Coincidence, or the holiday/vacation curse?

I'm the Dude. So that's what you call me. You know, that or, uh, His Dudeness, or uh, Duder, or El Duderino if you're not into the whole brevity thing.

As I never add any content to my blog, Bridget invited me to contribute to her blog.

So here I am.

Today is Christmas eve. After sleeping in until about 8 this morning I awoke to find Bridget getting the boys dressed down the hall. Bridget quickly pointed out how a rash that Aaron had on his stomach had gotten worse and that he now had spots on his face and neck.

Bridget called the pediatrician and has Aaron there right now. It's probably nothing -- no big deal. It made me think about how something like this always seems to happen to us. I know I won't be able to remember them all. I'll let Bridget add to the list later and to clear up the Duder's foggy mind.

1. It all started on our honeymoon in St. Lucia in 1999. We spent nearly an entire day at a third world hospital with a beautiful view but unfortunately no bar.
2. Our first trip to Disney World in 2001. I had a business meeting that was held at The Grand Floridian resort in Disney. We were only there for a few days but Kaeli developed a rash toward the end of our stay. Bridget took her to the medical station in the park. We were actually escorted out of the park for fear of spreading Chicken pox. It was just a rash.
   
3. On an early family vacation in 2002-ish (only Kaeli I think) we ended up in a West Virginia (third world?) emergency room because Kaeli's elbow was dislocated.
4. Disney World 2006 - Ryan does a header into a cast iron bench and we visit the same med station we did with Kaeli.
   

I know there are more than this but I am supposed to be doing something else right now, I can just feel it. We have to be ready to depart for Mommom and Poppop's house when Bridget and the boys get back from the Doctor.

I'll make sure Bridget adds to the list....Merry Christmas!

Student of the Week!

Paige was chosen as the next "student of the week"! We are so excited for her because she's been very patient with the whole process. Her teacher was using the honor as an incentive for the more challenging kids so they were being chosen earlier. Paige has always been so quiet and so shy that it's easy for to get "lost in the crowd". But, she never complained......not once. She did once mention that the last "student of the week" always gets in trouble, but it wasn't in a complaining type of voice--just very matter-of-fact.

The girls just melted my heart today. Student of the week is always announced for the whole school to hear. Paige said that one of Kaeli's classmates told her Kaeli started crying when she heard Paige's name because Kaeli was so happy for Paige. I can't even put into words how proud I was of both of my girls. It's obvious that no matter how much they drive each other crazy, they still love each other very much. There's a lot of competition between the two of them, but I think this proves that in the end each of them just wants to see the other one succeed.

A little too much excitement around here tonight!

Kaeli, Paige and Ryan were outside playing this afternoon with the neighbors. Around 5:00 Kaeli came running into the house screaming at me with panic in her voice. She just said there's a car running all over everybody's property out here. I ran out the front door and saw a cloud of smoke and a full-size pick-up truck crashed into the mailbox across from us. I slowly approached the truck because my first thought was that maybe this person had some kind of medical emergency. I got close enough to realize this man was probably drunk. I backed off then because I started getting all those weird fears like maybe he had a gun or something crazy like that. Thank God he broke his steering column when he jumped our curb and drove through our yard because he was trying very hard to leave. The police arrived very quickly and we found out that not only was he very drunk, but he is also a town employee. The officer that responded to the accident said the driver tested 3 times over the legal limit and would probably lose his job. There's little chance this guy will get any preferential treatment because he just happened to get stuck in the yard of our newly elected state representative. One good thing about our neighborhood is that there are lots of politically-active and influential people.

Thank God none of the kids were injured or killed! It's so scary to think what could have happened. Kaeli said they were near the curb in the neighbor's yard and ran into our yard when he crashed across the street. But, by the time he drove through our yard the kids were up close to the house. But, because of what COULD have happened I plan to follow this to see what happens to this guy. I know it's speculation, but he's a town employee and the town's Christmas party just happened to be today as well. It's so scary to think that your kids could be run over in their own yard by a drunk driver!! And, we live on the inner part of a neighborhood on what we *thought* was a fairly quiet street. But, at the very least the kids learned a valuable lesson. I used this as a teaching moment to help them understand why I don't allow them to play in the street. You just can't rely on the drivers to be paying attention or......to be sober.

But, all's well again. I'm just glad it's over. It was a pretty crazy hour or so and the kids were very hyper afterwards. I guess it was the adrenaline pumping through everyone's veins.

My soft spot

Most Thursdays I go to Kaeli and Paige's school to help their teachers a little. The girls just love it. Most of the time I'm very proud of how they handle it. They both understand that I'm there to help the teacher and the whole class so neither of them tries to monopolize my time. And, since I ALWAYS get asked this question---my mother-in-law watches the boys for me on that day. She's a tremendous help and I appreciate it more than words can express.

Now on to the point of why I'm writing. There is a little boy in Paige's class that has found a special place in my heart. Last Thursday I spent a lot of time helping him with one of his worksheets. Then during his group lesson with the teacher he just started crying for no apparent reason. It was breaking my heart so I took him in the hall and tried to talk to him while we colored together. He wasn't really in a talkative mood so we mostly just colored together in silence. The guidance counselor came and got him and I left for the day. Today I was in the classroom again. He didn't really say anything to me, but I didn't expect him to. The teacher took the class over to read a book and he stayed in his seat. He stayed there with his head down the whole time I cleaned the tables off. When I finished cleaning the tables I sat down in a chair. The minute I sat down this little boy came over, sat in the chair beside me, and without a word, laid his head on my shoulder. Just like I would do with one of my own children I instinctively picked him up and put him in my lap. He sat there in my lap during the entire story, with his head on my chest and my arms wrapped tight around him. I think he just needed a hug and I was very happy to oblige. But, I just can't get him out of my head. I asked the teacher about his home life and she couldn't say anything more than "it's not very good". I understand she can't go around announcing stuff about all the kids so I certainly did not push the issue. But, I just wish I knew what he's going through. I wish I knew what to do to help him. For the moment, I've just decided that every week when I go in I will be sure to give him just a little extra time and attention. I know it's not much, but I hope it makes even a tiny bit of difference for him.

I just felt the need to write about my day because I can't seem to get that little boy out of my mind. It also reminds me that even on the days that I feel like the world's worst mother, I know my kids are lucky. They know they have a family that loves them and they know they are safe at home with us. In the end, I think those are the most important things we can give to our children. It's just hard for me to accept that there are so many children out there that don't even have that.

Ready for Christmas!

I'm FINISHED!! All the cards are in the mail, most of the gifts are bought and wrapped, and Santa has his workshop all organized and ready to go. Well, Santa's right-hand man "aka Steve" is still working on one last gift for Ryan and AJ. He's building a train table. He just has to finish staining it--I can't wait to see the final product. From what I can tell, he's really done a great job!

Yesterday I took the kids to see Santa. Kaeli and Paige did just fine--although Kaeli was slightly apprehensive. It took a small amount of coaxing to get her near Santa. Ryan started screaming and clinging to me for dear life before we even got near Santa. AJ did fine until I tried to put him in Santa's lap. So, now our Santa pic this year has me in it. Kaeli and Paige are in Santa's lap. I'm kneeling by the chair with AJ in one arm and Ryan hanging off my other side. He looks like he's trying to keep himself as far away from Santa as possible. When we were done I walked over to pay for pictures. I heard Ryan crying and realized he was stuck on the other side of Santa. He was so scared of Santa that he didn't even want to pass in front of him to get to me on the other side. Last night I started to read him a Christmas book and he pushed it away. He doesn't even want to see a picture of Santa right now.

Now I'm just excited and counting down the days! I have a very hard time keeping secrets and it's driving me crazy to know I have all these presents stashed all over the house and not able to give them to anyone. Christmas is alot of work, but it is soooooo much fun!!

Funny conversation with Kaeli this morning

I had to write about this ASAP so as not to forgot too many of the details. This is one of those conversations Kaeli will deny ever having one day, so I want to have it in black and white. Besides, the end gets really funny.

This morning Kaeli and I ended up in a conversation about school and how she will go to college after 12th grade. Kaeli LOVES school so it caught me a little off guard when she said "but I don't *have* to be go to college if I don't want to". So, naturally I was a little concerned about why she wouldn't want to go to college. My concern quickly faded when she responded by saying "I don't want to go to college because then I'd have to leave you......I NEVER want to leave you!!" HAHA!! As long as that's the only reason, I guess I can feel confident that she will be going to college one day.

Here's where it just gets funny. I told her that she'd be glad to leave and go to college when the time comes. I explained to her that she'd be living on her own and be old enough to make her own decisions without me having to tell her what to do all the time. So, she then responds with "well, why can't I live on my own and make my own decisions now". Very gently, I tried explaining that when we're young we have a lot to learn and we need our parents to help us learn all those things and that following our parents' rules is part of the learning process. I must say her next response shouldn't have come as a surprise, but I still had a hard time not laughing. She was very serious when she said "but I already know everything so I shouldn't have to follow your rules anymore"!!

She seriously thinks she knows everything! That alone proves she has ALOT to learn.

An actual conversation!!

I had my first real conversation with Ryan tonight! Now, granted, there weren't many words exchanged, but it was a meaningful, two-way conversation. I also think I learned a valuable lesson in the process. Ryan needs lots of wait time after a question.

For the past couple of weeks I've been trying to prepare Ryan for Christmas and give him some idea of what to expect. Since he's not really talking, it's always hard to know how much of Christmas he really understands. We haven't actually gone to see Santa at the mall yet. But, one day I did stop in the mall and point Santa out and explained all about who Santa is. Santa waved at Ryan, but Ryan didn't respond. Every night, I read a book to Ryan about Christmas. Every night, I tell him that he has to tell Santa what he wants for Christmas. Of course, I've coached him a little on what he should ask Santa for.....he's asking for a train set and a trampoline (it's a little tiny, personal size trampoline). Every night I ask "what are you going to tell Santa you want for Christmas?" Every night, except for tonight, he just says "no" (translated to mean I don't know) and I remind him. Tonight was different. Tonight I made up my mind that I was NOT going to remind him and just wait for some response other than no. I waited and waited. Ryan thought and thought. Finally he jumped up off my lap and started jumping up and down. I said "oh, you want a trampoline?" and he said yes! So, I told him all about how we would go see Santa soon and he would need to tell Santa that he wants a trampoline (I did tell him he could just say jump because trampoline is just absolutely impossible for him at this point-not that he can say jump, either, but he can at least make an attempt at that word). He didn't really respond, but I could tell he was doing LOTS of thinking. I gave him the time he needed to really think things through. Finally, he did the sign for scared. He was telling me that he was scared to talk to Santa! This was incredible in so many ways. It was so far beyond the usual "here and now" or "getting needs met" conversations. He actually put a word to an emotion he was feeling--even if he's not able to articulate the word, he was able to communicate it through sign langauge. We "talked" a little longer and decided that I will talk to Santa for him. I wish I could get a video of his expressions in these types of situations. His expressions just say it all and they convey so much meaning. It'll be very interesting to see what kind of reaction Santa gets when we go see him. I'm thinking maybe I should write Ryan's list and let him just hand it to Santa.

What a sweet, wonderful little boy! I can't wait until he's able to express himself more. It's so obvious that he has a lot to say.

The Christmas frenzy has begun

We got our tree this weekend and it's all decorated. We had to put it in the foyer because it's huge! Steve took Kaeli, Paige, and Ryan to a tree farm and cut it down. When we got the tree put up, Paige said, "MOM! I think the tree got bigger after we brought it home." It was funny because I know exactly what she was thinking. In the tree forest, outside, next to all the other trees it looks like a normal-sized tree. You get in a house and suddenly it looks a WHOLE lot bigger! Decorating the tree is definitely becoming more of a challenge now that we have 4 very young children. I realized that none of my kids know the meaning of "wait a minute". After putting on the first 2 or 3 decorations we suddenly realized how impossible of an undertaking it was. We decided tree decorating would have to wait until AJ was safely tucked away in bed for the night. Just in case you're wondering, having a 14 mo old roam free in a room full of shiny round objects that are not only fragile, but also have thin metal hooks on them, is not exactly a good idea. Ok, maybe if it's your ONLY child you can manage. But, don't try it with 4 kids. Fortunately, there were no accidents, but if we had continued on much longer I can pretty much guarantee there would have been MULTIPLE mishaps. Oh, but as evidenced in the pictures, he sure was adorable before he went into meltdown-mode. The other 3 enjoyed decorating the tree later and it was slightly more manageable.





Other than that, I'm feeling pretty good with where we are in terms of preparation. The kids have already started on their gifts for teachers and classmates. We'll do a little baking next week. Although, I have to let everyone know--I'm pretty sure Christmas cards will be late this year. I just ordered them last night and they won't get here until next Monday. So, it all depends on how quickly I get them addressed and sent out. I'm still trying to figure out how it is that I start "thinking" about Christmas right after Halloween and yet I'm still always struggling at the last minute to get everything done.

AJ's First Haircut

AJ actually got his hair cut back in October....I believe it was October 10. I didn't want to, but I had to get his curls all cut off. We were beginning to hear "she's so cute" way too often. It didn't really matter if he was dressed head to toe in blue with footballs all over his shirt. People would see the curls and automatically assume he was a girl. The curls are gone, but I think he still has a good bit of "waviness" to his hair. I think if I ever let it get long enough, the curls would come back.

He did great for his first haircut. He didn't move an inch. The hairdresser said she doesn't have too many kids sit as still as he did. All 4 of our kids have been that way. They almost seem too scared to move! :)

Kaeli thinks she wants to be a vegetarian!

Actually, I think I persuaded her to rethink her position. But, tonight I was making breakfast for dinner. This is usually one of her favorite meals. The first thing she asked was "wait, are you cooking bacon?". She then told me she couldn't eat the bacon because she's going to be a vegetarian now. Why does she want to be a vegetarian? Well, the biggest reason is because Chris (Chris is her best friend, and yes, he's a boy) said he's a vegetarian. Chris lives on a farm and tells Kaeli all about what happens to the animals when they are eaten. She thinks it's mean to kill the animals and eat them. I went along with it and told her she could be a vegetarian if she researches why people become vegetarians and what they eat in place of the meat. Many questions and complaints later, she decided that she wouldn't become a vegetarian after all.

Now, of course, to know that a boy has this much power over my daughter's mind did concern me a little. I asked her if she has a crush on Chris. Of course not!!! In the past I've told her that she really shouldn't have boyfriends yet. I told her she can have a boyfriend when she's in college-I thought it couldn't her to remind her of that during this little opportunity. Her response was actually cute! Keep in mind she had just very indignantly informed me that Chris is just her best friend and NOT a "boyfriend". She said "But, I do hope Chris goes to the same college as me because I want to live on a farm with him one day". I had no response for that one! :)

There is a nuclear power plant several miles from here, but close enough that we can see the smoke on cold days. Kaeli noticed it today and asked if there was a fire. I explained what it was. She then told me all about how bad pollution is for the environment. When I told her that without that power plant we wouldn't have electricity she told me "well, I'd rather not have electricity if it's going to pollute the environment"! I wonder how she'd feel about that if I put her in a tent outside for the next 24 hrs?