Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree!

I've started keeping a tally of how many times our beloved, puny, pathetic Christmas tree has been pulled over since we put it up Sunday. I am up to 6 so far. See, our problem is we have this adorable little toddler who thinks that she simply must have the shiny ornaments hanging on the tree. So, every time I leave her alone for too long, I hear a crash and then a cry. Our tree is just no match for her super hero strength. We have lost nearly every glass ornament we had. I think that would be 5 or 6 in total. I have also had to glue together several beloved ornaments that were injured in the continuous falls to the floor. I'm not sure the tree will survive Emily. Does anyone have a tree with a concrete base we could borrow:). Happy Holidays.

Thanksgiving

Well, it's Thanksgiving this week. I have so many reasons to be thankful, but I must say all of them are connected to family. There is nothing that I feel I can't live without, except my family. Yes, I am thankful to have a roof over my head, to have a car to drive, and food to put on the table everyday, and I suppose I really couldn't live without those things. But, without family my heart would break. The older I get the more often I see children who live in such poverty, both financial and emotional. I realize how blessed I was to have loving parents and siblings and a home in a nice neighborhood where I could have good friends. I hope Nathan and I are going to be able to provide those things for our children.
Life brings us things that are unexpected and sometimes hard. For me, in those moments there always a mother, a sister, a husband, or a friend to call and talk to. I am never alone.

Happy Thankgiving. And Thanks to all.

Why does this happen every morning?

I wake up and look at the clock. Ahhh! It's already 7:45. Hurry down stairs and throw some eggos in the toaster. I turn on the tv. No more "Sponge Bob" in the morning. We are giving our minds a jump start with "Super Why" on PBS. Down stairs I go to gently urge Ben to get up. Ben comes upstairs and wants to sit on the couch to watch TV. "No, no, "I say. "You have to eat fast, fast, fast."
Rachel comes up and lays on the couch. I won't talk to her for at least five minutes. Her morning wrath can be frightening. She'll eat when she is ready. "Waaa!" Upstairs Emily starts to cry, but I've got to get Ben some clothes first. I run downstairs. I hope he has some warm clothes in his drawer. I grab the first thing I see and rush it upstairs. "Ben, put these on."
Upstairs I go to get Emily. "Mom, what took you so long" Emily's eyes say. Downstairs we go. Emily goes in the high chair. She smiles as she stuffs several bites of eggos in her mouth. "MMMM. My favorite meal" she seems to say.
Help. It is already 8:15. "Ben, why aren't you dressed yet." I grab his clothes and start pulling jammies off as fast as I can. Finally, he's dressed. "Brush your teeth" I say. I wrap Rachel in a blanket and haul her out to the cold car. O.k. She's buckled. Now for Emily. I repeat the same process. "Oh good, your done brushing your teeth. Get in the car and don't forget your backpack."
Everyone is in the car. It's 8:25. Maybe we can still beat the bell. Off we go. "Slow down" I tell myself. We pull up in front of the school. I jump out and run around to open Ben's door. I hear the bell ring. Oh well. He's late again. His 46% tardy record isn't going to improve anytime soon. "I love you Ben. Be good at school." "I love you too, mom" Boy, I love my kids.