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Friday, December 24, 2010

why i am putting my christmas village up on christmas eve

    My favorite christmas decoration is my village. I started building it right before I  got pregnant with Eli and in 5 years it has gotten huge.   It looks like the town i would want to live in, with a gazebo and horse drawn carriages and kids sledding down the hill behind the church.  It's lovely and so involved to put together.  This year, with a baby crawling and eating everything in his path, I decided to simplify our holiday and opted not to put up the village.  However, Nate and Josh came home last weekend and said " oh you didn't do the village"  and I explained and they agreed. And Keith said to me last night "I'm kind of disappointed you didn't put the village up"  and I realized that I missed Eli's delight and Sam has never seen it and it's his first christmas. So, on christmas eve I will be putting up my village.  As the only female in the house it falls upon me to add the woman's touch to the house, and I love pretty things that are soft and feminine. I never thought that my boisterous boys ever noticed the quilts hung on the wall and the candles. And I never thought that the village was for anyone but me.  I realize now that they might not notice them but they certainly would miss them if they were gone.  This makes me happy and so i'm happy to set this huge thing up on the busiest night of the month.  I guess it would have simpified things to have put it up  3 weeks ago, but you know, hindsight is 20/20!

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

the most terrifying moment...

   Sammy, my crawling boy, is in love with playing on the floor.  this is so cool because i can sometimes get things done.  He is also in love with putting things in mouth.  I'm one of those helicopter parents in that i hover around him so i've been able to catch him before he can choke, I've stuck my finger brutally down his throat more than once to catch pieces of paper and such.  Today was no different, somehow no matter how well i've swept and vacuumed he finds something.  Probably left by Eli or the cat and  promptly begins gagging. I do my finger sweep and feel it all the way back, too far to reach and helplessly i feel it go into his throat and he chokes in earnest.  I will never forget the look on his face and his open mouth with no sound coming out. I will never forget that flash of absolute terror as i try to think of what to do.  I drove my finger down his throat and pushed it down. Maybe not the best option but any knowledge of the heimlich manuever fled and I acted on pure instinct. It worked, I could see it in the expression on his face, that was getting air. He was still silent, and I needed to hear that cry telling me he was okay. So I bit him. I'm laughing as I write this but it's not funny. What a mother will do for a child is insane.  He of course cried, and I cried, and am crying still. I can't seem to stop.

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

oh no where is the baby!

     Sammy at 8 months has learned to crawl. YIKES!!!  One sunday after church I put him on the floor and he crawled. Just like that, with no fanfare, just one knee and one hand and the other knee and the other hand.  I was, of course, so impressed. Then I looked around my christmas filled living room and my heart sank!  I made up a new verse to O Christmas Tree in sam's honor. It goes: O christmas tree o christmas tree, your branches are so scraggly, from crawling babies and playful cats and four year olds with baseball bats.....the poor wretched thing looks like it went through a wind tunnel! 
     So later that day, I put Sam down on the floor next to Eli with a selection of toys. I went into the kitchen for JUST ONE MOMENT!!!!! I came back and...Sam was gone!!!! I stood there in disbelief and a million thoughts raced through my mind. Where could a baby go in one minute? And then i heard...a scraping scratching noise from under the couch! Sam had crawled under the couch! His little face poked through the ruffle on the bottom, and if i had my camera (lost) it would have been the cutest picture.  So now every time i set him down he makes a bee-line for the couch.  He is all boy just like his brothers!
     

Monday, November 22, 2010

my little boys...

when i look at my  boys, i think of  a dylan thomas quote-  "and wild boys, innocent as strawberries..."  my little boys,  climb into my lap and cover me with  impossible sweetness, they poop on me as often as they can. and they give me kisses anytime i want them. my wild boys, one running and twirling like a tornado and one watching and waiting until he can keep up with his older brother.  the big boys, almost ready for college, still calling my name excitedly. wanting to tell me about their newest video game.  wanting to tell me about the girl he likes. God, thank you for boys. thank you for their clumsy, messy, sweetness. please help me raise them into strong kind men. this is an awesome task and one that sometimes wakes me in the middle of the night with worrying. a boy's soul is so giddy, please help me be equal to this task...

Friday, September 3, 2010

giveaway on facebook

check out my facebook page  and enter to win a bamboo velour nursing pillow!  you choose green or purple...