Oh what fun it is....

Is everyone ready for Christmas? I've been having a blast the past few days staying home with my family. I have a 11 days off from work (that just may be a record if you don't count maternity leave) and I'm determined to make it fun, productive and just a tad bit relaxing. My first day off was Friday and I finished all the shopping. I know I said I was done before but I had to wait for a day that Timothy would be out so I could go get his present and wrap it. He's a sneaky one and I can't just hide things in a closet when he's around. :)

Also, on Friday was the boys' Christmas party at daycare. I wasn't sure if I should go into Owen's class to visit him or not because I didn't want to upset him when I left without taking him with me, but he actually did great. When he saw me with my jacket on he insisted on putting his on too even though I took mine off and told him we were not leaving. I think he just like wearing the hood, or as he calls it "my hat". I went back and forth a couple of times between the classes to visit with both kids. They had a special lunch and a book gift exchange. Collin got a level 2 book from a friend for his gift and he can read almost the whole thing by himself. I'm SO proud of his reading! Owen got a Little Golden Book about going to the beach. It's a brand new book, but the first copyright was from 1951 and it shows pictures of the little tents on the beach for the changing rooms and a rope to hold on to as you wade out into the water. Such a cute little history book. Haha! I ended the afternoon with a killer headache which pretty much ruined the rest of my day. I think it was all the 2-year-olds banging their books on the table that did it, but they sure were having fun.

Saturday was a really fun day! We started early by going to Build A Bear at the mall. We wanted to avoid the crowds so we were there before they even opened. This trip was mostly supposed to be a present for Owen because he loves stuffed animals, but as it turned out I think Collin had more fun. Owen was  a bit turned off by the all the floppy unstuffed animals and it took him forever to decide which one he wanted. He finally picked a gray kitty and Collin picked a bunny. The bunny Collin picked is exactly the same bunny that their grandparents gave to Owen when he was a baby. Owen's is named O.O. Jr, and Collin decided to call his Freddy. Of course Owen couldn't pick a name for his cat (I think he was a bit overwhelmed) and since I was helping him and I have little imagination we just called him Kitty. They have both really enjoyed playing with their new friends, but especially Collin. He loves that Freddy. I was pleasantly surprised that it was only $26 total for both of the critters; I was expecting twice that.  We just may have to do this again when Owen is a bit older and understands it more.

After the mall, the boys and I went to visit the Wiethoffs and do our gift exchange. The kids had a great time and as always it seemed the visit was too short. Since we live 45 minutes apart we don't get to see each other as often as we would like. The kids raked leaves and jumped into the pile. It was pretty awesome. Cooper was the great at raking the leaves while the others were jumping.

Sadie was a bit scared to jump into the leaves. She really is a very prim and proper little lady. So she wanted
Mommy (Sally) to hold her hand the first couple of times.

My mom (Mimi) came over and joined us for pizza Saturday evening. The boys just love when she comes to play. Of course we watched an episode of Star Trek because that's just what Nowell's do when they eat pizza. This time it was Next Gen. There is a cute picture of Collin and Mimi snuggling on the couch watching Star Trek, but I can't figure out how get it from Facebook :( so you can try this link: http://tinyurl.com/2bflder 


Well there was lots more fun stuff that happened on Sunday and Monday, but this is already way too long, so I will just have to write again soon.

The Top Ten Things I Learned From Harry Potter

I got this list a few months ago from Mugglecast which is a Harry Potter podcast. Podcasts are cool, like bow ties. If you got that joke then you get 5 geek points. :) Anyway, I thought it was so awesome that I actually wrote it down and hung it up by my desk at work. It's next to my Obi-Wan action figure with his arms raised over his head to scare away the Sand People. So here is a little glimpse into my geekdom:

10. Your family is more important than you realize.

9. We all start as outsiders.

8. The greatest gift in the world is a truly loyal friend.

7. Don't be afraid to break the rules.

6. Arrogance will be your downfall.

5. Don't mess with giants.

4. To the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.

3. It is our choices that show who we truly are, far more than our abilities.

2.  The magic is real if you want it to be.

1. Love conquers all.

Fa la la la wow it's quiet in here

Collin and Owen spent last night with their Memaw and G-da (Timothy's parents) and we got to enjoy a quiet house and watch grown-up movies. Collin especially has been dying to stay over with the grandparents for awhile now. This was my first night away from Owen and I think only number six for Collin and that includes two nights I was in the hospital after having Owen. I held up much better than I thought I would. :) Timothy's office had a Christmas party last night and so we would have had to get a sitter anyway so it worked out well that they were able to go stay. It's Sunday morning now and we will go get them after nap time today. This was the first time in forever that we have both gotten to sleep as late as we wanted. I still woke up at 7 this morning, but then realized I didn't have to be up and slept till about 8:30. That's REALLY late for us. We went out to IHOP for breakfast. It's nice to have some kid-free time, especially in the car. It's been very quiet.

I spent a couple hours last night wrapping presents and watching Ocean's Eleven and an episode of original series Star Trek. I have officially gotten presents for all the kids that we need to buy for. It's hard to know where to draw the line, but there it is. I suppose if I only see your kids a couple times a year I don't need to buy the presents, right? Isn't is amazing how quickly Christmas turns from being a celebration of God's gift of His son into stressing about whose feelings will be hurt and what to buy for whom? I am thankful that there are only a couple of people in my life that don't appreciate the true meaning of gift-giving and are incredibly hard to buy for on our budget. Most people in my family and my close friends would be overjoyed to receive anything in the spirit of Christmas even if it's just a hand-made ornament or cookies. 

The Aged P

Today was another trial in the life of the grown child trying to care for the elderly parent, or as I like to affectionately call my dad, The Aged P. It's from Great Expectations. Go read it if you haven't already.

The Aged is 76 years old and is so irresponsible with money that I'm starting to wonder if he understands the concept. His life revolves around that social security check and he can't wait to spend it and loves planning different ways of spending it. He get sucked into every scam imaginable and wastes so much money. I'm convinced there is a special place in Hell for people that prey on the elderly. Why can't we live on the Enterprise already?! I'm so sick of everyone obsessing about money. There is never enough of it, everyone wants more. Why can't we just learn to be happy with what we have?

Obviously, The Aged is no longer playing with a full deck. He has been diagnosed with dementia and possibly/probably Alzheimer's. Whatever you want to call it, it sucks. It really blows to lose someone while they are still with you. He's not the same guy that raised me anymore. The man that was my Daddy was strong and smart and kind and creative. This new guy that took over his body is just mental. He is constantly confused and doesn't know what's going on half the time.

He lives on his own and the place is a mess. I'm convinced that he would be better off in a nursing home. Even though there is nothing physically wrong with him, I don't believe he takes care of himself very well. He doesn't like to discuss the matter because any place that he would move to he A: wouldn't get his monthly check anymore because it would go toward his care while the state picks up the rest of the tab and B: wouldn't get to take all his junk with him. Including a collection of plastic Wal-Mart bags large enough to take over a room. He doesn't even want to make me his power of attorney because he doesn't want anyone calling the shots but him. (Have I mentioned I think I get my stubbornness from him?) So as I understand it the only way I can make him go to a home if he doesn't want to would involve a court battle. I really don't like the thought of having to form a case against The Aged.

At this point he is choosing to not pay his bills, which I think makes him a danger to himself. I had to pay to turn his electricity back on a few days ago. It was going to be in the lower 30's that night! Then when he got paid today he was ready to go give it all to the scammers again and put off the bills for another month. Luckily I was able to convince him that it would be in his best interest to keep the lights and the phone on so he agreed to give me some money to pay his bills.

I guess we will do this all again next month, and in the meantime I should probably call a lawyer. :( If any of you have any advice on this or if you have been through this process before I would really appreciate some feed back.

Just Another Day....

Today was awesome in that it was just a normal day with my great family. We went to do our shopping this morning at Wal-Mart which we do almost every Saturday to stock up for the week. When we came home Collin helped me put up our Christmas lights on the house. He really wanted to do the tree too, but I can't handle both on one day. :)

Then we had lunch... Owen said "I hundry por chi-den nuggets!" That's about all he's ever "hundry" for these days. Then while neither Timothy or I was looking something happened in the kitchen and we go in to find both boys upset and somehow Owen's chocolate milk ended up in Collin's hair and all over his face! Still don't understand that one because I know Owen wouldn't dump it on him intentionally and his shirt was hardly wet. I guess it just got away from him... it was pretty funny. Then Owen said he wasn't hungry after all and just wanted to take a nap. How awesome is it that he can recognize when he's tired and vocalize it?! So I put him to bed and put some laundry on and then I took a nap too. (yay!) Collin and Timothy watched some Star Trek and played Nintendo.

After naps Owen helped me with some laundry. I tell you, he is a pro when it comes to pushing the button to start the dryer! The boys had a great game of hide and seek even though I don't think Owen really understands the concept yet, but he knows how to count to ten and look for his brother so that's good enough for Collin. They had such a great time playing hide and seek with their cousin Annie on Thanksgiving and this is the first time I've seen them play it by themselves. We had dinner: yummy potato soup for me and Timothy and peanut butter sandwich and mac and cheese for the boys. Owen managed to spill more chocolate milk on the floor. I swear we go a week or two with no spills then they all come in one day. Oh well, I guess that's my clue that it's time to mop again.

I told Owen to get ready for his bath and the next thing I know I have 2 naked boys in the bathroom. They just love doing everything together and unless I specify they will assume that they are having a bath together. I set up my computer in Owen's room and they got their pillows and blankets/sleeping bag and watched A Land Before Time a classic from my childhood and conveniently available on Netflix instant. They loved it and loved watching a movie in Owen's room.

Then they decided to have a slumber party and just stay on the floor. When I left them Collin was reading a bedtime story to Owen. They talked a little bit but never fussed or came out of the room. When I went to check on them they were both sleeping peacefully.  It makes me so happy that they get along so well most of the time and I just hope they always keep that bond. Sweet dreams, my boys.

Haircuts!

I gave Collin and Owen haircuts tonight. I just started cutting their hair this year and I kind of wish I had been brave enough to try it sooner. I really didn't like to pay someone $15 plus tip to cut Owen's hair when he just screamed the whole time. It was stressful for everyone, but mostly for him. He still doesn't like it when I cut his hair, but at least he doesn't scream his head off. I think Collin would rather have someone else do his hair, not because he cares how he looks but because he doesn't like getting his hair cut in the bathroom, but I figure if I can save $15 and he looks decent then it's a good deal.
Here they are after haircuts and baths tonight:

I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving. We all have so much to be thankful for. I should blog about that....

Who's a lazy blogger?

Yup, it's me! Ta-da!

The boys started at a new daycare last week. It's closer to home so they will be able to take Collin to and from school next year when he starts, not that I'm going to think about that yet. Also, this new place is saving us $60 per week! I have already noticed a difference in our budget and it's nice. :)

A few changes from the last school. This one is much smaller. All the kids are in the same room (except the infants) until the bus leaves to take the older ones to school. This means Collin and Owen get to hang out  for 45 minutes or so and have breakfast together. Owen loves this! When we walk in he starts looking for 2 chairs next to each other so he can sit "by Bubba". They also get to watch movies or educational programs during this time. Our last school didn't have TV time at all, which I admit I was a fan of that rule, but it's really only for 45 minutes so it's not a big deal. That is the only time of day that the TV is on.

The first day was really hard for little Owen. He didn't eat at all until just right before we got there to pick them up. He warmed up a little more each day and getting to hang out with Collin for a bit after I leave has really helped. They told me he still gets a little sad when it's time for them to split up, but it's getting better. Collin on the other hand is Mr Personality. He ran into his class the first day and announced, "My name is Collin. I'm four and a half. My name is spelled C-O-L-L-I-N!" He has come home singing the new songs he has learned and seems to be having a good time. He still mentions every couple of days that he would like to go back to his old school. He doesn't sound like he's really bonded with the other kids yet. He can only tell me one kid's name from his class and the teacher says he mostly plays alone. I'm sure it's hard being the new kid and it will take a little time to get used to.

The weirdest part for me is that now I drop the kids off so close to home instead of down the street from my work. That means my car is very quiet and I haven't gotten used to that yet. I'm not used to being able to listen to whatever I want to in the car. I pass over a set of train tracks to get to work and it's not nearly as exciting to get stopped to wait for a train if you don't have two little boys in the backseat. The other sad part is that they are just a little too far for me to be able to take Collin out to lunch now. I know we will both miss that.

In other news, it's been nice having Timothy home for two weeks in a row! Don't know if he will be here next week or not because his job is being annoyingly non-committal. But, that's okay! We are grateful for employment! Collin has two more T-ball games for the season. Just in time too because the last couple have been really cold. Owen is talking up a storm now. He is starting to get competitive with Collin, especially in the car. Both kids will say "No, I'M talking!", then I have to pick one and say "Owen/Collin what do you want to say?" More times than not it's followed by a sweet "I love you, Mommy." from either kid. :)

I took the boys to a new church on Sunday. It was bad! Not the church, just my experience. They were both so loud during service. Collin wouldn't whisper when he was reading and said "If I whisper then I won't hear the story!" Owen meanwhile was reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar and kept saying at ever increasing volumes "But he was STILL hungry!" Then finally it was time for communion which is right before the end of the service. I took the boys up, but apparently this church doesn't distribute communion to children and when they were overlooked they both lost it. Collin was sobbing and saying "He didn't give me my communion!" and Owen was screaming "Me want BREAD! Me want BREAD!" Yeah, we had to check out at that point. Luckily there was a big plate of cookies that we walked past and I told the boys that the cookies were their communion for that day. Whew! It was exhausting.

Hopefully I'll check back in sooner rather than later. I hope you are all well.