Don’t Judge on the lack of seat belts.
Every year, we stick anybody who wants to go in the back of the car with a bunch of blankets, and head out to see all of the cool houses around town. This year, NayNay, Ka and Bwella were takers. So we drove, sang Christmas songs, and played XMas lights games — such as “who can find a candy cane first?” But there was a new twist this year. Bwella (as Icka calls her) had us stop by a few houses in search of treats. It was like Christmas goodies trick-or-treating. We had luck at Diane Nielsons and the Zimms. (Jim REALLY came through!)
NayNay is on the Dana point youth board, and had to judge houses for the best lights. So she took us to the first place house, and they had this awesome ice cave. Here is Micah holding our kiddos amongst the “fog”.
Fun times!
When I heard my kids in the kitchen laughing and laughing, I was so happy I have two kids that get along so well. Little did I know the real story behind the laughs. They opened the bag of peanuts, and were throwing them like they were bombs. It wasn’t really a big deal….the clean up was pretty effortless, but as I went to retrieve the broom for Scout, Icka ran around like a crazy person. The result — every peanut you see above was in about 100 pieces.
WEASELS!
Sweet Thing was having nightmares. I went in to show my support, and she wrapped her little arms around me. I took her out to the couch and coozied with her so we didn’t wake Scout up. I made her a warmed milk bottle laced with a little medicine because I don’t really like to have a wrestling match with my daughter in the middle of the night. (Please note: she is really good at taking medicine unless it is in the middle of the night when I have to force her little lips open. Hence the bottle.) I was really disappointed when Sweet Thing decided to only hold her bottle. After 30 minutes, I tried to force feed her, but that was a real disaster. Plus I felt bad.
At this point, I heard Scout’s little feet running towards us. He had a stuffed monkey that he became obsessed with just hours before. (Usually because as I put them to bed, there is a “my toy” and “my animal” tone from Icka, so he has to claim something. This night it was the monkey.) As he came close, I told him that Icka was having a hard night, and to run along into Nonnie’s room. He started to run, but turned back and gave Icka his monkey. He said, “Mom, Icka can sleep with this monkey.” Based on his undying love for the monkey at the beginning of the night, I was so pleased with my sweet boy.
Back to Sweet Thing. She wasn’t having the bottle, and I was annoyed at this point that I hadn’t just given her medicine the old fashioned way. Icka has this really interesting thing about her. When I hold her in the middle of the night, she doesn’t just doze off into dream land. Instead, she just keeps her little eyes open and looks around. I sang to her, I rubbed her back, I held my hand on her cheek, and she just stared straight ahead, whispered “Mama” about every 45 seconds, and this particular time clenched her full bottle. As two hours had gone by, I decided it was time to take her back to bed. I laid with her for about fifteen minutes, and she finally drank about half of her bottle. Then I laid with her some more. When I realized that she wasn’t snoozing anytime soon, I had to do what I hate most. I had to let her cry it out. As I left, she wasn’t just crying, she was wailing. So I grabbed my Christmas cards and started stuffing envelopes while I watched the clock. I gave it 20 minutes until I was going to go in and get her. She was still frantic at the 10 minute mark, but by 13 minutes — silence.
This year’s party theme:
An Italian Christmas.
Details to follow, but as a taste tester….here is one mighty fine opera singer (although I prefer to be coined as an “Oprah” singer”) with her gangster sidekicks.
After cleaning up his mess, Scout said:
“Mom….I love to do things that make you happy!”
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While I was teaching Scout about the hard-working Nephites, Scout told me:
“Mom — you don’t need to teach me how to work hard, because I already know how to. But you need to still work with Icka, because she is just a baby, and doesn’t know how to do hard work yet.”
Our neighbors directly across the street had a birthday party for their boy turning four. Scout was invited, and he was elated. So after his quiet time, I showed him the wrapped present and got him all ready. It was then that he informed me, “Mom…I am going to walk there all by myself. With no Bella, or Sissy, or Daddy, or Nonnie or you.” He then proceeded to say, “And when I’m at the party, I am going to be there all by myself.” The only saving grace was when he ended it with, “But if you want to come over later….you can.” I told him that all of the other mommies would be there, but he stuck to his original plan — sans me! I was kinda bummed.
So before I knew it, he was gone. I didn’t even tell him it was time, but the sounds of the kids playing gave him the go ahead. So about a minute after he left, I went out the front door to see my sweet little boy walking all the way around the cul-de-sac with his present tightly gripped in his hands. (I was so proud that even when nobody was atching, he followed the rules by staying on the sidewalk and not walking in the road.)
I snapped a shot, and he looked but kept walking. I waved goodbye to him, and watched him walk confidently to the neighbor’s house. (These neighbors only moved in two months ago, and we don’t know them very well.) As I was peeking from around my car, I saw Scout stop and just stand still for a moment. He then turned to look back in my direction. When I saw he was looking for me, I popped out and asked, “Do you need your Mommy to come with you?” And he said, “yeah.”
I happily sprinted over and grabbed his hand.
The party was a little boy’s dream. There were tons of Hot Wheels race tracks set up everywhere, and all of the kids just played and raced cars all afternoon. Even Micah thought it was really cool when he stopped by. But as much as he loved the party — I loved it even more. Purely because I was still welcome.
Poor Scout has felt lousy for about a week. Sissy escaped it…….until today.
My first clue was the fact that she slept in until noon.
My second clue was that as soon as she was bathed and ready for the day, she just cuddled with me for 20 minutes straight.
My third clue was that immediately after her special date (she actually crashed Scout and Daddy’s special date to Dennys) she is back down for her nap, and it’s only 2:45.
Sweet thing — you should get sick more often!
Icka is classic — but an especially classic talker. It never stops, and thank goodness because everyone was a little frightened at first about my kid’s personalities. My kids are the really quiet and somber kids who just stare you down like you’re an idiot while you are trying your hardest to make them laugh.
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Well times have changed. There is definitely NO lack of personality now. In fact, when I went to pick them up from nursery a few weeks ago, the leader said, “I love your kids. They both have the biggest personalities in here.” While driving home, I was bragging to Micah about what was said, and he stopped all of my pride when he said, “Babe…’biggest’ doesn’t mean best.” He has a point.
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Let me give a few examples of my little classic chatter box as of the last 24 hours.
While we were at the Christmas tree lot with the Brockbanks, and while all of the kids were playing hide and seek, I was following Icka to make sure she didn’t get herself into trouble. (I mean, she was climbing over and under everything.) But mid run, she stopped abruptly, made a sharp left, climbed on top of this crate mover thing, said as clear as day, “MAMA…take a picture” and then immediately smiled. Talk about “big” personality.
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Another happened as we were driving. I handed her back a hard bread stick to munch on. She was gobbling it up when I heard, “Mama…look at me” (Her favorite saying lately — and especially when she is riding her scooter.) When I finally had a chance to look back at a stop light, I turned to see her opening her shirt with bread stick crumbs all down the front of her. I said, “what are you doing?” She told me, “I’m putting them in my bra”. How classic is she. And apparently, I won’t have that sweet little girl who carries around a baby purse to mimic her mom. Instead, I am going to have the little girl who shoves everything down her shirt and into her bra because she hates carrying a purse. Well done my little girl. But as a side note Sweets, Daddy doesn’t have a bra — so stop shoving things down his shirt. And as another, more important side note — church is not the place to be helping Mommy stuff her bra.
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Scout isn’t left out of the chatter box arena. He is my little talking partner all day long. My favorite time with him is after we have put Sissy down for her nap, I go on my bed with Scout and we read some books, the Scriptures and then just talk for a while. He is so good and sweet and is my best little buddy. Yesterday, as we read about King Benjamin, I was telling him about the part where it says that we need to become smart and really try our hardest to be good, because the only things we can take with us after this life are those things. I tried to explain it further to help him understand, when he said, “MOM –I LOVE MY HOUSE AND I LOVE MY POOL! I WANT TO TAKE THOSE THINGS TOO!”
As usual — picking out the perfect Christmas tree was really fun. Unfortunately for Micah, that meant going to three lots. The reason — I wanted a flocked tree (no ornaments necessary) that was available for pick up that moment. We ended up finding not only the perfect tree — but the perfect trees! We ended up with three, that were lightly and perfectly flocked. We got a screaming deal, the guys tied them up (I won’t mention every detail of my 5 mph drive home when they had to be retied, and still almost came off), and away we went.
First lot that had very crooked trees.
The weasels.
The queen of the weasels.
One great family picture.
Closed eyes, looking in the wrong direction, picking our noses…you get the picture.
When we got home, Micah set the trees up, and they are perfect. It reminds me of the time when I was young and went to the Samuelian’s house. They had bought numerous trees (probably three, but in my memory it was like a thousand) and I couldn’t believe how cool it was — they literally had a Christmas tree farm in their house. So this many years later, I love my own little indoor farm, but Micah loves them even more than I do. He says it makes him think he is in Narnia. Every time he looks over at the trees, he says, “I LOVE our trees.” And we sing “Oh Christmas Trees” a lot.
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A few nights later, we went to another Christmas tree lot with the Brockbanks for family night. Talk about a different experience — and WAY more fun! Apparently they have a tradition (only according to the kids) of playing hide and seek in the Christmas tree lot. And let me tell you — it is FUN! Scout and Navy were loving it, and were filthy and wet by the end of the night — but it was all in the name of tradition, so it was a must do.
Here is one of their hiding spots, and they wouldn’t have been found if it wasn’t for Sissy giggling.
I didn’t know Scout was hiding here until I saw his little eye pop out. How stinking cute is he — and crafty.
Here is part of the gang. Hide and Seek is one of my new favorite traditions — and no wonder….The Brockbanks always know how to have fun!
Sissy was wiped by the end of the night — and got her favorite cousin “Doey” to hold her.
Today while we were in church, I reminded Scout that as the sacrament was being passed, he was supposed to be reverent and “remember Jesus.” He looked at me in utter disgust and replied, “Mom, I remember Jesus all the days!” Nice work big boy!
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