Phantom!

A while back, probably before Thanksgiving, Mark has told me that he wanted to take me to see Phantom of the Opera for Christmas but that it wasn't going to happen. She show ended on December 20 and the tickets were too expensive. So although I still really wanted to go, it was not meant to be.

So on December 6th, I came home from church to a package, wrapped in birthday paper, sitting inside the door. I could tell from the shape of it that it was a DVD. So...

Me: Honey, what's this?

Mark: It's a birthday present. (His birthday was December 9th)

Me: For who?

Mark: You. It's a month early.

Me: Who's it from?

Mark: Me. You can open it.

So I did. It was Phantom of the Opera, the movie, which I thought was a really sweet consolation. I turned it over, and there, taped to the back, what a piece of paper that read "This is not a ticket." Upon further observation...let me just preface this by saying that I cannot think of many other times that I have thrown my arms around my husband...I realized what it was, and I THREW my arms around my husband! (It was the internet receipt from the tickets that he had purchased.) I was crying and hugging him. I just couldn't believe it!

We had a babysitter and a back-up, but at the last minute, we had to arrange another one. We decided to meet Stacy at Manchester's, where Danny works, and that she would take the kids back to our house. Dinner was okay, but we enjoyed the time with Danny and Heidi (who also met us for dinner). The DPAC was really easy to find. The golf cart ride from the parking deck in 40 degree weather, however, was really cold!!

Anyway, we had seats in the 6th row, every time there was a pop or explosion both Mark and I jumped, the music was amazing, the main character darker than I expected. It was incredible! I have the most wonderful husband in the world!!

Not Me! Monday

I did not get so annoyed with all of the noise that the boys were making that I turned the stereo up sky-high just so I could have some "peace and quiet" while I was reading a magazine and taking a Mommy time-out. Nope, not me!

I did not enjoy leaving my children with my niece while the husband and I enjoyed dinner with my dinner and an old friend. I did not forget about calling home to check on the boys (who were "ornary," according to Stacy). I did not thoroughly enjoy going to see The Phantom of the Opera with my husband (who, have I mentioned, is the most wonderful man in the world). Nope, not me!

I did not have fun with the song Santa Baby, and I do not think of that fun every time I hear the song at work (which is not four or five times a night). Oh, and I do not share secrets about our intimate encounters on my blog. Nope, not me!

I did not realize just this morning (four days before Christmas) that I didn't have a single picture a certain Christmas present. I did not call other family members frantically to remedy this. Nope, not me, I wouldn't forget.

Want to join the fun? Just head over to her site and see what other people are not doing.

Silliness and Being like Daddy

I'm in blog withdrawal!!! I haven't been putting anything up lately, but I think I've just been lazy about it. So here's a few (or more than a few) pictures for you...

Zack opening his present from Ms. Cheryl, our neighbor.

Xander with the snow globes that Ms. Cheryl got for the boys. Unfortunately, about a second after this picture was taken, one of those snowglobes was shattered and there was snowy water all over the floor.

Daddy actually eats fruit!!!! And plays with it too!

Yup, just like Daddy, maybe a bigger mouth, though.

Zack's Keepsake ornament, which doesn't have a picture in it yet. I have to print one from his first day at school.

Xander's "Keepsake" ornament

Our tree...

From our wedding...

Daddy was cutting some branches off the pear tree, and Zack wanted to help. Zack was pulling the string on the pole saw, but here, he was helping Daddy to saw a bigger branch. He was also trying to break one of the little trees.

Updates

Zack~Last week he had his (possibly) first whole week of smiley face days at school!! He told us last night, when we told him that Mommy and Daddy had a date tonight, that he didn't know what a date was but that you kiss at the end.

Xander~is growing a little bit of defiance (Mommy: Xander, go get your shoes. Xander: NO!). He also told Santa Claus that he wanted a giraffe for Christmas and that his brother wanted an elephant.

Mommy and Daddy~trying to get better at parenting, put up the Christmas tree, though the lights outside are still dangling from when the wind knocked them down, celebrated Mark's birthday with dinner at Zaxby's and a bike birthday cake. Beware if you ever want to use candy canes or peppermints to decorate a cake--the colors tend to bleed and run all over the cake. Oh yeah, and we're going to see Phantom of the Opera tonight at DPAC!!! I'm so excited about it!! It's a my early Christmas and birthday present for this year.

There are no words

Last Friday, a terrible accident happened, involving a school bus! Today, this. I don't think something like this would touch me, but I had Flip's older daughter in my class 3 years ago. Please pray for strength for his wife Jill and their two daughters as they face this terrible time. As they face Christmas without their Daddy. And in the wise words of a fellow facebooker, Live everyday like it is your last and never leave without saying I Love You, because you are not promised tomorrow! I'm going to go hug my husband now.

MckGiveaways

Head over to MckGiveaways to find your chance to win an HP TouchSmart 600 computer!! Yup, that's all I have to say about that.

Sigh

I tried to do it, but failed. I moved the ladder off the porch, and, with much difficulty, managed to get it extended. I climbed it four or five times. And I was thrilled when I was able to plug in the extension cord and see the icicle lights hanging from our roof. Then, I tried to put the extension cord through the railing so it could be out of the way and easily plug-in-able, the first part of the light string and two hooks came down. So there it sits, well, hangs, because of my work schedule and Mark's meetings this week, we can't get back to it until Friday. Sigh.

Thanksgiving Weekend

Got to sleep in a little, had to clean up some more, saw brothers pull in the driveway at 10:15, went to play disc golf at noon, put some very sleepy boys down for a nap after playing (had to do 2-second videos because I couldn't use the camera flash),

enjoyed a very scrumptious layout of turkey (smoked, oh it was such a pretty looking thing!), ham, sweet potatoes (two kinds, with and without nuts), mashed potatoes and gravy, scalloped potatoes (from scratch, Danny made them), stewed cinnamon apples, carrots, green bean casserole (also two kinds, with and without onions, though I didn't have either one), cranberry sauce, and fresh oven-browned rolls, cleaned up some more, ate dessert of pumpkin pie, apple pie, pumpkins cookies, ginger snaps, brownies and peanut butter fudge, discovered that Dad knows how to play poker, watched Zack kind of learn how to play, laughed my butt of watching Stacy and Erik read to the boys,
hung out with Stacy and Erik after everybody else left.

Friday~shopped in the morning (though not crazy early), tried to take a nap, was grumpy about the boys not letting me take a nap, went to work (got change, cleaned up hangers, saw how messy the store was, ran the register, was not surprised that our store missed our credit goal by 50%), clocked out at 12:47am.

Don't really remember much of Saturday, but I rode the boys in the bike trailer to a playground in our neighborhood, lost it when Xander laughed at me when he was supposed to be taking a nap and I chased him back in his bedroom for the third time, went to work again only to find that I had to be in jewelry.

Sunday~Went to church as a whole family, was very pleased with how Xander behaved, was very much not pleased with how Zack behaved, enjoyed some peace and quiet while both boys took two hour naps (and I did some shopping), played at the park with Mark and the boys, had dinner with Gramma, went to work as Mark was putting Zack and Xander to bed, actually got to do my job (even though I didn't talk to a single customer) and see that the store was 10 times better than it had been 24 hours earlier.

Now, I guess I'm ready to get back to normal and get to decorating for Christmas...

24 Days of Thanksgiving -- Day ??

I guess I missed a number or miscounted somewhere along the line because today is Thanksgiving, and I'm a number behind. Oh well!

1. Good times
2. Good fun
3. Good family
4. Good food (like all the food that's going to be in my house in just a few hours time--YUM!!)

24 Days of Thanksgiving -- Day 22

1. Scented candles
2. Clean children
3. Clean laundry
4. A clean kitchen
5. A clean playroom
6. A mostly clean living room
(Can you see a theme??)

24 Days of Thanksgiving -- Day 22

1. Big family snuggles
2. My husband, the obsessive budgeter, who figured out a way that I can stay home and take care of the house and the boys
3. Starbucks Vanilla Frapuccinos--my treat for myself when I go grocery shopping sometimes
4. Imperfection!

I have several pictures on my camera from recent times, but I haven't uploaded them. Don't worry, maybe I'll make time later tonight. You know, when I should be folding laundry, bathing the boys, taking care of dishes from dinner, etc.

24 Days of Thanksgiving -- Day 21

1. The internet, which gives us the ability to find ANYTHING, like the cute idea for an Advent calendar that I'm going to work on as soon as my cross-stitch sampler is done. I'll blog more about that later!
2. Blockbuster
3. Reusable grocery bags, except when I leave them home

What are you thankful for today??

24 Days of Thanksgiving -- Day 19-20

1. Toddler talk
2. Princess P, our Goddaughter
3. Being crafty

1. Homilies that make you think
2. Homilies that make you laugh
3. Homilies that have stories
(Can you tell it's Sunday?)

24 Days of Thanksgiving -- Day 18

Wow, I can't believe Thanksgiving is so close already!

1. Zack's teachers--They have been so flexible with him and are working so hard to make sure he gets the enrichment that he needs. By the way, he's reading on a 19-20 (middle of second grade level), going to a first grade classroom for reading, sees the math coach 2-3 times per week for enrichment and might start going to first grade for math. They also might get the process going for testing him for AG (academically gifted), which usually wouldn't be done until 3rd grade. I was actually almost about to cry yesterday when we were talking with his teacher, just because I'm so proud of Zack!!
2. Drive-thru windows--Seriously, it makes thing so much harder when you have a toddler to get out and put in a car seat, plus worry about him going crazy once you are inside someplace.
3. TV crime and medical shows--I really only watch CSI: Miami and Bones, but Mark sometimes gets me to watch The Mentalist. I love the suspense trying to compete with Mark to figure out whodunnit.

I think that might be my longest Thanksgiving post so far. Can I keep this up for 6 more days? Or longer??

24 Days of Thanksgiving -- Days 16-17

1. TV on DVD
2. My car
3. Storytime at the library

1. Ice cream
2. Healthy, happy babies
3. Things my Mom made that I make for my kids now, like Spanish rice, which isn't Spanish at all, it's jsut spaghetti with rice instead of spaghetti noodles.

24 Days of Thanksgiving Days 14-15

1. Picnics
2. Handheld video games and other things that keep a 2-year-old busy in the grocery store ie. save my life!
3. Don McLean's "American Pie"

1. Playing games with people (like when you are watching "The Price is Right" or "Let's Make a Deal" after spending SEVERAL hours in a hospital waiting room, and you just can't help but play along)
2. Good doctors
3. The healing power of prayer

You know what, I was thinking yesterday that I should make this a more often thing, not just a Thanksgiving thing. It's making me think about small joys in my life and appreciate everyday a little more. So thanks, Kate!

24 Days of Thanksgiving -- Day 13

1. Holding hands with boys (big and small)
2. Chocolate
3. A good night's sleep -- so good that you wake up in the morning, and you don't know what day it is. Yup, I told Mark that he needed to get up and get ready for work this morning!

24 Days of Thanksgiving -- Day 12

1. Fantastic coworkers and managers (They made me a Super Star of the Month. I get extra money, a prize, and I get a special parking space right up front!)
2. Dr. Seuss books
3. Sticky notes--used them more when I was teaching, but they are still quite useful!

A Couple of Cuties

Mark is now training for a marathon at Umstead Park in March. We went out last Sunday afternoon with the boys, and while Mark was running 6 miles, I took the boys hiking. I learned very quickly that I should have left the stroller in the car, but it was okay. We even did some rock hopping over the creek. I snapped this shot as the sun was starting to set, and the boys were walking up the hill in front of me.
On Thursday when Zack got done with dinner, he decided he wanted to make a birthday card for his friend Olivia. We've heard a lot about her since he started school! He loves to sit with her on the bus, and he told me this morning that he likes to put his arm around her, too. (I told him to be careful with that!) He wanted to put stickers on the card with hearts and flowers. On the inside (which I didn't get a good picture of), he wrote "I love you." He told me he didn't want to "say it with [his] mouth" at school, so he wrote it in the card. Oh, and how could Olivia resist that face??

I thought this was the cutest thing...that is, until Mark said something about Zack's heart getting broken! Then my heart broke just at the thought of that happening! I guess I'm a mom!

24 Days of Thanksgiving -- Day 11

1. Cookbooks
2. Finding recipes on-line
3. Warm apple cobbler, and many other desserts!

(and to combine the three above, click here for a great, quick recipe. I substitued some cinnamon and some nutmeg for the apple pie spice, and it worked well. I did look up the substitution, and it also included allspice and carramom (sp?).)

24 Days of Thanksgiving -- Day 10

1. My big sister who kept a fire lit under me and helped me get a lot of cleaning done.
2. Diet Mountain Dew
3. The fact that nothing else in our house seems to be dripping, at least not yet!

Fall Fun

Zack's last soccer game of the season was on Halloween. Here's a few highlights:

This is Anna, who would hardly even play except for the last three weeks!
Tornadoes: Anna, Everett, Andrea, Zack, Ben and Coach Tim

And here's some Halloween highlights:
Xander dressed as the man with the yellow hat, carrying Curious George. He was quite grumpy after his nap, and he refused to wear the belt, the tie and the hat.

Trick or treat!!

Zack as Spiderman. We actually bought this costume 2 years ago for $3 on clearance after Halloween.

Daddy wore the hat all night, so Xander was just the man in yellow.

The leaves in the yard finally dried out enough that we could rake them, so here's some highlights from playing in the leaves:
We had to let Zack earn his playtime, right?

I love this action shot!

Pooja and Christina hanging out

Lots of fun with neighbors

Another action shot: I think I'll call this one "Pure Joy"

A cute one of my little man

24 Days of Thanksgiving -- Day 8-9

1. Zyrtec
2. Word games and puzzles
3. Computer and video games

1. A handy (or not so much) husband
2. Laughing until I cry
3. That Stellan seems like he is going to be okay!!!

24 Day of Thanksgiving--Days 4-7

Yeah, so I couldn't keep up, is that really a surprise?

1. The clean baby smell
2. Bedtime/naptime stories
3. Beautiful fall days

1. The opportunity to teach Sunday School
2. A new endeavor at church
3. Coupons

1. Coworkers--who make the long, late nights more enjoyable
2. My wonderful husband--I know I mentioned him before, but he's shown incredible patience and understanding with me these past few days. I'm still so amazed that he loves me!!
3. Spending time with family

1. Fun kids' music in the car
2. My chatterbox in the back seat
3. Country music, the kind that makes you want to roll down the windows and sing really loud

Silver Lining?

I just got done reading her post about bringing her son halfway across the country for a procedure to help his heart condition, and her last question on the blog: "What silver lining can you find in your life today?" So how can I be so selfish and feel sorry for myself when there are so many other people with problems much bigger than mine? I'm a mother, that's why, and even though I try to do the best that I can to be a good one, sometimes I struggle. Sometimes I wonder why I'm doing this in the first place. Sometimes I just need to vent and, well, feel sorry for myself.

So yesterday when Zack got home, I found another office referral slip in his bookbag. He was playing with a stick, jabbing it at people, and when the teacher told him to take a time out and that his recess was over, he yelled "No" and ran to the highest part of the playground. (My first thought was, "Ms. Gusler, meet the real Zack Swan.") Of course he wasn't allowed to play outside because of this behavior, so I had him working on some homework before we went back to the school for pizza and literacy night. He got angry at me because I wrote his (whole)name correctly on his paper and told him to write it five times himself. He said he knew how to write his name and didn't need me to write it for him. He turned what could have taken 5 minutes into a 30 minutes argument. But he was just to angry about it!

At school, getting pizza and drinks, I was trying to carry the plates and my cup to our table, while pushing Xander in the stroller. But when I turned around, the drink tupped over and spilled water all over the floor. So I had to help the assistant principal clean it up, all the while knowing that everybody saw that happen. Dinner was fine, the boys both at their pizza, then it was time to go to the gym for the PTA meeting. We sat there for probably 20 minutes or so before the meeting started, and I kept Xander occupied by singing songs with him. Things went downhill from there.

Zack's school has such a high Hispanic population that the PTA meeting ended up being twice as long as it should have been, because EVERYTHING had to be translated in to Spanish. This was just too long to expect a 2-year-old to sit quietly. I even tried to let him play with his animals on the floor next to me, but he decided to crawl away. We spent the remainder of the meeting sitting in the hallway, until it was time to go to the classroom.

Zack went with the school-age children to another classroom to play, but the younger siblings stayed with us. I had brought along Xander's Elmo puzzle to keep him busy for the 20-or-so-minutes we were to be there. He put together about 6 pieces, then decided it was time to clean it up. He didn't want the puzzle, he didn't want to draw, he wanted to get down. The worst part was that, even though there were about five or six other preschoolers in the room, Xander was the only one causing trouble! I was even more mortified when I took him in the hallway for a time out, and the principal and assistant principal, who both know Zack by name, were there. I was just thinking, 'Great, they're going to see me putting my younger child in time-out when they just saw my older child in the office today!'

Zack's reading teacher had nothing but good things to say about him. Her goal is to not push him up in reading levels (he's already on a second grade level), but expand his knowledge and vocabulary out more, so that he can better understand what he's reading, especially non-fiction. So that was a highlight of the night!

When we got to the car, I just broke. I cried the whole mile home. Thinking about the boys behavior, feeling embarrassed and disappointed. Thinking about Zack's reading, feeling proud of him. Thinking about myself, feeling like I have failed these boys miserably. Thinking how much I needed to talk to my mom, to find out how she did this with ten of us, wishing I could just hear her voice again, to hug her again, to have her tell me it's going to be okay. (Thankfully I have brothers and sisters watching out for me, too.)

And that brings you up to date, but I haven't mentioned the silver lining. Hold on, let me dry these tears real quick.

I have healthy little boys.
Zack is a star reader, smart as a whip, too smart for his own good.
Xander is loving and smart, too, certainly following in his brother's footsteps.
I'm married to a wonderful man who worked it out so I can raise my children and not leave them with someone else to raise them.
We have a home and wonderful neighbors.
We have jobs.
I have lots of other family that loves me.
We are blessed in so many ways! I think I just needed her post to pull me out of my misery and back to real life. Real life, where there is laundry to be folded, dishes to be unloaded, floors to be swept, grocery lists and menus to be made, dinner to be cooked, kids and a husband to love and take care of. That's my silver lining. What's yours?

Another bit of Happy, Trunk or Treating and Pumpkin Fluff

We visited the fair a second time with Aunt Mo. I took a few more pictures, but I thought this was cute.

Gramma took the boys trunk-or-treating at her church (that is, all 3 boys, while I went to work). Zack apparently had a twin! Can you tell which is which?

Xander as Nemo, since his other costume wasn't done yet.

And here's my pumpkin fluff:

To make it: Mix together one can (~15 oz.) of pumpking (not pumpkin pie mix), one tub of cool whip (~8 oz.), one box of instant vanilla pudding mix (5oz.), and some pumpkin pie spice (I just used a little nutmeg and some cinnamon sugar. Serve in bowls. Top with a dollop of cool whip and crushed graham crackers. Use whole graham crackers to dip in it (so it can also be used as a dip).

Or, you can just pick it up with your fingers!

24 Days of Thanksgiving -- Day 2 and 3

Day 2:
1. So many brothers and sisters
2. Portable DVD players (perfect for keeping children occupied when you have to get some stuff done.
3. Piles of leaves!

Day 3:
1. Naptime!
2. My Sunday School co-teacher, Heather
3. Halloween candy--mostly the chocolate version :)

24 Days of Thanksgiving -- Day 1

Okay, so I started this a couple days later than Kate, but that's okay. Her idea was to remember 5 things everyday from now until Thanksgiving that she is thankful for. I'll try to keep up, but I think I might leave it at 3 things each day. Feel free to join in the fun!!

I'm thankful for:
1. my wonderful husband...I've said it before, but he is the love of my life, my hero, my cowboy, my knight in shining armor. Even after seven years of marriage, I still have to pinch myself now and again, just to make sure it's all real.
2. my two sweet boys...Zack amazes me, runs up and down the hall screaming, drives me crazy, hugs me, smiles at me, chats my ear off in the car, and it all just melts my heart. Xander laughs, starts everything with "Mommy, Nander..," refuses to eat most things, runs with a twist in his rear-end, loves to watch movies and help me cook and hugs me, and that melts my heart too. I'm so thankful to have two sweet, healthy, happy little boys.
3. the 25 years that I had with my Mom...Even though I miss her like crazy and I wish that I had loved her better, she was such a wonderful, thoughtful, giving person, and I just hope that I am making her proud of me as a mother.

Not Me! Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else has not been doing this week.

I did NOT bribe my very picky eater to eat his potatoes once with pieces of a dinner roll and once with goldfish crackers. Nope, not me!

I did NOT bribe my other child who's been having a rough time at school with the opportunity to shop for our pumpkin if he had two smiley days at school. We also did NOT choose to go to Cici's instead of going home for dinner, even though we've been spending too much money lately. Nope, not me (us)!

I did NOT disagree with my husband about whether our 5-year-old could see Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. I think no way, but he thinks he can just skip the really bad parts. This movie has robots stabbing through each other and ripping each other's faces apart. I bit much?? Nope, not me!

I did NOT get all stressed out when a 20-year-old at work was giving me the cold shoulder all night simply because I called her out on something she was doing wrong. I also did NOT call her flippant on Facebook. Nope, not me!

I did NOT run into a friend at the grocery store, find out that he needed Harry Potter movies (which we have), tell him he could stop by and borrow them, then quickly drive home and "tidy up" a bit before he got here. Nope, not me!

Now it's time for you to join in the fun!! You can post your own Not Me! Monday and add the URL to MckMama's blog, or you can use my new MckLinky!!

New Family Pictures

We went to Picture People last week, because I got an email coupon for buy 1 portrait, get 2 free. So we go the three pictures below for all of $18 plus tax!! I wish we could have more made, but we might do a family picture for Christmas cards, too. Enjoy!

The Family (in our third family picture with Mark laying down)

Handsome!
Cute and Mischievous!

A Whole Lot of Happy

After the Spivey Family Reunion in Sanford, Mark, his mom, the boys and I went to the NC State Fair. It was overcast and so cold!!! I had to put gloves on just to push the stroller. Xander enjoyed it a little more this year, since he was more aware of things going one, and Zack, well, we just had to tell Zack that he shouldn't ask for everything in sight. The boys had lots of fun, and we enjoyed watching them play and have a good time, too! Thanks to Gramma for buying tickets for us again!!

Mommy, yook, Big Bird!

Meeting Curious George

Playing in the PBS Kids tent

Trying out the hula hoops...

...and not getting too far.

First ride of the day: the fire truck!

Daddy said that Zack tried this "ride" last year and had a lot of trouble with the rope ladder. This year he climbed it like a champ!

The Wiggly Worm roller coaster
Another worm ride for all three boys

I was going to take Xander on the wiggly worm with Zack, but he was too small. We tried the circus train that was next to the roller coaster, but it wasn't working at that time. So Xander and I walked down the "midway" a bit and found a smaller kiddie coaster. He climbed the steps, handed the man his tickets and let the man help him in, but then, "Mommy ride dragon. Mommy ride dragon." Well, the dragon was too small for Mommy, so we had to wait for Zack. So the two of them rode it together.

I know it's fuzzy, but I love the glow of the swords!