Uh-Oh

Ben has finally uttered his first word..."Uh-oh"...and I'm not sure he knows what it means yet, but he says it deliberately and repeatedly and it's very cute, so I'm happy.

The county has just finished building a new park just two miles down the road from us, so we moseyed on down to try it out. Ben loved it, he screamed when we took him away. Patrick was still not feeling well enough to really enjoy it (yes, it's his turn to be sick this week), but he humored us. I think it's going to be great to be able to pop over there in the spring, instead of having to drive 25 min. to the big park in town. They are in the process of building tennis courts and baseball fields and picnic pavilions, and I hope they finish soon, because it was kind of isolated today and I wouldn't want to be there by myself (Luke was with us today). Anyway, it should be fun. We've been enjoying our time off and all the relaxing that comes with it, but not much has been going on, so sorry for the boring post. I'll be back when life happens again.

Christmas Fun

Christmas Day was fun and filled with activity, as usual. On Christmas Eve, we went to the 4:00 Mass with Luke's family and then went to Joan's house for the entire-family get-together and gift exchange. I had to snap a shot of how handsome my boys looked for church before they peeled their clothes off over the course of the evening. They both got some toys that night, but Patrick really had fun helping other people open their presents, and Ben had a good time with Mary Kate hanging out by the Chex Mix.

Christmas morning was fun, although Ben was so tired from the night before, we had to wake him up since Patrick couldn't wait any longer. Santa was good to them. Patrick's favorites were his "awesome fire truck and ambulance", as well as a train set and a Home Depot tool bench from uncle Adam. I really don't think Ben even realizes there were presents.

My dad came up late that morning to watch the boys finish their presents and have a delicious lunch. Luke made us his spectacular smoked pork tenderloin and it was awesome. The smoker was a Christmas present from a few years back and I don't think we've ever gotten a better gift. After Ben napped we went to Luke's parents' house and ate a wonderful turkey dinner with them and exchanged gifts. The boys loved this see-saw (well...we all did, and my quads hurt today)--it'll be nice when the weather gets better and we can go outside and use it more.

We had a very nice Christmas, and I hope all of you did as well. As I looked at these great pictures from the past two days, I was reflecting on Christmas 2005, when I didn't even take pictures, because I was so zoned out from having a six-week-old in the house. It made me really grateful to be where we are today! Here's to Christmas Past being behind me, Christmas Present being so fun, and many wonderful Christmas Futures to come!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all my blogging gals! Yes, I am still alive, but we've been having marathon days getting ready for Christmas and shuttling kids back and forth to the doctor and drugstore. My kids are permanently sick this winter. After tomorrow, spring cannot come fast enough. On top of it all, Blogger decided to be testy, so I gave up for a few days and enjoyed the time away from the computer. Thought I'd check in today and wish you all a very Merry Christmas. I hope you all get fun treats, but more than that, I hope the time spent and memories formed with your families and loved ones will be your greatest gift this season.

Christmas with the Fam

We made the short trek back down to my parents' house this past Sunday to have early Christmas with them and David and Sandi. My mom will be in CT on Christmas Day and David and Sandi are going to OH as usual. We had a delicious lunch, courtesy of mom and Sandi, and let our food digest while the kids slept. Then we had a delicious dessert (courtesy of me) and got to the good stuff--PRESENTS!

Patrick waited patiently next to the tree, although he did make us tell him which ones were his so he could inspect the package. He was super-psyched to get two new pairs of jammies (one with MONSTER TRUCKS on them), and so was I--he really needed them!

Ben's still getting the hang of opening gifts. Like all babies, he had a great time playing with wrapping and boxes, but he perked up when we opened one for him and showed him what it was...a basketball goal just like the one he loves in Gigi and Grandpa's playroom.

Here's each of the kids enjoying a new possession...Matthew with a Thomas the Tank Engine book, Patrick with some sort of construction mechanism (I don't know what, you have to ask him) that he is so obsessed with he wants to take it to bed with him every night, and Ben with the best gift of all, a cardboard box.

As always, it was great to see my family. Even though we'll be spread out this Christmas, I'm glad we had this day to celebrate the season together. Merry Christmas guys!

I'm allright--don't nobody worry 'bout me...

I haven't really said anything about how Savannah's been since her surgery, but I assure you she's doing juuuust fine. In fact, she's better off now than she was before, since Luke often takes pity on her and lets her sleep on the bed with us. Grrrr....anyway, her ear healed wonderfully--even better than her other ear did the first time we had this surgery--and she is back to her old neurotic self, passing the days by chasing falling leaves, barking at squirrels that are 50 feet over her head and licking the back patio. Don't ask, I have no idea...

I'm ready for sainthood.

You have to perform three miracles to become a saint, and I'm obviously ready since I've done three in a week. First, I made Ben and Patrick get along for 15 whole minutes by allowing them to destroy my throw pillows together, then I cured Patrick's throw-ups in less than 24 hours (I'm not sure how I did that one, but I'll still take the credit), and thirdly, I successfully got Patrick to sing (and sing happily) at his preschool Christmas program. All it took was a little bribe in the form of Barnes & Noble, his favorite "book fair" ever. He was very serious about acheiving this goal, because apparently he told all the other kids as well that there was to be no crying, no crying at all!

Well, regardless of how he got there, he sang very sweetly and did all the right hand motions (except during the part when they were supposed to be quiet so the soloist could sing, he illustrated this fact by putting his finger over his lips when no one else was doing that...it was cute at the time, but in the picture it just looks like he's picking his nose). Mommy was so proud and he was so proud of himself too, for not crying, and then he found the coolest lift-the-flap truck book at B & N, so all was well in the end.

Happy Birthday to Our Homeboy!

I'm sure I speak for all of us Blogger sistahs when I say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to our sweet 3-year old Joe. I know Katie has done her own post already, but I have to give props to our man on his big day since he keeps us entertained on a regular basis (with a little help from a certain sausage...). Anyway, you're 3 now big guy, give 'em hell! (A fair warning to Katie...he's going to be taking that literally.)

Never jump into a pile of leaves holding a wet sucker.

A little bit of advice from the great Charles M. Schulz there. In what can only be described as a Christmas miracle, Patrick recovered from his illness in record time yesterday (thank yoooouuuuuuuuu, God!) and was able to go to school today. When he got home, we went outside to play since we are having unseasonable mild days (again, many thanks). We have one flower bed that has not been attended to very well this fall because...well, it's my flower bed, that's why. I haven't touched it and Luke hasn't noticed it, so the leaves are just a-pilin' up. Patrick waded in and almost sunk to his waist, and that's when the fun began.

Sob Story II

I have decided that, at least from a spectator's vantage point, that throwing up is better than diahrrea. And I would know.

Yes, in the never-ending parade of sickness that is my household, Luke awoke this morning at 5:30 to find Patrick sleeping on the couch again, but this time it was because his bed was covered in vomit. Sadly, this is the biggest thing happening in my life at the moment. Even more sad is the fact that preschool Christmas break starts Thursday and even though I was dreading two weeks at home entertaining the kids in freezing cold weather, now Patrick will miss this week and I'll actually have three weeks of entertaining sick kids in freezing cold weather. It's like summer vacation, only miserable.

Ben hasn't had any symptoms yet, but give him time and I'm sure he'll deliver...

Peek a Boo!

Thought I'd give Ben some screen time...

Patrick, Patrick and more Patrick

Boys Will Be Boys

Today the boys teamed up to give me more gray hairs, and when I mean boys, for once I don't mean Patrick and Ben, but actually Patrick and Wilson. Patrick was playing outside when he brought to the door the lovliest of gifts for Mommy dearest, namely: a live baby lizard. This would not be so bad if he hadn't been holding it by the head, which for some reason really grossed me out, so I yelled at him to PUT IT DOWN. He did, and then promptly smashed it with his shoe. That really grossed me out, so I started making loud sick noises, which Patrick took as a cue to kick around the mutilated lizard, causing it's tail to detach and squirm on the pavement, and that was the point where Wilson decided to join the fun and began to eat the twitching tail. Do I need to say any more?

The Importance of Being Persistent

Patrick has has a thing about Super K-Mart for about a year and a half now. I don't even remember how it started, all I know is that for the past eighteen months, whenever we passed Super K-Mart (which is every day), he would start begging for the "purple book". He was VERY CONSISTENT about this. Not a day has gone by where we haven't heard about the purple book at K-Mart. We've even looked for it on the rare occasion that we enter this store. I have never been able to figure out what the "purple book" was. Until yesterday. We went to K-Mart to look for dog food with high fat content for our anorexic dog (by the way, this dog food doesn't exist. I should have realized that after I couldn't find it at Walmart. If it's not at Walmart, it doesn't exist) and on a whim strolled through the book aisle. Lo and behold...there, amongst rays of light from heaven and amidst the choruses of angels, sat the "purple book". Patrick just about freaked, as did we, since we had obviously found the equivalent of Atlantis, or the Fountain of Youth, or the Lost City of Gold. Since it came shrink-wrapped with two other books for the bargain basement price of $2.49, we snapped it up, not caring how much it resembles all of the other truck books that Patrick owns, or that it really would have been more appropriate for him say...eighteen months ago. No, all that matters is that we have located the purple book and now he can hold it in his hot little paws all day long should he choose to. Ladies and gents, I present to you...The Purple Book!

Quiet Rule Lives!

I may have made an important discovery regarding Quiet Rule. Apparently, there is a boy at Patrick's preschool named Wyatt Carroll. Do I have to point out how similar these two names sound? I am thinking that Patrick has a little friend on the playground whose name is a little hard for him to pronouce, but that's okay, because it sounds a lot like something he hears probably eighty times a day and can pronounce perfectly, so we'll just call him that instead! And if this is the case, I'm going to hunt down Wyatt/Quiet's mom and tell her to put some pants on her kid because it's freakin' freezing outside and all my kids wants to do is imitate your kid and that means I have to have fights with him three times a day about wearing shorts and sandals outside. Other than that, he seems like a great kid.

O Tanenbaum

We put up our Christmas tree fairly early this year, which I do NOT feel guilty about because it's such a hassle that you have to make it worth the effort. This is the first year we've had a fake tree...we made the decision to switch after last year's gifts were covered in sap and bugs. So Luke's mom got this one at a discount after Christmas last year and gave it to us. I must admit, for someone who has been a Live Tree Purist her whole life, I am pleased with the results. For the first time in our relationship, Luke and I did not scream at each other while putting the tree in the stand, I did not have to string lights on it (woohoooo!), and watering it has been a cinch. Plus the branches are strong enough to hold our heavy ornaments, and evenly dispersed--no gaps! Yep, I'm officially converted...

Patrick and Ben "helping" me decorate the tree (actually, Patrick didn't do too badly as long as I kept shouting "Spread them out!!!!!" )...and the finished product!

The other day the kids were playing in front of the tree and it was so cute to see them laughing and playing together...a Christmas miracle!

Birthday Wishes for Sandi

Happy Birthday to my sister-in-law Sandi, dear wife to my brother David and devoted mom to Matthew. Sandi's great and since I never had a sister myself, it's fun to have her in the family to throw girl-talk around with. As it turns out, Sandi shares a birthday with two other women that I know of, one good one and one not-so-good one...

But let's focus on Sandi--pictured above with her adorable son--this is her post! Girl, you've ventured into new territory (and I say that lovingly since I am only six months behind)...make the most of it! Happy Birthday!

I'm not sure about this kid...

This is how we found Patrick at 7:00 this morning. Apparently there was a storm last night (I wouldn't know, I slept through it) and he was scared in his room. What kills me is that he actually thought out his plan of action. He came down to our room to get the blanket (which the dogs usually sleep on, by the way) and without disturbing us at all, took it out into the living room, got a throw pillow, turned on the Christmas tree and went back to sleep. I'm not sure why the living room is less scary, but whatever.

Oh, I guess now is a good time to mention that Patrick has an imaginary friend named Quiet Rule. I have great hopes that there will be more on this later. All I can tell you for now is that Quiet Rule wears shorts all the time, so Patrick wants to wear shorts as well.