2 down...1 to go

No, this isn't a post about who is sick!  Hooray!

No, this is a post about finishing my second stocking.  Cross-stitched, anyway.  Aunt Sara has been notified that once I stitch all 3 kids' stockings, these will be coming in the mail for her to complete (read: cut out and attach to a felt back so they will be actual stockings.)

Since it took me a combined 6 years to finish these, I think she won't be receiving them for a while.

The whole shot:

 Up close shot to give an idea of how many little stitches are actually on these suckers...and why it took me 6 years to complete them (I also read a lot...and now you will believe me that my house is not clean)

Another one bites the dust

The boys are sick.  All 3 of them.

Jeff has a really bad sinus/head cold with swollen glands and sleep preventing badness.  He just looks miserable.

Michael has a cough/runny nose/ high fever (103 and change usually).  Oh, and as of the wee hours of the morning, vomiting.  Luckily for him, it is his first time ever throwing up.  And he ate almost nothing yesterday, so it was more like dry heaving.  Poor baby.

Andrew has basically the same thing as Jeff...except he has a fever (100 and change usually) and a cough on top of it.  He looks pretty miserable.  This is coupled with the fact that his nose is practically bleeding because he refused to actually blow his nose.  Seriously.  The kid is 9 and can't blow his nose.

Lily is fine.  Well, Lily has a pretty nasty sounding cough...but it's dry and annoying more than anything.  She insists I take her temperature when I take the boys' temps, so I know that she is usually around 97.1.  Low normal temp like her mama.  I spent most of yesterday trying to keep her away from her brothers and washing her hands as much as possible.

I am fine.  Tired, as the boys have gotten me up 4-5 times a night for the last couple of nights.  But I feel fine.  Not even an ominous tickle in the back of my throat.  Don't worry.  It's coming.  It would be AWESOME if it would come on the weekend, when there is a back-up, hopefully healthy-by-then parent.

So all in all, not too bad.  When we were reviewing our medical stuff from 2012, we realized that our kids weren't sick (other than little colds) the ENTIRE YEAR.  So I knew the shit was going to hit the fan in 2013.  I was just expecting it to happen when Jeff was in Asia for 2 weeks and I had to be sick and deal with sickos all on my own.  Don't get me wrong...it could still happen that way.  But I appreciate the little bolster to our immune systems first.

Enjoy your cold day!  At least only Lily has to go out in it today!

Brothers

Andrew and Michael are 4 1/2 years apart.  They very rarely play together.  At least not alone together.  Lily is the linchpin that holds them together in play time.  They love each other and wrestle around and Andrew is very very patient with Michael when he wants to play a computer game/with Andrew's toys/etc.

There are glimpses of the future.  Like last weekend, when a football game was on, and Michael and Andrew were watching it with their dad.  I just watched them and flashed forward to when they are all big loud men yelling at the tv and enjoying each other's company thoroughly.

Michael is still little...but I think the brotherly bond will grow more and more as he looks up to his brother and wants to do things with him.

A few mornings ago, Andrew and Michael needed to bathe before school time.  It's always a delicate balance between having enough time to wash well and not using up all the hot water.

Andrew went first, since he actually has to catch the bus at 8:30.  He is completely self-sufficient in the shower, so all I have to do is point up the steps and point...he does the rest.  He is not completely competent...sometimes he comes out with dirty ears and the back of his shirt sticking to him because he forgot to dry all the way off.  But...whatever.  Clean ENOUGH.  (we are in trouble once he actually starts to stink, I suppose).

So Andrew is upstairs showering.  I am cleaning up in the kitchen.  I hear Michael's voice echoing down from the upstairs...giggles and loud talking.  I start charging up the steps, full of vim and vigor...."For the love of...why can't he leave his brother alone for one mother-loving minute...we have to get going to school and you need to leave him alone...why doesn't anyone value privacy in this house...get the heck out of the..."

And then I reach the top of the steps and see Michael pajamas in a pile in the hallway.

And I notice that Michael is in the shower with Andrew.  Which is weird, because Michael ABHORES showers.

But there he is...face dripping wet and soap all over his body.

And I hear Andrew, "Now, don't forget the bottom part of your legs.  Yup.  Just like that.  Next I'll show you how to put shampoo in your hair.  Get your head wet.  Just close your eyes and let it run over you.  That's right.  Good job."

Oh.  How my heart melted.  Michael is willingly soaping up his head and body...and then sticking his whole head under the stream of water to wash it away.  He trusts his big brother unquestioningly...more than his mother and father apparently.  And Andrew takes that very seriously (in important situations anyway).

They were so proud of themselves when they got out of the shower.  Michael yelled, "I showered!  With Andrew!  I'm never going to have to take a bath again!"  Andrew used his big important (kind of condescending) big brother voice for the rest of the morning, "Well, YES, Michael.  Let's play together.  You did such a good job."

Brothers.  It's just so sweet.

A hairy challenge

Jeff is a pretty hairless guy.  We have always joked that I have more chest and upper lip hair than he does (I just joke with tears in my eyes).  Because he is so hairless, he's never tried to grow any type of facial hair.  Which is generally fine with me, because I don't prefer it anyhow.  BUT.  He can grow hair!  Out of his face!  I thought he should try to see what a beard would be like at least once in his life.  Right?  So I challenged him to grow a beard over his long Christmas holiday.  And then his boss coincidentally gave him the same challenge.  And he listens to his boss.  So...

Phase I:

Here's the beard.  After 3 weeks.  No trimming.  That's it.  I think he looked the best when bundled up in his wool dress coat with a scarf.  Very professor-ish and Sean Connery-ish.  His co-workers reaction was mixed.  Then men liked, the women didn't.  Jeff's hair is very gray on the sides of his face, but not on his chin or upper lip.  Weird.  I didn't get a picture of that, however.  Just this shot before he shaved it into Phase II.

Phase II:

The goatee.  This was the most popular at work...and I guess with me as well.  He managed to get rid of all the gray, and look relatively trimmed and civilized.  He thought it was a lot of work to keep maintained.

Phase III:

Ugh.  The mustache.  Ugh.  Isn't he just...creepy?  Like a 70s porn star or a child molester or some postal employee that is about one step away from SNAPPING?  This made the women shudder at his work and then men shake their heads.  It only lasted a day.  Thank the Lord.

Now he is back to my clean shaved Jeff.  It was a fun experiment...but I'm glad to have him back!

Random photo day!

My kids are pretty bored of tv.  I guess 9+ years of it will do that to you.  But it's okay, because now they can occupy themselves pretty well...even if occupying themselves often equals chasing and tormenting each other.  Can't have it all, right?

This morning I was fixing chili to put in the crock pot.  Lily was upstairs playing with her Playmobile, and the boys were in the toy room...Andrew reading and Michael playing Crazy 8's by himself.  Not a bad life we're living over here, I gotta say.

When they do watch tv, they can get in some crazy positions.  Here they are watching Phineas and Ferb one night...all piled up together like a little of puppies or something.  Crazy cute.

 Note zombified faces.  Classic tv watching zonk out.  Unless it is America's Funniest Home Videos...then they are swinging from the chandeliers trying to create their own home video winners.  -sigh-  I hate that show.

Sledding at Grandma and Grandpas!  When you run out of sleds, just grab a large piece of cardboard!

 Crafting with Aunt Sara.  She got Lily and Andrew modeling clay.  They are thrilled with it.  I am not so thrilled with the now permanent knick-knacky mishapen mutant animals that we now can keep forever.  yea.

 Sledding at Colin's house.  The hill was much further away and there was zero adult supervision/help.  It was not nearly as successful as the sledding at Grandma and Grandpas.  Oh well.  At least they had fun landing in the drainage ditch!

 Lily posing with Violet in their matching pjs!  Thanks, Aunt Kate!

 Andrew with Munchkin.  He is only allowed to handle the little critter in the bathtub.  Because she is fast.  And if he drops her she can't escape anywhere.  And I don't want little hamster/mouse hybrids when Munchkin meets the field mice that like to camp out in our fireplace.

 She is awfully cute, though.  And quite calm and patient about a 9 year old handling her in a porcelain tub with no escape tubes.  She's chill like that.

Sometimes it's hard to be the loser

 We play a lot of games over here.

Michael got Crazy 8s in his stocking this year.  It has been an instant hit with all the kids.  We've been playing a lot in the last few days.  Like 10 games a day for the last 3 days.  They even play by themselves.  I came home from the gym yesterday just as Jeff was leaving for work.  It was 6:45 in the morning, and all 3 kids were sitting around playing Crazy 8s.  Weird.  But awesome.

Lily has not won a single game.  Not one game.  She is just horribly unlucky at it.

So we came home from dance class and I asked if they wanted to play a game.  They both yell "Crazy 8s!" and then Lily stops and groans and says, "I never win that game."

I said, "Perhaps you are the unluckiest player ever.  Perhaps if you lose again, you will get an award."

So we played a game.  The longest game ever.  And Lily lost.  Of course she did.

So I popped up and got her an award.

A little closer if you must see it...

Michael was a little jealous and wanted to know what game HE is the unluckiest at so we could play it and he could get a ribbon.

Sometimes it's just too easy to make them happy!

My new love of sports

Me and sports...well, we haven't mixed in the last 35 years.

I am just not interested.  I can't even bring myself to care even a little teeny tiny bit.

I have no coordination or athletic ability at all.  My 4th grade gym teacher even told my parents I ran wrong. I played on exactly zero sports teams.  Never.  Not even soccer in elementary school like the rest of America.  (Unless you count "Lou's Lambs"...my church softball team freshman year in high school.  I don't).

I went to every single high school football game.  And never learned the rules of football.

I went to basketball games in college.  I famously called out, "What a great layover!"  Meaning turnover...I think.

I married Jeff.  Whenever our tv is taken over by sports, I read.  Or leave the room.  I just. don't. care.

And then.


My Andrew started to play sports.  He is in basketball this winter.  He is on an intramural team and a travel team.  That is 2 practices and 2 games (at least) each week.

And I look forward to watching those games almost more than anything else in my week.

I can't explain it.  I sit on the edge of my seat and cheer on Andrew and his teammates.  And the boys on the opposing team also.  Who can't cheer when a 9 year old boy makes a great shot?  Who cares what team he's on.

I am learning how the game works by watching the boys learn each little thing.  I'm learning the penalties and fouls by watching the boys learn step by step.  I am riveted the entire game.

I burst with pride as I watch Andrew do AMAZING.  He is no longer the dramatic, injury-prone, sore loser.  He bounces up from injuries (which are few) and desperately wants to play.  He stands up and watches and cheer on the game when it is his turn to be on the sidelines  When it's his turn on the court, he comes alive.  He is an incredible defender...always on his man and where he needs to be.  He listens to his coaches, internalizes it, and puts it into action on the court.  He in the rebound king, using his height to just reach over the other boys' heads and snatch the ball in mid-air.  He breaks away to the other end of the court.  He needs to work on his shooting...but he's very good at passing and often will make an amazing pass to one of the shooters on his team.  I am in awe of everything he can do...knowing just how hard it is...how I could never do it.

I watch college basketball with new eyes.  These big competent men are someone's babies.  Some proud set of parents out there have watched them since they were little guys. (I still have trouble watching an entire game though...it's not MY baby out there, after all.)

This is something new to me.  Enjoying sports.  Just another thing that having children has changed deep down to the core of me.  Basketball.  Who knew?

Resolutions

Last year I made a few resolutions.

And I did well.   Not with the whole sugar thing.  But with the exercising thing.

As of June 30th, I had lost 18 pounds.

As of December 1st, I had not lost any more, but had kept off those 18 pounds.  Because I maintained running 2-3 times a week and lifting weights 2-3 times a week.

As of December 31st, that number was down to losing 13 pounds.  But WHATEVER.  So I was bad at Christmas.  Okay, the whole Christmas season.  Damn Sara and her delicious chocolate dipped peppermint treats.  Oh!  And the Rolos melted on pretzels.  Damn you, SARA!

Ahem.  I digress.  I'm back on track.  And my New Year's Resolution is to just keep on keeping on.

1.  Keep exercising and eating well.  Go back to what I did last January-June.  Evaluating if each snack is worth putting in my mouth.  Birthday cake=WORTH IT.  15 Hershey Kisses that I find in the bottom of a drawer=NOT WORTH IT.

2.  Lose about 15 more pounds.  I am now confident that I can do it.  If I just stick with my "Eat less, Do more." program.

3.   Run a 10K this year instead of just a 5K.

4.  Keep appreciating that I am now saying, "JUST a 5K."