No Use Crying Over Spilled Milk??

The first self help book I ever read was Don't Sweat the Small Stuff--and it's all small stuff by Richard Carlson. I learned to let a lot of things roll off my back and keep going without fretting too much.
This week we spilled a total of six glasses of milk (and one of water) at mealtime. Somehow everything I learned about small stuff left my brain as I became more uptight with each spill. Could it be because milk is outrageously expensive at $3.00 a gallon? Could it be because I washed way too many place mats and pot holders this week? Could it be because cleaning up milk messes makes my kitchen rags forever smell rotten? I wish I felt justified in using one of these as a worthy excuse but I know that this is small stuff.
Now that I have come to this conclusion I am ready to stop 'sweating' and enjoy the Christmas holiday! Merry Christmas!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Trav and the boys built a snowman. This was not Frosty because ours had a carrot nose.

While they were finishing off the snowman Isaac spotted our tiny evergreen tree and said, "Hey look at our Christmas tree! It's the 'sturdy kind that doesn't mind the snow'."

Isaac's Reindeer

Sometimes my boys surprise me by showing me or telling me things that I didn't teach them. This is one of those things. I'm not sure who to attribute the idea of the reindeer to but when I asked Isaac he said, "My brain told me." I think it's fun.

Lump of Coal

Yesterday was an exceptionally warm day in Columbus so I sent my boys outside to play. When Theron came in his shoes were really muddy. I said, "Oh, Theron you got mud all over your shoes." He nervously looked at me and asked, "Is Santa going to put coal in my stocking?"

My Boys

My friend Aubrey is so strong. I read this post from her blog today. I wanted to trap each of my boys (Trav too) and keep them with me forever. Sometimes I hug them and don't let go. When they start to push away, I just say, "It's not my fault. Sometimes I get stuck to boys that I love." It brings out the giggles in them (yep...Trav too). Aubrey thank you for inspiring me today. I am so grateful for my boys, Travis, Isaac, Theron, and Charlie.

Surgeon Schmergeon

Isaac had the following conversation with grandma on the phone:
“Can I talk to grandpa?”
“He’s not here. He’s at work. Today is a special day for him. He is learning about CPR. Do you know about CPR?”
“Yeah, CTR. Choose the Right.”
“No, this is CPR. It’s something you do for someone who isn’t breathing. You push on their chest and breath into their mouth. The nurses and doctors do it for patients at the hospital sometimes. Maybe you can ask your dad about it.”
“Oh, my dad doesn’t know about CPR. He’s just a bone doctor.”

A bit of Christmas Cheer

Our boys LuV Christmas. They were beyond excited to get out the Christmas decorations. There were several gasps as they pulled everything out of the bins, sometimes indicating that they remembered something from last year and sometimes indicating that they had just discovered the most aMaZiNg thing ever. Ours is a collection that comes from many different people and places. Although, it's quite a hodgepodge each decoration holds some sort of memory of the person who gave it to us or the events surrounding the Christmas we collected it. I remember the starched angels on the mantel on top of angel hair, the Rudolph mugs, and the frosted glass nativity sheet my mom always displayed at Christmas time. It feels good to remember how exciting it was to celebrate Christmas and to see our boys' eyes light up at every house decorated with lights or Christmas tree in the corner.

Let It Snow

On many of the cold windy days in Ohio (and there are many) I miss Arizona. Today is an exception.

Isaac, Theron, Charlie, and I had a great time playing out in the snow. It wasn't good for packing so we mostly just threw dusty snow at each other. Charlie wasn't too keen on his snow clothes but was happy while being held.

Isaac has grown out of everything lately, including his snow boots. I covered his running shoes with grocery bags and strapped them on with rubber bands. He said, "Mom, I'll be embarrassed when everyone sees me." I told him that everyone would just think he had the greatest invention. That worked. "Everyone" turned out to be no one anyway.

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