Zeke teaches music

While going through my lesson for tomorrow and Zeke keeps getting instruments out of the bucket, handing me one and then standing next to the door.  He points behind him and says "Momma!  Go!"  When I stand behind him, he shouts at Daddy and then Kurtis gets in line.  Finally when he's satisfied, we follow him and march around the living room while playing our instruments.  Future Drum Major in our house?

I believe in Santa Claus

Yesterday Santa Claus came to Izzy's school during lunch to visit with the kids.  Izzy informed me later "It was the real Santa.  Remy pulled his hair and it was real, not a wig!"

While watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, I stopped everyone and told the kids "Look!  Santa is on the end of the parade."
Kal: "That is NOT the real Santa!"
Me: "Of course it is, why would you say that?!"
Kal: "His reindeer are statues, not the real reindeer."
Me: "well, the real reindeer are resting up for the big flight at Christmas so Santa is using statues just for today."

Kal's field trip

I missed Kal's preschool field trip today b/c of no car. He told me they sang to "old folks who can't take care of themselves any more." Also, he told me "we sang ABCs, Twinkle Star, Jesus Loves Me, The Turkey Song and they laughed at us, and then we played the bells. I gave them the turkey picture I made and they gave us claps. And that was all!" Sad that I missed it but glad he had a good time.

Never negotiate with terrorists, but what about toddlers?

Kal's 5th birthday party is in 5 days so naturally last night he freaks out and tells his dad that he doesn't want a Ninja Turtle birthday party.  He wants a GI Joe party, meaning everything camo.  Of course, I've already purchased everything Ninja Turtle.  Of course, we are down to one car and I can't get to the store to even track down a bunch of camo decorations.  Of course, he was fine with Ninja Turtles when I bought the stuff 3 weeks ago.  Of course, of course, of course.
Take a deep breath.  Calm down.  In the grand scheme of things, this is NOT the end of the world.....it's just that he WILL have a tantrum at his party, he WILL make a huge deal of it, he WILL make my life difficult for the next week unless I find a solution.  Relax.  It's okay. You have a college degree.  Surely there is some way to calm this tense toddler and help him find reason.  Negotiate, find any and all ways to convince him that he WANTS a Ninja Turtle party.  Get your game face on and give it to him straight.
"All right buddy; how about this?  We'll get some GI Joe plates and cups but we'll put the Ninja Turtle decorations up around the house."
"Can I have a GI Joe cake?"
"Yes, I'll make a GI Joe cake instead of the turtles if we can just use the decorations and pinata with the Turtles."
"Can we hang up the Turtle decorations TODAY?"
"Yes, we'll hang up the Turtle decorations today and leave them up all week.  Then I'll make a GI Joe cake and we'll get camo plates and cups."
"Okay!"
And that folks is WHY I have Ninja Turtle decorations all over my house a week before Thanksgiving....and I should add we also have Bubble Guppies decorations on the other side of the house b/c Zeke's birthday is two days after Kal.  Now, admit it, didn't that give you a good laugh!

a little saying by Kalen

With his birthday coming up, I mentioned to Kalen that we could look at his baby book and talk about when he was born.
He says "I want to see pictures of me as a baby."
Me: "yes, this book has pictures of you as a baby."
Kal: "I mean when I was a real baby."
Me: "yes, when you were a real baby baby."
Kal: "I mean when God made me as a baby"
Me: "Okay, well, we'll be sure to look at those."

A little extra effort

I've been very thoughtful lately....not thoughtful as in kind but thoughtful as in thinking a lot.  I'm gonna be honest, I'm a little emotional about this post.  Growing up I was very close to my grandmother.  I'm named after her and spent my childhood being known as "Little Greta" simply b/c there was also a "Grandma Greta".  I would spend a lot of my summer at her house with her and grandpa, fishing and learning to play rummy.  We lived with them from the time I was 2 until I was 6 years old.  I remember her being the one to sew all my Raggedy Anns when they got a little too raggedy.  She also made comforters for all of us kids and I still have mine.  While I learned sewing from my mom, I still associate sewing and Raggedy Ann sewing with my grandma.  As I've been working on making my dolls, Grandma has been on my mind quite a bit.
 
Now, as an adult, my relationship with Grandma has been different.  She was not happy with me when I became a mormon and I spent a part of my early marriage not speaking to my grandparents. But once Sam was born I worked hard to repair that relationship and all four kids met my grandparents before Grandpa passed away last year.  Unfortunately, it felt like Grandma died alongside Grandpa.  She doesn't talk to us much and sometimes she pretends to not remember us.  It's really broken my heart that I can't be close to her.  Especially now when I'm making these dolls, Grandma has just been in my brain and today I began to make a little extra effort.  Today I started making Grandma's doll.  I selected the fabric with her in mind.  I carefully picked out and arranged every detail--from which part of the fabric makes up the apron straps to how the bottom of the shoes show certain pictures.  I even cut out the collar to match the shoe straps!  I've put my heart and soul into this doll and the details.  I hope to finish the doll in the next week or so and mail it to Grandma with a little note.  I pray that she will see what I'm trying to share with her.  I hope that this little extra effort will just be a good way to say "I love you".  I hope that if anybody can speak to Grandma, it will be Raggedy Ann.

Thanksgiving, my favorite holiday

It seems like every November I post the same thing and the truth is "I'm gonna do it again".  I love November.  When I was a kid, Thanksgiving was good for two things: eating a lot and three days off of school.  I was never extremely close to our extended family and even if we did get together for the holidays, none of my cousins were my age so I don't have a lot of big family moments around Thanksgiving.  But I've grown up and Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.
My first Thanksgiving memory: Kurtis and I had been married 10 months and I was just entering my second trimester with little "Sammy in the oven".  We had our first home that we had purchased about 6 months before and decided to squeeze all the extended family into the house for our first Thanksgiving as a married couple and in a new home.  After everyone left, we had a mess to clean up but it was late and Kurtis had suggested we hold off washing the dishes till morning.  I was tired but couldn't sleep so I found myself washing dishes and cleaning the kitchen at about 11 at night.  As I went back to bed and laid down, I felt the tiniest little flutter, almost like a little finger running down the middle of my belly.  And that, ladies and gentlemen, was the first time I felt my baby move.  Not just the first time I felt Sammy but the first time I felt any baby of mine in my belly.  It is imprinted in my mind.
Now fast forward quite few years to Thanksgiving 2009.  I was 39 weeks pregnant exactly on Thanksgiving Day.  All the Christmas decorations were up. Christmas presents were bought, wrapped and hidden.  And at 4:30am on Black Friday, Kurtis and I were on our way to Kettering Hospital to bring in that new little baby of ours.  Something special about Kal like no other of my children, we did not know the sex of the baby until he was born.  We already had a boy and a girl so either way we would be surprised.  Kal's birth is the only one I cried at and I simply believe it was b/c he was a surprise to us.  One of the most perfect Thanksgivings ever!

 Then Thanksgiving 2012 (actually the week after) we had a similar experience.  Christmas was done and ready and the Thursday after Thanksgiving Kurtis and I welcomed our last little guy, our grand finale, Zekey to family.  I even broke the tradition and brought him home in a turkey onesie b/c it seemed appropriate.  It was a special delivery b/c we knew this was the last baby.  He just means so much to me b/c of the joy he brings to us.

So yeah, Thanksgiving means more to me than all the holidays. It is a time to be thankful, to cherish and enjoy our families, to remember that no matter what happens in life we are blessed.  So before you  put up the Christmas tree or break out the Christmas albums, take a moment to appreciate the turkey and what his special day really means.