December cont.

For Barrett's birthday, we invited several of his little friends, plus our good friends who are like family. All of his friends have a sibling so we had a housefull but it was fun. Being that many of them were around 2, I didn't plan too many activities. I had a craft planned in case playing got boring, but they kept themselves pretty entertained. Birthday express had a cute 2-year-old farm theme and the cow and 2 balloons that came with them were pretty cute too. I love that I can just give our cake lady the invitation and she'll copy it. Darren grilled hot dogs and hamburgers and we had a good time.

Waiting for the guests to arrive Notice in the upper right hand corner, Barrett got his fingers in it Because we were leaving for OK the next day, we had our Christmas that night. I really debated whether or not to have birthday and Christmas in the same day. But, for one, I didn't know when else we could do it; two, I figured he won't remember doing them both in one day. I will definitely try and separate them most of the time, or maybe start doing a half birthday in the summer, we'll see.

December

How many times have I said this, but time really does fly. There are not enough hours in the day or days in the week to accomplish everything you want or need. So, I'm just now getting around to birthdays and Christmas.

The first weekend of December, we had our first annual Breakfast in Bethlehem event at our church. I stole the idea from a church in OK and our kids and parents loved it. We had snowman donuts from Krispy Kreme, told the Christmas story, and made clay pot nativities. Not everything went smoothly from my standpoint (I forgot my bible and Christmas story, some of the craft didn't go as planned, etc), but from everyone else's viewpoint, things went great. The craft was so neat, I don't know if we can find as good a one for next year. I guess I have all year to find one. I could always steal another idea. :) We got them the day before so some were melting The next weekend was Becca's birthday. Her actual birthday was on a Friday so we let her pick 1 friend to something with. She chose her friend Dominic and to go to McDonalds. The next day, we had her party at the Roller Dome. In the back, they have a ball pit and things to climb on so it's a great place for all ages. She really like Fancy Nancy (it's a book series for kids) so a our cake lady made us a great cake.

Love the 3 dimension Trying to skate Some of the guests The next day we went to a friend's birthday party and it started snowing. They actually closed the place early; it was a little slick driving home. So, we got our first snow and sledding in early. We took Becca's best friend with us. By the time we got there, the place we normally sled was well worn by others so we went to another hill. This was also Barrett's first time sledding.

Becca's first school program

You know, going to your child's school programs really is fun. You get to ooh and aah and truly marvel at how great your child is...or maybe sometimes how embarrassing your child can be at times. In kindergarten, they are supposed to learn so many nursery rhymes so they've been learning and doing art projects as well. A few weeks ago, they had the kindergarten classes (all 4) sing the songs and a few children act each out. Becca was a horse in Humpty Dumpty. There were probably 12-14 songs and the kids did a great job. My child is very comfortable at church because she is there all the time and knows a lot of people. So, when she's in front of the church, she doesn't mind raising her hand and talking or doing anything else. I guess she hasn't reached that level of comfort at school just yet. I think she's pretty comfortable in her classroom but with all the classes, in front of a lot of parents she doesn't know I guess was intimidating to her. At the end of the program, all the kids took turns walking by the microphone and saying their names. There are about 100-125 kids and only 3 or 4 didn't say their name...my child being one of them. She walked up close, paused and then kept walking with her finger in her mouth. You never really know what she's going to do; I guess she's more shy than I realized.

Becca has had a loose tooth but I never felt it was ready to pull. Last week, she came home with something around her neck; I thought a dentist had come visit her school. She then gave me a great big smile and showed me her tooth was missing! She told her teacher her tooth was really loose and she pulled it. Becca said it didn't even hurt. It's funny how excited I get for little milestones. I think I was almost as excited as she was and wanted to tell everyone. Darren and I were discussing the whole tooth fairy thing and trying to decide if we should give her $5 since it was her first tooth. However, he felt like she would expect that with every tooth and I agreed, so she got $2.

Rest of October

Darren's parents came the week after fall break. Becca was in school all day but that gave grandma a chance to spend some time with just Barrett. Unlike Becca who took a little time to warm up, Barrett warmed up instantly to them. He went right into grandma's arms without hesitation and spent to rest of the week getting her attention...of which he loves to be the center of. We had a nice visit; it was nice having another set of hands around the house and Darren's dad helped us do a few small projects that needed to be done around the house: light fixture in living room, Becca's toybox, kids bathroom sink all needed fixing...I think there were a few more but I don't remember. They finished the week at Becca's school at her fall festival. I had to work at Becca's class at the lollipop tree the first half hour but they enjoyed walking around playing games, etc. The guys went home after a little bit to do the cooking and we continued to play games. Barrett was getting fussy so we decided to go get them a bite to eat. They were supposed to have hot dogs and chili but when we got there...about an hour to hour and a half into it, they were out of hot dogs. After some convincing, Barrett decided the chili wasn't half bad.

The next week was final preparation for trunk or treat at our church. I was mainly in charge of putting it together. I spent the week running around gathering items, getting help, etc. Our pastor was making calls trying to generate more trunks as well. A couple of sweet ladies offered to come and help on Friday morning. They were helping me separate candy into buckets, make welcome bags for visitors, etc. My friend called me about an hour after I dropped Barrett off to tell me he had thrown up. Now tell me, why do kids get sick in the middle of the night or at the most inopportune times?? My husband was the only one at work so he couldn't leave. My wonderful, wonderful, friend called back and said in case it was one of those fluke things, she'd throw his clothes in the wash, give him one her son's shirts to wear and let me know if it happened again. Okay, that was on thing off my mind for the moment. Luckily, Barrett didn't throw up again who know why but I'm glad my friend was willing to keep him. I started around 9 or 9:30 and didn't stop until 7:30 that evening, except to go home, get Becca off the bus, get all the kids costumes, the brownies I made and everything else I needed to get things prepped. On the way to pick up Barrett, I remembered I hadn't put down numbers for the cake walk, so I stopped by Dollar General on my way and picked up some masking tape. I had a little over an hour to get the rest of the games set up and ready; we were working right up to the time people were standing around waiting for us but we did it. We had ours on Friday night to coincide with the downtown businesses who pass out candy on Halloween or the last business day before Halloweeen, so we catch a lot of foot traffic. There were some things that went smoothly and some things we could have done differently but the kids had fun and didn't really know the difference so I saw all in all it was a success.

Saturday, it was nice to sleep in, relax and not do much. Our town did Halloween on Saturday, so we invited some friends over to come and trick or treat with us. I didn't realize I didn't have a picture with just Becca and Barrett...maybe I should have them get dressed up again to take their pictures. I got Barrett's costume at the kids consignment sale. It was homemade and the tail really made the costume...there were several strangers who asked if they could take a picture and people were commenting on it all night. It was pretty cute with the tail dragging on the ground. I definitely got my $7 worth, plus it was warm which was a bonus. Becca was Jessie from Toy Story. I had already gotten Barrett's costume by the time Becca figured out what she was going to be. Next year, I need to find out what Becca wants and try and coordinate Barrett's costume. Lightning's Pit Crew, Mario, Jessie and my little stinker I know it's a little blurry but you get the effect

October

October went fast! We celebrated my husband's 40th birthday a week late as he was out of town on his actual birthday. I had planned an event with our nursery kids at Christian Way Farm that morning but figured I would have all afternoon to finish prepping and cleaning for the party that evening. The farm was fun as usual; I really enjoyed the lady's pumpkin presentation of the gospel. Wandering through the corn maze Which pumpkin should I pick? We brought a sack lunch to enjoy and Becca was tired of waiting for Barrett and I to catch up so I handed her the keys...mind you I could see her so I wasn't sending my 5-year-old off by herself. We got all our stuff out and locked up the car. We enjoyed our lunch and visiting with friends when I decided it was time to go home, get the kids naps and finish up for the party. I can't find my keys...I'm beginning to remember giving Becca the keys and not getting them back. Sure enough, she had laid them in the back seat when she got her lunch. I spent awhile trying to figure out what to do. A sweet friend packed our 4 kids in her minivan illegally as her oldest and my oldest didn't have car seats and drove the 25-30 minutes back into town to get the keys from my husband, go to Sonic to get shakes for the kids and the most delicious cherry limeade chiller (I'm trying to lose weight but I thought this was a well-deserved treat after the day I was having), driving back 25-30 minutes to the farm and then 25-30 minutes back home.

I got the kids down and I'm rushing around trying to finish cleaning, finish the game we were playing, etc, etc. Luckily, we were grilling burgers and brats so I didn't have to cook too. All I had to do in the kitchen was make the frosting for the cake I had made the day before...turtle cake as always. The guests started arriving before my husband did and I was trying to finish things. Even though I felt very harried, we had a good time. Because it was his 40th, I had to do something different and found a game online. You make posters of various events that happened over the last 40 years and have people guess what year it happened. I had things like when Pac-Man was created, when Disneyland opened, when ESPN first aired, Columbine, Michael Jackson's hair catching fire, end of Vietnam War -- some serious, some fun. I would have been horrible at this game but I was running it so I didn't have to guess. It was fun to walk down memory lane. I had pictures cut out of whatever they were supposed to guess and write down the year. At the end, whoever had the most right won a prize of some of Darren's favorite things: Milk Duds, Fruit Loops, Caddyshack (now I can't even remember everything that was in it). The best thing was, we only had about a quarter of the cake left so it didn't ruin my diet too much.

It's a good thing fall break was the following week. We stayed fairly busy with doctor appointments and playdates with friends but we had fun. We ended the week with a day trip to Nashville to spend the day with my dear friend and her 2 boys.

Kids

Time keeps going faster and faster. Having time to sit down on the computer to do anything more than quickly check e-mail is a luxury nowadays. I wish I had time to sit and do catch-up work or just play for a little. Mondays are typically work days when Barrett goes to a friend's house, Tuesday and Wednesday is usually when I keep baby Griffen (born in February) and Fridays I keep Daniel for my friend who keeps Barrett so she can get stuff done. (her husband is overseas right now)

My husband takes a golf trip every year to Tunica with some members. It falls during his birthday (October 1st) most years. This year he happened to turn 40 which we're celebrating on Saturday. But, he left on Thursday in the early morning. Becca had woken up in the early morning screaming about her throat hurting. I had heard strep was going around so I figured that's what it was. I started thinking about everything I needed to do the next day so I couldn't fall back asleep. I was doing some things on the computer when Becca all the sudden sat up and said she needed to throw up, which she did. She continued to do it several times over the next few hours. Luckily, I got her into the doctor early the next morning. They said, no sooner had they put the throat swab on, it showed strep. Her great dr actually held Becca's hair and helped me hold the bag as she threw up in his office...we really like Dr. Toms. He gave us antibiotics and some anti nausea medication. Becca kept getting sick and the medicine did not help her. My sweet, sweet friend went to the grocery store for me and got some of the things I needed. I also didn't make it to the early sale of the kids consignment sale, but I got to go the next night and got a few things at least. Friday or Saturday, Becca had a rash on her thighs and a light rash on her chest and face. I thought she was developing an allergy to amoxicillin like Barrett, but the dr said it's because of the strep. So, basically any symptom that can happen with strep, did. I didn't know throwing up could be a symptom; I thought I knew all about strep being that I had it about once a year as a kid. If Becca hadn't woken up an hour or two earlier screaming about her throat, I would have chalked it up to a stomach bug and wouldn't have gotten it checked out as quickly. So, if you're child is throwing up and a high fever, check their throat too...just in case. Someone told me they always knew their child had strep because they'd start throwing up first. She was pretty much back to normal within a couple of days.

Becca is doing well in school. She always has a super star in her daily behavior chart. She's reading more and more and now she has reached another first... a loose tooth. She truly is a joy and a handful at the same time...especially in the morning...not a morning person.

Barrett is wanting to learn more and more. He points to things and wants to know what it is, he loves reading, and doing puzzles. He's getting pretty good and throwing and sometimes catching a ball. He's definitely all boy; he likes to hit balls with anything...a bat, golf club, stick, really anything. He's got a few more words in his vocabulary as well. I can't believe he's almost 2!

Kids at the park Barrett loves balls!

Fun times

There is a great little invention we have really enjoyed: magnetic cabinet locks. Instead of the old timey plastic things you put in the cabinets where you can still get your hand in the door or pinched, they have these locks where you cannot open the door unless you have the magnet. Years ago, I was somewhat concerned that we would lose the magnet, but we have yet to lose either one of ours. We keep one on our refrigerator for our kitchen locks and one in the kids bathroom for that lock. They really do work well and we have truly enjoyed them....

However...

Becca has had a cough for several days, so I had her stay home so we could get it checked out today. She and Barrett were coloring and playing so nicely like they usually do. I'm getting ready and doing a few other things around the house. I'm about to go check on them because it sounds like they're playing in the bathroom. Becca runs past me into my bathroom and I asked her if she left Barrett in the bathtub. She said, "No, he's locked under the sink." Well, that can't be because we have magnets to get him out. Becca says, "I put both of the magnets under the sink too. I thought you had one in your bathroom." I go into their bathroom and sure enough it's locked; there are no visible hinges to take off either. I start to panic a little. I found, I'm not the best under pressure; my mind doesn't focus and it starts going in so many different areas that I can't think straight. I call Darren and he says he'll come home and try to get it open. He's alone at work so I'm not sure if he had someone watch the shop or just locked it up. Becca's crying and telling Barrett to push the button, which is the "latch" that would unlock the door from the inside. Here is Becca's conversation as she's bawling and talking in a high pitched voice, "Barrett, push the button.....He doesn't understand.....I can't get him out....I wish I was locked in there with him" I couldn't just sit there and watch her, so I looked in the garage and found a long screwdriver to stick down in there to try and push the lock. Luckily Darren came in not too long after and found the prybar and pried it open pretty easily; he didn't even break the lock. Barrett was fine throughout this whole ordeal. Now, when he got out, he did want to just be held and so did Becca, so we sat down and got some good snuggling in. Alls well that ends well and no one's worse for wear, but that's at least one thing I don't have to keep telling Becca not to do.

Our dog Molly is getting older. Several weeks ago, she started acting differently and not eating. She had a bladder infection but the doctor was unsure if there was anything else going on...tumor, arthritis, etc. She said if the antiobiotics don't help her to bring her back in for tests. The antibiotics did help some but she still wasn't completely back to normal; she sometimes yelp getting up or if I touched her back end. So we took her back, luckily no tumors but she does have arthritis. I think she is about 10 and she's a bigger dog so I'm not surprised. She has some good days and some bad days. I need to check to see if I should still walk her or not; I'm not the best walker but when I do get out, I like to take her with me.