The Christmas Photos

Here's our crummy Santa pic from the other day.  Eva sad.  Cawood squirming.  Faith just waiting to let loose on her list. . .

The nativity scene at Church.  This is always Faith's very favorite part of Christmas service: the navivity scene.  They are beautiful!

Good Morning!

Look what Santa (and Grandma) brought!

Santa left DJ some rein-beers.  Get it?  Rein-beers!  Hahahaha!  I kill me.

Grandma made all three kids pajamas.  Eva did NOT like hers.  She thought this nightgown was too big so she slept in a different nightgown, and then fussed in the morning until I agreed to take a picture and take it off.

Faith, however, did like her nightgown.

A cardboard castle:

Cawood in the cardboard castle.  He's also in the PJ's Grandma made.

Mackenzie and Madeline made Uncle Todd and Aunt Barb a Colt on one side and Steelers on the other blanket.

Eva and Jessy:

Grandma loves her new iPad.  Cawood was trying to teach her how to play Angry Birds.

Grandpa read Eva a story. 

Faith really, really, really wanted a Leapster for Christmas.  All three got one.

Grandma and Grandpa gave Emma a full-length mirror.  She opened it and exclaimed, "Oh look! A big picture of me!"  Grandma also made her this sweater.

Chelsi and Cameron

Bottle Caps, because I once mentioned on the blog that I like them.  (DJ's step mom Robin gave me the same gift!. . . I also like: iPad's, cooking supplies, and gardening stuff. . . kidding. . . sort of.)

Every Christmas since before my Mom was a little girl her family has burned bayberry candles for luck.  You have to burn the whole candle, until it goes out on it's own and you don't, for any reason, blow the flame.  If it goes out, it's going to be a bad year.  The one year my Grandma forgot, it was a very bad year.  We don't ever forget the bayberry candles on Christmas.  Anyway, one candle is mine (left) and the other my moms.  My candle was bought a few weeks ago and Moms years ago (I got excited one year when I found them. . . they've been tough to come by in years past, so five or six years ago I bought enough candles to get her through her 75th year.)  Anyway, one candle is old, the other new.  Could that be the reason they burned like this?  Or was it a draft on one, or was one just slightly out of balance?  It was a big conversation.  We were all very concerned about the burning of the bayberry. 

Overhead view:

Madeline and Mackenzie

Cawood and Mackenzie:

Madeline, Eva, Emma and Faith (Faith found that Kool Aid shirt at K-mart for $3 one day when the shirt she was wearing was 'itchy.'  It's her very favorite!)

Eva on Uncle Todd

Success!  I am caught up on the blog!

More on Caroline

I was chatting with a neighbor today and we happened to get on the topic of Faith's bully, Caroline. 

Oh, goodness.  This is a sad story.  It turns out my speculation on Caroline's dad was incorrect.  Faith had told me that he had a heart attack and they shot him.  I guessed Caroline's dad had a heart attack, they shocked him and he died.  Turns out, Faith was more right than I thought. 

The truth of the story is that poor Caroline's Dad shot himself a few weeks ago.  One of the other neighbors created the heart attack as a cover story for the kids.  Faith must have heard both stories:  He had a heart attack and he was shot. 

Of course, this all makes sense when you think of Caroline being the bully.  If dad was suicidal at home, of course Caroline would look for an outlet for her feelings.  I'm sad that she did it to Faith but I'm thankful everything came full circle and now Faith knows that Caroline was probably being mean to Faith because her Dad was having problems at home (no, Faith doesn't know the whole, true story, she just knows that Caroline's dad died, and I explained weeks ago that Caroline was probably having trouble understanding why he was sick and that's why she was being mean.)

Regardless, please keep Caroline and her siblings in your prayers.  It was one of the children who found dad (maybe Caroline, we aren't sure which of the four or five.)

More On Christopher

I had a text on my phone this morning from Christopher. He's safe, he spent a few days with "a very nice family," and now his travels continue. . .


Anyway, I talked to Barb this morning and she had to correct me on the skirt and ukulele story, and it's funny (now that it's over) so I'll share it with you. Truth be told, I think we had a good laugh over all this even back then, but there was some exasperation there too.

CT was *NOT* wearing his skirt the day he played his ukulele for the principal. On that day he was wearing Jester-style thigh-high socks and he had his jeans rolled up like shorts to show them off. The vice principal told Barb as he escorted her into the office, "His socks are ridiculous." (Barb noted, as if his socks matter with everything else. . . )

The skirt: on that day CT was called over the loudspeaker to the office. He decided not to go, noting that they knew where to find him if they really wanted him. The vice-principal did come to find him at lunch time and reprimanded him for the skirt. The story goes on, whatever, not important. He was in trouble for wearing a skirt to school. Anyway, Barbara later asked him, "Christopher! What would you have done if the principal had ripped that skirt off of you?" Christopher answered, "I was prepared for that. I wasn't wearing anything underneath."

Christopher

I've been trying all day to upload Chistmas photos to the blog and it's taking forever so I'll try that again tomorrow.  Today, I'm going to tell you about Christopher.  Christopher is my nephew and my Godson, and he's . . . different.  In some ways he's so wonderfully different you wish you could sit and talk with him for hours and hear his perspective.  In other ways, he makes you want to scream and beat some sense into him.  Literally.

I don't know how or when exactly it started, but we knew Christopher was 'different' about the time he was twelve.  He's twenty now.  That was about the time he went to Europe with People-to-People and my mom blames the trip for the change (you know how those Europeans are!)  Others in the family will scream out of exasperation that the trip had nothing to do with it, the two things just happened at roughly the same time. 

Anyway.  Let's get on about Christopher, or CT (Christopher Todd, because I'm too lazy to type Christopher over and over and over again.)  Let's see. . . how can I explain him to you?  He doesn't like authority too much. I remember when he was in high school he used to play this ukulele in the halls.  He wasn't hurting anything or anyone, he just played this ukulele during passing periods.  He was told repeatedly to stop with the ukulele but he refused until one day he landed himself in the principals office and while he was being reprimanded for playing the ukulele during passing period, he sat there in the principals office and - you guessed it . . . played his ukulele for the principal (and if I remember correctly, he was wearing a skirt that day.)  That's just one example.  He was never *trouble* but he was always *in* trouble.  Make sense? 

He's a white boy.  He has dreadlocks.  He has the prettiest teeth you've ever seen and he has the motivation of that chair you're sitting in.  Nothing, and I mean *nothing* will light a fire under that young man. 

Anyway, after high school he moved in to his buddy Zeke's basement.  For the past year or so, Zeke's mom has been feeding him and giving him housing while he and Zeke play in their band together.  This is a touchy spot with my sister and her husband, they believe that Zeke's mom was enabling CT, and that he should be forced to get a job and pay rent. . . but that's a story for another day. 

Anyway, CT's been big in this "Occupy" movement.  What exactly he wants from the movement we have no idea, but he's moved on from occupying Zeke's basement to occupying Fort Wayne, Bloomington and now he's occupying the world around.  I've been texting him and thank the Good Lord above he responds, because I'd drive myself crazy if he didn't.  Over Christmas he was with "Gypsy," his brother in travels (a guy he met at a truck stop in Bloomington.)  CT and Gypsy were hiding out in freight yards in Nashville hoping to ride the rails south (side note: he told his mom that he was "following the sun south."  Barb replied, "That's great, but the sun goes west.") 

How does he afford even this meager lifestyle?  Barb said he held up a sign the other day that said something to the effect of "Smile!  Have a good day!  And yes, I could use a buck."  He collected about $100. 

He spent Christmas with the Twelve Tribes, a Christian Cult of some sort that he texted me was "weird and uneasy."  They fed him, allowed him to do his laundry and off he and Gypsy went to their next adventure. I believe they actually did catch a freight train south, to Florida. 

So I ask you to pray for my Godson and nephew.  He's riding the rails to only the Lord above knows where.  It's dangerous, he does not realize it, and he has no concept of how concerned those he's left behind are right now.  Forgive me if any of this information is incorrect.  It's put together from text's that he's sent me and his parents.  I'm pieceing it together and doing my best.  Prayers for Christopher.  That's all I ask.  I'll keep you updated.

Post-Christmas

Ahhh. . . that's it!  Christmas is officially finished for 2011.  I tried to go to work this morning, but DJ told me today is "Christmas observed" and told me I was staying home instead.  Regardless, it's over and done with now. 

Kids?  Boatloads of stuff, but happily it was about 1/3 the haul of years past.  DJ still thought it was too much, and he still complained relentlessly, but he did admit this was our smallest Christmas ever.

I'm getting into the trend of self-reliance so Mom and Dad gave me a food dehydrator.  It's upstairs right now dehydrating all the leftovers from the veggie tray I had put together for yesterday.  See?  I'm all Susie Homemaker like that.

The gift of the year was Grandpa gave Grandma an iPad.  It's about the perfect gift for her.  It keeps her connected and she doesn't have to climb those stairs to go to the computer. 

Check back tomorrow for the photo extravaganza.  Kids, kids, kids!  Christmas, Christmas, Christmas!

Santa!

After last year's debacle with Santa (NOT Santa!!  Remember?  The teenage kid with a bad wig??) I took the kids to The Children's Museum to see Santa this year.  As expected, we saw the real Santa, or at least a good helper. 

First things first:  I don't recommend the Children's Museum.  It was spectacular!  It was wonderful!  Santa was one of the best I've ever seen. . . we arrived at 10:20 and immediately got in line for Santa.  He was scheduled to arrive at 11am.  We were third or fourth in line and by the time we actually saw Santa there was an hour-and-a-half to two hour wait behind us.  It was out of control.

After Santa the kids wanted to play in the Winter Wonderland, and I let them for a short while but it was a shoulder-to-shoulder crowd and I just knew I was going to lose a kid in the commotion.  Instead we made a mad dash through the dinosaurs and left for home (Eva would never allow us to leave without visiting "her" dinosaurs.)  I promised the kids we'd come back after Christmas, when the crowds are likely to have died down a touch. 

So how did the kids do with Santa?  Cawood and Faith, as expected.  They both sat in his lap and told him they were good kids, and asked for their gifts (Faith: scrapbooking stuff,  Cawood: a surprise.) 

Eva?!?!  How did Eva do with Santa this year?  I'm glad you asked. . . I was absolutely sure she would throw a fit, scream and fight to get away.  She did not.  She was very apprehensive about the situation, but she sat in his lap and allowed the photo to be taken (although she has a very sad face.)  She then told Santa she would like a pink Lala Loopsie.  It was more than I could have hoped for from our little scaredy cat. 

I'm home and not at work so I can't upload photos, but I do have a few poor quality that I'll edit in later(my camera wasn't cooperating at the museum - low battery.)  I also have those that I purchased so the trip will be chronicled in the photo books. 

Tomorrow we travel to Shelbyville to visit DJ's mom for Christmas number #2.  Then we'll be home for Christmas #3 with my family on Sunday. 

New Teeth

I knew Faith grew two new teeth.  Her bottom front two teeth fell out and the new one came in right behind.  However, when I took her to the dentist this morning I was surprised to learn her six year molars are in (not a peep of complaint) and her dentist rattled off for the record a whole bunch of other teeth erupting.   

Her X-rays were a whole lot of fun this morning: teeth *everywhere*!  Those little boogers are moving in all directions right now.  She's growing up, that one. 

Happy Christmas #1

Christmas #1: Nana and Papaw's house.  Want to know a secret?  I LOVE Christmas with Dwayne and Robin.  It's so great!  DJ has great step-sibings and the kids have little cousins and step-cousins running every direction.  No family wants to be broken, but Dwayne and Robin have it repaired in a new way so that it really is wonderful.   

Anyway, here's Cawood boy with his Papaw.

Oh look!  Us five.  Notice the three girls are dressed alike as are the two boys. 

Eva and her Aunt Lindsey:

Faith and her loot.  The presents part of Christmas is about the kids. 

Nana gave Cawood a head light; this was his very favorite gift.  A funny story:  Friday night the kids and I all slept together in a big bed at Dwaye and Robin's house.  We didn't go down until after 11 (YIKES!) and even then the kids fought me.  During the fight, Cawood begged for his light.  I told him, "No.  You can have your light back when the sun comes up.  You are not sleeping with it."  A few hours later the first hints of dawn were cracking across the sky.  Cawood, in that nearly dark bedroom said, "I want my light."

Look at all those UK fans.  (Eva, you'll notice, seems to be less than happy to wear that UK shirt.)

Happy Christmas to all!  

On Caroline, and on Children's Impressions of the World Around

I'm not sure if I told you about Caroline.  She lives in our neighborhood, rides Faith's bus but goes to the other elementary school from Faith.  Caroline goes to South, which is for third and fourth graders and Faith goes to North, which is K through 3.  Because Caroline goes to South, we can presume she's a few years older than Faith. 

Caroline is Faith's bully.  She's been mean enough to Faith that I've had to contact Faith's principal three times to get it sorted out.  One day, about two or three weeks ago, Faith told me that Caroline wasn't on the bus.  She didn't know why.

Caroline never came back; she simply disappeared.  Faith finally told me late last week that Caroline was in Chicago but she didn't know why.  Finally yesterday Faith told me Caroline is in Chicago because her Dad died.  Isn't that horrible? 

First things first:  I do not know if this is true.  This news comes from the mouth of a five-year-old, but I'm presuming it's true from the details Faith gave me.  Faith said Caroline's dad had a heart attack so they shot him and he then died. 

So why do these details make me think there may be some truth to this?  Because right after Faith told me all this, she also asked, "what's a heart attack?"  I can't imagine that she would invent the phrase "heart attack" and then ask what it means.  I also don't think they "shot" Caroline's dad.  I think they "shocked" him.  These are medical details that a five-year-old couldn't come up with all alone.

Anyway, bully or not, I think Caroline can use all of our prayers right now.  Please remember her in yours.

Eva

Just two little somethings I don't ever want to forget about Eva:

When she's in trouble (and if she loves you) she'll give you a kiss mid-scolding.  She does it every single time, without fail.  For example, just now, as I typed, "When she's in trouble, she'll give you a kiss mid-scolding," Eva was trying to stand on my keyboard.  I gave her a stern, "No Ma'am!" She leaned over and gave me a kiss on the ear. 

If she's really in trouble, she'll ask for the other parent.  For example, ten minutes ago she was kicking and hitting Cawood.  I walked over to her and gave her a swat on her diapered bottom.  She said, "I want Daddy." 

Cookies

Do you remember the other night when Cawood and Faith were bugging me for more cookies?  I told them no more, two cookies were plenty for a little kid, and then Eva got sneaky on me and gave Cawood her cookie.  Sound familiar? 

Later that night, Cawood came to me and asked if he could hold the "blue plate."  I know!  I know!  I should have told him no, but he's SO ADORABLE!! I know he thought he was pulling one past me, but I let him hold that blue plate, because I couldn't say no. 

He ended up with four cookies in his belly that night, but I got some cute pictures so that's all that matters. 

Today's Kid-ism's

A little boy in Faith's class has been out of school since before Thanksgiving.  I've asked her several times if she knows why he's out of school and she's always said no.  Today, however, all the kids signed a card for this little boy and I asked her again, "Why is he sick?  Did Mrs. Harvey tell you what he has?"  She answered very seriously, "Yes.  He has a temperature." 

It was a very cute answer, but he's been out a very long time.  I really hope he only does have a temperature. 

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Eva, bossy as usual, came down to the great room from her nap.  She told me to go get her dream blanket.  I told her no, she could get it herself.

She moved on.  Faith told her no, go get it yourself. 

She moved on.  Cawood told her, "No.  It's not my job.  Go get it yourself." 
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I baked a batch of home-made Tollhouse cookies with real butter tonight.  They were spectacular.  Faith and Cawood had two each and they both came to ask for another.  I told them no.  Two cookies in one night is plenty for any small child.  Cawood wouldn't drop it, "Please Mommy!  Another one cookie?  Please?"

Eva watched all this happen.  She said, "Mommy, I didn't have a cookie.  Can I have one?" 
I said, "Of course!" and handed her a still-warm, freshly baked cookie. 

She immediately handed it to Cawood and said, "Here Cawood.  I don't like cookies."

Jessy's Facebook Status Update

(Note: if you haven't seen this years holiday Coke cans, they are white with white polar bears.)

Jessy wrote:
Eva: what you got?
Me: coke. What do you have?
Eva: cow milk! You have bear milk!

Sleep Well, Sweet Girl

Goodness, Faith. I remember when you were days old and I just could not believe you were here; I could not believe you were mine. But you *are* here and you *are* mine.

You're my best friend down below, and Grandma's my best friend up top, and the three of us can do anything.

(Don't worry, we'll win that sister of yours. She's a Daddy's girl, yes she is. We'll get her.)

My Mommy!!

Whenever DJ tries to give me a hug in front of Cawood, Cawood will cry out, "My Mommy!"  He'll run to us, shove his way between and make me pick him up.  It's a fun game.  DJ and I will play it every so often just to see Cawood's reaction.

Just now DJ did it to me: big hug in the kitchen with twins at the table.  As predicted, Cawood cried out, "My Mommy!" . . .

And Eva cried out, "My Daddy!" 

Both twins ran to claim their parent.  :)

Cawood, on Tall and Small

I love three year olds.  I do.  I love every little thing about them.

I remember when Christopher was three years old I once asked him if he wanted a hotdog or a chili dog and he told me to put it in the microwave.  I paused, reconsidered the conversation from his point of view, marveled, laughed and that was it. . . from that moment on three has been my very favorite age.  For each and every one of my nieces and nephews, for Faith and very soon, Eva and Cawood.  The twins are now acting very three. 

I love how three year olds are still babies, but they are articulate babies who can fully and completely tell you what they are thinking.  And it's not always what we adults are thinking. 

I ask a lot of questions of my kids.  I just want to know about them: what they think about every random thing I can imagine.  At bedtime, I asked Cawood a question or two:

Me:  Do you like being small or do you want to grow tall?
Cawood:  I'm scared to be tall.
Me:  Why are you scared to be tall?
Cawood:  Because I won't have any clothes. 
Me:  Yes you will!  You'll always have clothes!
Cawood:  No.  When I'm tall my clothes won't fit.  I won't have any sleepers. 
Me:  We'll get you new clothes when you get tall.  OK? 
Cawood:  OK.

Happy 69th, Grandpa!

I took the kids to Terre Haute the other day for a few reasons.  One of those reasons is that today (the 30th) is Grandpa's birthday and I wanted to bring him his gift.  While we were driving down there I asked Faith how old she thought Grandpa was going to be on his birthday. 

I can remember being a kid and thinking 30 was OLD!  But kids also know that 100 is old.  I was absolutely, positively, 100% sure she'd tell me Grandpa was either in his 30's/40's or 163.  I wasn't sure where she'd land.

Her guess?  67. 

Awesome Faith!  Super close.  I would have never nailed it that close when I was five. 

Evan And Funny Faces

 When we arrived home from Kentucky the other day Santa had left a gift for the kids on the kitchen table.  (Excuse Cawood and Eva's nakedness - they stripped all their clothes off as soon as they walked in the door hoping for a bath.)  Anyway, the little ones tore into the gift and found the Elf on The Shelf book.  I read them the story, and it explained that Santa keeps an eye on the kids by sending an elf to their house to watch them.  The elf then flies home to the north pole every night and reports to Santa.   

The book requested that the children in the home name their elf.  Our kids chose to name the elf, "Evan."  They found Evan sitting on the mantle soon after reading the book.  Faith noticed he's sitting "criss cross applesauce."  Because, you know, it's racist to call it "Indian Style."  Wow. 

Evan has done a pretty good job keeping the kids well behaved.  All I need to do is remind them that he's watching and the'll usually snap pretty quick to good behavior.  Faith will even give him a sideways glance every time she walks past him.  Evan talks to Santa, every single night.  That's powerful stuff. 

After he flies home to the North Pole during the night, he comes back to our house and lands in a different spot.  It's the kids job to find him.  So far he's been on the mantle, in the clock, in the mortar/pestle and in the tree. 

Evan:

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Just a fun picture:  Funny Faces!

Dancing Munchkins!

Thanksgiving!

Can you believe I forgot my camera at home this morning?!?!  I'm still taking that daily Faith photo before school and I just left it sitting on the counter after this morning's photo.  Oh well! 

Anyway, I'll just tell you what happened and then I'll edit photos back in later.  Wednesday night we all visited Dwayne and Robin for Thanksgiving.  Here's a funny:  Dwayne had a deer head in a bag he was taking to the taxidermist.  He was carrying it by the antlers.  Eva thought it was a triceratops.  Silly girl!  Papaw's good, but I'd be surprised if he's good enough to hunt down a triceratops. 

Wednesday night DJ and Papaw stayed home to watch a game on TV while Nana took the kids and me to the Cincinnati zoo to see the lights.  It was spectacular and we all loved it!  Nana said she's been wanting to do it for years with one bunch of kids or another, but never got around to it.  My kids were the lucky winners, because it was amazing.  I've never seen Christmas lights like that before.  I'll tell you what:  we are so blessed beyond imagine to have Robin.  She's such a good Nana to these kids. 

Thursday was Aunt Dinah's house.  These kids lovee visiting Aunt Dinah!  Her house is big and fun, and during holidays there are squealing kids and laughing adults from one side to the next.  It's a huge blessing of a Thanksgiving.

Afterwards, we loaded up the kids and spent another 24 hours with his mom and Doug for another Thanksgiving dinner.  The original plan was for Faith and me to go shopping on Friday, but when she wouldn't go to bed on Thursday night I told her I wasn't going to take her shopping.  Faith agreed that was fine - she'd rather stay up and play with Cooper, who she really doesn't get to see very often.  I spent Friday shopping all by myself.  That was wonderful - I found some gifts for Faith that I wouldn't have been able to pick up otherwise. 

When DJ and I got married we decided that we would do Thanksgiving every other year with DJ's family and every other year with mine.  Last year was the first year we had Thanksgiving at *our* house and DJ absolutely loved it.  He was a little frustrated with me for agreeing to go to Kentucky this year, because it's a whole lot of travel with three small kids.  All years past we've just done Aunt Dinah's house, which is absolutely wonderful and we've always loved it.  Adding in the second Thanksgiving made for a long holiday.  DJ has decided that we are just going to stay home from now on.  This was completely his choice, made independently of any input from me, but I do agree it is the best decision for our little family of five.  I love doing the holidays at home as much as he does.  :) 

I hope you all had a great holiday!