Christmas Tree in the middle of the Kitchen? Really?

It is kind of neat how things, a year later, are funny when originally they were not!  Last Christmas, we had a very unusual event occur regarding our Christmas tree.  As I have eluded to in other blogs, last winter, I was not quite myself.  My Christmas spirit had been drained.  Telling the boys to stop touching the tree had become a phrase of the day (or of the hour, really).  Last year was the first year that the boys (all 3 of the little ones) were super excited about Christmas, the tree, the sparkly lights, and the ornaments.  However, they did not all possess the finesse yet to handle these things with the necessary delicacy required.  Between me missing home, not feeling connected in New Hampshire yet, Beau working endless hours, and the boys touching the tree more times than I can even count, I had enough. 

Parents, I strongly urge you not to threaten outlandish punishments unless you are willing to follow through.  Better yet, don't even threaten anything over the top because the follow through sucks.  That is one thing that Beau and I have always tried to do as parents....follow through and keeping our word.  At times that has been so hard and we have felt punished in the process.  We have missed parties, play dates, and other events in order to follow through with a threatened punishment.  But these lessons must be taught and learned. 

Well, with my frustration brewing, my patience ceasing, and my dark cloud looming, I did it.  I made the epic parental mistake.  I threatened the dumbest thing.  I said, "The next person that touches that tree, I am going to take it down."  I literally dangled the ball of string.  They couldn't help but touch the tree ONE MORE time.  But this time, it was done looking right at me with a smile on his face.  I can not remember which angelic little boy it was that time (although, I do have my suspicions), but I remember my blood boiling.

In a matter of seconds, I leaped to my feet, placed my hand somewhere in the middle of the tree, and dragged that thing across my living room, tree stand and all!  Ornaments were falling off, kids eyes were growing bigger with each inch that I dragged it, and I was huffing and puffing.  It's much harder dragging a fully decorated tree with the tree stand on than I would have ever imagined!!!  With the cling and clang of the ornaments bumping into each other, my stomping, the sound of the tree stand as it was being dragged on the carpet, and the boys' cries, it was loud and probably a ridiculous sight.  I made it to the kitchen and swiftly laid the tree down right in the middle of the floor.  It laid on the ground diagonally, taking up much of my entire kitchen.  I had three little boys standing next to the tree with tears streaming down their faces.  And yes, I felt bad.  But I warned them.  Now, for those of you that are reading this blog but have little knowledge of me and my interactions with my children, please do not fear.  I am normally a very patient mom with tons of mercy and nurturing.  So, no need to contact child protective services.....I promise. 

Well, now here I was with a silly Christmas tree laying on my kitchen floor.  Now what?  I had to maintain my authority, so I WAS NOT going to put it back up in the living room.  So the only logical thing to do was to keep it there.  We had to step over the tree every time we wanted to gain access to the refrigerator or get to the sink.  I was not too worried, though, because I just knew that when Beau got home he would rectify this situation.  He's so good at remedying all of our dysfunctional situations.  He's just like that. 

But Beau arrived home that evening without having prior knowledge of the incident.  I hadn't had the opportunity nor the guts to tell him.  The look on his face when he entered the kitchen truly made my heart sink.  In complete puzzlement, he asked what anyone would ask in that situation.  "Why is our Christmas tree laying in the middle of the kitchen?"  I then explained to him the situation expecting him to understand.  He was silent.  He kept looking at the tree.  My husband is logical, rational, patient, realistic, analytical, and able to think separately from his emotions.  He continued to study the tree, walking around it a couple of times.  Still not speaking.  He finally concluded that while I had removed the tree, I had managed to dislodge the lights and some of the intricate central plugs in the middle of the tree.  This wasn't necessarily a hard fix, but a time-consuming one.  He finally spoke, but only to inform me that he was NOT going to fix the tree.  Beau is not a vindictive, stubborn, dig your heels in kind of a guy.  In fact he is a problem solver.  So this reaction from him was completely shocking. 

He was a little irritated with me (well, a lot) and I was stubborn (shocking, I know).  So the tree stayed in the middle of our kitchen for 3 days.  We had to keep stepping over it.  In fact, it was so close to the refrigerator, we had to contort our bodies in just the right angle in order to get something from the inside of the fridge.  Yes, we were both too stubborn to move the tree just 3 inches in either direction to gain full access to the fridge.  The boys had resigned themselves to the fact that Santa would just have to bring the presents to the kitchen.  Pitiful, yes. 

Finally after the 3rd day, Beau being the bigger person, griped and grumbled and fixed the tree.  This year, the boys have not touched the tree.  William, however, asked how long the tree was going to remain in the living room.

Cami and I were reliving this memory today over the phone, and she suggested that I blog about it.  I now can laugh about that fallen tree.  But most of all, I will be more careful about my threats.  I hope this quick story made you laugh. 

Have a Merry Christmas

Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Decorating

My house has typically been the home where much of our family has congregated for Thanksgiving.  If you know me and my lack of skills in the kitchen, you understand the anxiety that can cause.  However, Thanksgiving is the one meal that I truly enjoy preparing and apparently, I do it pretty well (according to my husband).  We have always loved having family around for the holidays, especially me.  I was an only child and so growing up, our holidays were always spent as a quiet family of 3.  Although having just 3 of us has it's merits too, such as knowing there would always be enough food available.  I will never forget the first Thanksgiving I spent with Beau's family.  All of the food was beautifully placed in the center of the table and a loud "Dig In" was the call.  I had no idea that meant everyone was on their own.  You had to be quick and ready, constantly eyeballing which dish you were going to grab before someone else got to it.   For years after Beau and I were married, he ate with his arm "guarding" his plate.  I guess this was a habit he developed from his childhood.  Needless to say, I went home that first Thanksgiving hungry.  Thankfully a Chinese take out place was open. 

This Thanksgiving, however, was very different.  It was just our little family.  It was nice, not quiet because we do have 4 boys, but very low key.  I still prepared our normal "fixins", the family was well fed, and everything went well.  However, I spent time reminiscing our previous Thanksgivings and missing them, yes, even that first one with the Bennett family.  But I realize that living away from family now means that our previous traditions will have to be replaced by new ones.  We spent the afternoon, after our turkey dinner, watching Brave.  We had a nice and relaxing evening.

For years, I have been a Black Friday shopper.  Not one of those "crazy" shoppers where I would be willing to knock you down over the hottest item, but one that enjoys being out in the crowds in search of good deals.  I remember going shopping with Beau's 2 youngest brothers and we always had a good time.  Zander asked to go with me 3 or 4 years ago and I reluctantly said yes.  I thought what would a 10 year old boy enjoy about shopping in the wee hours of the morning.  But as it turned out, he had a blast and I did too.  So that has become our new little tradition.  I peruse the ads, make my lists of things that I would like to get, and then Zander and I head out in search of these items.  He and I have a great little system.  We stand in line waiting to enter the stores and that is time spent talking, laughing, and truly bonding.  Once we actually make it into the stores, he has a part of the list that he is to find.  I go my separate way and pick up other things on the list.  I have become a pro at hiding things in the cart that are meant to be presents for Zander.  We then meet at the end and check out.  It works great.  He is a great helper and teammate. 

This year, however, stores were opening earlier that they ever had in the past.  I was actually looking for excuses to skip this year.  We were all enjoying the family time and the thought of standing out in the cold didn't seem appealing to me this year.  But Zander was getting excited about going.  As a mom of a teenager, I look for any way to spend quality time with him.  Yes, shopping isn't quality time, but it was something I could have to connect with him.  So I'll take it.  We had the best time together and he was very helpful.  There was lots of talking, laughing, and I even think there were moments of appreciation for each other.  SCORE!  We left the house at 7:30pm and headed to our first store.  We waited outside the store in line for an hour, met a mother/daughter who have shopped Black Friday for many years, and we had the best time.  That hour went be very quickly.  Seriously, it did.  Zander and I went to many stores though out the night, but by 4am, I was done.  But Zander had his sights on returning to the mall.......again.  So, as I apparently like to be punished, he and I headed back out to the mall.  By 5:30am, I found a spot to sit and relax.  Zander continued to shop and was even thoughtful enough to bring me a candy bar and a soda (so that I could have enough energy to drive us home).  We got home at 7am.  On the way home, Zander was full of energy.  He had either gotten his second wind, or he was so deliriously tired.  Either way, I could barely keep my eyeballs open.  He declared he was fine and had every intention of staying awake for the rest of the day.  I was too tired to argue.  I went to bed the moment I got home.  I found out later from Beau that Zander went to bed too.  That child didn't wake up until 8:45pm.  My energetic shopper wound up getting almost 14 hours of sleep.  Lucky kid.  But, I now had a new year of shopping memories with Zander. 

The tree is up, now we have to decorate it.
 

We have always decorated for Christmas on the weekend after Thanksgiving.  I love this part of the season as we prepare the house while listening to Christmas music.  I enjoy looking at the ornaments and remembering their significance as Beau and I relay the stories to our children.  Such sweet times.  Last year was such a blur as I was in a slight depression.  I missed my family and my friends.  Decorating the house didn't even occur until about a week and a half before Christmas.  That is very unlike me.  The decorating that took place was minimal at best.  My Christmas spirit was drained and even though I didn't want to feel that way, I couldn't change it.  I have made it through that fog and I made a vow that this year my family would not suffer because of me.  We decorated the house this past weekend with enthusiasm.  We had so much fun and the boys were very "helpful".  Well, as helpful as a 3, 4, and a 5 year old can be.  Only one ornament got broken, which is a miracle in itself.  Beau took the boys to the store earlier that day to pick out a new ornament each.  I stayed home to clean and rearrange the living room in preparation for the tree.  Each boy was really proud to place their new ornament on the tree.  This year our Christmas music was replaced by the Florida vs. Florida State game, but that's ok.  It was a great game. 

Carter was actually gentle with the tree this year. 

William strategically placing his new Star Wars ornaments.

Our new family ornament for 2012.

The kids new ornament for 2012.

Family ornament from 2011.

 Kids ornament from 2011 (if you know my kids, this ornament is perfect)





 

First Snow of 2012

Our front yard

Well, I imagine the first snow of each year is not something most New Englanders celebrate if they have been a New Englander for some time.  But being from Florida, we have a different perspective.  This morning, around 5:45 am, Ollie walks into our room asking if the predicted snow actually fell.  And yes, it did.  We only had about an inch or so of snow, but that is plenty enough to occupy a 3, 4, and 5 year old. 

 

At first, I was dreading getting out all their snow gear and dressing everyone for an inch of snow.  But Beau gently reminded me to "not be one of THOSE moms."  Enough said.  By 7:30 am, each boy was dressed and waiting by the front door to go play in the snow....all one inch of it.  It only took me about 30 minutes to get them all dressed a ready.  That is a record time over last year's 45 minutes.  Remember, I am new at this too. 

But, I must admit, by the time I was out there for a few minutes and I saw their sweet faces, I too began to enjoy it.  There is just something about white covering everything you see and there being a crisp freshness in the air. 

Not much of a snow angel in 1 inch deep snow

Adorable cute

William and Carter playing together

Oliver is trying to decide which brother to "get"

Carter's normal "guilty, but excited" smile

Laverne and Shirley

I love October, for many reasons.  The leaves are beautiful, the cooler weather sets in, my mom and dad visit, lots of local festivals, Halloween, and Cami comes to visit.  I have already blogged about the former topics, but I haven't blogged about Cami's visit yet.  We have designated October as Cami's month to visit annually.  She came last week for our 2nd annual trip. 
I met Cami in 2004 at a small church where eventually her husband, Russell, began to pastor.  I was still working at the time, so my free time was very limited.  When I was free, I spent as much time devoted to family stuff as possible.  We instantly became friends, although, we weren't constantly together.  She had a new baby and I was always busy too.  But once Beau and I decided for me to stop working and stay home, suddenly Cami and I became very close.  She is one of those friends who constantly taught me something (whether in the kitchen, about Godliness, or just how to be a friend).  If we weren't together shopping, or attending a bible study, or seeing each other in church, or even just hanging out at each other's house, we were on the phone.  It's amazing how we never ran out of topics to discuss!  We sure solved the world's problems during those conversations.  LOL

Cami was the friend that kept reminding me to trust our Lord and to step out in faith.  And I did.  Her husband baptized Beau and I and eventually Zander too.  My stepping out in faith led to becoming a stay at home mom, adopting, and then fostering.  And even bigger faith, moving to New Hampshire.  And she was there supporting and clapping the whole way.  Aside from your spouse, I think every girl needs that one special friend that you can be totally yourself with.  Cami is that friend for me.  She has seen my good, bad, and ugly times and still remains my friend.

I was very fearful of what moving 1200 miles away would do to our relationship.  It has changed and that is to be expected.  But one thing still remains, we are bonded in a special way.  That will never change.  As she has become incredibly busy with her calligraphy business and her mission work for the ApParent project, her time is definitely not her own.  I am proud of her work and her selflessness as she has been successful, with God's hand, in helping the Haitian Artists regain their dignity while climbing their way out of poverty.  But somehow, she has been able to carve out a few days in October to come visit.  Beau has been so generous to take some time off work so that Cami and I can go play. 

This visit was just as much fun as last year.  She arrived on Thursday and we went for an early dinner together.  I am thankful she likes Mexican almost as much as our family does.  She and I ate at Shorty's and got caught up, even though we talk almost daily (and sometimes several times a day)!  But there's nothing better than being able to look your friend in the eyes and having a great conversation!
On Friday, we went to Boston to finish our Freedom Walk tour from the previous year.  This was so much fun and we learned many new things about Boston and it's early inhabitants.  This wasn't a long walk, but on this day I was having trouble walking.  I have some medical issues that make me lose balance and even lose use of my legs.  But Cami was patient with me and we finished the tour.  We then walked over to the USS Constitution, or Old Ironsides.  This is such a privilege to see a part of our history.  But again, it required a lot of walking.  By this time, I was in agony, but I was not going to miss such an experience. 

Old Ironsides

By the time we got there, I wasn't sure if I was going to make it back.  We had heard that there was a ferry available to get us back to the main area, so we were looking forward to that.  Well, we took the self-guided tour of the massive ship and then I dragged myself to the ferry only to find out that cash was required.  Neither one of us had any cash, so I, while crying on the inside, said "Well alright then, let's get to walking."  Thankfully, my friend knew I was going to probably keel over any minute, so she left me sitting on a bench while she went in search of an ATM.  You have no idea how appreciative and humbling that few minutes was for me.  Normally my husband has to help me out in times like these, but this was the first time a friend saw how bad I can get. 

The harbour where the USS Constitution was stationed

 

Anyway, we made it back to the main area via ferry.  That gave me a few minutes to pop some more Aleve and rest.  We then roamed around the park and had a chance to take some beautiful pictures.  I was so glad that some of the colors remained on the trees.  The sun was beginning to go down and the cooler air was coming back in and it was just perfect.  

Then we had our dinner at Cheers.  We had been looking forward to doing that again since last year.  And it was good.  We knew our last bus getting back to Nashua left the station at 10:30pm, so we had lots of time to kill.  I was feeling a little better by this point so we just walked the streets enjoying the people, the busy life, and looking for the famous Mike's Pastry.  And boy, did we find it.  We each got a dessert, sat for a long time enjoying the nightlife, and just talking.  Besides, we had plenty of time to kill (or so we thought).  Around 8:30, we leisurely strolled toward the bus station.  We arrived about 9:30 and was just about knocked over by a woman running by us.  I commented, "hey, wonder if she knows something we don't?" 

We get to the bus terminal, only to find out the sign says last bus back to Nashua was at 9:30.  My watch declared it was 9:35....we could probably still smell the bus fumes if we were standing outside.  Apparently, the only thing I was in charge of which was reading the bus schedule, I read incorrectly.  Ugh.  I bet that the girl that ran past us made the bus.  So, figuring they had an alternative plan for us, Cami and I approached the ticket counter for the bus line.  The gentleman very plainly stated that we could either stay in Boston overnight or take a later bus to another city.  This man just had no sympathy for our predicament.  Ha.  So now I had to do the only thing left to do, call Beau.  The moment I called, he said, "What did you do?"  It's almost as if he knows me.  LOL  Needless to say, he came and rescued Cami and I and we finally arrived home around 12:30am.  Maybe one day he will be able to laugh about that one. 

During her visit, we kept hearing about hurricane Sandy.  But being from Florida, we are used to hurricanes and didn't consider this too seriously.  We just kept going about our business.  You know, pumpkin pancakes or omelets at Parker's Maple Barn, or the huge Yankee Candle store in Mass.  But by Saturday night, we learned that most of the flights leaving Monday were canceled.  Cami spent hours Saturday night and early Sunday morning waiting on hold to talk to the airline and change her ticket.  After over 3 hours, we decided that we needed to drive to the airport and get this handled in person.  She got the absolute last seat available leaving Manchester and eventually arriving home.  God thing?  She was of course welcome to stay with us as I would have enjoyed more time with her.  However, hanging out in a house with possibly no electricity and no running water would not have been a good ending to her vacation. 

Beau took Cami to her early flight Monday morning.  As it turns out, her flight was the ONLY one not canceled.  She was literally the last seat on the only flight getting her back to Jacksonville.  God totally took care of her.  After all, she has a family too to take care of and I am sure Russell was ready for her to be home. 

So, although I was completely worn out in Boston, we missed our last bus back home, and we had to dodge the storm, we had the best time.  That what best friends do.  They find the humor and fun in any situation.  I am thankful for my friend and I can't wait until next year. 

When stranded in Boston, Cami's husband referred to us as Laverne and Shirley.  I just have one question.  Which one of us is which? 

Avengers! Assemble!

Well, that time of year has come and gone again where we get to dress up, knock on doors, and beg for candy.  I love this season as we now quickly approach Thanksgiving and Christmas, and finally a new year.  Last year, residents of New Hampshire endured an early heavy snow.  Halloween was actually postponed to a later date as we dealt with major power outages, cold weather, and snow.  It was my first snow living in New Hampshire, and other than the power being out, I was very excited......and COLD!  This year, we endured a storm of a different type.  Hurricane Sandy.  For us, we were very fortunate as we did not lose power.  However, many around us did.  And of course, there was much devastation to New York. 

This year, I was smart.  We came up with a plan for the costumes and shopped early.  I was not going to wait until the last week before Halloween and search for 3 costumes.  In the past, when it was just Zander, I always waited until the last minute.   I wish I could be like my mother-in-law and come up with creative costumes and then make them.  But other than sewing a button on, I am useless. 

I also had to shop early and be prepared because my best friend was visiting the week of Halloween and I certainly didn't want to waste our time together searching for costumes.  Her visit will be in a later blog which will hopefully be completed soon. 

Anyway, our boys have been counting down the days until Halloween.  As they are learning to read a calender, this was actually an exciting thing for them and me.  I had dinner ready and the boys hurriedly ate.  We then commenced to the "getting dressed" part.  They were so excited they hardly wanted to cooperate for the pictures. 

They were doing their "muscle" pose.  The Hulk was a little excited!

Our sweet Captain America. 

Ollie had a great time. 

The Happy Hulk.  Who could be scared of him?

We were happy here because the boys were in bed.  Whew.  What a night!

The boys had a wonderful time and were all well behaved.  Zander stayed behind and handed out candy.  We had a large amount of trick-or-treaters this year as we live in a neighborhood with lots of kids.  Will, of course, had to introduce himself to many of the homeowners and shook their hands.  Politician in the making?  Oliver was very good at remembering his manners.  Carter was often times distracted by the lights, witches, and ghosts that decorated many of the yards.  But all in all, we consider Halloween 2012 a success.  We definitely missed our Halloween friends in Florida as we usually met every year together.  But reading their posts on Facebook, it appears that everyone had a great time as well.  We sure do miss you guys, The Franklins, The Rices, The Fogartys, and The Mickles.  Love you and miss you. 

Now, we start dreaming of turkey, sweet potato casserole, and pie. 

White Mountain and Family

We kicked off October with a whirlwind.  My parents came to visit for a few days and we met them in Conway, NH.  We had heard that this town was a great location to experience Fall in New Hampshire at it's best.  It is also the location of the Kancamagus Highway which is a beautiful scenic route leading to White Mountain.  We spent time riding the train and seeing a little overview of the beauty, the colors, and the mountains in Conway. 


Each of the boys were excited to ride a train and take turns sitting with Nana and Poppy.  It was such a sweet reunion.  They were used to seeing my parents on a regular basis when we lived in Florida.  Now, we have to settle for every few months! 

Oliver has always had a special affection for Poppy, even when he was a baby!  I love to see these two together.  Poppy is so good with Ollie.  Every time we went out for a meal with my parents or rode the train, Ollie would call "dibs" on sitting next to Poppy.  Oliver calls poppy "Mr. Noodles" because of his moustache after a character in Sesame Street. 

 And of course we have our two silly boys sitting together.  Zander, who now hates to take a serious picture and Carter who always either looks guilty of something or overly excited about something paired up for a little while.  Carter is turning out to be quite a character.  He is funny, silly, and spirited!  And did I mention extremely energetic!!!

 

 

Yes, a golf course right in the middle.  How beautiful.

A soccer field in between the mountains.  How cool?

Thumb in mouth......nap time!

After a little time in Conway, my parents left and headed back to a town near our home.  However, Beau and I and the kids wanted to do so more exploring.  We decided to hike White Mountain.....in the rain.  We had never really gone on any hikes before with the 3 little ones, so we were not really sure how they would hold up.  But to our surprise, they all did great.  It was rainy, chilly, and FUN!!! 

The half way mark.  We're still smiling.

Me and my guy.  Still totally love this man after almost 15 years of marriage. 

After our hike, we got into some dry and warm clothes and headed home.  Needless to say, the boys slept very well that evening and so did Beau and I.  My parents stayed a few days with us.  I took them to the small town Apple Festival and then the Pumpkin Festival.  We also took the boys to pick out their pumpkins and had fun decorating them.  We went the easy route this year....fast and not messy. 

 

Excited teenager getting a picture with dad......or maybe not so excited! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We enjoyed our visit with Nana and Poppy and we look forward to the next one.