Too True...

We received this in our email box, but since we aren't fond of forwarding, we're posting it here. Feel free to leave a comment at the bottom: do you agree? disagree?

"Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.

He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:

• Knowing when to come in out of the rain;
• Why the early bird gets the worm;
• Life isn't always fair;
• and maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for
reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.

It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.

Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death, by his parents, Truth and Trust, by
his wife, Discretion, by his daughter, Responsibility, and by his son, Reason.

He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers:
I Know My Rights
I Want It Now
Someone Else Is To Blame
I'm A Victim

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone."

Priceless

Fisher Price Airport: $20 (Half price with my coupon!)

Various chew toys: $10 or so

Snacks to fill tummies: $2

Heat to warm house on a cold day: $5-$10

Trip to the library to ease cabin fever: FREE!

Three children, peacefully playing with their Christmas toys: Priceless

This little man celebrated his half-birthday last week!

Merry Christmas!

We are celebrating the holiday with David’s brother, sister-in-law, Dave's mom, and her husband in Michigan. The drive here was painful, through the nasty storm, but we drove out of it at about the same time the little ones fell asleep, so the last two hours of the trip were blissfully peaceful.

A week or two ago, David and I watched a documentary on the origins of today’s Christmas celebration. Just for fun, I’m posting some of what we learned here. (If you don’t think that’s fun at all, you can stop reading now. I’ll never know.)

In the Middle Ages, Christmas celebrations were rowdy and raucous—a lot like today's Mardi Gras parties. Because of this, from 1659 to 1681, the celebration of Christmas was outlawed in Boston, and law-breakers were fined five shillings.

In the mid-19th century, the Christmas tree was first introduced to America. The first ornaments were typically apples. The Christmas card became an overnight sensation.

Around 1830, Clement C. Moore, a Christian, wrote “Twas the Night Before Christmas” but was somewhat ashamed of it because of its lack of religious reference. Eventually he owned up to it.

By 1840s, Santa Claus was irresistible in America. Retailers loved him! His image was on everything related to Christmas. He was particularly popular in department stores.

There was no Christmas celebration in the church at this time. The Protestant church had ignored Christmas. People longed for Christmas in their church and began demanding it. Up to this point, the Christmas holiday ALWAYS had other rituals and activities associated with it other than the nativity.

Christmas became a national holiday in America on June, 26, 1870.

In the 1920’s, Santa first appeared in a parade.

In 1939, Santa got his sidekick! Rudolph, "the most famous reindeer of all," was the product of Robert L. May's imagination. The copywriter wrote a poem about the reindeer to help lure customers into the Montgomery Ward department store.

By the 1950’s, Christmas had become strictly a family affair, complete with the image of children at the base of the tree with eyes aglow.

50-60% of the American population attend a Christmas church service of some sort.

98% of Americans celebrate Christmas in some form.

The Joy of Craft Sticks

As a former teacher and former children's minister, I have a great deal of experience with craft sticks (a.k.a. popsicle sticks). However, believe it or not, I haven't ever sat down with Ally and played with said sticks. We remedied that situation just a few days ago.

We made ornaments like this...



and this...



and this...



And my sweet girl made me a Christmas present. She asked for only a little help (with the "s"), and then promptly told me to forget what I had seen, so that I would be surprised on Christmas morning.



After the glue dried, she stacked the letters on the table and told me I needed to wrap it. I quickly said that Daddy should help her wrap since it is for me. Her response: "No, you wrap it. Then forget it." (Another thing for my to-do list...wrap my own present.)

Later I asked her what I should do with my present and she said simply, "Hang it somewhere." Although I can't pinpoint the best spot for the masterpiece in our current home, I think someday I'll have an office/craft room of my very own. And my name, made by my sweet 5-year-old, will be hanging where I can see it every day.

Nearly Two

Our vivacious, spontaneous, spunky, demanding second-born will be two in just a few short weeks. This is a great opportunity to tell you what she's up to.

She currently says about 40 words consistently. A few sound perfectly clear (apple, bubble, pickle), but many are understood only by us. For example: "Papa" can mean grandpa, popcorn, or puppy, depending on the situation. Also, she yells "ELL-ME" (Help me!) several times a day. "Moke" is any beverage in a cup (ironically, milk is usually NOT what she's after). When she greeted Ally the other day (after Ally came home from school), she grinned and hugged her, saying "OME!" (Like "You're home!"). This is such a fun age. She is learning new words, and really practicing them, every day.

Other words she knows? "Uck" (anything dirty, sticky, crumby), "Mosh" (mess), "Sucko" (sucker...yes she has had them and I refuse to feel guilty about it), "Shlide" (slide), "Bush" (brush, as in teeth), "Cack - Cack" (duck), and "Doe-Doe" (donut). Her favorite TV entertainers? "Weee-Goes" (Wiggles) and "Elmy" (Elmo, of course!)

She's so full of life. Here are a few of her recent antics:

• Practices her counting by pointing at groups of things and saying, "Ooooooooone...." (She hasn't yet made it to two.)
• She can recognize a few places in town and screams when we pass them: Fazoli's, the mall, the chiropractor's office. (Yeah, that last one stumps me too.)
• She hates Walgreen's and screams when we pull into the parking lot. (Again, no idea.)
• After showing her two ornaments on the Christmas tree that play music when they're squeezed, she proceeded to walk around the tree, squeezing every ornament she could reach.
• The first morning we had their Little People Nativity scene on display, she pulled out the Baby Jesus and said, "BINKO!" (her word for binky, our word for pacifier). She raced over to the basket where we keep her brother's pacifiers and promptly returned to give it to the tiny Baby Jesus. (Two things I must point out: 1) Notice she DID NOT remove the binky from her own mouth to give to Baby Jesus, but instead sacrificed her brother's. 2) The pacifier was only slightly smaller than the entire Baby Jesus and the manger combined.)
• She could make the motions for "Wheels on the Bus" while I sing it ALL DAY LONG. That is, if I would sing it all day long, which I will not. (My limit is somewhere around 27.)
• She LOVES playing Peek-A-Boo with Christopher. She screams, "PEEK-A!" and he nearly jumps out of his skin.
• After seeing something similar on her favorite show, she races around the dining room with a blanket around her shoulders like a cape and screams "BY!" (FLY!). Stinkin' cute. (If I can catch it on video, I'll definitely post it here!

Just thought you might enjoy some of her sweetness. It's contagious.

(And her piggytails are irresistible.)

11 Years ago today...

Eleven years ago today, I said "I do." We walked the aisle, ate the cake, posed for pictures, hugged lots of folks, and made a lifetime promise.

And I've never looked back.

Dave told me once (and we've laughed about it since) that he almost left town that morning; he was so nervous. I'm really glad he stuck around for the main event.

I love you, babe. Happy Anniversary.

A Mom's Letter to Santa

I got this letter from my MOPS group this week. Not everything applies to every mom, but I think we can all feel some truth here!

By the way, Christopher is sitting up happily, all by himself! And, in case you can't see it, his shirt reads, "All mommy wants for Christmas is a silent night." Amen to that.


"Dear Santa:

I've been a good Mom all year. I've fed, cleaned, and cuddled my two children on demand, visited the doctor's office more than the doctor has, sold sixty-two cases of candy bars to raise money to plant a shade tree on the school playground and figured out how to attach nine patches onto my daughter's girl scout sash with staples and a glue gun.

I was hoping you could spread my list out over several Christmases, since I had to write this letter with my son's red crayon, on the back of a receipt in the laundry room between cycles, and who knows when I'll find anymore free time in the next 18 years.

Here are my Christmas wishes:

• I'd like a pair of legs that don't ache after a day of chasing kids (in any color, except purple, which I already have) and arms that don't flap in the breeze, but are strong enough to carry a screaming toddler out of the candy aisle in the grocery store. I'd also like a waist, since I lost mine somewhere in the seventh month of my last pregnancy.
• If you're hauling big ticket items this year I'd like a car with fingerprint resistant windows and a radio that only plays adult music; a television that doesn't broadcast any programs containing talking animals; and a refrigerator with a secret compartment behind the crisper where I can hide to talk on the phone.


• On the practical side, I could use a talking daughter doll that says,"yes, Mommy" to boost my parental confidence, along with one potty-trained toddler, two kids who don't fight, and three pairs of jeans that will zip all the way up without the use of power tools.


• I could also use a recording of Tibetan monks chanting, "don't eat in the living room" and "take your hands off your brother," because my voice seems to be just out of my children's hearing range and can only be heard by the dog.


• And please don't forget the PlayDoh Travel Pack, the hottest stocking stuffer this year for mothers of preschoolers. It comes in three fluorescent colors and is guaranteed to crumble on any carpet making the in-laws' house seem just like mine.

If it's too late to find any of these products, I'd settle for enough time to brush my teeth and comb my hair in the same morning, or the luxury of eating food warmer than room temperature without it being served in a Styrofoam container.

If you don't mind I could also use a few Christmas miracles to brighten the holiday season. Would it be too much trouble to declare ketchup a vegetable? It will clear my conscience immensely.

It would be helpful if you could coerce my children to help around the house without demanding payment as if they were the bosses of an organized crime family; or if my toddler didn't look so cute sneaking downstairs to eat contraband ice cream in his pajamas at midnight.

Well, Santa, the buzzer on the dryer is ringing and my son saw my feet under the laundry room door. I think he wants his crayon back. Have a safe trip and remember to leave your wet boots by the chimney and come in and dry off by the fire so you don't catch cold. Help yourself to cookies on the table, but don't eat too many or leave crumbs on the carpet.

Yours Always...Mom"

Saxophone Video

A man in our church was recording the service on the Sunday that I played this in church and he brought me a copy on DVD. Since the quality of video was so good, I decided to put it up on Youtube.

Feel no obligation to watch it....

Poopy Doopy Song....

Here is a video I stumbled across on Youtube while searching for Elmo videos with Natalie the other night. Poopy Doopy diapers are a daily part of our lives with two children under 2-years-old. We thought this was a fun spin on the joy of daily poopy doopy diapers! FYI---Nat has had two today already!!!! I know...too much information! :)

Babies having babies...

It's true. My babies have babies.

Natalie is quite fond of going on a "wok" with her babies and
Christopher just likes to lick this baby's face.

He might be embarrassed by pictures like this in the future, but we think they're pretty cute.

Something is amiss.

As you know, this sweet boy is plagued...uh...wrong word...blessed with two older sisters. They are constantly, um, blessing him with their shenanigans. Can you spot what is DEFINITELY WRONG about the picture below?

Did you see it?

Yes, Ally was checking to see how her beautifully bright pink ring would fit on her brother's toe. And, after I took a picture or five, I sufficiently reprimanded her for leaving a choking hazard in, or just out of, her baby brother's reach.



As you can see, it didn't seem to be bothering him.

There will come a day when he will no longer tolerate modeling his sisters' pretties. Until then, the camera will always be handy.

Two Saxes at once!

David found this video this morning and enjoyed it considerably. I was in another room and could hear his statements, "That's cool!" "Woa, I thought this was gonna be cheesy, but he's earned my respect!"

So, I thought we ought to share. Any sax man that earns Dave's respect is worth a quick listen. And, after all, he IS playing two saxophones at once. That takes skill.

The EYE has it!

Happy December! We put up all of the decorations on Monday night, but it hardly seems real that the Christmas season is here. I love the festive house, but it doesn't agree with our nearly-two-year-old. Within 24 hours of decorating, Natalie had shattered one of my favorite pieces...a musical snowglobe from my mom-in-law. Clearly I should have known better, it was left in her reach. Next year we'll have two little ones getting into things: Christopher will be a typical toddler handful and Natalie will...well, she'll still be Natalie.

We just love her to bits. Her personality livens up our home. It's so interesting how each of our children adds something different to the mix.

Now to the point! In case you don't remember, Natalie has had tear duct issues for over a year now. In March, she underwent surgery in both ducts to open them and allow them to function correctly. Unfortunately, the surgery was only effective in one eye (at least from our perspective). Her left eye was clear and dry, while her right was still very wet, drippy, and prone to infections. We procrastinated the appointment to see the pediatric ophthalmologist...we just couldn't bear the idea of another surgery, however minor.

Today was Natalie's appointment. The doctor put a yellow dye drop into each eye and watched to see what happened to it. In fully-functioning tear ducts, the dye would drain into the duct and into the nasal cavity. With a blue light, the doc can see the dye when looking into the nose. In closed-ducts, it will just drip out onto the face and none of it will be detected through the nose.

Right away the doctor said he saw some of the dye had drained appropriately. And after waiting a few minutes, he said he could see some in the nose. He determined that her tear duct is partially closed or "narrowed." In most instances, the child slowly outgrows the problem. The doctor was confident that by age 3 or 4, her tear duct will function normally.

NO SURGERY! (He did say that if it was really bothering us, he would go back in a put in a stint, but he encouraged us to be patient and watch for slow improvement.)

My sweet, snowglobe-breaking, almost-2-year-old got a few extra hugs this afternoon and I have let out more than a few sighs of relief.

By the way, Natalie charmed the socks off her doctor. While we were waiting for the drops to move through the duct, she was running in circles around the exam room and giggling like she was at DisneyWorld. We're going to have to work on her problem with timidity.