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!
We waited until Micah came home from Vegas before we officially started one of our new traditions. So the night he got home, I handed our kids each a big wrapped package. Scout rose from his death bad to open it up, and it was hilarious to see how slowly they opened their packages. (Surprisingly slow from Icka.)
Inside, were their brand new Christmas blankets they get to sleep with until Christmas. They loved them — and I loved that Icka couldn’t grab one and say, “MY DAYDAY” because they look the same.
And when they headed off to bed, Nonnie surprised them both with Christmas flannel pillow cases to also sleep with until Christmas.
It is all SO exciting!
This poor boy has been down for the count the last day and a half with a fever and a cough. But never have I met a male who is lower maintenance while he is sick. Every time i ask if he needs anything, he says, “Mom, I’m not sick.” Then he feels his head, and if it is warm, he then says, “Well, my head is a little hot, but I am not sick.” (Mind you, that this is through half way opened eyes, all at the same time that he is coughing up a lung.)
The poor little guy even sat quietly in his car seat as he started to cry and when i asked him what was wrong, he said, “Mom….I just let all of the potty I have go out of me.” Sweet thing couldn’t maintain control — apparently he is sick.
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I got to stay up with him all night getting him water and medicine as needed. We were all a bit wiped in the morning. But we immediately perked up when we heard Sissy talking in the other room. We went in — excited to get her — and then this.
Don’t be fooled — look at her sleeve.
This is a fuller picture.
Disaster struck!
After everyone was cleaned up, these two cuddled on the couch.
All is well.
But in the battle of Sickly vs. Sickening, I’ll take Sickly all day long!
Less laundry, and way less dry heaving.
(But to be honest, I didn’t dry heave — it is my pure little girl with pure little poop. No biggie.)
Seth was in town with his kids, and as usual, he tormented everyone under the age of 8. Maybe I would care if he singled out my kids, but he is very fair, and even includes his own kids. Maybe I would also care if I thought it was mean, but since I am one of the other ring leaders in tormenting the nieces and nephews, I find no fault. This time around it was at Baja Fish Taco, and the tormenting tool was a plain old Jalepeno.
Scout’s consistent resistance to anything other than tofu, fruit and quesadillas, got him out of this the easy way. He just looked at Seth like he was dumb!
Grant got first prize as he gnawed away at this jalepeno for quite a while. We were dying at how calm he was, and how he never spit it out. This might be one of the most classic kids I know.
Sissy just kept saying, “HOT!”
She kept going for the water to cool her down, but what she doesn’t know is that chips and bread should be her best friends at this point.
The poor girl kept sucking her fingers for the next fifteen minutes. She wasn’t loving it, but I think she is a stronger woman because of it.
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Before you go judging Seth…..just remember that I have gotten his kids to eat a few things also. But nothing compares to the time we tormented Trey under the heading of “Fear Factor” — once a popular reality show that soon after, became one of our family’s favorite past times.
I had just had Icka. We were at the Brockbank’s home when she was a few months old. In my diaper bag, I had the “raisin” that fell out of her tummy button in a plastic bag. (It fell out while we weren’t at home, and I bagged it in case I wanted to keep it.) Well, I told the whole Brockbank clan that whoever ate Icka’s tummy button would be the “Ultimate Fear Factor Champion” — a very coveted title!
So after a lot of thought and consideration, Trey finally said he would do it. Everyone was going ballistic, but my mom and Megan were going ballistic for the wrong reasons. So I finally gave in and secretly exchanged it for a chocolate covered raisin. Trey committed, but it literally took him about 20 minutes to actually put it in his mouth, chew it up, and swallow. When he finally did, he grimaced, put it in, slowly chewed and then popped his eyes open wide and said, “UUUMMMMM! It tastes like chocolate!”
We rolled when he said that. We told him that we had switched it out, and he was kind of annoyed. But we eased his frustrations by telling thim that he still was the “Ultimate Fear Factor Champion” just because he was willing to eat Icka’s tummy button raisin.
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Seth doesn’t seem so bad now, does he? He has some stiff competition in me. And I am a competitor. Let me go on the record to say…..I had NO QUALMS about Trey eating the real thing. It was uptight Nonnie and Megan that ruined that one!
Our Elf on the Shelf came back this year, just like he promised. His name is “Scout the Elf” because in the book he is described as a “scout elf”, and Scout gasped, “HHUUUHHHH! Just like me. That is so special.” I agree it is special, and “Scout the Elf” it is.
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I am already loving how much more meaning Scout the Elf has this year. Scout has already prayed that he will arrive safely, but WAY more importantly, Scout has already apologized profusely for every wrongdoing of the day. He was especially cute when he said, “Sorry Mom for jumping on your head.” I told him that it was okay, and that Santa would be happy to know that he decided to choose the right. Icka, on the other hand, isn’t quite grasping it yet, but she is just being nice lately. Especially when Scout jumped on my head. She ran over and told me, “Sorry Mama”, and kissed my boo boo.
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All I have to say is that the creators of Elf on the Shelf are geniuses!
BRAVO!
Traditions are what I look back on in my life as the best part of life. I will obviously keep on the ones we already have in our family (P.J.’s every Christmas Eve, Christmas Eve family gift exchange, Boys set out the presents and then take off to Harbor House while the girls set them up, “tree presents” which are usually small and for the girls, wrapping nights with the sisters and my mom, Christmas breakfast with pastries, video camera introductions, and my mom’s Holly Jolly number Christmas morning, etc.)
But on top of these, I want to add a few to our little family.
These kids (in a random picture of them cleaning up) are the joy of my life, and I don’t ever want to think I slacked for even a second while raising them. So in honor of spending the weeks up until Christmas as fun as the week of, I decided that I am going to give them each Christmas blankets to sleep with from December 1st until the 25th. I am also going to read my kids one Christmas book each night until the big day. I only have a few great ones so far, but hope to grow my collection over time. And finally, I am going to send them off to dreamland each night with Christmas carols sung by yours truly. We have been doing this the past few nights, and the kids join in and love it.
These aren’t extravagant, nor are the ones I have with my family, but THESE are the things that get me excited for this time of year again and again. i would take traditions over presents any day.
(But Mom — the presents are definitely an added bonus. And since I don’t have to pick — I choose both!)
Sissy has this new thing she does. When she gives out kisses, she first pinches the cheeks of the other person, and then goes in for the kiss. I don’t know why I find it so adorable, but I eagerly tell her to pinch everyone’s cheeks all day long. And the best part is when it is someone I am not fond of, because her pinches aren’t dainty. There are times when people walk away from her tactics with two red dots on their cheeks for the following ten minutes.
Here she is trying out her pinches on herself.
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