We are...

...dancing fools around here.

Well, at least Tyson is when Christmas music is on.

I did it!

I made my first holiday meal-ALL BY MYSELF.

Let's take a moment and let that soak in....

{oh the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful}

Ahh, yes. I did it.

And there were several obstacles to overcome. One, we hadn't decided exactly what we were going to do until Tuesday night. We knew that we we staying home but were going back on forth on whether we wanted a "traditional" meal or just get take-out. By that point I didn't really care anymore I just needed to have a decision made. We decided on traditional. So I made a menu of sorts, peeked thru my pantry and made a grocery list. I was not at all happy about going to the grocery store the day before Thanksgiving but I thought if I went early enough I might be able to beat all the last-minute shoppers like me. I reasoned that most people had Wednesday off and therefore probably slept in and would do their last minute shopping around noon (or later) since no one wants to be out the night of Turkey Eve. I was right. The store was markedly empty but the boys were beyond loud and the few patrons in the store scowled and threw bread at us. The real problem? The store was sold out of roasting pans. How can you be sold out of roasting pans?

Problem tow, I was still feeling bad. (Side note-I'm STILL feeling bad and it's now been a week since I started feeling sick.) I in no way wanted to celebrate in between blowing my nose and trying to clear the layer of fog over my head. But I persevered and boy am I glad that I did. (Let it also be noted that we were invited to go to someone else's house but I would have felt awful if anyone else got sick from me and I really wanted to be just our family.)

Problem three, me and cooking don't always get along. But.

I did it.

Now it wasn't the fanciest of meals. I didn't bust out my china. The table wasn't properly set. We used blue napkins from Tyson's birthday. The turkey was purchased from Popeye's (the best money I have ever spent). But we were a family and I am so thankful for that.

The menu:
Turkey*
Green bean casserole
Yams
Pistachio salad
Corn on the cob
Mashed potatoes
Rolls
Fudge
*the only thing store bought

Have a blessed holiday season!

And now, the countdown:
24 days till my 29th birthday
28 days till Christmas
31 days till our 7th anniversary

Thankful

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Colossians 3:15

I am beyond thankful for my family and friends, health and happiness, love and kindness. May your hearts (and tummies) be blessed this day!

Family Pictures '09

So I decided that I wanted to have family pictures taken this year since the last ones we had done Tucker was 6 months old. One of my friends just had their family pictures done by a local gal and I really like them so I called and made an appointment.

Now what I'm about to show you is just a small sampling of what was taken, I think she took 700 pictures and I haven't gotten all the proofs back yet but I still think they're pretty darn sweet.

Oh and by-the-way, the boys wanted NO PART of the pictures. None. I'm shocked we even got some of them smiling and or looking at the camera. It was just one of those days.

Rough

So I'm sick. Again.

I know what you're thinking. "Clarissa, get.over.it." I wish I could. Really. I could quite possibly have the worst sinuses in the entire world. At least that's what my mom told me. And mothers are always right. (I can say that now that I'm a mother. Not so much pre kids.)

This whole mess started on Friday. Scratch that, I think it started Wednesday night when my co-worker was coughing so badly at work that she started vomiting and then had to go home. I think I might have gotten some of her germs. Anywho, I actually started feeling a little bit of a tickle in my throat on Friday while we were taking pictures (more on that later). I tossed it up to the fact that I had only slept for 3 hours and our weather has finally taken a turn south.

Saturday morning I woke with a pounding sinus headache but threw back some Allegra, did my sinus prep/drowning and carried myself off to work. Let me just take a moment to state that I am a complete moron for picking up two shifts this week. Not only did we have 3 codes in the first three hours of my shift, I had to register all three of them and two of them did not make it. Not much better.

Sunday I knew I was sick but had to work again and so I did the above and dragged my now throbbing head, running nose, hacking cough self out the door. The work day wasn't much better but at least I didn't have any codes (there was a crazy wreck that was rolling in as I was clocking out though). I made it home in time to fall un-soundly asleep on the couch since I could no longer breath thru my nose.

Yesterday I knew something had to be done. Not only was I about to pass out, but I was supposed to work again Monday night and there was no way that I was going to be able to handle that. So I bit the bullet and took myself to the doctor. A chest x-ray, breathing treatment, 4 presciptions and work release later I was diagnosed with bronchitis, and inner ear infection (x 2) and an outer ear infection in the left ear. I laughed when the nurse asked me if I had been around sick people recently. "Um yes, I work in the ER." Ha! And by laugh I mean this croupy, wheeze of a sound that escaped my mouth by sheer force since I also have no voice.

Hooray!

To make matters absolutely awesome the boys are also under the weather. Luckily they don't seem to have anything other allergies but still there is nothing worse than sick kids. If I could just blow my nose for them the world would be so.much.better.

Shout Outs:
Excused absences-that's right. I am only shouting out to one item. But man is it so worth it.

Daddy's Little Helpers

Who is this child?

"Mom, you're freaking me out."
Literally.
That's what Tyson told me in response to me asking him about picking up his cars.
"Mom, you're freaking me out."
Wow.

Peaks and Valleys

Because I have nothing better to do, I decided to make a graph to illustrate how working nights has affected not only my sleep schedule but also my picture taking (and really, can there be too many graphs in this world?). Now, I by no means claim to be a photographer. I just like to take pictures of the boys so that I can look back at them and think, "Man it was so much easier then..."

As you can see, the July thru August time frame was kinda rough. That just so happens to be when I started working. But I am very happy to see that the picture taking has picked up again.

And also, 35??

And Nothing

So here's what was on my to do list yesterday:

• laundry
• dishes
• clean bathrooms
• pick up toys
• make turkey-day menu
• catch up on my dvr'd shows

Here's what I actually did:

• SLEEP

That's all I did ALL DAY LONG. (Well I mean after Stuart got home from school.) Sometimes this working nights thing kinda stinks.

Shout Outs:
Cold front-finally.
Mowing your grass in November-only in Texas.
Cold weather gear-LOVE little boy long sleeve shirts!

Super Duper Cool

These are the days

Parenting is hard.
Parenting is really hard.

There are some days that I honestly don't even think about anything else. Those days when it's all I can do to keep from pulling all the hair out of my head while simultaneously banging my head against the wall and cleaning up toys with my hands and feet. Yes, hand AND feet. Because children, or maybe just MY children can't just play with one toy at a time. Nope. They have to dump over the entire bin of cars. Or the entire bin of leggos. Or the entire bin of kitchen toys. Or the entire bin of Leap Frog toys. Or the entire bin of catch all toys. Or all the bins at the same time. Yes, my kids can multi-dump thru walls and all.

Ahh.

Parenting is hard.

And then you have those days when the whining makes you want to crack you head open with the play hammer and pull out your brain so that you can't register the noise. Not to mention the screaming and ever present "NO!"

And while screaming their little hands are busy pushing, kicking, and hitting each other because that's what civilized brothers do now-a-days. Not to be confused with wrestling or horse-play though because there's a very fine line between grabbing your brother around the neck and throwing him to the ground in a maneuver to which there is some fancy name and grabbing your brother around the neck and throwing him to the ground in a maneuver known as "don't touch my toys."

Sigh.

Parenting is hard.

While all these events are happening you also have to think about their brain development. Are we doing everything you can to ensure the best set-up for their academic future? Are you preparing them enough for all that this educational world has to offer? Is that delayed speech going to hinder him? Is that knowledge of tools really going to help? Should you read more books to them? Should you make more time for _______?

And all these thoughts somehow go to imagining their future. Are they going to grow up to be scientists? A President? A mechanic? A world traveler? A bomber? An educated person that snaps one day and causes major pain and heartache?

Because you know that all those people had families in some capacity. And I'm sure that their mother only wanted what was best for them. Is that enough?

Parenting is hard.

But then you have those moments when they stop everything just to say I love you. Or give you a hug. Or tell you that you're their favorite four-year-old.

Parenting is so worth it.

"There is no experience like having children. That's all. There is no substitute for it." --Tuesdays with Morrie

Always Good for a Laugh

November 11

Hermon Chisholm, US Army Air Corp
H.R. Patton, US Army
(2nd row, 3rd from left)
Steve Doss, US Coast Guard
Steven Doss, US Coast Guard
Stuart Doss, US Air Force
Happy Veteran's Day!

Thank you also to all the spouses who serve faithfully along with their Veteran!

-Isms

It's amazing how children really do have a language of their own and even more amazing is that we moms (and dads) know what they are saying. For example:

Tucker-
"Tucker"-Tyson
"Good girl"-Good Turbo or Scout
"Grandpa"-Uncle Steven
"Snake"-worm
"Helper"-help me (i.e. help Tucker)

Tyson-
"Tadeger"-Together
"Babek"-Blanket
"Cheeseburger with steak"-cheeseburger NOT chicken Burger
"Cow ketchup"-Bar-b-que sauce
"White stuff"-sour cream

And this is what Tucker told me this morning:

Tucker: Where's Tucker? I find him anywhere.
Me: He's going potty.
Tucker: Tucker potty, mommy?
Me: Yup buddy. Tyson's going potty. Do you want to go potty?
Tucker: No, no, no, no, no. No poopies in hinney. Bye bye peepee!

Happy 40th!

Ahh, good 'ole Sesame Street. I was personally always kinda scared of Big Bird but Cookie Monster...now there is a man I can understand. :)