Christmas 2010

Well, this year Christmas was very eventful! It started out with a very early 5am wake-up-call with Brody coming in to our room. He couldn't go back to sleep so he laid on our floor. That didn't last long, and we were all up for good by 6:30am! Santa came and left the kids lots of neat things in their stockings, as well as presents.

The biggest/best gift was waiting outside. And, of course, it was snowing and freezing cold. But, we had to go and test it out! Raegan's coat was being washed, so I had to put a sweatshirt over her pj's! Sorry for the racket at 7am neighbors! Brody and Raegan will love their new playset outside, for many years to come I'm hoping!

After Raegan's nap, we headed over to Ryan's parents' house. Brody was very grumpy when we got there (surprise, surprise, since he was up since 5am!) so he took a nap. He ended up sleeping for 3 hours. He woke up, was very thirsty, drank some orange juice, and......BARF!!! He got a nasty stomach virus. Fever, diarrhea and vomiting are not a fun combination, especially for a little boy on Christmas!

But, all of this was in addition to a little accident that occurred with Raegan while Brody was napping. Ryan's parents had 4 stockings hanging on the fireplace with stocking holders. At our house, we did not have the stockings displayed this way, for obvious baby-proofing reasons. But, we all didn't even think about it at my in-laws. So, of course, Raegan pulled one down and it landed on her head. She got a pretty decent gash on her forehead, bleeding down her face, crying for Mommy. Luckily, there were 3 doctors and 1 nurse in the house, so we got her all fixed up. She has steri-strips, no stitches thank goodness. But, she looked pretty pathetic.

So, that was our fun day. We were all pretty happy to oblige Brody when he declared he wanted to go home after his 2nd time of vomiting. We packed everything in the van and called it a day. Brody slept all night, thanks to some anti-nausea medicine. He seems to be feeling ok today, no throwing up since.

Despite our stressful day, we had a Merry Christmas. The kids had fun, and that's what it's all about. We are blessed beyond measure.

Santa Claus!!

We took the kids to see Santa this Wednesday at Lexington Green. Brody has not sat with Santa since he was 17 months old (Raegan's age). He just has never been into sitting with some strange looking man he doesn't know! But, this year he was all about it! He went right up and sat with him. He told him what he wanted and enjoyed himself. I was so proud of him. Raegan, on the other hand, was not into Santa. She saw him from afar and exclaimed "Nana, Nana..." over and over again. But, the closer we got to him, the tighter her grip on me got. I tried to put her down next to Brody on his lap, but she refused to let go. She was yelling "Mommy, Mommy....Daddy, Daddy!" So, I figured I wouldn't make her go through with it. But, the people there were really nice and let Brody and Raegan sit in the chair with a Santa book. They then took Santa's picture on his own peeking over the chair, and through the magic of picture editing....VOILA! We ended up with a really cute picture of Santa peeking over the kids. I really love the picture, the kids' expressions are great. We will cherish it for years to come. 8 more days until Christmas!!

Brody's Preschool Christmas Party

This morning was Brody's school Christmas Party. We were nervous all week, since there has been no school. But, today they had a 1 hour delay. So, the party was on!

It was really nice to see Brody in the school setting. I stayed from 9-11 to help with the party and eat lunch with Brody. My dad came to stay with Raegan. Thanks Pap Pap! Brody is such a rule follower! I'm very proud of him for being polite to his friends and raising his hand when he wants to speak. His teacher complimented him several times in the short two hours. He had a great time eating all the goodies and treats. Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus came around to visit and gave all the kids a present! They all received a preschool t-shirt and a book. After all that junk food, it was then time for lunch?!?!?!

I got some cute pictures of Brody and his buddies. His best friends are Drake and Skylar. They are really good boys!

Ryan and I have a dinner to attend tonight, so the kids are staying with my parents. We're planning on going to see Santa Claus tonight before the dinner. We'll see how that goes! Brody's not a fan, and I don't imagine Raegan will be either. But, we've got to at least try, right!!

Baby It's Cold Outside!

We got our first snow of the season this past weekend. It was really nice. I love the winter and snow. Brody was outside before the snow even let up. He had a good time making snow balls and throwing them at the door as Raegan watched her brother in envy. She was pretty upset that she wasn't out there. Maybe next time, Raegan! She was happy to put on her new boots. Love the look she has going on there....

Memos from your child

This was written in Brody's preschool weekly newsletter. It really hit home for me, especially this week. It hasn't been my best parenting week, with regards to Brody. He is a wonderful kid, but struggles in certain public situations. I get embarassed at his behavior and take it out on him. When, really, it is not his fault. He is who he is. He feels shy and out of his comfort zone and acts out in response. I just pray he grows out of this phase. It is pretty wearing on us.

I love you Brody, more than you will ever know. You are my big boy. I promise to always love and comfort you.....forever.

* Don't spoil me. I know quite well I shouldn't have all I ask for. I'm only testing you.

* Don't be afraid to be firm with me. I prefer it; it makes me feel secure.

* Don't let me form bad habits. I have to rely on you to detect them in the early stages.

* Don't make me feel smaller than I am. It only makes me behave stupidly "big."

* Don't correct me in front of people if you can help it. I'll take much more notice if you talk quietly in private.

* Don't protect me from consequences. I need to learn the painful way sometimes.

* Don't make me feel my mistakes are sins. It upsets my sense of values.

* Don't be too upset when I say "I hate you." It isn't you I hate, but your power to thwart me.

* Don't take too much notice of my small ailments. Sometimes they get the attention I need.

* Don't nag. If you do, I'll have to protect myself by appearing deaf.

* Don't make rash promises. I feel badly let down when promises are broken.

* Don't forget that I can't explain myself as well as I'd like. This is why I'm not always very accurate.

* Don't tax my honesty too much. I am easily frightened into telling lies.

* Don't be inconsistent. It completely confuses me and makes me lose my faith in you.

* Don't put me off when I ask questions. If you do, you'll find I stop asking and seek information elsewhere.

* Don't tell me my fears are silly. They're terribly real.

* Don't ever suggest that you're perfect or infallible. It gives me too great a shock when I find out you're neither.

* Don't ever think it's beneath your dignity to apologize to me. An honest apology makes me surprisingly warm toward you.

* Don't forget I love experimenting. I can't get on without it, so please put up with it.

* Don't forget how quickly I'm growing up. It must be hard to keep pace with me, but please try.