Let's Go to the Movies...

I always joke that I can't remember the last time Chris and I saw a movie at the theater.

Last Friday (Christmas) we took advantage of our free babysitters (thanks Mom & Dad!) and caught an early evening showing of "Sherlock Holmes."

My brothers thought it was great and I wish that I could weigh in with our opinion but we left about an hour into the show as I just felt...off. I was halfway convinced I was going into labor but as you know, I did not.

We didn't really have anything planned for Saturday, the day after Christmas, so we thought we'd treat the kids to their first movie in the theater. About 10 minutes into "The Princess and the Frog" I began to suspect we'd made a mistake.

Cate immediately began whispering, "But Mommy, where are the princess and the frog?" Of course these two characters are not immediately in evidence at the beginning of the movie.

Things began to get worse when the voodoo/black magic witch doctor made his appearance.

By the time the two main characters, who had finally been transformed into frogs, were being chased through the swamp by hillbilly frog hunters, Cate was in tears.

We gathered our things and left the theater.

Cate immediately stopped crying.

Ben immediately started crying, "Go back! Want to watch movie!" And, just to emphasize the depth of his reaction, he didn't stop crying even after I suggested we go for ice cream instead.

In less than 24 hours, we spent $37 on movie tickets (plus $9.75 for a small popcorn and Slushie) for movies that we didn't even see.

Maybe we should consider renewing our Netflix membership.

Baby K: An Update

The medical professionals and I are in agreement: Baby K seems perfectly content where he/she is and shows no signs of arriving anytime soon.

This is, for me, somewhat disappointing.

I am 38 weeks pregnant today, a new record for me. I have never been pregnant longer than 38 weeks. At this point in my other pregnancies I had a 2 week old (Cate) and a 1 day old (Ben).

I was hoping that Baby K would also arrive early but, so far, no luck.

Is it an omen? A sign of things to come? Does that mean that Baby K will be my most laid-back child (e.g., "Hey, I'm totally content to just hang out here a bit longer. Don't worry about me.")? Or my most stubborn child (e.g., "I'll make my appearance when I'm good and ready. Give me some space.")?

If the personalities of my other children are any indication, I suspect it's the latter.

Out of the Mouth of Ben...

I didn't let the kids help me wrap many presents this year for fear they would be unable to keep the contents a secret from the intended recipient.

And, sure enough, when Ben saw Uncle Devin for the first time on Christmas Eve his face lit up and he immediately exclaimed, "You got bike tire!"

We didn't open presents until that afternoon so Ben had at least five other chances to remind Devin that his bike tire was waiting for him under the tree.

Christmas 2009: A Brief Recap

Christmas 2009 was, in a word, exceptional. We spent time with family and friends, continued old traditions, and began new traditions.

Cate and Ben could not contain their excitement over Santa's arrival. When Chris woke up on Christmas morning they were huddled together at the top of the stairs, whispering, about whether or not Santa had been there during the night.

Other highlights:

* Making monster cookies with Grandma and Grandpa C. (and eating lots of scrumptious cookie dough)

* Making (and eating) homemade cinnamon rolls on Christmas Eve with Daddy

* Playing games (e.g., Uno, Zingo, Candyland, Hi Ho Cherry-O) with Grandma and Grandpa J., Uncle Mikey and Uncle Devo

* Making a snowman and playing outside on Christmas Day

All I Want for Christmas...

My brother came over for dinner tonight and was asking Cate and Ben what they thought Santa was going to bring them this year.

Cate: I want some Skittles.

Ben: I want Santa bring me Skittles too.

Me: All the things in the world and all you guys want is Skittles? That will make things pretty easy for Santa.

Cate (matter-of-factly): I don't think Santa rolls like that.

Siblings.

Consider the following exchange that Cate and Ben had in the car yesterday: They both wanted the Princess Doodle Pro to play with on the ride home from a friend's birthday party. Ben asked first so I gave it to him and told Cate she could play with it when we got home.

Cate: Let me have it NOW Ben.

Ben: No.

Cate: Well, when we get home Mommy says I can have it.

Ben: No.

Cate: MOM. Ben says I can't have the princess thing.

Me (turning up the volume on the radio): Cate, just ignore him. I already said that you can have it when we get home.

Cate: BEN. I'M IGNORING YOU.

Ben: NO. YOU NOT.

Cate: YES I AM IGNORING YOU.

BEN: NO. YOU NOT.

Cate (bursting into tears): MOM...BEN SAYS I'M NOT IGNORING HIM!

I turned up the volume on the radio wishing that, instead of a minivan, I was driving a limosine that would allow me the luxury of raising a soundproof barrier between me and the backseat, and I was reminded of how my brothers and I would torture each other as kids.

My youngest brother (Mike) and I teased my middle brother (Devin) mercilessly after seeing a female contestant on Star Search named Devin Devaquez. We thought it was hilarious that our Devin had a girl's name. Needless to say, at the age of 5 he did not see the humor in this and his irritation made us drag the game out for days.

Years later Devin and I were traveling through the Baltic States together. We'd navigated foreign languages, unfamiliar maps, overnight train rides, his need to eat constantly, and my Diet Coke addiction together. Then in the picturesque city square of Riga, Latvia we had our first fight of the trip. I can't remember what started it but I do remember Devin, his voice rising in frustration saying, "Erin, sometimes you're just like Mom." Realizing we needed a break, we went our separate ways for a few hours.

(NOTE: I would now take this comment as a compliment although, in my early 20's, it was more difficult for me to view it this way).

One of the joys of having siblings is the ability to know exactly what to say to get a rise out of your brother(s) and/or sister(s). Cate and Ben seem to have mastered this at a very early age.

I may have to invest in some ear plugs.

Let me introduce...Barbie

In an effort to corral our ever-growing toy collection, Chris and I have made a major effort to clear out some space in our 1970's inspired basement to create an offical playroom for Cate and Ben.

As we moved furniture and boxes this weekend, I stumbled across some of my old toys. The Cabbage Patch kids held little interest for my kids but they were both completely, utterly enamored with my Barbies.

They found Tropical Barbie fascinating. They were intrigued by Gift-Giving Barbie's presents. They wondered aloud why Grandma and Grandpa Barbie looked nothing like their grandma and grandpa. (It could be that Grandma Barbie was dressed in a very revealing red and blue halter mini-dress, but I digress...)

Most perplexing to Cate, however, was the fact that Barbie does not wear underwear. She has coats, dresses, pantsuits, swimsuits, shoes, and even a pet sheepdog. Where, she wanted to know, were Barbie's underwear?

Cate most enjoys dressing the Barbies. Ben most enjoys undressing them. He likes to take off their clothes and then have them do gymnastics. Then he laughs and says, "Look at that crazy chick." Or "That Barbie a naked baby."

Oh, if only my mom would have saved all of my Little Ponies...and Strawberry Shortcake dolls...I'd never have to shop for another toy again.

Things My Children Have Said to Me Today

Cate: Mom, you're kind of a small person.

*****

Me: Ben, don't do that.

Ben: Why?

Me: Because.

Ben: Why?

Me: Because I'm the Mom.

Ben: No. I the Dad.

*****
Cate: Mom, I can't believe you can zip your hoodie. Your tummy is SO big.

Me: Thank you, Cate.

A Peaceful Quiet (for now)...

I'm afraid that Ben might be transitioning out of his afternoon nap. (And really, could the timing be worse?? With Baby K scheduled to arrive practically any day now?)

We've laid down the ground rules for "quiet time." We (Cate, Ben and I) read for 20-30 minutes and then they can play, quietly, in their rooms. I told them, "Look, you can play together as long as everyone is nice to each other. If I hear crying or fighting, then everyone goes back into their own rooms. Alone."

So...I've been downstairs, drinking tea and surfing the net for about 20 minutes. Listening to the quiet from upstairs.

Part of me is pleased--so wonderful that my kids can play together and (even better) will both be in bed by 7pm tonight.

Part of me is terrified--what are they possibly doing together that has not deteriorated into screaming and yelling? Rearranging my closet? Unrolling the toilet paper in the bathroom? Taking all of the baby's diapers and clothes out of his/her closet?

Oh well, I'll worry about that as soon as the screaming starts...

More Holiday Cheer...

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I am LOVING the holiday season this year.

We put up the tree the Sunday after Thanksgiving, and spent the next week carefully placing the rest of our holiday decorations around the house. We hung Christmas ornaments on gold ribbons from the curtain rods in the living and dining room. Cate and I made red and green paper chains to count down the days until Christmas.

Despite all of these decorations, we still felt like something was missing. I scoured Kohl's, Target, K-Mart, and even Pier 1 for additional Christmas decorations.

No luck.

Then at TJ Maxx last weekend, I spotted these little nutcrackers and I was instantly smitten. I carefully tucked them into my cart and headed for the check-out lane, knowing that my holiday decorating was finally complete.

Well, at least until the after-Christmas sales when everything is 75% off...

Let it Snow!

We are ready for the impending blizzard.

We woke up this morning (Monday) to approximately 1 inch of snow (if that...) and the kids were begging to go out and play. I agreed, even though the last thing this 35-week-pregant woman wanted to do was squeeze two toddlers into snowsuits, boots, hats, and mittens and then stand outside for 45 minutes. (Oh, and did I mention that I no longer own a coat that I can actually button???)

In the end, it was worth it. Cate and Ben spent 45 minutes scooping our meager supply of snow into "mountains" at the base of our driveway. We came inside happy and tired. AND it put us on track for an early bedtime (which in theory would provide me with plenty of time to fold all that $*#& laundry. See previous post).

Going out for a trial run this morning exposed some weaknesses in our snow-play strategy. For instance, we definitely needed some waterproof (or as Ben is fond of saying, "waterpoop") mittens as well as new boots for Ben.

After a quick trip to Target we are now fully outfitted for winter. Bring on the snow!

Hmmmm...

So my new plan of only doing laundry once a week (instead of every day) has not turned out quite as I expected.

The giant pile of laundry on my couch--although clean--has been haunting me and seems to be growing exponentially every time I walk into the room. (I'm waiting for a Law & Order marathon on TNT before I force myself to sit down and start folding).

On a positive note, Cate and Ben found the laundry pile a cozy place to snuggle as they watched Sesame Street this morning.

Happy Monday!

Getting Ready for Baby

Chris and I aren't the only ones getting ready for Baby K's arrival.

Cate and Ben love their (plastic) tools and they have been diligently "working" on the baby's bed for the past week.

Oh Christmas Tree!

Ever since I've known Chris it has been his dream (and that's no exaggeration) to traipse through the woods in search of the perfect Christmas tree.



Having grown up in a family that only had artifical trees I really didn't see the allure. Once I married Chris I agreed to a real tree but didn't see anything wrong with buying a pre-cut tree from the Optimist's tree lot next to the Dairy Queen.

A few weeks ago my neighbor mentioned that their family had been going to a local tree farm to buy their Christmas tree for decades.

So...last Sunday afternoon we made the trek to Handley's Holiday Tree Farm and it did not disappoint.

The minute we pulled into the parking lot Ben started asking, "Where our tree at? Where our tree?"

Once he realized that Handley's has a train for kids to ride (albeit a rickety, rusty train, named the Frosty Express, that careens around a similarly rickety, rusty track) he was in heaven.

"They got train here?" he asked.

"Yes. We just have to find our tree and then we can ride it," we told him.

Ben grinned, "It my lucky day!"


So we hiked up the hill and found the perfect tree. (Really, it's perfect. I will say that the tree looked deceptively small while it was in the ground. Chris had to saw another two feet off the trunk when we got home in order to fit it into the house).

One of the employees came and chopped it down while we watched. Having never seen anyone cut down a tree, Cate and Ben were mesmerized. Chris carried our tree back down the hill and to the little tree station where the tree was loaded into a shaker to rid it of loose needles. Then they netted the tree and tied it to the top of the minivan.

We got some candy canes and headed for the Frosty Express. Cate and Ben were the only passengers and loved every minute of the ride.

I can say, with certainty, that we'll be back next year.

Christmas Conversations

This is the first year that both Cate and Ben have some idea of what Christmas is all about. We've been reading books, listening to Christmas CDs and have been decorating the house.

I have to admit that they are totally cracking me up with their comments about the holiday. Some examples from earlier today:

***
Ben: Santa comin' to mine house.

Me: Well, in a few weeks Santa will be here.

Ben: Santa bringin' me French fries.

***
Cate: Christmas is Jesus' birthday.

Me: That's right. Christmas is the day Jesus was born.

Cate: Oh, how old is he?

Me: Well, he was a baby when he was born.

Cate: Yeah, but how old will he be this year?

***
Last, but not least, this conversation with a neighbor suggested that I should probably revise my shopping list. (And I thought I was done with the kids...)

Neighbor: Oh, Cate and Ben, what are you asking Santa to bring you for Christmas?

Cate: Candy canes and a sewing machine.

Ben: Jingle bells.

Now that's a lot of love.

Cate: Mom?

Me: Yes?

Cate: I love you so much. I love you more than Christmas.