Much Needed Laughter

Last night was the annual Christmas party at Jeff's bosses house (whose last name happens to be Christmas). We always have a nice time with this group of people. It has been more fun for me each time as I'm getting to know everyone and traditions of sorts have begun.

Last night I laughed harder than I've laughed in ages. We always do the dirty santa thing and there are always hilarious things brought, said, and done. Last year a young single guy opened a glass rooster. We laughed about the "chicken" the whole time and the very last person to choose a gift, another young single guy, stole the chicken. We all got a kick out of it and fully expected the chicken to turn up again this year. When it was chicken man 1's turn to open we joked that he would get the chicken again... he opened a DIFFERENT, ceramic chicken. So funny! Way later and after plenty of laughs the second chicken owner stole the ceramic chicken. There were about 5 presents left for chicken man 1 to choose from since his gift was stolen. What did he open you ask? The glass rooster. HILARIOUS!

So Hard to Say Goodbye

This table was a great part of our lives. We used it like crazy for quite some time. We hardly ever put wooden tracks on it, but we used our GeoTrax mania on it all of the time. This was back when Jeff and I built the tracks because the kids were too small. Back then they just watched the trains go round and round and made sounds with their remote controls.

Those days are gone now and I can't ever get the kids to build their tracks on the table. When they build they always do it on the floor (and promptly... very promptly destroy what's been built).

We sold the table on Craigslist because it takes up so much space in our toy room. The man came to pick it up yesterday and I had warned the boys that he was coming, but they didn't understand. When we started actually carrying it out the door there was MELTDOWN. Lincoln grabbed it and pulled, trying to keep it in the house. He started building tracks on it WHILE we were carrying it, saying, "I'm using that!"

Jackson seemed oblivious to the whole thing, until suddenly he saw how awful it was for Lincoln and he decided it was awful for him too. I've never seen them so sad. I had to rudely shut the door on the poor folks that were buying the table so that I could console both of them. We went back in the toy room and cried. I tried to show them how much space we had now to build new tracks and play games. I told them that there was a little boy out there who needed it. They weren't buying it. I felt like a big jerk.

But now that all of the drama of the moment has passed I see that they are ALREADY using the toy room more. It feels so much nicer in there, all open and grass green free. So far they haven't mentioned it today. I think we're going to make it.

6-6

I was tagged to post the 6th picture from my 6th photo folder. It just so happens that the photo was from June of 2006... so the 6-6 thing is very appropriate! Now that I think of it, it was also at a 6 year old birthday party!

This is the kids' cousin Isaac watching little Lincoln (or at least his nose & chin) pull the string on Davis' birthday pinata (imagine a squiggly over that n - not sure how to do that).


This is my first time being tagged. If you have never been tagged before... or you have been tagged 6 times... or you just feel like participating, it is your turn.

Our Little Mouse

Every house with kids needs a pet, right?

Well, we HAD a little, ok - a big, mouse. I don't want to use the R word - even if they have been made friendly and cute by the cartoon world recently. It came in through our hot water closet in the garage... eating its way into the wall and then into the house eating it's way through another wall behind our stove.

While I knew it was in the house somewhere I took Jackson to look at the animals at PetSmart one day to waste a few minutes before picking up Lincoln from school. I saw a few mice and r-words there. They looked nice enough. Cute even. I thought to myself, "if anybody wants one and can find it in my house they can save themselves ten to twenty dollars and come and get it for free."

The mouse has since been caught and disposed of. We didn't tell that part to the kids.

Lincoln has been watching Tom and Jerry lately and thinks it is perfectly normal to have a mouse friend having it's way in your house. He gives me advice about it now and then.

"Hey mom, if our mouse falls in the toaster and gets too hot, we can just put it in a cup of water to cool it off."

Jackson wants to share his snacks with it.

I'm hoping they'll believe my story that the mouse must've left because I haven't seen it for awhile.

Christmas Around Here

Getting ready to host Jeff's work party. We had a great time and TONS of delicious food. Anybody for leftover T-bones?

















Don't forget to wear your safety gear when you're helping put the house back together after the party.
















I've had a few struggles with getting even the regular things done around here (threw out my back trying to protect my stomach after surgery, etc), let alone Christmas - so it will be a fairly simple year.












Still magical to me!