It's Tough

Being the only girl around four (soon to be five) boys is tough.

Boys are loud, and rough and dirty.

And they haven't quite grasped the concept of how to treat a lady.

And they hog all the fun toys. And the playground equipment.

So what's a girl to do? Be patient. Patient. Patient.

And then when she's had enough with all that patience nonsense, she could just use her superwoman strength to pull herself up on the rail of the slide and give one of those very annoying and aggravating boys a swift kick in the head.

Yeah, that works too.

My Joy Boy

Who knew an afternoon in the freezing cold, climbing up and down the same slide could be so much fun?  And could make one little boy so very happy?  And in turn, make his Mama very happy, too?  I love you, Jack.  Every frozen, wind burned bit of you.

Sam the Hunter

Yesterday Jody took the boys out "hawk hunting" with their cap guns. I stayed at home and tried digging my way through the aftermath of Santa Claus and an endless mound of new toys.   The Lord was looking after me by sending me outside with a bag of trash at the exact moment that my oldest came bounding up the steps with a white bucket in his hand and a grin stretched from ear to ear.  I opened the door just as he reached for the handle and let out a scream when he shoved the bucket high in the air, making sure I could clearly see the two dead squirrels inside.  I proceeded to then yell at his Daddy, who was standing in the driveway laughing, fully aware that my child was about to run two dead rodents into our house.  I am quite sure that it was his Daddy that urged him to run inside with the bucket to "surprise Mama."  My exasperation subsided when I saw how happy Sam was.  He was beaming.  And so was his Daddy.  And I caught a glimpse into my future, a future with unexpected surprises brought to my doorstep.  And that's okay...as long as they don't actually cross my doorstep, boys.

Beaming...

Proud...

Seriously, could he be any happier?

Every hunter has to take a spin on his four wheeler after a big kill...

Jack was a little less than thrilled with the experience.  Jody said he was terrified and had to be carried after seeing the squirrels.  When he saw me taking Sam's picture, he ran over and insisted I take a picture of him with his gun and his paper towel that he was using to clean the mud off his boots.  And so, of course, I obliged...

Our Christmas

Christmas 2009...

family, matching pajamas, new animals, Diego rescue center, giraffe costume, funny glasses, wonder pet's fly boat, tractors, books, food, laughter, anticipation, basketball, raincoats, remote control cars, night vision goggles, panda bear costume, smiles, Christmas Eve at Nana and JP's, Diego jeep, Nick Jr. laptop, sleepy, grizzly bear rescue, Mr. Christmas, red barn, lunch at Mimi and Robin's, dragon castle, safari jeep, four wheeler, love, jungle tree house, stinger car, polar bear rescue, thankful, breakfast at Mema's, reading the Christmas story, excitement, stockings, lights, love, memories.

"Mr. Christmas"

We began our tradition of "Elf on the Shelf" this year. Mama gave Sam and Jack the book last year, but they were a little young and didn't quite understand the concept. This year got off to a late start because Sam refused to sit still long enough for me to read him the book. Finally, on December 7, I forced him to listen to the story and our elf, "Mr. Christmas," became a fixture at our house. Every morning the boys, especially Sam, would pop out of bed and run down the hall in search of their little friend. It was so sweet to see their excitement and watch them search from room to room until they finally spotted him. We made the mistake of telling Sam that Mr. Christmas liked to head back to the North Pole by 10:00 and he nearly had a panic attack one night when he heard us mention the time and it was after 10:00 (my boys are night owls). After that, he asked us every night," Is it 10:00 yet?" over and over again. The boys were a little disappointed to discover that Mr. Christmas was gone on Christmas morning, but we reassured them that he would be back next year. I'll miss finding creative places to stick him each night and I'll surely miss the excitement he brought to our house each morning.

Wishing You a Merry Christmas!

The Stockings Were Hung...

...by the chimney with care, until Sam decided they would make much better socks. Which is a far better idea than his little brother had. Jack, instead of trying them on as socks, removed my stocking from the mantle and peed in it. A gallon. Nothing like a pee-filled stocking to get you in the Christmas spirit.