Trey's Big Debut

Trey, bless his little heart, hates any sort of attention - even from Bryan and I. Anytime he catches us watching him doing something, he stops immediately, glares at us and then turns his back to us. He just doesn't like people watching him (or talking to him or looking at him). Also, he is very uncomfortable in new situations (new people, places, routines, clothing) and uncomfortable in any situation that he does not have some sort of control. Super easy child.

Needless to say he was terrified for his preschool Christmas program to happen. He had a few things working against him: It was in a new place (not his preschool), he had to wear a shirt that he doesn't usually wear to preschool (doesn't sound like a big deal but for Trey, it is traumatic), and he had to stand in front of a bunch of strangers and sing.

It took about 53 pep talks the week before and a bribe of an M&M cookie and chocolate milk, but Trey did not end up sitting in my lap and watching the program (which I fully expected). He stood with his class in front of everyone for the entire program. He even very quietly told everyone his name.

The program then consisted of about ten songs, none of which Trey choose to sing. But he did stand in front of everyone with his class while they sang. He even let his teacher put an elf hat on him (again, not a big deal to most children but the fact that Trey did not turn around and wack her when she put a hat on his head is huge).

Trey stood there frozen while everyone else sang, and I couldn't be more PROUD of him. I know he was extremely scared and uncomfortable but he stood up there, without a fight, in front of everyone, and that is a huge step for him.

WAY TO GO, TREY!!! I LOVE YOU!!!

Here is just a small clip of Trey being Trey...

Our Gingerbread House

Kevin, Trey and I attempted to make a gingerbread house the other day. Usually, I try to control the decorating too much. This time, I let them do whatever they wanted. We had a lot of fun. Some of the highlights of the activity included:

*This conversation with Kevin...
Kevin: "Mom, you didn't become an engineer in college, did you."
Me: "Um, no. Why?"
Kevin: "Look at the house."
The roof had slid off. Again.
Me: "Oh, I'll fix it." Again.
Kevin: "You're not a very good gingerbread house engineer, mom."

*Trey freaking out because he got a small drop of frosting on his finger after putting candy on the roof. "Wipe it, mom! Get it OFF!" I know, most kids would happily lick their finger. Not Trey.

*Me knocking over the container of tiny, hard candy balls - sending them into a bouncing frenzy across the kitchen. And having no one to yell at but myself.

*Trey constantly telling Kevin and I that the candy needs to stay "organized." (I didn't even know he knew what that word meant).

*Kevin teaching Trey the lyrics to "Pinecones and Holly Berries." So cute. They both sang it over and over while they decorated.

*Trey jumping up and down in excitement because when he got the nerve to put another piece of candy on the house, he did not get frosting on his finger. "Look, mom, I did it! My finger is still clean!"
*Kevin telling me that I make the best gingerbread houses in the world. (Apparently, he forgot about his previous comments).

*Kevin making Bryan a map from the garage door to the kitchen where the final product was being displayed, so he would be sure to see "the best gingerbread house ever" when he got home.

*Trey giving Kevin a hug and telling him "I love you" with no prompting of any sort.

Old Photos and Memories...

I was tagged by my friend, Tina, to do this post. You are supposed to go to your sixth picture folder and show the sixth picture and tell about it. This picture is not very good quality. It was back in the olden days when we didn't have a digital camera - so this has been scanned and saved to my computer.
Anyway, this picture brings back a lot of memories because it was taken right before Kevin had surgery on his cleft lip when he was just a few weeks old. I know it wasn't major heart surgery or anything, but I was still terrified. He was my first baby. I was getting ready to give him to a doctor who would change the way he looked for the rest of his life.

I remember him not being allowed to eat for six hours before the surgery. For a baby who ate every two hours, that was a long time. I fully expected him to cry for the last four hours before his surgery, and I was dreading it. Bryan gave him a blessing the night before. Kevin didn't make a single peep the morning of his surgery. Didn't act hungry at all. I know it seems trite now, but to an anxious and frazzled new mom, it was a small miracle. It let me know that God does hear and answer our prayers - even if it's something as small as "please don't let my baby feel hungry for a few hours."

The surgery went great. He cried a lot during the next eight weeks. He had every right to. His arms were tied to his diaper so he couldn't move them enough to touch his face. He had plastic stints up his nose that didn't look comfortable at all. He had a metal bar over his lip so nothing would hit it, and every time I had to take the metal bar off, I ripped a layer of skin off of his cheeks with the tape. Not fun.

I was so worried about everything at the time. Looking back, it all seems so simple. Of all the things to go wrong, a cleft lip was an easy fix and a welcome "defect" (I hate that word) compared to most of the things I saw. I learned a lot during his first three months of life, and if I had a chance to do it over, I wouldn't change a thing.

Trey's Christmas Ornament

Every year around Christmastime, I buy the boys each an ornament for the Christmas tree. When they are grown and have their own families, they can have these ornaments to remind them of their childhood Christmas trees. I try to buy nice, timeless ornaments that won't look dated 20 years from now. That's the goal anyway.

Well, this year I thought it would be fun to let the boys pick out their own ornaments. We went to the store and found an entire wall full of Christmas ornaments. They were so excited. I thought to myself, let them choose whatever ornament they want. It will be more special if they get to pick it out all by themselves and it will show their personalities.

Kevin, who loves this kind of stuff, spent a long time going through each of the ornaments - touching, feeling, inspecting each of them to find the perfect one. First it was a snowman, then it was a star, then it was an ice cream cone. He finally settled on a candy cane. Not my favorite, but he could have done worse.

Surprisingly, Trey was even getting into it. I thought for sure he would have picked out the shiny car or the boy riding a bicycle. After much deliberation, this is what he comes up with...

Seriously?!? It's easily the UGLIEST ornament in the store. It's the ornament that I secretly said to myself, they better not pick that one. I know that I said that I would let them choose whatever they want - I meant, unless they pick that one. (No offense to anyone who may have this on their tree, but really?)

Once Trey makes up his mind, there is no going back. I tried my best. I showed him the shiny silver car and the boy riding a bicycle. I showed him snowmen and Santa Claus. I even tried bribing him with a trip to the candy store on the way home. Nothing worked. "No, I WANT the red bird."

So I bought the ugliest ornament in the store. I tried telling Trey that we should put his towards the back of the tree "so it would be safe." He didn't go for that little lie, and he put it front and center.

So for the next twenty or so years, we will put the ugly red bird on our Christmas tree. When Trey has his own tree, I will be sure to give it to him and let him know how insistent he was on buying such a special ornament.

(I think I'll be picking their ornaments from now on).

Thanksgiving

I LOVE THANKSGIVING! This may be because my favorite food is mashed potatoes and gravy. I would be perfectly happy with a plate full of mashed potatoes and gravy and nothing else.

Mainly though, I love spending the day with family. We were at Bryan's family's house this year and had a great time. It was fun, relaxing and yummy. We ate, visited, and watched movies. The kids had a lot of fun with their cousins. It was a great day!

I also like Thanksgiving because it forces me to think of all the things I am thankful for. I know that during day-to-day run of life, it becomes easy to want instead of just being thankful. I know I am guilty of this. So I like just being thankful. There is so much to be thankful for, but some of the things that come to mind are:

I am thankful for my knowledge of God. I know he exists. I know he loves me and wants me to succeed. I know he hears my prayers and answers them. I think he is anxious to answer our prayers, and sometimes I have been suprised at how specifically he answers them. I think this world would be a far scarier place without this knowledge of God.

I am thankful for my trials. In the 10 years that Bryan and I have been married, we have had our share of trials - some large and some small. Looking back, I have learned something from every one of them. I am grateful for the knowledge I have gained through these trials. I am grateful for how I have grown through these times.

I am thankful for my family. First, my husband and children. We have so much fun together. I love being with them. Bryan is the best husband I could ask for, and I never knew that being a mom to two boys would be so great. I am also grateful for my family and Bryan's family. We are both very close with our families, and I don't know what I would do without these relationships.

I am thankful for great friends. I have friends that I can talk to, have fun with, and count on whenever I need them. Great friends definitely make life easier and a lot more fun.

I am thankful for all the material things that make life easier - cars, televisions, cell phones, computers, etc... We live in an amazing era, and I take these things for granted most of the time.

There are so many things to be thankful for. These are just some of the things on the forefront of my mind. It is my goal for this coming year to recognize more readily the things in life to be thankful for.

Redneck Ladder

We have lived in our house for over four years and have never bothered to purchase a ladder. Why? We know enough nice people who own ladders who let us mooch off them. It was time to put up the Christmas lights today, and what do we need? A ladder. Bryan didn't feel like bothering any of these nice people today so he got creative. I went outside to see if he needed any help, and this is what I found.

Yes, that is my car. And that is a step stool on top of my car. Who needs a ladder when you've got a brain that thinks of this genius idea?

Bryan made it to the roof, but it became apparent that this is not the normal way of doing things. Our neighbor who lives a couple of houses down was driving by and saw my car with a step stool on top of it and Bryan on the roof. He put two and two together and stopped - partly to laugh and partly to offer some help. Bryan told him he was fine, but our neighbor was not convinced. He parked his car, walked to his house, and brought over his ladder. (He's one of the nice people we usually borrow from).

A few minutes later, our next door neighbor came over and tried to give us his ladder. Thank you, really, but the car and the step stool work great, and make us look really smart and resourceful to the rest of the neighborhood. I think maybe it's time to invest in a ladder - for the sake of our nice neighbors.


The lights got put up, and both Kevin and Trey got to get on the roof and hang with their dad. Bryan got done quickly (our lights are simple and boring - but very straight), got off the roof and took the stool off the car. Then we heard a voice from above. "When do I get to come down?" It was Kevin. On the roof. We forgot about him on the roof. We're good parents...

Husbands, Take Notes...

Ugh, yesterday was awful. Not fun at all. But it did make me realize what a stud of a husband I have. I woke up not feeling well at all - sick to my stomach, massive headache, sore throat, achy all over, fever, chills - the whole deal. I got up and did my best to get Kevin ready for school. Bryan got ready for work. I couldn't even stand up long enough to make Kevin's lunch. Bryan saw this and sent me back to bed. Then he took the day off work.

Yes, I actually got a sick day - you know, the kind of sick day where you stay in bed all day and someone takes care of you. The kind that happens when you're little and have no responsibilities. That's what Bryan gave me, and it was heaven. (Well, not heaven because I was sick, but you get the idea).

Bryan got Kevin ready for school and breakfast for the kids. He drove Kevin's carpool to school. He got Trey ready and took him to work with him to pick up some things to take home. He made Trey's lunch. He played games downstairs with Trey. He brought me juice. He picked Kevin's carpool up. He went to the store. He took Kevin to a birthday party. He put the kids to bed. All while I was in bed doing nothing. I got to stay in bed all day long. I don't remember the last time I've been able to do that. Then later that evening when I was finally feeling well enough to eat, he came home with a Cafe Rio salad (my favorite) just for me.

Am I lucky or what? I really didn't know how I was going to make it through the day, and Bryan came through big time. There is always more giggles and fun (and messes and bruises) when Bryan is home. The boys had a great day with their dad, and I was in bed, blissfully unaware of most of it.

Bryan, I LOVE YOU!!! Thank you for always being there. XOXO