Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat...

The thought of shopping for Christmas gifts popped into my head today...and let me say, I've never been less excited about spending my money on other people. Not to say I don't love you all (especially those of you with whom I will be exchanging gifts)--it's just that I've got no clear direction and that takes all the fun out of it. When you know what you want to get someone, it's exciting to hunt for the best deal, wrap it up all pretty and put it under the tree. Then you wait for the suspense to just eat away at the recipient for 25 days or so, because you know they're going to just love it. So a gift card--even a gift card wrapped up in a pretty box--just doesn't do it for me in terms of gift-giving.

I've already got a few gifts purchased, and a few more with a definite plan forming in my head; but by and large, there are a lot of blanks on my list. So I begged a little help today. Someone told me about a gift-finding website where you enter a person's info (age, relationship, interests) and it spits back literally thousands of gifts to choose from. I thought I'd try it out and see how many hits and misses I'd get. I'll let you be the judge. Would you like to become the proud owner of the Little Pink Pig BBQ Grill this Christmas? Or what about some shoe-shaped party invitations, does that sound like a treat you'd like to find under the tree? Wait--I know just the thing! You've been dying for this pewter lizard paperweight, haven't you? And you can't say the lip-shaped toothpaste squeezer isn't practical, if a little costly. One thing that I actually did find was for Sandi--a Warhol-syle painting of her dog, Schaeffer. She would love it. Unfortunately, I don't have $99 to spend on her, or anyone else for that matter.

Sadly (for you all), this is the best I could come up with. But just think, you'll be all set for next year's Dirty Santa gift exchange, and you'll have me to thank.

For the Holidays, You Can't Beat Home Sweet Home

As is the tradition, I headed home for the holidays this past weekend--to Atlanta that is--where David and Sandi were also going to spend Thanksgiving. As soon as we all got there, Mom got down to business and herded us all out on the front stoop to have a family picture...which will soon be outdated. Yes, in a few short months I'm going to once again become....an aunt. Hah! I know you were all thinking I was going to say mother! Nope, it's Sandi's turn, and she's due in March. Another boy for Gigi, who says we only need one more and then we'll have a basketball team. So I wonder how long Sandi will wait after this one before she has our little shooting guard...?

The picture-taking was less than successful. Nobody ever looked at the same camera, and at some point one of us was pulling a face--usually Luke. But you know, that's how it goes. I should point out that Matthew is not wearing an Obama shirt. I don't think that David and Sandi are big supporters of the O-man. So know that they're not exploiting Matthew's cuteness--the shirt says "Thomas", as in the train.

On Wednesday, we had a joint birthday party for Ben (13th), Luke (22nd) and Sandi (Dec. 2nd). And in case anyone's wondering what to get Ben for Christmas, I'll just tell you that he likes toys and all, but the boxes are still where it's really at.

Incidentally, I did not make the cake, it was from Publix. Sandi loves their cakes, and pregnant birthday girls trump everyone else in terms of choices, so that's what we had. But I did make an apple pie and pumpkin pie for Thursday, and they were insanely good. I liked the apple one better, but we discovered on Friday that the pumpkin one tasted better cold out of the fridge, so next year we'll remember that: hot apple pie, cold pumpkin pie. Either way, the crust on the pumpkin pie was to die for. It had a stick of butter in it and it tasted like a cookie. I also put in a layer of crushed gingersnaps and pecans that was supposed to keep the crust from getting soggy, but it didn't work and didn't change the flavor, so next year I'll skip that step.

Boys # 1, 2 and 3 (aka Patrick, Matthew and Ben). We had much discussion over #4's name, which has been narrowed down to Roger (after Roger Federer) and Jeff (after Jeff the Wiggle). I should point out that David and Sandi came up with the first name and Matthew came up with the second one. Right now they call him RogerJeff. But no matter what the kid's named, all I know is that next Thanksgiving is going to be an experience, with four boys (all five and under) running around. I better start catching up on my sleep now.

Ben has a Birthday Party and the Blog Gets a New Look

Sunday night we had one of a seemingly endless succession of Ben's birthday parties. This one was for all the folks in Luke's family, and we had it at his parents' house. I am so glad they were willing to take care of the hosting responsibilities, because the thought of having all those people crammed into my tiny house was almost enough to make me take a long walk off a short cliff.

It turned out to be a really mild day, so we were able to spill out onto the deck, site of the "Kiddie 500". At that point I was very glad that we never considered having a clown or anything, because I don't think any hired entertainment would be nearly as fun as racing in circles and competing to see who could claim the most spectator toes.

After dinner we opened presents. It was the usual mind-numbing chaos, and we got the usual motorized stuff...which my kids can never get enough of, so that's fine.

After presents we did cake--or cupcakes in this case. I hate store-bought birthday cake, and this is the one instance where I can flat-out refuse to have it. At least until next year, when I'm sure Ben will insist on some nasty sugar-laden confection decorated with tacky designs on top. BLECH! Yep, I was definitely going to squeeze in one more year of yellow cake with fudge frosting. Ben is completely mystified by the whole candle thing. He has got the present thing down pat, and he knows all about the cake, but put the candles in front of him and he just stares. We try and coax a breath out of him for about 30 seconds, then I get tired of the charade and blow it out myself. Let's eat already! I'm sure Ben is thinking the same thing.

There's no relevance to this picture except that no one ever takes a picture of me and my boys...so here you go.

Well, this month has kind of been my blog's birthday as well, so in honor of the occasion, I decided yesterday that it was high time for a makeover. Enough with the teeny-bopper colors I've had for two years now! Out with the old, in with the new! So after a looooooong search on Pyzam, I finally settled on this sleek brown and blue template and set to work making changes. I am really happy with the finished result, except that I was totally bummed when I opened it at work today using Internet Explorer and saw that it looked completely different than it does using Mozilla Firefox, my browser of choice. I couldn't see the pretty brown stripe down the side, and the words in my header were all messed up. Upon further investigation, I realized that Jennifer's blog also looked weird in IE (it had a blue background instead of the polka-dots) and that Katie's looked a lot better than it does on my home computer...leading me to believe that Jennifer uses Firefox and Katie uses IE. So you know what I say to all this? BOO! Boo to the fact that we don't all see the same thing, and double-boo to the fact that people looking at my blog on IE think that I don't care that my header looks messed up. Which I do. I care a lot! In fact, I am very OCD about stuff like that, but if I'm going to make it look good, it's going to look good on my browser for crying out loud!!! Once more, with feeling: BOOOOOO!

On to happier topics, I also added some junk in the sidebar--which is very fun for my narcissistic self--but I'm also hoping it will help me update the blog more often. I'll have to log on to change my widgets...after all, I don't want anyone thinking it takes me two weeks to read a book. Except in this case it might, because that book is a snooze and I have no desire to pick it up. Anyway, hope you enjoy all the stuff about me on the right.

So, we'll have one more b-day party for Ben at Gigi's house this week, and of course it'll also be Thanksgiving, so I'll catch you all on the flip side. Hope everyone has a safe and happy Thanksgiving! If you're looking for a little entertainment, you can alway try deep-frying your turkey--more often than not it results in a big old grease fire, and then a hot firefighter will have to come and take care of business. It's just a thought.

How to Keep Busy at Night After the Time Change

Play with your child's birthday presents. On the odd occasion, your children may actually join you, thus entertaining the whole family at once (a rarity). We suggest motorized toys with a penchant for crashing. Any toy that comes with a warning on the label can also be fun if you use your imagination.

Practice patient assessments on your child. This will not scare them at all, nor will it make them cry hysterically. Try thinking of something you never ever want your child to attempt in his or her life and making this the accident scenario. It should prove to be highly effective.

For more suggestions on how to pass the time, tune in all winter as we while away the hours as only people with two preschoolers can do.

Happy Birthday Ben!

Today is Ben's second birthday and we are playing it low key since 1) Luke is at work today and 2) he really has no idea what a birthday is anyway. We're having a party for him next Sunday and then again at Gigi's house over Thanksgiving, so that's enough. It's been a quiet day, but we've had fun together, just him and me. This morning we met a friend and went for a looong walk around the baseball stadium and then went to storytime at the library. It was the cameraman's birthday and everyone sang to the guy but I let Ben believe they were singing it to him...because even though he's clueless about birthdays, he still knows enough to get excited when that song is sung. And I'm thinking that once his two parties are over, he'll be a lot more savvy about birthdays from then on. Yes, two cakes and two sets of presents ought to do it.

So Katie tagged me to do a thankful post in the spirit of the season, and I'll just take this opportunity to name 7 things I am thankful for involving Ben. Kill two birds with one stone and all that. Anyway, here goes...

1) I am thankful that Ben is bigger than his brother was at this age, because even though they were born in opposite seasons and are two and a half years apart, Ben is fitting quite nicely into clothes Patrick wore exactly two years ago. This is great because his wardrobe is ready and waiting for him at each change of season.

2) On the same note, I am thankful that Ben really looks up to Patrick but has never let his big brother push him around.

3) I am thankful that when the sunlight strikes him just right, it picks up the red highlights in his hair. He got that from me and I got it from my red-headed Irish grandmother, and I think it's a cool trait to be passed on through the generations.

4) I am thankful that he's a good stroller kid. I rely on my daily walks to burn nervous energy as much as I do to burn calories, and he makes it easy to fit them in.

5) I am sooooooo thankful that he got the whole nap thing figured out. The first five months were touch-and-go with my sanity, but he's been a dream ever since.

6) I am thankful that his blankie is made of sturdy brushed flannel, and there is slim-to-none chance that it will end up looking or smelling like Patrick's.

7) And finally, I am thankful that he's mine, and that he's happy and healthy. Children can be tough on a person, especially two-year-old boys, but there are times when I look at him and the world seems to stand still. When he laughs and throws his arms around my neck, or as we kiss goodnight and zip up his snuggly jammies, or when he and Patrick delight in the same activity, whether it be tossing a ball or the destruction of an unsuspecting toy...having him nearby, an extension of myself that I can hold and love, those are the moments when I know all is right in our world.

Ben with his family on November 13, 2005.

Ben today. Happy Birthday baby!

Halloween and the Aftermath

So Halloween was fun, although it was so long ago, by this time I don't have much to say about it. Patrick surprised everyone by saying he wanted to be Spiderman (or as Ben calls him--MAN!), and I though he looked really cute in his costume. I thought the mask was a pain in the neck, and he apparently agreed, because he ditched it really quickly.

His Pre-K Halloween parade was first thing that morning, and they went to all the classrooms to collect candy. Very cute, but I ditched them after a few minutes and went back to work. Can I just say that I'm so glad our school is not afraid of Halloween? Ben's bible-beating preschool called it "Fall Costume Day" or some crap like that. And the preschool next door to him had "Cowboy Day", which really limits your dress-up options if you ask me.

Then we went trick-or-treating with Brian, Jenny and Mary Kate over in Jim and Donna's neighborhood. It was a great trick-or-treating neighborhood, except towards the end, it got really congested with people driving their kids around. What's up with that? Mark my words...give it a few years and we'll start seeing headlines about kids being hit by cars on their own street. Not to mention that there's something inherently wrong about driving your kids around to collect candy. At least make them burn a few calories before letting them gorge themselves on sugar. Ben was Superman, by the way. He wouldn't go near Patrick's tiger costume from two years ago, so we put him in his pajamas and went for the whole superhero theme.

Luke and Brian had matching costumes...they went as Mormons. Or at least we think that's why no one would open their doors to give our kids candy. Kidding...Brian came straight from work sans tie and Luke had just served as acolyte at the vigil mass for All Saints Day.

So that was the last bit of fun that we had, since the kids have been sick ever since then. Patrick came home at 11:00 on Thursday and has been laying low ever since. Ben got over the croup, but now his nose runs constantly and he's picked up Patrick's nasty cough. Oy vey. Cold and flu season has arrived.