The End of 2008

It occurred to me that I should probably end the year with a blog saying goodbye to 2008. I wish I could say I'm off or at someplace with all of my favorite friends but actually here I am at the computer at 10:00 at night writing a blog. The kids are in bed (yippie) and Dave is at work. As luck or perhaps murphy's law would have it, they've been after some bad guys. Dave worked late last night (go home maybe 1am ish) and left again at 6:30 this morning. And as it goes, they didn't catch these guys until 6ish tonight. So now they have to talk to them, maybe do a search warrant etc. I doubt Dave will be home by 12:00 and now I am just hoping that he's home before we get up in the morning. So it goes.

Of course I am looking foward to 2009 and all the changes it will bring, all the surprises I couldn't even begin to think of, and all the blogs I will get to write. I have just discovered from another blog I read, a website call bloggled (www.bloggled.com ....that's for you Tonya) where you can get a blog printed into a book. I am thinking that this might be the thing to do on a yearly basis to get a permanent record. I'm assuming this blog will continue for at least a few years or until the kids stop being interesting on a daily basis :-). And it would be nice to perserve this permanently somewhere. This site can't possibly exist 20 years from now when the kids will care about it. Who knows what the new technology will be then but I'm sure this will be long gone. So, I may try that out.

Here are a few pictures to finish out the year.

Just the right size

The last couple of days I have been making a real effort to get some of the dishes done right after dinner. Usually I don't get to it until after the kids are in bed and then it takes me an hour and a half to get the house picked up and the dishes done, leaving little time to do, well anything really. The problem is the kids have this major boost of energy right after dinner and they really want to run around and play. But tonight they did a pretty good job entertaining themselves for a little bit while I got at least some of the dishes done. Of course this is how Hailey looked afterward.....what you can't see is the toxic diaper that was slowly taking over all of the oxygen in the room. But here she is. She decked herself out in stickers and had a great time coloring....you can just barely see the huge black mark on her chin. Her eye lid is green (with pen not make up) and her shirt once a solid pink has a rainbow of marks on it. She walked into the kitchen pen in hand saying Oh no....I have yet to find where she colored....... Have I mentioned how thankful I am for washable markers?

And Tyler's name is still inked, or shoveled, in the last of the remaining snow out on the street.

Haircut

Tyler got a haircut tonight. Dave has been cutting Tyler's hair pretty much his whole life (ok maybe just the past couple of years since Tyler's hair didn't start growing until he was two). Dave does a great job but with the electric cutters, it's much easier to give him a very short cut. So typically Tyler gets a really short cut several times a year and then as the top grows he gets periodic side/back trims. We both really like Tyler with a little bit longer hair. But recently it has really been a bit unruly and we finally decided it was time for a cut. Dave did a great job. The deal with the haircuts is that Tyler gets to get a movie to watch while Dave is cutting. The idea being that Tyler will zone out in front of the movie and stay still while Dave creates his masterpiece. Tonight Tyler got the movie Wall-E. This is the first time any of us has seen it. I actually just came in for the last little bit after the hair cut was complete and Tyler was ready for bed. Like any good kids movie Wall-E has a happy ending but just before the happy ending Wall-E more or less falls apart and is rebuilt coming to life with a bit of amnesia. This is where I should mention that Tyler is my sweet (more often than not :)), caring, compassionate, empathic boy (I'm so proud of him). So, as the movie is coming to an end and the happy ending is playing out, my Tyler is wiping tears off of his face. He was so sad that Wall-E got all banged up and that he couldn't remember his good friend Eva. It broke Tyler's little heart.

Christmas Afternoon

Christmas afternoon we celebrated with Dave's family in Monroe. They had so much snow it was incredible. Ty played out in the snow for a while with his cousins. We had a fantastic dinner and it was nice to just be with everyone.

Grandma & Hailey

Tyler, Elise, and Morgan
So much snow
Thanks for taking this great pic Carl

Me and my girl

Do you think they are related???
the boys (and Ty's new camera....he loves telling me to say cheese :))

Christmas Morning

Tyler loved opening presents last Christmas and I guess understood who Santa was and that he brought gifts, etc. But this year, he really got it. Since Tyler is going to a church based preschool this year it was fun that they were able to celebrate and talk about the whole Christmas season. And after last year, Tyler was on the edge of his chair waiting for Santa to come. Every night since Thanksgiving, "Is Santa coming tonight?", never mind the Christmas chain we made to count down the days. He always had to check anyway. So, by the time Christmas eve actually rolled around he was jumping out of his skin in excitement. We managed to get to church through our massive snow which was really nice (Hailey entertained the few rows around us with her dancing). Tyler fell asleep much faster than I expected but was calling for me by 1:45 and ended up coming into our bed to sleep the rest of the night. And by sleep I mean sleep a little and then ask me why he hasn't heard Santa yet, sleep a little then ask why Santa hasn't come. Ultimately, both kids were up and ready to go by 6:15! Tyler was excited to see that Santa ate some cookies and even more excited that Santa left one for him and one for Hailey.....now you know what they had as their breakfast appetizer.

And the snow continued to fall

The stockings were a hit. Both kids found new pens and crayons and a few other small things. We were very excited for the pens as the kids have been coloring a ton and we only had about 4 working pens left. After the stockings we headed into the living room for the presents under the tree. The kids had two very different reactions. Tyler went bananas. He went into a wild frenzy opening (I'm mean ripping open) any present he could get his hands on and then flying to the next, not even really registering what it was he just opened. After everything was opened he started going back and looking at what he actually received. He got a lot of neat things that will hopefully keep him busy for these next few winter months. Santa's big gift was a aircraft carrier.

Hailey on the other hand wanted nothing to do with presents. If we handed one to her she's snap "NO!" and turn away. But she did several Sesame Street books that she received.

Stockings

Santa's delivery

tearing into the presents

Happy with Sesame Street

More and more snow

Well we ultimately ended up with about 15 inches of snow. Here's even more snow pictures from the last few days. I definitely need to say a big thank you to Grandma and Grandpa Carl (Maura and Carl) for giving Tyler a snow suit for his birthday. He has been putting it to good use! Tyler has been mastering the art of sledding. He is now going down the hill by himself.

the snow pile
The neighbors brought us a plate of cookies and all sledding immediately stopped
Headin' down the hill

Hailey's boots

Hailey modeling her new boots. Thank you Grammy!

Tyler's self portrait

Stripes

Here's how Hailey looked as we headed out and about to get a few last minute Christmas errands done today.....before the big storm that is supposed to hit tonight. All stripes of all kinds and she's still so cute (not that I'm biased).

Just like that

I don't know if it's just Tyler or if every child is like this but when Tyler makes up his mind to do something...it's done, no looking back. If I push him before he's ready to do something there is great resistance and frustration on both sides but if I give him space, let him make his own decisions, when he is ready, he commits to whatever it is.

So it seems to be with his "big" bed. I've blogged before that he is (was) still in his crib. He has had two beds in his room since Hailey's birth really. His big bed has been used for reading books, playing, and whatever else but he has always wanted to sleep in his crib (ie little bed). We tried sleeping in his big bed for about a week maybe a year or so ago but he quickly lost interest. I've never really pushed it that hard. It seems a little strange that a 4 year old would still be in a crib but it has been kind of nice. I've never had to worry about him getting up and wondering around. He is fully capable of climbing in and out of his crib. He does it all the time during the day. But at night and in the mornings he stays in his bed (except for the occasional I don't want to go to bed (thud....running down the stairs) routine) and calls us when he needs us. When asked if he would like to sleep in his big bed the answer is always "no, I love my little bed".

It was very unexpected that yesterday Tyler up and decided out of the blue that he wanted to sleep in his big bed. He did just that. This morning he still wanted to take the crib out of his room...so he could have more space to play. So, we took it out. And just like that he seems to have converted to the big bed. I probably should have waited a week before making that comment but oh well.

In true Tyler fashion his big bed is all set up. He wouldn't even let Hailey play on it today which caused much stress, tears, and fits as this is one of Hailey's favorite places to play, jump, and snuggle. But he has it set up just so. All FIVE big pillows have their specific spot. They basically create a fort all around him with a hole in the middle just his size. Each pillow has a blanket spread out just so. And each stuffed animal is placed on a specific pillow for the night. I must admit his bed looks pretty snugly but he won't even let ME near it and I usually get special snuggle privileges. Here's what the set up looks like.

More Snow Day Pics

Not much to say here but thought I would include a few more pictures of yesterdays snow... it's still here today.

Hailey has been enjoying the snow but is only out for a short period of time before she is ready to come in. I'm pretty sure it's because her hands start to hurt. They are frozen by the time we come in because she refuses to keep her gloves on.

Scooping

Sledding....she might be having fun, we are not sure.

All weather tow truckTy hard at work...he's very excited to have his own snow shovelOur winter wonderland
How the bottom of our hill looks on a snowy day....remember when I said our hill is the sledding hill of the neighborhood??

A Big Day for Tyler

Wednesday saw the mere forecast of snow cancel school and a Christmas concert in the evening that we were all looking forward to. In fact, schools were cancelled across the area even though no snow had fallen....yet. Today, we woke up to about 6 inches of fresh snow that continued to fall and the day turned out to be full of small miracles for Tyler.

Miracel 1. Tyler told me that he wanted to thank God and Jesus for his life and he began drawing/writing on paper. At one point he told me he was writing down God and Jesus' license plates with no further information given. It is so awesome to hear Tyler talking about and asking about God and Jesus. I wish I had all the answers for him but I am so happy to see God taking root in his life so early. I am very thankful to his school, Kids at the Creek, for making God part of Tyler's day when he is with them.

Miracle 2. Tyler had his first opportunity to sled like a big boy, ALL BY HIMSELF! He got to go half way up the hill in front of our house and go down on his sled unaccompanied and he did great. Then we found that our neighbor's yard (Tammy and Joe) had a great slope that hadn't been packed down by 100 sledders already and more fun ensued. Then, Ty and i took a little trek to the park down the street for another hill that he could tackle on his own. I remember thinking to myself that when he grows up and thinks back to his childhood, I really hope this day is one of the memories that flashes through his mind. In addition to his great sledding, Ty helped me shovel the driveway with his brand new snow shovel and also pointed out to numerous neighbor boys that it was not nice to throw snowballs at people's faces. Dad might have had a similar discussion with said boys as well.

Miracle 3. Ty decided, without prompting, that tonight was the night he would start sleeping in his big bed rather than his crib. As I told him his goodnight story he informed me that we would need to move his crib out of his room tomorrow to make room for more of his toys. He has informed me that he is quite good with a screwdriver and hammer and will help me take it apart and even saw it in half if it can't get through the door. Val and I are thinking we'll keep it available for a couple days in case he changes his mind but knowing Tyler, when he says he's gonna do something...he's all in!

Brave Dog Lover

Hailey's only encounters with animals (other than Grammie's cats) have been from a distance; at the zoo, from the car and on tv. Last weekend we were at a work party of mine held at Pete and Tonya's house and Hailey had her first encounter with a dog that was up close and personal. To say that Scout Dog is only dog is like saying the Titanic was a boat. Scout is perhaps the closest living thing to Clifford the Dog and you would think he would strike terror into the heart of Hailey. Not the case! I know it has something to do with how great this big pup is with kids but I'm gonna cast avote for Hailey's bravery. Scout was kept upstairs and when Hailey saw him she wanted over the gate and to stay right next to him. We couldn't pull her away for about 20 minutes.

A day of off and ons

Today was a day of things that were supposed to happen and then didn't. We were supposed to wake up to a bunch of snow and there really wasn't much after all. Still there was a threat of lots of snow during the day so Tyler's preschool was canceled (again....Monday was cancelled as well). Tonight was Tyler's preschool Christmas concert. After school was canceled this morning the concert was a maybe depending on how weather progressed. By 1:30 this afternoon the Christmas concert was declared a go as there was not any new snow and even last nights was melting. Tyler was getting excited and practicing his songs. At 5:00 it was snowing hard and sticking and the concert was canceled. Tyler was dissappointed and I felt really bad for him as the last few days have been a real bore for him.

The guys and their muscles

(and note Ty's wearing jeans!)

Sunday afternoon Hailey came down with the flu. She was pretty miserable Sunday afternoon and Monday and then started to do better yesterday. She has been stuck to Dave like glue and goes absolutely bananas (I mean hysterics and it gets worse if I even attempt to get close to her) when Dave leaves the room. It's a real problem that he has to leave home to go to work (so we can survive...you know, eat, pay our mortgage, have a car, have heat.....). She has not been happy let me tell you. So while dealing with her sickness and not feeling well, there has been a lot of tv, coloring, playdough....and not so much of the running around and going crazy that typically fills our days. Tyler actually said the other day, "I'm sad that my Hailey isn't healthy". I hadn't realized just how much they play together these days. Maybe it's not so much that they play together but they more or less do the same things or are at least busy in the same room. So while I have been busy tending to Hailey and Hailey has been busy not doing much, poor Tyler has been left not doing much either. Though Hailey has been doing much better, about 3:30 this afternoon she suddenly started crying and wanted to be held. She continued crying at least an hour constantly saying "owie, owie". She was clearly hurting though I could not for the life of me figure out where. Tyler and I touched and asked about every body part we could think and her response was "no" and more crying. Every once in a while she would lay on me perfectly still and not cry but the second any part of her moved just slightly the crying started up again. Then at about 6:00 she was suddenly just fine. It was very weird. I think she may have had a piece of food or something stuck in her belly/intestine that was hurting her. So after tending completely to Hailey this afternoon and having Tyler had little to do I started running around with him playing our chase game. A few runs into it he jumped head first right into the couch hitting the wood frame under the cushions. He now has a nice red bump right above his eye. Once recovered from that we got a little more playing in before it was time for bed. Boy, the weekend couldn't come fast enough.

Hailey miserable with her mystery owie

(and yes she did wear pjs all day today)

High fever snuggles with Daddy this weekend

Snow!!

We had our first snow of the season on Sturday night. We were actually at a Christmas party for Dave's work (thanks Pete and Tonya) and the kids went to bed a couple hours late. I was so sure they would sleep in that I even slept in, thinking I could sleep longer and then work while the kiddos were sleepign in. So of course they woke up at 6:30. By 7am Tyler was ready to go out and play in the snow. We held him off until 8:00, we at least needed day light. It was only an inch or two of snow but Tyler still had fun. I often consider our neighborhood to be our own little cul-de-sac but really we live in a big neighborhood. Our house happens to be on the only good sledding hill in the neighborhood (no so great when playing with balls in the front yard). So, once the snow hits our hill is usually packed with kids. This is fun from an entertainment perspective but not so fun when you have to try and drive up or down the hill as it quickly becomes a slick compact of ice. Even with the little snow their were kids sledding down the hill (mostly just on the ice). Dave and Tyler went sledding as well though I did not get any pictures of this as I was busy with Hailey in the back yard. We are having very cold weather today and it is supposed to continue for the rest of the week.

Ready to go

All bundled up

Snow Angel

snow sliding