Dennis had seen a show once about it, so he was demonstrating to me what we had to do with our hands to make a pot. He was right. And though it said it was for older kids on the box, he handled it as well as I did just about, and we got equally messy, the 3 year old and the 35 year old. You can't always go by those recommended ages (though he did ask me if he could taste the wet clay, most probably because it looked in color and consistency exactly like a Wendy's chocolate Frosty).

We worked at it for over an hour, trying out different shapes, wetting our hands with the cup of water I'd set out beforehand, happily splattering wet clay all over our disposable plastic "art project" tablecloth (it's on at least its 5th or 6th use, excellent for a $1 purchase). We made some seriously ugly pots before collapsing the clay back into a big lump. Dennis was ready to be done, though, so we left the last one intact to dry. Dennis noticed all the wet clay splatters drying all over his clean new wheel, and he stopped shaping the pot to grab baby wipes and begin scrubbing the machine! He said "we need to clean this before we do any more." This is not usual for him, but he does like a clean house and room. He scrubbed and scrubbed. It took LOTS of baby wipes to clean the wheel AND ourselves. The directions said it was easy cleanup with water, and it was, but they also warn you that clay WILL clog your plumbing. So no handy-dandy sink rinsing for us! Dennis can hardly wait for the pot to dry so he can paint and decorate it!

little king

I spent the day living in Dennis' own fantasy world. I had a migraine today, a bad one, and I let David have the morning with him. When it came time for him to go to work, Dennis announced (from his bean bag 'throne') "I am the king, and I say you can't go to work today." We stared at him, and he spoke again, authoritatively, "the king will stop you from leaving."

He left his throne for naptime, and after his nap (the worst part of my headache), he came to find me prostrate on the couch. He was wearing his Santa hat, deemed me his elf, and told me we had lots of toys to deliver. He made several trips back and forth to his room and loaded the couch 'sleigh' with toys. And he sat his beanbag in front of the couch, plopped himself in it, grabbed up imaginary reins, yelled out the names of the reindeer and then "NOW DASH AWAY!!". He told me "you have to tell me when we get to the houses so I can stop and deliver the toys--all the children are counting on me!". I did so, and he made the appropriate halting motions with the imaginary reins and got up to deliver toys. So I've been an elf today, and I did a stint as Mrs. Claus, all while sick on the sofa. When David got home tonight, there Dennis sat again on his throne (having finished a ginormous bowl of popcorn), arms poised, and he immediately resumed the role of king. "Hello, friend, how have you been?" he asked of David in his best king voice, "King Dennis is glad to see you, friend."

It's not easy to put royalty to bed.

day off attempt

David told me I could take the day for myself today and he'd be on Dennis Duty. He mostly was. To totally get the day off, I would have had to leave the house, and it's very cold out, and all I wanted to do was read and nap. In between Dennis visits (and pounces), I was able to do both! When I told Dennis it was my day off, he said "where are you going to go? To work? To Curves?". I need Curves, actually, and wish our location was still open!

When he was opening gifts, one of the bags contained two new Toy Story swimsuits with matching rash guard shirts, which he promptly flung aside in order to unwrap the next gift. He wore one set around the house today and said he wanted to go swimming at the lake. We explained the Dennis Popsicle Theory, and he said "okay, I'll just swim in the bathtub," and went in there to presumably fill up the tub by himself. Scary! Glad he liked his suits, though!

Yes, this is a picture of Dennis in his Toy Story swim set, surrounded by his Toy Story toys, watching (yep, you guessed it) Toy Story. Classic.

in search of snow

It snowed pretty hard this morning, and I hoped for accumulation. Around 11, it didn't look like we were going to get any, so we opted to go to walmart and get some Christmas decor for half price for next year. Then we lunched at McD's and decided to drive north to find snow on the ground. We got into blowing, heavy snow in Calera and northward, but it was sunny in Pelham and we didn't see much around. We opted to not drive through Oak Mountain and instead went to see Granddaddy in the hospital. We had a lovely visit with him while Dennis marched to and fro in the room with Granddaddy's cane on his shoulder, alternately taking it down to 'fire a shot' (or as he puts it, "pow") one of us. There was lots of snow in Vestavia, so beautiful!

Dennis quizzed us in the car about things: "what does an acorn make?" ("a tree") and "then what do trees make?" ("acorns" Daddy replied). "No," Dennis said, "trees make toilet paper! And cows make milk." David was floored until I told him about my repeated lectures about rolling all the toilet paper off the roll and how that was bad for the trees.

Tonight he was in his now typical book-bargaining mode ("and now I want one MORE book and THEN I'll go to sleep"). We read the one more book and he picked up another and began turning the pages. I took it from his hands and his hands didn't change position. He continued to pretend there was a book in his hand, even made a few page turning motions. He's getting to be so sassy lately! But this was comical, and I had to laugh!

Tonight, after he was asleep, we discovered that Woody and Buzz Lightyear were still in Store Demo mode. We fixed them and their vocabularies and interactions have significantly increased. He's going to find new toys when he wakes up! He'd already memorized everything they said.

Our second day of Christmas was a nice one! We're going to celebrate each night and have a feast on Twelfth Night (Jan 5) while we take down all the decor. Dennis loves that Christmas is still going on--he got another little gift to unwrap today. And Woody and Buzz are sitting in front of his doorway to his room, holding on to his wrapped third day of Christmas gift. It's going to be a fun morning. Luckily, he returns to school on Epiphany (Jan 6), so that'll ease the end of the Christmas festivities!

When we got home tonight--snow in our yard. It DID accumulate! But our trek was a nice one, not a wasted day!

unbelievable!

We've had some wonderful Christmases before, but WOW was this one special! Santa came around 11 last night. I was lying in bed with Dennis (who was way too excited to sleep) when we heard sleigh bells. He went to wake up his Daddy to check it out. When he got to the tree, he yelled "he DID come!" over and over while jumping up and down. He tore into the first couple of presents, saying "I just love Santa!" and other related phrases. Then he had to slow down because he got so involved in each thing he opened! Half the cast of Toy Story has moved in with us, and I found Buzz Lightyear snuggled with me in bed this morning. Woody and Bullseye soon followed as Dennis yelled "howdy, pardner! Are you ready to get up and play?". I was not ready, but it WAS after 9, so I can't complain. We decorated more sugar cookies and then headed to the lake for Christmas dinner. A real highlight: just after it started snowing bug time, we heard a boat and Bob announced "there's some fool waterskiing out there." We looked halfheartedly until I noticed that a familiar figure was indeed waterskiing out there in front of the house. Who else would be waterskiing on Christmas Day in the snow but Santa Claus in full suit, hat, and beard? We ran out onto the screened porch and watched as the boat turned around to make a second pass. We all yelled and waved, and he took one hand off the tow rope to wave back. Dennis yelled out "THANK YOU FOR THE TOYS!!!".

We've been home since before 7, and Dennis has been playing with his new Toy Story 3 Lego set from Uncle Denny. The thing about Dennis and Legos: it isn't just about the building. After he builds something, he plays with it for hours, days even! I hear him in there voicing the different characters that came with the set, each taking turns in rescuing the others from peril. He's having so much fun.

I can't imagine what could top this year: Dennis taking communion for the first time, Dennis getting everything he asked for, a great meal with family, SNOW in Alabama on Christmas, and Santa on skis. Heck of a holiday!

Christmas blessings to everyone. I hope you are warm and cozy, full and happy just like we are!

merry merry!

He's too excited to sleep. We've been tracking Santa on the NORAD site on and off today (very fun), and we see that he's nearly here. Dennis just put out the cookies and eggnog and is trying valiantly to go to sleep. We are undecided whether to get up early or wake him tonight after Santa comes. David has to be at work at 8 in the morning, but at least it'll be a short day for him.

We spent the day mellowing out, watching Christmas specials, playing; baking 3 kinds of cookies, 3 kinds of fudge, and brownies, and assembling trays of yummies for loved ones and our neighbor. We had a delicious seafood supper at Gran and Pop's place before attending the Christmas Eve service at church. Today Dennis and I talked about Holy Communion and what it means, and he asked lots of good questions. At the end of our rather long talk, I told him it was his decision if he wanted to have communion tonight at church. He first said he wasn't ready, but he must have thought about it because he came to me a while later and said he wanted to "eat the bread and drink the juice to remember Jesus and God because God would like that". He was delighted to go to the front of the sanctuary tonight to receive the elements (his first communion experience), and tonight we took it by intinction (dipping the bread in the juice). He smiled until we got to the front and it was our turn, then he very solemnly took his bread and dipped it and ate it, eyes wide with an expression that indicated his reverence of the importance of the occasion. He told me today that "God sent Jesus to take away all the bad things we did and He had to die on the cross for us" and we talked all about the Last Supper, so I think he was in the right frame of mind for it tonight. Of course, once church was over, he was ready to "go back to Gran's and open some presents!", which we did.

Merry Christmas, everyone. Even though Santa is about to make his arrival at the Mitchell house, we have not forgotten our real gift, the one we are commemorating with this holiday, the birth of our Savior two thousand years ago. Tomorrow we will read again those beloved verses from Luke and those from Matthew about the Wise Men, and we will visit with our family with grateful hearts for the gift of our salvation and all the blessings we currently enjoy in our earthly lives. May there be peace and goodwill in your homes and communities tonight!

the rain inside

I am happy to report that we spent a day doing a colossal amount of nothing. I wrapped one gift but otherwise accomplished nothing, have unpacked nothing, and have baked nothing. I did read an entire book, take a two hour nap, and watch a couple of Christmas movies with Dennis. So it was a great day, much needed after the long drive home from Texas. Dennis cried when David left for work at noon--he said "I didn't want my daddy to leave!". He has really missed having Daddy near!

Dennis opened a bunch of gifts from his cousins last night--the Christmas with Daddy's family happened while we were away, and Daddy brought all his gifts home. He loved EVERYTHING. He and his Daddy stayed up late playing with the Hot Wheels stunt track, and this morning he woke us with a request to open his new Lego sets. And he kicked his soccer balls around the house a good bit. He wore his brand new fireman raincoat all day long, only taking it off so he could put it on again all by himself (he likes to do the fastenings). He also toted around his new Buzz Lightyear umbrella every time he left the room (with it open) just in case he came across a freak rainstorm in the hallway, and I had to suit up in my own raincoat and carry my own umbrella while we played "rainstorm". It's so fun to shop for Dennis. He loves everything he gets, opens it with delight and exclamations of "WOW COOL!" and ""it's just what I always wanted!". He did NOT get this trait from his dad.

Have you passed a display of those Baby Alive dolls this season? They begin speaking and jumping up and down when you walk by, an endcap of mayhem and irritation. We stopped by walmart last night for eggs and Coke Zero (my morning caffeine of choice) and passed a display of those dolls just before we got to the register. Dennis said to the cashier "those dolls are really freaking me out!". We all had a good giggle, and we all agreed with him!

one day too long

We are almost back home, driving the last hour, and Dennis is happily ensconced in his Elmo Happy Holidays video. I had hoped not to need the portable DVD player much, but it was entirely necessary today. He's been wild (and loud and incessant) since our hotel room this morning save for a nice car nap most of the way through Mississippi.

He has been nearly perfect for most of the trip, but today his volume button got stuck on LOUD. In fact, I made a hand motion like I was turning down his volume via imaginary remote control, and he snatched the imaginary remote away and turned himself back up, saying "no, I need to be loud." There have been random screeches and noisy laughs, peppered with the usual army of "why" questions ("why is that car red?" "why are we in Mississippi?"). The DVD player made it a little easier for the rest of us to handle the close confines of the van. We are ready to be home!

After Dennis watched a netflix-on-iPhone movie (so we could get through Hobby Lobby) about St. Nicholas (Veggie Tales Story of St. Nicholas, nicely done), I asked him what he'd learned about St. Nicholas. He said "I don't know, Mommy, but why didn't Uncle Denny ever want to get married?". Heavy. I told him he'd have to ask Uncle Denny (and I have an idea that his "women aren't economically feasible" reason won't work on Dennis). I asked Dennis if he planned on getting married when he grew up and he said "yes, Mommy--I'm going to marry you!". I asked him what his dad would think and he gave a little wicked giggle.

Is there a sadder sound than hearing the last little bit of milkshake being sucked through a straw? My Chick-Fil-A Peppermint Chocolate Chip experience was over too soon!

Sticker Man

We are halfway home. We had a last visit with Michael and the kids this morning--they came over for a swim at the hotel pool and we all had fun playing in the water together. Tonight our hotel has a nice pool as well, and this one is WARM like bath water. Nice! We had a second swim of the day, and when Dennis talked to his Daddy on the phone tonight, he said "I have to tell you all about our swimming trip--I had fun doing all that swimming!". It's most likely what his cousins enjoyed most about the visit as well!

Ahhh, bliss! I have a queen sized bed all to myself tonight, an actual REAL bed. Dennis and I shared a small sofa bed in Austin, and I woke up every morning in the wee hours with him draped all over me or with toes pushing me off the bed. But, our strategy kept the rest of us from (so far) catching Gran's cold, since she and Pop slept in separate beds (full size, not queen) in the part of the room that was sort of partitioned off from our half. Regular doses of Airborne and zinc have helped as well.

Dennis amused himself and us with stickers today. We all sported them on our faces (he put them there), though none of us had as many on as he did. He said "I am Sticker Man!" and then fifteen minutes later said "I'm tired of being Sticker Man now-- stickers are yucky" and he peeled them all off. I'm sure they'll be cool again tomorrow.

Happy Winter everyone! We saw temps in the high 70s today but will be home to the cool-and-becoming-cold tomorrow. Dennis says he misses David because he wants to show him his brand new aircraft carrier so they can play with it together. And he misses our house. And I do too! But we'll be home for Christmas, God willing!

last hurrah

When we got up this morning, Dennis asked if it was our last day. I told him it was. He says he's ready to go home because there are only snacks at our hotel room and he doesn't like it. He shouldn't be starving--we've eaten like kings today!

We visited the Austin Science and Nature Center today, and the kids had a wonderful time in the hands-on lab, the birds of prey exhibit, the small zoo, and the giant Dino Dig pits. Dennis and Mirella shoveled and brushed and had much fun in the sun. The day was beautiful, like spring or early summer out, and we very much loved our meal in the outdoor seating area at the Hula Hut! The atmosphere was tropical fun and the food was delicious!! I hope it's a new tradition for our future visits here.

The kids unwound (well, not really) from the day by building cushion forts in the living room. Dennis jumped and somersaulted down the ramp he built, and then a Bat Cave was constructed that all 3 kids LOVED. Much jumping and giggling (and some pushing) ensued before we "closed Carlsbad Caverns" and put the cushions away. Caedmon was moved to make a Carlsbad Caverns sign to hang up after playing.

This was a fabulous trip, excellent family time, and I hate to see it end. We are anxious to get home to David, though, and it'll be good to be home for Christmas. Dennis sure will miss his cousins and the fun they have together. I loved watching them together this fall now that they have real conversations with each other. So fascinating! "Mirella, do you like to eat at restaurants?"--to which she answered yes, then Dennis reported "Mommy, she says she likes to eat at restaurants too!" (even though I was sitting in the seat in front of theirs in the van and heard her perfectly well). He asked her what kind of animals she liked and she told him all about the dino dig as we were arriving. Caedmon is a brilliant and particular little person--when the other two were finally convinced to leave the house to go to the nature center, he said "I don't need to go to the science center--I can learn about science from reading my science encyclopedia." They are all so different in personality and all so very interesting. Mirella's a giggler, and she and I enjoyed doing yoga together yesterday (she taught me some poses she knows). I have to get to know them again each time we're together, but that's expected--kids this age change into neat little people very quickly it seems, and I look forward to watching all 3 of them grow into the incredible people they are headed toward being (but I'm in no hurry--they are already growing up too fast!). We'll miss them, and we loved getting to experience a taste of Austin. It's going to be nice to picture them living in this great city in their fabulous little community just steps from the seminary--so many warm and friendly people!

Austin weirdness

Sometimes the most interesting experiences happen on vacations. We had some good times today. We left the hotel after lunch, after spending a lazy morning of doing a bunch of nothing. We stopped by the co-op market to get some items for tonight's soup supper, and Dennis decided to wear his dragon cape inside. He was a real sight in his shiny metallic green suit, pushing around the kiddie sized real shopping cart, and I think every store employee stopped him to express admiration for his costume. When we got to the car, he told me he sure made a lot of friends in there!

We spent the afternoon with his cousins, and much playing took place. He is so enthralled with their toys that it's difficult to tear him away for mealtimes. Today I was trying to get him to the potty and I finally had to tell him I'd race him there. He won, and when we got in there, he said "now let's see who can pee the farthest!". I don't think I need to tell you that I advised against that particular competition.

We took a stroll to see some spectacularly tacky and wonderful Christmas light displays on a couple of streets nearby. My favorite houses were the one with the Sock Monkey nativity and the one with the stuffed animal petting zoo (from the Stuffed Animal Rescue Foundation, with hilariously written bios on each animal up for adoption). Best Christmas light experience of the year, for sure.

We had some mulled wine with dinner, and when Michael was asking each of us if we wanted wine, Dennis said "I don't want any wine. Wine is not for kids." He further expounded "I'm a kid--kids don't drink wine, kids think wine is yuck." I'm glad he knows this, wherever he learned it!

What a great day we had!

the Texas experience

We started our day with a swim in the hotel pool (nice and warm!). Caedmon, Mirella, Dennis, Michael, and I enjoyed swimming and playing and chasing and all manner of water fun for nearly an hour before we began the arduous task of drying and changing three wet children (and two wet adults) and attempting to get them ready for a day of out-of-town fun. We lunched at The Salt Lick and tasted some truly delicious barbecued sausage, beef, ribs, and turkey before loading up in the big green van and heading to San Antonio. We toured the Alamo, something I've always wanted to see and would like to see again when I can take time to read all the plaques and see all the things to see (i.e. when Dennis is a bit older)--it is very historic, very lovely, and I loved that we got to see it today! The River Walk is beautiful and large, and we decided to take a boat tour to see all the Christmas lights draped in the trees and luminaries lining the banks. This was so nice--we were all enthralled by the beauty of the lights and the interesting tour info. The kids' eyes were so big as they took it all in! And imagine their delight when we ended our San Antonio tour with supper at McDonald's. Do all kids love McDonald's?

Dennis says his favorite part of the day was swimming. My favorite was the boat ride, but I have a close second. We were loading three tired little ones into their seats to begin the drive back to Austin when Kristin spied Santa Claus across the parking lot. She went and asked him to come and say hello to the kids, and he walked over to the van and leaned in to wave and tell them to be good. Magical! Dennis looked so serious and then asked us to go and get him to come back because he had some things he forgot to tell him. When we asked what, he replied "that I want all the Toy Story 3 toys", and since he's told 2 Santas this very thing AND written a letter, I told him not to worry, that Santa knew what he wanted. He probably already has it wrapped and ready to go. And I'll bet he even used special Toy Story wrapping paper on those Toy Story toys that I'll bet he's been collecting since August.

Dennis and Mirella enjoyed the heck out of fighting in the back seat like siblings, having "YES!" and "NO!" battles for long stretches of time. Vehement, heated, and heartfelt were their sentiments, but they switched sides and yelled the other word after a while. And they laughed a good bit, just enjoying some good verbal sparring with a willing and equal opponent (not something either of them gets the opportunity to do very often).

Christmas in Austin

It seems Christmas comes earlier and earlier each year, and it was certainly true today! We had our little family Christmas celebration this morning after breakfast (and breakfast was TORTURE for the kids), watching them tear into presents and play together all day long. We got a nice walking tour of the seminary and just spent a day in their neighborhood, a beautiful day in their neighborhood... (sorry, the kids watched Mr. Rogers tonight and that song sticks with you!) They loved their gifts, and Dennis and Mirella entertained us with some karaoke and played outside a good bit. Tonight we made Christmas cookies together, and the kids had a wonderful and messy time (doesn't it seem like the most fun things are the messiest things?) doing so. Just when they were feeling the effects of the sugar, it was time to go back to the hotel (with our own sugar-bombed little wonder). Dennis has talked nonstop (and wiggled) for an hour, and he's trying to settle into bed now, but he's not doing so quietly.

The whole day has passed by, and I'd like to give a detailed play-by-play, but there isn't much to tell. For such a fulfilling and enjoyable day, I don't have much to write about! We took it easy, and that was fabulous, and we spent some excellent downtime together just enjoying each other and enjoying the kids. Conversations, cookies, shared meals--it feels like Christmas now!

A Dennis-ism: when faced with yet another stoplight, Dennis said "I don't like for the traffic lights to be red--I like them to be GREEN!". We agree.

navigating to Austin

We made it! Dennis and I are tucked cozily in our sofa bed at the hotel, and he's asking me the hard questions: "mommy, what happened to the dinosaurs? Why were they only made out of boned? Do you know where the dinosaurs are now?". My brain is tired!

It's great to be here with my brother and his family. These are some happy cousins, elated to see each other, delighted to play together (and Dennis was most especially happy about meeting their toys). It's going to be a nice visit, I just know it, but I am missing David and wishing he could be here.

I'm taking my time in forming an opinion of Texas. There are initial impressions like lots of cows, oil wells--neat!, Austin traffic=scary bad, weather: nice. I love where they live--we had a lovely supper in their roomy, pretty home. Can't wait to see the surroundings in the daytime!

Dennis is using his compass here to tell us we are heading west. He was right!

Christmas "not" carols

Greetings from Marshall, Texas. We arrived pretty late because we took our time shopping and stopping all the way here. It was awesome fun! Dennis is busy having a midnight pajama party on Gran's and Pop's bed with his aircraft carrier. Pop is the alternate airport, and the jet and helicopter have been diverting to his nose occasionally when adverse weather conditions on the bed prohibit landing on the aircraft carrier. I'm watching safely from the other bed!

We were almost here when we started singing Christmas carols. Dennis made all the carols 'negative' by inserting "not" at various places. "We wish you a merry NOT Christmas" and "You better NOT watch out, you better pout, you better cry, I'm NOT telling you why, Santa Claus is NOT coming to NOT town" for example, but we did it with many songs. We had a good laugh over this!

He was really good all day in the car, thank goodness, and I hope the same holds true for tomorrow. But since we've been on the road all day and then had a brisk swim in an indoor "not" heated pool, I'm exhausted and will be happy to write more tomorrow. Pictures are from the national forest in Mississippi and the welcome center in Texas.

Christmas break!

Today was Dennis' last day of preschool in 2010. His class will meet on Thursday for their party, but we are leaving in the morning for Texas. He said "Merry Christmas" to each child individually as we left today. He's anxious to see his cousins, and super anxious to open presents!

We were wrapping the last gifts when Dennis appeared with a large and shiny gift bag to put under the tree. He said "I got Daddy the BEST PRESENT OF ALL!". Curious, I tried to peek in, and he snatched it away (as well as he could snatch something so heavy). He informed me "no, it's not for you, it's for Daddy." When he turned around, I quickly looked in the bag to find David's cordless drill, the one he uses for nearly everything! I couldn't help but remember an old Louie Anderson routine that was repeatedly watched and oft quoted in my childhood--"have you ever gotten your Dad something for Christmas that he already had? Something he actually owned? I mean something that was his?". Since David has some projects coming up, I spoiled Dennis' surprise and told him (but not in front of Dennis). I wonder if the drill will be back in the bag on Christmas morning...

Today's photo, courtesy of Dennis--"Mommy, I need you to come take a picture of Tabasco and me." "Why?". "Because we are friends and we love each other." Tabasco especially loves Dennis tonight. I caught the two of them in the kitchen, Tabasco eating from a bowl HEAPED with dog food, with Dennis busily scooping and pouring more food for him. He saw me coming and said "I fed Tabasco because he was hungry and it's my job to feed him." I told David this, and we agreed that it certainly can be his job from now on! I was equally amused later when Dennis clipped a leash to the dog's collar and attempted to walk (drag) him through the house (Dennis: 37 pounds; Tabasco: 90+ pounds). Tabasco won. He's still lying on his bed with a leash clipped to his collar!

me too, me too

Dennis and I went shopping with Gran tonight, and while we were in a clothing store, he decided that we weren't the only ones who needed to try on clothes. He informed us that he was going to the boy clothes to find something to try on. I followed him, of course, and he picked out a very nice plaid flannel shirt and black pants. I snagged a pair of jeans in his size and followed him back to the fitting rooms. He insisted on doing all the trying on all by himself. He took off his clothes and very carefully hung them from the hooks. He put on the shirt and said "I think I'll button it from top to bottom today." (usually he says and does "bottom to top" with his buttons) So once he was dressed, he wanted to "go show Gran how handsome I look" and gave us a fashion show. The jeans fit superbly, better than any pair he's owned (95% of these have been hand-me-downs, very much needed and appreciated), and I was pleasantly surprised to find that Gran purchased them after we left the store. Kudos to Arizona brand jeans for an excellent fit. They had a wide range of fits, from skinny to slim to regular to relaxed, and the 4 regular fits him like it was made for him. This is great, because many of his other 4s hang way too loose in the waist. All the styles had adjustable waists as well! Since I haven't really had to shop for jeans for him before, and since he's just now growing out of toddler sizes, I didn't know what was out there (plus I always shop discount stores rather than department stores). Don't get me wrong, I still hope to be the recipient of many more hand-me-down clothes. If it weren't for Caedmon's clothes and Ellen's super savvy secondhand sale finds, he wouldn't have such awesome clothes, shoes, and pajamas! But it was nice to score a brand new pair of jeans for him, and fun to see him trying on clothes that he picked out on his very first trying-on experience. At his own request, too!

treasure it forever

Oh, if only I could upload a long video; if only you had time to watch one... The church preschool choir had their Christmas musical tonight and it was so wonderful. Dennis performed his little heart out, adding some dance moves all his own to the routine. My absolute favorite part was when he spontaneously hugged the girl next to him (Grace, his good friend) at the end if a song. Oh how heartwarming to watch sweet, happy children singing about the best news the planet has yet received! What a blessing to just watch them! I took video with the real camera--I want to remember his performance always!

So our day was all about worship and cookies. Church this morning, where the older children performed a musical of their own featuring all the nativity characters (Dennis and I loved this) was followed by lunch and cookies at home. Tonight's performance was followed by a churchwide cookie party in the fellowship hall. And Dennis had a separate cookie party all his own when he went to Gran's and Pop's house tonight after church. They had a pajama/cookie baking party! He just called me and asked to come home (I've had to go and pick him up the last two times he planned to spend the night) but I had a talk with him tonight and maybe he'll stay--it's COLD outside!! Speaking of cold, we were greeted with beautiful snow flurries when we opened the doors to leave church this morning. If only they'd stuck around...

cookie day

He's asked every day, and today was the day! We made sugar cookies and decorated them tonight. He woke us at 7 this morning with a packet of chocolate chip cookie dough in hand, saying "wake up everyone--we have to make chocolate chip cookies for Santa today!". He was dismayed to learn that there are still two weeks until Christmas, but was somewhat mollified by the idea of baking and decorating sugar cookies. We stopped at the grocery for sprinkles and cinnamon buttons and chocolate chips and mini M&Ms, and a tube of icing to adhere them all to the cookies. Once we were home, I had my usual baking cabinet calamity--I reached up to remove stuff from the top shelf and it all fell on my head, all except the green sprinkles that I was looking for. David took everything out as I insisted that we had green sprinkles (I used them on our St. Patrick's Day cookies). Dennis loaded everything into the mixer himself and turned it on before I could get over to it--he loves that new mixer as much as I do--and the dough turned out well! Dennis rolled it out himself (with a tiny bit of assistance) and cut shapes that we baked and cooled. When it came time to decorate them, I found that I needn't have concerned myself with the green sprinkles. He wanted red sprinkles on every cookie. And red cinnamons and red M&Ms... And afterward, as we sat together eating our lasagna supper with the cookies on a cooling rack behind us, Dennis said "red is my favorite FAVORITE color!". I can tell. We used most of the bottle of red sprinkles that I bought today (not knowing there were two bottles at home!).

floral cookies

Yesterday, David brought me roses, a half dozen, assorted colors, beautiful and completely unexpected. Dennis observed the giving and my typically girlish delight at receiving flowers. He considered the flowers and asked me a question that it took me a bit to comprehend. "Mommy," he asked, "now that you have flowers, can we make flower dough?". Flower dough, flower dough...hmmm... "Flower dough?" I asked. "Yes, like you use to make cookies--you know, flower dough!" he replied. A light dawned. "OH! FLOUR dough!" I exclaimed, followed by an explanation that dough is indeed made from flour but not from these flowers. He seemed relieved that we wouldn't be chopping up my pretty flowers into tiny little pieces (his words). I'm relieved as well, especially since he just came into his own regarding scissors skills. I checked tonight when I got home from shopping with Gran--the roses are still intact, still in their vase, looking beautiful on my table.

mastering scissors

Please forgive the brevity of this post. We had a spontaneous evening date night in the ER--David got hurt at work, pulled a muscle pretty bad--and I am terribly sleepy now that we are home!

I picked Dennis up from school today and he told me he wasn't quite ready to leave. He was busily coloring an orange beard on Santa Claus. There were scissors lying all over the table and he eventually picked up a pair and began meticulously cutting the lines in Santa's beard (straight vertical lines, parallel, about an inch apart, so they could give Santa a fluttery beard). He showed some excellent scissors skills, so now I'll have to lock up the pairs at home! He's been wrapping various things in Christmas gift wrap every night this week (the dog's toy, a Happy Meal Toy, one of my dirty socks...), and now he'll be able to cut the wrapping paper better since he's had lessons!

gag me with a microphone

I was astonished to go in and check on Dennis in bed and find him holding his shirt up and out and looking panicked. He said "I was about to come and get you--I coughed and coughed and then I threw up." This concerned me, but I thought it could be attributed to his ear infection. He told me he was dizzy a number of times today, but I thought he was kidding (he just barely knows what dizzy means). So as I was cleaning up just small spots of yuck, I asked him for details. He had gone to bed crying, asking us to take his temperature (crying because we wouldn't--he was fine!), and when we didn't, he stuck the end of his new microphone (which has a flexible plastic rod) in his mouth to 'take his temperature' himself. He said the microphone made him throw up when it went in his throat. Yuck. Lesson learned, he says.

The picture shows a Roller Racer. I had never laid eyes on one before yesterday. I don't think Dennis had either. We arrived at preschool to find that we were going to play in the church gym instead of outside (because it was COLD). I went in with my class, and there was Dennis' class already there. There were ten of these scooter racers (with very happy children on them) scooting around the gym. What a COOL cold weather activity for the kids! They scooted, they ran, we played at basketball, we raced (yes, I played too--wouldn't you?) many races across the gym. I did some research on the racers and found that they are popular at roller rinks and amusement parks--you make them move by working the handlebars back and forth. The teachers said it was like Christmas when they got the scooters out and the kids saw them for the first time! I spent the rest of the day trying to convince myself that Dennis doesn't actually need one at home despite the fact that he LOVES LOVES LOVES it and can ride it like a champ! I kind of wanted to ride one myself, almost did today when I stopped by to meet the class I'm teaching on Friday and ended up taking them to the gym to play!

little drummer boy

It was an impulse buy. There we were at Fred's, with Dennis long past naptime, and I spotted a kid drum set up beside the register marked down to $14.99. I know he learned about rhythm in his music class at school today. I know he loves to play Rock Star all the time. I know people always kid about giving other children (not their own) drum sets. And yet, I found myself grabbing the box putting it up on the counter. His eyes got huge. "Is that rock band for me?" he asked. Yes, I replied. "Can we take it home with us?". Yes. "Can we open it today?". Yes. "Can we ROCK OUT?". Yes. Much dancing ensued. He carried the box to the car and loaded it inside. He got in and then rode all the way home with the box on his lap, checking out the pictures of the happy rock band children on it and periodically giggling with happiness. He couldn't wait for me to assemble it, hovering anxiously and making commentary. And then he gave me a heck of a concert, drumming furiously and yelling in his best hair band voice "OH YEAH! ROCK N ROLL, YEAHHH!". He drummed to slow songs (slowly) and fast songs (wildly). Tonight we bought him a toy microphone and rigged it up on my guitar stand so he could sing while he played. Such bliss. I'm not sure I've ever seen him more excited.

celebrating St. Nicholas

Seven thirty this morning seemed so early! That's when Dennis opened his door to find a pair of Crocs stuffed with candy and small toys. We talked a lot about giving today, about doing nice things for others, about how Santa was originally a bishop and how he was known then for his benevolence. I looked for a project for us to do. Toys for Tots was my first thought--we'd choose a toy and then drop it off for a child who needed one. But there aren't any pickup locations in our town. We may do this tomorrow when we head to Birmingham. We considered taking treats to the dog pound, but didn't get to put our plan in action during their business hours. We planned to take a portable Feast of St. Nicholas to Uncle Denny's house tonight, but he was a bit under the weather. Rain check on that as well. So, we collected all our spare change and took it to the Salvation Army bell ringer outside Walmart. And we made mugs of hot cocoa to take to Gran and Pop while they sat out in the cold to watch some work being done at a property (only they sat in the car, so they weren't all that cold). We bought a Christmas gift for Daddy and wrapped more gifts, but I still wasn't sure he was getting the message. So as I tucked him in, I talked about how it was better to give stuff than to get stuff. He said "but I love getting presents and I don't want to give away all my presents." I asked him how he felt when he gave things to other people that he had made for them, and he thought for a minute and said "it makes me REALLY happy." Me, too.

In other news, he played Driveway Troll today, blocking my path and then stepping off into the woods and growling "I am an ANGRY TROLL, and YOU CAN'T PASS THROUGH MY DRIVEWAY BRIDGE." I did what any self respecting person (or billy goat) would do in this situation--I took off running! It's difficult to put a troll down for a nap, which is what I had to do when we got back inside.

the Bethlehem Candle

This morning at church we were the family that lit the Advent wreath candles and led the responsive reading. This is the second Sunday of Advent, and I read to everyone today that the second candle is the Bethlehem candle. Since I was dreadfully ill last Sunday, I am left wondering what the first candle is named. David and Dennis did a masterful job lighting the candles! This was early in the service, and Dennis opted to go back to his children's church room, saying "Big Church is loud--the music is too loud!". Going to have to let him hear organ music more often so that he can appreciate it! He'll be attending the Christmas Eve service with us, and next Sunday he'll be attending morning and evening services in Big Church. The preschoolers are coming in to watch the children's choir musical in the morning service, and the preschoolers will be singing in an evening service. We don't often have evening church, but we are during this season of Advent. Tonight, in fact, Dennis and I attended the youth group's special program, and he loved watching the drama team and handbell choir, the guitar, piano, and violin music, the solos--each member of the youth group demonstrated a talent or spoke about the meaning of Christmas to them. Dennis and I sat by his friend Grace and her mother (the children's minister), and he was surprisingly well behaved! He LOVED watching all that was going on, and most especially loved the handbells and the sign language performance of Silent Night. And I left refreshed and renewed, ready to keep the focus of Christmas where it should be.

After church this morning, I asked Dennis if he wanted to go home and cook lunch with me and he announced "let's just take a little drive--a little drive to San Marcos!". We didn't go, though. And tonight after the service, I asked if he was ready to go home and help me wrap his cousins' Christmas gifts. He said he wanted to go around and look at Christmas lights (and go get Happy Meals). I was excited because David has never been a fan of driving around to look at Christmas lights, and it was great that Dennis actually wanted to go so much that he suggested it. As we drove, he bombarded me with question after question after question. He asked what garland was, asked why we listen to Christmas music, asked me half a dozen times if we were lost (and if we were, we needed to "find a policeman and he will help us find our way"). Then he wanted to know where the policemen were and where their station was, and was it on a different road, and "where was the Lego store again? Was that Texas?" and "let's go to Ross right now and buy Daddy some pajama shirts to match his pajama pants--where is Daddy? Why is he at Winn Dixie? Why does he work there?" and "can we go to the Space and Rocket Center now?". We did actually see and comment on some lights. We saw a neighborhood with many tastefully decorated houses, and he commented that they were pretty, but what really excites him (and I admit, excites me as well) are the disorganized, redneck, every-color-of-light-outlining-every-straight-line-on-the-house-or-trailer displays with every tree in the yard illuminated and blinking all out of sync, weird inflatable decor combinations (Santa Snoopy, Santa Mickey, and The Wise Men?)--yep, that's the good stuff!

Time for bed--St. Nicholas comes early! We've left our shoes out in preparation. Dennis put out his largest shoes (his rain boots) so as to get the most stuff. I hope he's not disappointed to find that his rain boots have been switched for his Crocs. Probably not. They are crammed full of treats.

This was a very happy day here in Dennis world! Great church services, and long naps at home for both of us!

breakfast with Santa

What a good idea for a fundraiser! The elementary school hosted a breakfast with Santa and Mrs. Claus this morning, pancakes and bacon and fruit plus crafts, carols, and commerce! The kids were offered a chance to shop for friends and family in a "shop" that was set up with gifts that could easily be purchased with allowance money. Dennis made a snowman ornament, wrote a letter to Santa, sang carols and rang a handbell (and did some serious dancing), and had his picture made with the Clauses. Great morning!

This afternoon, Dennis and I attended a baby shower along with Gran. We walked in and Dennis asked "well, where's the shower?". Gran introduced herself to one of the other guests and Dennis popped up beside her and said "and I'm her grandson!". He had a good time and tried his best to orchestrate the gift unwrapping. We distracted him with crayons, and he told me which words he wanted to write while I told him what letters to use. His writing skills are impressive! He wrote 'Toy Story 3' and his name on the letter to Santa, and he wrote his name and 'baby' and 'laugh' at the shower.

We spent a fun evening with Gran, sharing pizza and Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes (a hallmark of the season in our family), playing race cars and pacing off steps for 'duels' in the hallway. We both needed naps today--neither of us got them! I'm really going to have to lie around and rest for a few hours soon if I ever want to breathe through my nose again...perhaps after church tomorrow!

ear cramps part two

I bet if I were to go back and read my early December blogs for the past two years, I'd find that I was sick then as well. This year we're just marching right ahead with the festivities in spite of our illnesses. Today was tree farm day for us, the only day we could do it for a while, so when Dennis woke up, we were very excited. And then he said his throat hurt too bad to eat the special French toast breakfast we'd planned. He went back to bed with a peppermint, and then he vomited all over the bed. After a couple of hours of frequent bathroom visits, we called the doctor's office and they urged us to bring him in. Not strep, as they ruled out, but a raging ear infection. Of course, by the time we got there, he had eaten crackers, finished a Sierra Mist Natural (like Sprite but with actual sugar, and it's what the gas station had), and felt quite great. He told us he wanted to get the tree today, and then he fell asleep in the car. We ran errands while he dozed, and when we made the left turn onto the road for the tree farm, he woke up happily, ready to pick the tree. He carried the saw for a while, helped David cut the perfect tree for us, and rode back up to the barn on the tractor train with the tree. We got it home and installed in the stand, put on the new psychedelic looking LED lights, and headed to the town Christmas parade. Dennis laughed and jumped up and down and waved and shouted "Merry Christmas" and picked up TONS of candy (how convenient--we just ran out of Halloween candy). Then home to decorate the tree, which turned into "you decorate the tree Mommy and I'll direct you" which THEN turned into "you can decorate it now, Mommy, and I will go play with my Legos." When it was all done, he reappeared in the den and asked "now can I put the train under it?", something he's been waiting to do!

It was a wonderful later half of the day, and yes, we ARE the worst parents ever, taking our sick kid out to a tree farm on a warm afternoon and then to a parade on a cool night. He's had his antibiotic, and I'm nursing my own illness tonight with hot herbal tea; he's asleep and I hope to be soon myself. We have the weekend to recover and some very happy memories to hold onto forever.

reward points

As we've been promising him all week (as a reward for his good behavior), today was Lego Store day. We picked him up from preschool and headed to the mall (with a brief stop for a drive-thru lunch). He didn't want to ride the carousel, didn't want to see Santa, didn't want to do anything before going to the Lego store! He zig-zagged around the store looking at all the different sets, and he wound up, of course, at the build-a-Lego-man table. He assembled several police officers, a couple of pirates, a cowboy, and an entire marching band. We ended up purchasing another 3-pack for him, so we brought home a cowboy, a policeman, and a drum major! There was a kiddie train driving around the mall, so we let him ride all by himself, and then we all went to the Christmas store and looked at all the decorated trees and cool ornaments. So much fun! And we followed our mall shopping with a stop at Target to get LED lights for our tree this year. After we got them, we toured the toys, and when we finished that, Dennis said "now can we start all over and do it again?". We were pretty sure he meant the toys, but David teased him a little, asking him if he wanted to go back to the Christmas lights. He said "no, back to the Lego store!!". It's good to know he enjoyed his day so much. So much, in fact, that he sang several rounds of Jingle Bells while we were walking around Target.

But that was half our day. Tonight we experienced a real Hallmark Christmas moment: the lighting of the town Christmas tree. It was small town fare at its best! Local beauty queens, tiny baton twirlers, a couple of children's choirs, a lovely solo by one of the high school seniors, and then a senator with a countdown to the tree lighting. "Five, four, three, two, one" we counted together, then the collective gasp as the lights came on, then the community wide chuckles as we all realized that only the top half of the tree lit up! Free hot cocoa was available for everyone, and we saw and spoke to many people from our church and stayed out long enough to hear our church's kids' choir perform before we walked the block back to Gran's house. We found her busily preparing hot chocolate for us (and warm chocolate milk for Dennis who doesn't like hot cocoa). Dennis added marshmallows to all the mugs and suggested we sit by the fire. We did just that, telling marching band stories at his request (demand). It's really starting to feel like Christmas now!

merriness

Advent festivities are in full swing! We opened the wooden house calendar to find an angel. Instead of reading the scripture reference I had put in for today, I asked Dennis what happened when the angel appeared to Mary. He replied "the angel told her she was going to have a baby." Right he was! Then on to the Lego Advent calendar, where he found and assembled a Lego snowman (loved this). Then to the iPhone, where Daddy had an Advent app waiting for him, and he clicked the box to find an angel again. Then to the computer, where he had a special calendar program from Nana Gaynell and Poppa Jim. He happily clicked on the number one and found a Christmas tree that he decorated with another click of the mouse. He liked this very much and decorated the tree four times. I sent them a thank-you email and they reminded me of the gift from them that he should have opened yesterday. He was over the moon to be opening presents today and discovered some ornaments, hot cocoa mix, a light-up snowman just like the one he wore the batteries out in during previous Christmases (and tried to do today as well until I snuck in during his nap to hit the off switch), and a Santa that holds the numbers that reveal how many days until Christmas. I did space all this out over a few hours, thank goodness, but he is very much in a holiday frame of mind now! Tonight, after church and time with Gran and Pop, he and his Daddy put the finishing touches on the gingerbread house. He is so proud of his masterpiece!

Sometimes we don't realize how blessed we are, how we narrowly avoid injury or misfortune. Tonight Dennis fell out of bed. He isn't hurt. But his room has a bamboo floor installed directly over the concrete slab--it is not a soft or forgiving surface by any means. I heard awful crying and rushed in to find him on all fours, wailing his loudest. He said "I was reaching for a book (and he knew he shouldn't have been) and I started to fall and I yelled and yelled for help but you didn't hear me and then I fell." Oh the guilt, the sadness over not hearing the initial call for help over the dryer and bathtub faucet noise and noise from the movie I was watching! And oh, what a realization of how badly it might have turned out. He's fine. He didn't fall on a limb, his head, or his back. He says his tummy hit the floor first. Yes, sometimes I still fall out of bed, and I don't have lasting injury, so I am all worried-in-retrospect over something that was not a big event. But there was a tiny chance it could have been, and I am so grateful, so thankful that he is slumbering comfortably and safely in his bed now. My Mommy Radar is working overtime because of a little one on our church prayer list, 16 months old and in extreme danger from bacterial meningitis, and she's been on my mind all day (please everyone pray for Zoey and her family, for the miracle we hope is coming). Life is so precious. I am so blessed.