Every year it seems the holidays get busier and busier. They are not my favorite time of year. There is simply too much to do and not nearly enough time to get it done. And now that winter break has officially begun for the kids (as of 3:15 this afternoon she says with a little sigh), my free time just disappeared.
So here are a few of the moments I've been trying really hard not to forget but that I simply haven't had time to write about ...
The Falling Tree. Do you see where this one is going? Oh, yes, it is. We put our Christmas tree up in our family room, right in front of the three big picture windows that face the street. Seems like a good place, away from the main activity of the house but still in view most of the day. Except that it's not a good place. Because that's the exact spot Buster likes to sit during the day, watching over his yard and the neighborhood, barking like a crazy dog at anyone who dares to set foot on the public sidewalk or actually just walk into view. Did I mention Buster is a 180-pound English Mastiff? Or that we put the tree in his spot? Because one day while we were out, he decided the four inches between the tree and the picture window was a big enough space for him to walk. And bark like a crazy dog at some passerby or perhaps even a squirrel (also a dreaded nemesis). Yeah, the tree went over. The water - because it's a real tree - went all over the wood floors (though thankfully most of it was soaked up by the tree runner). Ornaments came crashing and shattering down. There were three total losses, and about ten that required super glue. Good times.
Three School Parties in One Day. Yes. Two of them - the two kindergartners, of course - at nearly the same time. Sawyer's class play started at 11:00 o'clock, Xander's at 11:10. I managed to stay in Sawyer's classroom long enough for his aide to lead him through his part in the gingerbread man, then ducked out early to head into Xander's class. I ran into them marching down the hall for their grand entrance, and had to run in ahead of them. I watched as Xander pretty much ignored the production in favor of drawing letters, though he did say his line with prompting from his aide - "Yum, yum, you smell good, I want to eat you!" - and then go back to drawing more letters on his page. He also may or may not have said several other people's lines for them when the notion struck him. His memory is an amazing thing to behold sometimes, though the other parents might not have thought so. I got to have lunch with both twins, and even see Connor in the lunch line before taking Xander back to his class and then heading upstairs to Connor's holiday party.
The Early Christmas Present. Daddy swears part of this one is for the boys, but I think it's for him with the added benefit of the boys most likely enjoying it too. We now have an xbox kinect. Call of Duty is definitely not for the boys. The other games probably more so. And we may or may not have bought a new 60-inch big screen television and sound bar to go with it. In fairness, it does replace the nine-year old version that we bought when we moved into our first house many, many years ago. And it also makes room for a desk in our bedroom (our dresser was moved into the family room as a base for all the gadgets and storage for the things that go with the gadgets). Which brings us to another bit of news ...
Probation is Over. Daddy took his final fire test earlier this month and got to trade in his orange "probationary" fireman hat in for the real deal. He's an official fireman. And he also tested into and was accepted into the next paramedic class. It's an accelerated class during his work hours, so he's going to be very busy next year working, studying and doing clinicals. Which is one reason we moved the dresser out of our room (see above story) to make way for a new desk (which we're still currently shopping for). Go ahead and consider me a single parent for the next year. I already do.
Finding Words. Sawyer has made some exciting steps in speech lately. We are hearing a few more random words here and there - "hi" and "bye" during greetings, "want" and "bear" for wanting gummy bear treats, and a few other things. But more exciting is his increasing willingness to mimic beginning sounds of words. For instance, when he wants to play his iPad, when say "p" for "pad" and he will repeat it. He will frequently come to me unprompted and say "p" and attempt to get his iPad from it's resting spot (on the top of the refrigerator). We are getting lots of different sounds, many of them on the first try, and some of them beginning to show up spontaneously. He is also offering true greetings to people, often prompted, but sometimes completely spontaneous. He responded to a little girl in his kindergarten class when she waved and said "hi" to him. She frequently tries to interact with him, and his aide told me she was completely surprised to see him respond.
Quirky and Cool. Sawyer's newest sensory seeking issue is that he feels the constant need to chew on his sleeves. It's one of the more annoying habits he's developed, because it largely means that I don't put him in long sleeve shirts. Even on days like today, when it was 30 degrees and snowing outside. Even his jackets are not safe, though I do put those on him and just resign myself to saying "hand down" about a thousand times a day. Xander's newest sensory seeking habit is equally annoying. And it's also painful. He craves deep pressure under his very pointy chin. Know how I know his chin is pointy? Because the back of my hands have bruises to prove it. He likes to take your hand and press his chin hard over the bones, rubbing it back and forth. And surprise, it will leave a bruise after a few days of this. I learned the hard way. Who knew you could actually bruise the back of your hand? So here's hoping these are short phases in our quirky and cool diaries. Because I'm ready for them both to go.
There is probably a lot more that I should write about. I do have a list (of course she does), and I will eventually get back to writing more frequently. After I plan, shop for and coordinate the family holiday party that's happening at our house on Christmas Eve. Or wrap the presents that will not be placed under the tree until Santa arrives (see above story about puppy and then add three nosy little boys if you're not sure why). Or finish baking cookies for a few remaining recipients. And after I label and stamp the 90 Christmas cards that just arrived (you know, after I design and print the invitations for above family holiday party).
The holidays can't last forever .... can they?
