Christmas memories

Christmas has come and gone in a blur of family and gifts and giddy children.  Last year was the first year that it was magical for Landon and this year he was even more into it than last year.  It makes the holiday all that more special to see children loving it and grasping not only the magical secular aspect, but the true religious reasons.  But I have found myself, over the past few years, longing for the Christmas of my childhood.  Not because I believed in the magic, but because of the magic of my grandparents house.  Christmases at their house were extra special.  I know all the of the grandkids felt that way.  

We spent every Christmas at their house in Johnstown.  We would brave the snowy mountains and we almost always had a white Christmas. Johnstown is never without snow in the winter.  My grandparent's house was small, just two bedrooms, but it was warm and cozy and inviting. I don't think they changed a thing from the time it was built until the day we moved them out several years ago.  Christmas Eve was the big deal.  We went to my grandparent's church for their candlelight service.  I miss that service almost more than I miss anything else.  We all dressed to the nines for church.  You were sure to pack your best dress to wear that night and their little house was always a flurry of us all beautifying before church started.  We'd put on our ill thought out heels and ice skate to the car.  We always had to park a ways from the church because the lot was full and there was almost always a sheet of ice awaiting us.  But we could always count on our PopPop to give us his arm and guide us safely.  He was so tall and always was wearing his fur hat perched oddly on top of his bald head.  I always loved their services.  Of course during most of the service you would find we grandkids doodling on our bulletins with the pre-burned candlewicks.  But when it came time for the candlelight part of the services we were ready.  The lights went out and then someone lit one candle at the end of each pew and you lit the person's candle next to you and so forth, all while singing a Christmas hymn, until all the church was lit with soft candlelight.  I will never forget the way it felt to sing hymns in the candlelight.  It's such a spiritual experience that even as a child I could feel the difference.  Just a few weeks ago we were with our youth group singing "Angels We Have Heard On High" and I caught myself tearing up.  I had a moment where I flashed back to singing in that chapel and the feeling that it brought me.  Even as a teenager you would find me with tears in my eyes while we sang those hymns in the glow of that chapel.  

After church was over we would rush home and into our pj's to enjoy our Christmas Eve feast.  Ham and shrimp and other goodies.  And after that we got to open our family stockings that were hung along the banister.  It was always exciting to sit around as a family and tear into out stockings.  After staying up too late we would all find a place to sleep.  Usually the grandkids all got the privilege of sleeping in our great-grandma's (Grammy) room.  She had two twin beds in her room.  Someone always got lucky enough to snag the spare bed and the rest of us slept on the floor.  My Grammy was somehow able to sneak in around us to her bed and able to sleep through us opening our stockings in the morning. She was an amazing woman, but that is another post all together.  We were to stay in our room in the morning until the adults told us it was okay to leave them.  So one by one we would wake up to find that Santa had come and filled our stockings on our bed.  So we would tear them open as quietly as we could so as not to wake each other.  And we were always amazed that Santa found us.  He filled out stockings and brought all our presents to put under the tree.  How our parents snuck them into the car without us knowing I'll never know!  

You always left my grandparent's house full of the most amazing food you'd ever eaten, and feeling loved and special.  I can only hope that in our own way we are making Christmas traditions for our children that they will cherish as much as I cherish my childhood memories.   

Hate the player...not the game

Just a fun Landon moment here. I told him to go clean up all the books in his room. It was clear that he and his brother and joined forces and emptied out a shelf all over the floor. The trouble was I had been ignoring it for two days, hoping he'd just do it himself. Right, he's four, I know. But he works better with motivation. So this dialogue commensed. 

Me: "you need to go clean up you books, please. Shiloh is coming later and we don't want a mess of books on the floor."

Landon: "Shiloh is coming?? I love her! She's one of my girls."

Me: "one of your girls?" As I laugh under my breath.

Landon: very nonchalant "yep. One of my girls."

Me: "how many girls do you have exactly?"

Landon: "one."

And with that he went and cleaned up his room and picked up all the books around the house. Believe me, there were lots spread around. So I guess he's not as big of a player as he claims. Then again, I've been informed that he and the little girl in his primary class at church like to hug and kiss. Hmmm. There's no denying he's cute, I guess he's figured that out! I was seeing if he'd claim her as one of "his girls", but he didn't. I guess it's just a casual relationship. A little NCMO, except without the MO? A little NCHK? 

It was adorable and made me leery of his teenage years. Scratch that, I'm afraid I'll get calls from elementary school saying he's the kid who "kissed the girls and made them cry"! 

I love this kid. 

a snowy birthday

Today is my big guy's birthday.  I can't believe he is four.  FOUR!  Where exactly has the time gone?  I swear it was just yesterday that I was bringing him home, I still recall the pain I was in for weeks after having him like it was yesterday. That little man was 12 days overdue and I was excited to have him evicted by induction.  He apparently knew it was coming and I went into labor before I went in.  He was a good baby.  He was very set in his own ways when it came to sleep schedules and would stay awake for hours on end as a newborn just to go to bed at 1am like clockwork.  He's been a handful for us, that's for sure. His younger years were great, he listened amazingly well....then he turned 2 and I think the listening part of his brain broke.  I'm very much hoping that four is the magic age when they are finally at peace with their emotions and understand how to share them without losing control.  I really pray it is the age of temperance and kindness.  I guess we shall see!  

As we were getting ready for church this morning I saw the flurries of snow starting and teared up a little. It is fitting for him to have snow on his birthday, if you ask me.  It snowed the day he was born.  Not a large amount, but a slick snow, that didn't start until he was being born, not during my whole labor.  During my pregnancy I kept telling my husband it would snow on the day he was born.  I knew it.  I just knew that he would come with snow. So as the weeks went by, and my due date came and went I kept my eyes to the skies waiting for any flurry.  Why was this such a firm belief of mine?  John's father passed away 12 years ago, and on the night of his viewing it snowed.  It was April, not a usual time for snow for us.  8 years ago his oldest brother passed away.  His name is Landon's middle name, he is his namesake.  The day he was born it snowed, on the beach, in Florida.  And on the day of his funeral it snowed.  I just knew in my heart that they wouldn't send him to us without snow.  Their first grandchild and first nephew came to us that day as the snow fell softly and gently outside, and I smiled and cried when I saw it.  I looked at John and said, I knew it, I knew they would send him to us with snow.  This is the first time in four years that we have celebrated his birthday with snow since that day and so it meant something a little extra special to me this morning to see it coming down.  

Happy Birthday, Landon Matthew!  May more wonderful years be just ahead of us. More years of joy and silliness and growth.  I love you little man!

 The day after he was born

and four years later

Bat-Will!!!

As a new day dawns so does the rise of a new superhero, Bat-Will. 

Sometimes superheroes need a break from their alter egos. Those masks can be confining. 

A little self-motivation never hurt anyone. 

Look! A tractor trailer in need of assistance! Help, Bat-Will!

All that saving the day stuff can really take it's toll. Time for a rest.  

That rest paid off! His super speed abilities have returned!

Every superhero needs a villain to fight. The Wild Fro has just shoved our hero to the ground. 

Even a superhero needs comfort from his blankie now and again. There's no shame in that, especially after being struck down by The Wild Fro.  

Before bed Bat-Will came back to check on those that he saved during the day.

All is well with Bat-Will on duty!

Crafting for Thanksgiving

The boys brought home two small pumpkins (probably more accurately called a gourd) from trunk or treat with my Mom.  They got to decorate them with foam Halloween stickers.  They enjoyed taking off the stickers and trading them between each pumpkin until they were no longer sticky.  So I've had two pumpkins sitting on my table. I came up with a fun idea to turn them into pumpkin turkey's for Thanksgiving.  

I wanted thumb tacks that weren't colored,but finding them proved more difficult than I thought it would.  Landon chose the fancy google eyes for his turkey and to use a leftover bow tie from his original pumpkin.  I think they turned out pretty cute! And I'm proud to say they are out of my own head and not off Pinterest!

Saying goodbye is hard to do

We recently received the news that our good friends were moving.  Not just to a new house, to a new state.  I nearly cried when they told me, but I am happy for them.  For new job opportunities and time with her family and new adventures.  But we will miss them.  Our boys are a year apart and LOVE to play together.  We went over just a few days ago so the men could move some heavy stuff. Before we went Landon said, "I love Colin, Mommy."  I about cried again telling him that his buddy was moving away.  But luckily they will be only 1.5hrs from our family in NY so we can still visit when we go up and they of course will be here for visits too.  Poor Landon is losing his only guy friend! haha.  All of my friends had girls when I had a boy and so he is alone in the world of girls.  Not that he seems to mind.  But we had them over for dinner and hang out time a week or so ago. I needed to get as many snuggles from their darling new baby girl as I could!

Landon and his buddy Colin

 Will had to squeeze in between them.  He thinks he's a big guy.

Baby Sofia.  Landon calls her Baby Princess Sofia and even asked to hold her.  That is a big deal for him!

 I love this picture.  Two of my awesome boys.

 The boys all love to play superheros when they are together.  Will donned the Hulk gloves and proceeded to Hulk smash everyone in his way.

Sad Hulk needed a hug from Daddy.  He refused to take them off for comfort hugs.

We are excited to play with them whenever we can.  We love them and are lucky to have gotten to know them over the past four years.  

Grave digger

Last night I let the dog out before bed like I always do.  I let him out and went to get ready for bed.  I thought he was asking to come in, but when I went to let him in he wasn't there.  I called for him and found he was in the far corner of the yard.  And when he looked up I knew, I knew he was eating something.  Oh no, not good.  But surprisingly he came running in when I called him.  He stopped at the base of the steps and looked up at me with the look that says, "oh crap, she's gonna kill me."  And I was repeating over and over again, "no, no you didn't.  Please tell me you didn't."  His face was covered in blood and so were his feet.  I had to call a few times, but  he did come in and I grabbed him before he got in the door and ran him to the bathroom.  He looked like the Joker with the red smile painted on his face.  The smell was so gross and I think I was drowning him trying to get all of it off his beard.

Mo has been chasing this rabbit in our yard for weeks.  Not every night, but a lot of them, the bunny is there when he goes out before bed and he tries to catch it. He knows where it's holes in and out of the yard are and he has tried to dig it out before.  This rabbit has been driving him mad since the summer actually.  His terrier instincts finally kicked in and he won his war with the bun bun.  Death to the bun!  I was grossed out and too worried about having to deal with the situation to be proud of him for getting in touch with his animal instincts.  John wanted to know why I didn't get a picture of him and if I gave him a treat for being good.  I was too concerned with cleaning him up to get a camera.  Although I thought about it.

I grabbed plastic bags, a flashlight, and vinegar and headed outside.  Vinegar, yes, vinegar.  I figured it would kill the blood stink if I doused the area with it.  I had flashbacks to Mo digging up our buried chinchilla and playing with it and then redigging the hole repeatedly to roll in the stink.  I went through a lot to get that to not smell enticing anymore, so I wanted to go for it right away.  I didn't know what to expect, but it wasn't too bad on the bloody scale.  He hadn't gotten to do much damage before I called him in, thankfully.  I approached it with my flashlight in hand. As I bent close it gasped!  What the?  I jumped back and started to freak out. It's alive?  Are you kidding me?  I started to panic knowing that I couldn't let it suffer, I had to finish it off.  I thought about getting a gun, but being that it was 11:30 pm I thought that wouldn't go over well with the neighbors.  I would have ended up with the cops here.  So I settled on hitting it with a shovel. I got one and started to feel like I was hiding a crime that I had committed or something.  Standing there in the dark with my shovel and flashlight shining on my victim I started feeling like someone from Bones or Castle figuring out how to off someone.  While I did a panic dance in the yard about not wanting to kill it I luckily thought maybe I should shove it before I bludgeoned it to death.  I seriously think it would have been easier to shoot it than hit it.  I gave him a little push with the shovel and he didn't move again. I guess I caught his death shudder earlier.  Then I lost all my nerve to pick it up in a bag. It was looking at me with it's sad bunny eyes...so cute.  So I put it on the shovel and tossed it over the fence.  Which took two tries. It was a pretty large rabbit, which made it pretty impressive that he was able to take it down.

Let's hope that this serves as a warning to all other would be bunny interlopers.  We have the big bad Mo on patrol, and he will take you down!  I just never want to have to do that again. Why is it that he knows to do the awful things when I am home alone?  It's like he thinks, "what can I do to her this time?"  I've had to monitor his potty time all day today.  The one time I forgot he found blood somewhere that I missed and coated his head in it.  I didn't notice it until it was dry and then I was worried about what he had laid on with his bloody head.  I haven't come across anything else with it on it, and I have no idea where it was out there.  Ugh.  I'm done with bloody dog fur.  No more!  

Wit's end

At this moment, this second, I am there.  At my wit's end.  What does that mean anyway?  I have no idea, all I know is I've had it.  I've been driven to tears by a 3 year old, and I barely kept it together.  It's one of those nights where I swear I would sell him.  HELP! 

Ever since he was a baby he's been quick to go nuts and throw fits.  His nickname as a baby was "Hulk" because he would quite literally "go hulk" on us.  He would just start to scream uncontrollably and we were unable to stop him. Nothing snapped him out of it, and nothing made it better.  He would just close his eyes and refuse to open them and scream.  We thought it was stressful then, little did we know he would keep that up.  

He is nearly 4 and he is still quick to throw a fit.  He will scream so loud that it rattles my brain, I don't know how he does it.  You can't talk to him during it either.  The only thing to do is send him to his room and let him scream it out.  Usually he is faking the few tears and the screaming is to get a rise out of us.  An effective action indeed.  Tonight he wasn't listening, as usual, and giving me attitude.  So he got sent to time out, when he continued the behavior afterwards I took away his songs before bed.  A little thing really, just no songs before bed.  How does that turn into an all out screaming war?  He said his prayers and then laid down to be tucked in and sing songs.  I tucked him in and then told him no more songs and went to leave. (remember he was aware of no songs pre-bed)  He began to cry and I explained to him why he wasn't having songs.  He decided to scream louder. So I left the room, but he escalated.  Will is trying to go to sleep in the next room so I tried to talk him down.  He only screamed louder and began flailing.  Once he gets worked up there is almost no way to bring him back to reality and get him calm.  

I have no idea how to handle this behavior.  Trying to ignore it doesn't work, taking the calm route doesn't work, and getting angry of course doesn't work.  It doesn't help that he is stubborn and both of us are too.  Two stubborn people only breed a child more stubborn than they are...bad stuff right there.  I need advice on how to help with this before he goes to school and starts exhibiting this behavior there.  Can you imagine?  I shudder to think that my child could be THAT child.  

He's so handsome!  He's silly, creative, funny, and has a huge imagination.  I love this guy, even though he's also stubborn and has a scream loud enough to wake the dead.

Reminiscing

We were at a wedding the other night for John's cousin.  It was a great wedding.  Everything was gorgeous and it reminded me how much I do enjoy going to weddings.  Afterwards John and I reflected on our first year of marriage.  Partly because we had the wedding to remind us of ours and partly because we drove right past our first apartment on the way to pick up the boys.  If I had my pictures around I would scan some in of our first place.  It was awesome.  It really was the perfect first place.  It was an old Victorian house that had been converted into apartments with an addition built off the back for more.  When you walked into our apartment you could see from one end to the other in one shot since all the rooms were laid out in a straight line.  It was charming even with all it's faults, like ugly (and in places stained) wallpaper, the unventilated bathroom that was pretty much in your kitchen, and only having two closets.  But I still loved it.  It had probably 12' ceilings and 9' windows.  Our bedroom was the size of half of our current upstairs and had a huge bay window with a window seat.  The big old baseboards and the old hook ups for the gas lanterns were fabulous.  We had hand me down furniture and were happy with our busy newlywed lives.  We were both in school and both worked at least 2 jobs, but it was wonderful.  We didn't have the internet or cable.  Gasp!  We watched seasons of 24 and Lost on DVD that we borrowed from people. Eventually we got bunny ears for the TV and got two fuzzy channels, the CW and some channel with an "i" as the logo.  And I would record shows off the CW with my VCR and watch them later.  How often does that happen anymore?  We also had a puzzle table.  Yes, a puzzle table.  We would spend hours sitting and doing puzzles.  We did a lot of puzzles that first year.  We had no distractions from the outside world.  Our studying always got done, the apartment was always clean, and we always had time for each other.  That awesome apartment was only $400 a month, with utilities included!  WHAT?  I know, it still blows our mind how little we paid for that place. Working our multiple small jobs kept us afloat and we could save a little money to help when it came time for me to start my first job after graduating college.  We have wonderful memories of that first place.  Of the friends that came to hang out, hosting my nieces and nephew's while my sister had their little brother, honing my cooking skills, and learning how to live together.  They say the first year is the hardest.  I'm still waiting for that year to arise, 8 years later.

Aren't we so cute? And don't we look young and fresh?

while the cat's away....

...the mice will play.

Recently John went to Haiti.  He was gone for 9 long days.  So the boys and I had to find ways to entertain ourselves.  We went to the Apple Harvest Festival, spent time at my parents house, made apple sauce, played outside, made Halloween decorations, played outside some more, got to chat with Daddy now and again, and had MaMa over for a sleepover, haircuts, and firetrucks.  

But nothing beat having Daddy come home.

National Apple Harvest Festival

 He liked the steam engine

 Enjoying our traditional apple sausage.  YUM!  He and Will both loved it.

 Can you tell it was hot?  It was in the 80's.  A little too hot to feel like apple harvest time, but we still enjoyed the food and vendors.

 My big man! 

We had apple sausage, and pumpkin funnel cake. And we bought cider, a caramel apple, and some uncooked apple sausages to bring home.  Nothing beats apple harvest!  A friend had an extra ticket and was willing to let us tag along, hooray!  We also got to take our own personal orchard tour.  We were directed to a field to park in that we didn't want to go in, so we decided to go our own way...a very long way.  We found some gorgeous views looking out over all the mountains and orchards around Biglerville and further out.  In the end we got exactly where I wanted to be in the first place!  I knew we could do it! 

Time out from being cooped up at home. We took a two day break to MaMa and PapPap's house.

 MaMa had the boys help clean the walnuts off the driveway by throwing them into the creek.  They loved it! If they could live outside they would, so getting to throw walnuts and go pretend to fish in the creek and play on the swings and go see the neighbor's barnyard critters was the best! 

 We decided to can applesauce while we were there.  So we went to an amazing orchard to get our goods. When we lived in Waynesboro we frequented this orchard, and I really miss it.  They have huge crates of apples that you can pick and choose what you want.  The boys loved helping pick the apples.  They also have the most amazing cider. It's unpasteurized, they have a huge steel tank and they fill up your jug and seal it up.  It's the best stuff in the world.  We also bought our pumpkins while we were there because they had crates full of pumpkins for $1.50.  Mind. Blown.  I got four beautiful pumpkins.  I love that place.

 This apple was huge.  The one type of apple was just humongous. 

 Some of the deliciousness. 

 (ignore the towel reflection, they were too hot to move at the time)

 Applesauce made easy, the Squeezo! I love this thing.

At the end of the week MaMa came over for a play date and sleepover on Friday.  Sadly, it poured buckets, reportedly 8", so we did not play outside, nor did we do anything we had planned.  We holed up and played indoors.  But Saturday the sun came out so we ran out before I had to go to work and got our hair cut.  

Will's first real hair cut!

 The before shot.  A little shaggy, the back had little curls,which are gone.

 He did amazing!  He refused the cape,so he was covered in hair. That was his only complaint, all the hair.  I spent a lot of time picking it off his pants and brushing off his hands. But he sat perfectly still and moved his head just the right way. He did amazing!  Such a contrast to what Landon was like at his first hair cut. He was the same age, and he screamed and cried and carried on.  Will even let her use the razor to trim up his neck and around his ears! My brave little man!

 The best after shot that could be obtained.  He was too into his reward lollipop to care about a photo op.

After we left the hairdresser we went past the fire station right down the street.  To our surprise they had firetrucks, ambulances, paramedic trucks, rescue boats, police motorcycles and more sitting out.  So we pulled in.  Fire prevention week time!  

Landon wouldn't get on any of the trucks, but Will climbed up into the firetruck seat.  He also ran laps around the back of an ambulance.

 Trying on the helmet

Smokey the Bear freaked out both of the boys.  But after we got home Landon did nothing but talk about being a fireman and that Smokey was his friend who went with him.  

 Watching the fireman get all his gear on.

Can you sense Will's displeasure at being so close?  Neither boy would get close to him.  It was a great idea though.  They let them watch him put on every piece of gear.  Then he walked slowly up to them talking to them. With the respirator going that is a little scary.  It's like Darth Vader is coming.  And they had someone else telling them about how they would look like this if there was a fire and not to run away because they are good guys.  It was a really great experience.  The boys loved it!

DADDY'S HOME!!!!!

Pre-bed wrestling with Daddy.  I love this group of boys and I love having them all in one place again.