"I'm so super good!"

Christmas day, after we finally got dressed and napped and made a dent in the aftermath mess in the house... the boys went out to try out their scooters!  Harrison kept saying "Look at me, Mom.  I'm so super good!".  And he was.  He was also pretty dang cute!  :)  They both were!  It was pretty funny to watch them zipping around! 

Jackson was all over the place. He was talking my ear off about other scooters and the tricks they can do... he's already writing his list for next year!  :) 

He did have a couple of good wipe-outs... without tears... just a very matter-of-fact statement that "we should get some guard things for our knees and elbows".  Then he added after another wipe-out in the gravel "and gloves too, we should get gloves".  :)  You are probably right, Dude.

And I have to note, how stinking cool it is that they are outside... in the sunshine and short sleeve shirts... on Christmas Day!  :)  Nice!  AZ rocks!

MeRrY ChRiStMaS!

Let the present (and picture) explosion begin...
The before picture!  :)  Patrick set his alarm for 6 am so he could go out on the couch and make sure no one started unwrapping early this year!  :) 

The stockings...

Starting on their piles...

The DK Eye Wonder Series books are the boys' favorites!  We added Big Cats, Space and Reptiles to our collection.

Jackson doesn't look very excited in these pics, but he was!  This is his newest Webkinz friend.

Harrison LOVES Toy Story, especially Buzz Lightyear!

The infamous GARBAGE TRUCK!  He was jumping up and down!  It was hilarious!  :)

He wanted shoes... He got Ironman ones.  He tells people they are pretty sharp!  haha.

The scooters!  Because we couldn't have just one!  Jackson was SO excited!

The boys got cool blankets from their uncles!  I don't have a picture of Harrison with his, it is Lightening McQueen.  They LOVE them!  They also got a TON of hotwheels tracks from Grandma & Pops... they haven't stopped playing with them!

He really didn't need to get anything else... he hasn't let it out of his sight... he even sleeps with it! 

Patrick got some clothes and hunting stuff!  His favorite... the hunting chair with a cooler in the seat!  You know you're a redneck when...

I got clothes, smelly stuff, jewelry... I was spoiled!  But I am not so fond of Christmas morning pics!  haha.  So this will have to do.

No assembly required... these things are pretty cool!  We were a little worried about Harrison, but he caught on pretty fast! 

Miss Reagan slept in and joined us a little later!  She loved Toy Story 3, best chew toy ever!  :)

 Cute clothes from her uncles... and still chewing on the movie! 

We finally bribed the movie away from her with new toys from Santa!  :)  They make noise and light up, so they are pretty cool!  (Note:  My least favorite toys for my kids... the kind that light up and make noise.  But they are good for her development, so I'm going to have to make some exceptions!)  :)

We had a wonderful Christmas!  Thank you to all of our family and friends for all of your generosity and love!  We have been SO blessed!
MERRY CHRISTMAS! 

The EvE of ChRiStMaS!

We had a very low-key day!  We got our Christmas Miracle early... Patrick was off!!!  For the 24th AND the 25th!  (Ya, that's a first for us... ever!)  So we mostly enjoyed the time together. We made a BIG dinner, so there was cooking going on all day.  Turkey and everything, it was awesome!  Then we went out to sprinkle reindeer food in the yard. (Jackson got it at school. It was a very cute idea, one we will be doing every year.) 

The poem read:

Magic Reindeer Food (oats and glitter)

Make a wish and close your eyes tight

Then sprinkle in your yard that night

As Santa's reindeer fly & roam

This food will guide them to your home.

Then, of course, we opened a few presents.  This is the boys doing their Charlie Brown dance.  :) They were bouncing off the walls all day... you would have thought it was Christmas Eve or something!  haha.

Christmas pj's for the kids from Grandma & Papa Salisbury.  And pj's for mom and dad... from mom and dad.  :) 

The boys also opened the gifts they got each other.

After presents we turned on A Christmas Story, got the new pj's on, did some skyping with family and made cookies for Santa.  We read the Christmas story and took one last look outside for Santa's sleigh (Jackson said he saw Rudolph's nose and Harrison saw lots of reindeers!)... and then it was off to bed.  They were SO excited!  :) And pretty cute too!    

(Side note: We don't beat our kids, I swear!  The marks on Harrison's head are rug burns... he gave himself!  ...Yes, our son drags his head on the floor!  haha.  And the bruises on Reagan's arm are from a blood draw that didn't go so well!  They got it, just not on the first try.  Poor girl!)

Happy Eve of Christmas!

Funny Things...

We were out delivering Christmas treats tonight to neighbors and friends and decided to take a little drive to see some lights!  (Harrison was feeling kind of left out because he had to stay in the car, he has strep again... relapse... boring story, but still a bummer.)   They were both getting so excited over everything, it was pretty funny!  And while we are driving I have this conversation with Jackson:

J:  Why don't we have lights on our house?
M:  We need to get some, we don't have any for our house right now.
J: Mom, where do we get lights for our house?
M:  We have to buy them at the store.
J:  Oh, I know, like at the Homo Depot!
M: (LAUGHING) You are absolutely right, they have them there!

LOL!  He is so funny, sometimes on purpose and sometimes on accident, but still entertaining!

A few minutes ago we were talking while we got pj's on about things they could be when they grow up.  Of course I was listing things like doctor, lawyer, pro football player, etc. (Patrick is hoping for an Olympian!)  Jackson still wants to follow his dad... and be a super hero, because that's was he is according to Jackson.  Makes sense in 5 yr-old logic, he catches bad guys.  haha.  Harrison said this:

H: Well I don't want to be a doctor! 
M: What do you want to be?
H: I want to drive a garbage truck! ...A big one, when I am big.
J: (With a totally confused looked on his face) Why?  They are stinky!
H: (Getting MAD) They are NOT stinky, they are super AWESOME!
M: (LAUGHING) You can do whatever you want when you get big, buddy!
H: Okay... good.

What can I say?!  The kid has a love for garbage trucks!  More power to him!  :)  And while we were brushing teeth Harrison got a major case of the giggles.  It was a weird giggle, sounded like a lamb. haha. 

M: What are you giggling about?
H: I'm SUPER excited for Santa to come to our house!
J:  I'm excited too...(long pause)... I hope he brings me something.
M: (Laughing) Only 2 more days left to be extra good!  
J: I'm doing really pretty good today though, mom.  I think the elf in our house told him.
(We told our kids there is an elf in our house somewhere watching them and reporting back to Santa.  He is hiding.  And every once in a while he does things... moves a decoration, hangs a picture one of them made, etc.)
M:  I'm sure he did.  But you have to keep it up.
J:  I know, mom, for 2 more days.

Uuuuum.... well, yes, but it would be totally ok if you wanted to make it last longer than that!  haha.  They say funny things all the time, I wish I was better at writing them down. 

Santa... and the Ward Party

Ah, the ward Christmas party, always delivers! They had a few musical numbers, one of which was the Primary... and their kazoos!  haha.  It was SO cute! 

Harrison doing what he does best!  :)

And Reagan with her favorite person!  :) 

It's also the only time my kids get to see Santa.  I refuse to fight the crowds at the mall and pay $15 for a few minutes of terror... especially when we get it for free at church!  hahaha.  This year however, was a surprise... in a good way!  All 3 of the kids sat on his lap... willingly... without tears!  They even smiled for pictures!  What the?!  I'm not complaining, they were stinking cute!  :) 

I think Jackson's bravery came a little from peer pressure!  (He was in line with his best buddy, Wyatt.)  He asked for a scooter... and wasn't even nervous! 

Harrison admittedly only did it for the candy cane.  He had no interest until he realized he got candy.  He got up there, smiled for the pic, got his prize and got out of there.  Didn't say a word, didn't even make eye contact!  But he did it, so rock on!  :)  Luckily we know what he wants from Santa... a garbage truck... and that's all!  hahaha.

And then we thought, what the heck, we're on a roll... and threw Reagan up there too!  She LOVES just about everybody!  ...She didn't love him, but she didn't cry... so I will take it!  :) 

All 5 of us at a Christmas party together had to be properly documented! 

It was a fun end to a very busy but fun day together!  And it definitely helped put some jolly in my step!  Getting kind of excited these days! :) I just wish I had a little more time to finish everything! Oye. 

The Kinder Caroler

Jackson had his Kindergarten Christmas Concert on Thursday, he did AWESOME!  He sang his little heart out and looked like he had a pretty good time doing it!  :) He really loves to sing!  (I got video of him singing, but I need to get a cord for the video camera to download it.  I really wish now that I had taken more pictures!  Bummer!)  He looked SUPER handsome! :)

Here he is sitting with his class on stage between songs.

Harrison and Reagan enjoyed it too!  :)

And after... SO proud.  He was a little nervous before it started, but you never would have known!  :)  We're so proud of you buddy! 

Hi, my name is Jennie and...

...I had my first meltdown at the grocery store tonight.  Yep, me.  Well, and Reagan. (But that's normal.) We had a really good time tonight at Jackson's Christmas concert. (Thank you Kim for your help, and video to come if I figure it out.)  But we had to run to the store to grab some things for a school party Jackson has tomorrow... and today has been our first official day out of quarantine.  No big deal, right?!  Apparently not.

Reagan was hungry, so she was laying in the seat of the cart drinking a bottle (I usually have her in a backpack thing at the store, she can't sit in the cart.), Harrison was "driving" the car attached to the front of the cart and Jackson was walking and doing an excellent job of being good!  We got everything we needed, it was awesome!  And then the check out came.  Reagan finished eating and started to cry.  I picked her up, she continued to cry.  I am used to her crying at the store, it's part of life with Reagan, so it wasn't a big deal to me. I laid her back down to unload my cart... she got louder.  I looked back and saw the glares of the 9 people behind me in line. I was trying to hurry, that was about all I could do.  

I had to wrangle the boys, Harrison was trying to escape.  And as I got back up to the register I was met by the same 9 irritated faces!  I hadn't cost them any time, the cashier was still ringing me up.  I didn't have too many items for the line.  But I quickly noticed that Reagan seemed to be the main source of irritation. The lady behind me was really upset with me for laying her in the cart and letting her crying, she kept turning around to loudly tell her husband.  She had a very new baby with her, a girl, who didn't make a peep.  It was probably really easy for her to judge me. 

I really wanted to say something to her, "My daughter can't sit in a cart, or won't might be the better word, and yes I know she's almost 1.  My daughter hates the store, and there is absolutely nothing I can do about it.  My daughter isn't like yours lady.  So if it bothers you so much, remember my face, and next time don't get behind me in line!".  Sigh... I was much feistier in my head... instead I cowered and kept my eyes down.  I couldn't say anything, I was busy fighting back the tears... The cashier was super nice and helpful.  We hurried and got loaded up.  I picked Reagan up, she hugged me and kept crying.  And I held it in until I got to the door.  ...She stopped the moment we got outside.  As usual.  But I lost it. 

It isn't the first time I've had it happen, the crying or staring or comments, or even the worst.  I think what got to me was the look on that ladys face, like something was wrong with me!  I'm not a perfect mom, I think my last few posts can vouch for that, but I try really hard!  And for some reason, it really hurt me.  Usually I ignore them all together or if I feel it's necessary, say something to help them understand.  I don't cry about it... But I felt broken. 

We got loaded in the car.  I put the car in reverse and waited for the guy next to me to back out.  He stopped part way out and I realize he had hit my cart that I left behind my car.  Oh crap!  I get out to apologize and (I kid you not) with the sweetest voice he smiles and acts like he thought it was his and tells me to have a good night.  I cried even harder when I got back in the car.  Heaven bless people like him!  It was obvious the cart wasn't his.  He had an actual right to be upset with me.  Maybe he was afraid I would have a psychotic break.  All I know is that he didn't have to be nice, but he was anyway. 

So I cried at the store today.  I'm sure it won't be the last time.  But what I really wanted to remember about it, was how it ended, with some kindness from a stranger.   

Retraction!

Ok, so I felt REALLY guilty after my last post!  And truthfully I should!  Life is NOT that hard!  I blame my emotional state on a lack of sleep.  So I am sorry!  I do want to say thank you to those of you who commented, emailed or called!  I am very lucky to have such amazing people in my life!  

I also want to say that I am so THANKFUL for this time of year (even when it's chaos and doesn't go as planned)!  I love that people start to give and love and help each other more, I wish it lasted all year!  It's like we are all just a little closer to the Savior at Christmas, or He is a little closer to us.  I truly LOVE the season.

I am also incredibly grateful for my kids!  I may not have sounded that way, but I am.  I am SO blessed to be their mom and have their loves and laughs... and their boogers and puke!  :)  It's the coolest/greatest/hardest job I have or will ever have!  And I wouldn't trade it for anything!  I love them more than words can say!!!

I am also SUPER DUPER grateful for Patrick!  I love him SO much!  He works so hard and so much and he still managed to help me out a lot this week!  And I'm also very grateful for the work he is doing!  It's not always the easiest job, and this week we were all reminded, it isn't always the safest either!  My heart breaks for the family who lost someone they love, they have been on my mind a lot, and in our prayers too!  I'm a very lucky lady to have Patrick, I know it, but sometimes I forget to make sure he knows it!  He is my person!  And I don't know what I would do without him!!!  

Now that things are in a clearer perspective, and I have had some sleep, I don't have much to complain about!  I'm sorry that I did!  ...And now it's time to get my medicated (and feeling better) butt into gear, Christmas is Coming!  :) 

12 Days of Christmas - or something like it

I have admittedly had a hard time getting into the Christmas spirit this year.  I'm feeling a lot more like a Grinch than a Who!  I have barely started Christmas shopping, I haven't even started on Christmas cards... mostly because I managed NOT to get the family picture taken that I was hoping for, I am tired... and I am SICK of whiny kids, who really don't need anything... especially when they whine!  And then this week was kind of the week from H@#$!  I know, not very Christmas-like at all!  But it's been really getting to me!  I don't usually vent on my blog, but tonight I needed to.... however, I decided I should put it into a song... a Christmas song, that I truthfully sort of hate, seemed appropriate!  haha.

12 fevers raging
11 puked on towels
10 days left to shop
9 boxes of tissues
8 hours of screaming (per day, at least)
7 lumps of coal
6 boogery nostrils
5 visits to the Doctor
4 hours of sleep
3 shots for Reagan
2 cases of Strep
And a broken window in the Nursery.

Obviously we've had some sickness.  And I know, I am not the only mom out there dealing with it, but I feel like I've been beat down!  Jackson broke the window.  Harrison and Reagan both got horrible colds at the same time - the puker is Reagan, she can't handle the snot!  Harrison's quickly turned into a raging unmanageable fever - he's our magnet for infection - Strep.  I hoped for the best with Reagan, but sure enough her fever just kept getting higher and higher - double ear infection.  Only she isn't as easy as a Rx.  She can't take oral antibiotics, thus the shots - and 3 extra Dr. visits.  Best part of all, she has been screaming for 4 days straight.  Started out as screams of sickness misery and evolved into screams of pure agony... the shots are painful, think Tetanus, and she's had two in two days, the third one is tomorrow.  You can't move her without hurting her!  Jackson has been SO naughty and WHINY, probably because he isn't getting tons of attention at the moment - but at least he isn't sick, although he woke up coughing a few minutes ago.  What the heck?!  And I am the other lucky one with Strep, so I'm not exactly oozing with patience or energy or much of anything... I mostly want to sleep... for a long time!  I feel like CRAP - physically and emotionally!  And I only have 10 days to get Christmas taken care of!  Jackson has a Christmas concert on Thurs. and I HAVE to be there, it's not optional, Patrick will be working!  So everybody HAS to be better by then!  (Screaming included!)  I want to cry, in fact I am.  But I vented, and it did help a little!  Harrison is doing tons better, so that is something too.  I really am not totally ungrateful, I know how blessed we are!  ...But my nerves are shot, it's almost midnight, Reagan is still screaming, I'm exhausted and alone... and I have to be up at 6 am with Jackson!  Maybe I'll have more cheer when I get some sleep! 

...Deep breath... angry rant over.  (I promise not to do this again for at least a year!) 

Jackson VS the window... and other adventures

My dear sweet "hearing-impaired" Jackson has a condition called... Selective Hearing or SH.  As far as I know there is no cure for SH, but we treat it at our house with a lot of repetitive elevated vocal commands (or yelling... yes, I am so proud).  He is a good boy!  I know that!  And he doesn't mean for things to go wrong.  But he just doesn't ever seem to hear me when I need him to!  Like while I'm changing Reagan's bum, and he comes into her room to chat... which leads to him climbing into the rocking chair in the corner.... that is followed by rocking and numerous "Jackson, stop." "Jackson, stop." Jackson, STOP!" As he gets it rocking faster and harder.... and successfully launches it backwards.... right into the window!!! 

The sound of breaking glass did two things... Brought a look of realization to his face... and a look that could kill to mine, along with a strange eye twitch, which was probably the only thing stopping me from burning holes through him with my eyes!  I didn't yell (strangely enough)... although, I'm not sure that was a good thing... sometimes quiet/calm angry Mom is more dangerous!  But lucky for him, I was still trying to take care of Reagan!  Saved by the blow-out!  He should be SO grateful for his little sister!  haha.  We still haven't decided if he is getting Christmas, it will depend on the cost to fix the window... Let's be honest!  But we have him pretty scared... and that really is something!... Lucky for him we LOVE him, so we'll be keeping him!  :) (They need to make a dog training collar for kids, only instead of responding to barking, it should shock them when they whine or ignore their mother! I'm kidding, mostly!  ...NOW I sound like a horrible mother!  haha.)   

On a much happier note, he got to make a cute gingerbread house in school yesterday!  He was covered in frosting when he got home, a pretty sure sign that it was SUPER fun!  :)  He was guarding it with his life, but he did share a few pieces with Dad and Harrison.  haha.  He did a grea job!

And he got to participate in making a class t-shirt.  Each child got to draw their own face and write their name.  SO stinking cute!  :) 

After school yesterday I picked him up from the bus, and we headed to Pizza Hut to get his free Book It pizza.  (He earns coupons from school for doing his reading.) It was a lot of fun just the two of us.  He said it was "So Awesome!"  :)  And that the only thing missing was Dad and Harrison and Reagan.  haha.  He is a sweet-heart... even with SH!  :) 

Chicken Fred

Harrison "Chicken Fred" Swain.  Yep, he's ours.  Yep, he's weird.  Yep, we laugh at him a lot.  And Yep, he totally takes after his dad.  (See post "Patrick's Playtime" for proof!)  Thus, the need for a weird nickname like Chicken Fred... which sadly fits him... in the weirdest way!  LOL!

It would probably help if I didn't dress him like a hobo... my bad! haha.

I have no idea what he is doing here...

Or here...

He is always doing weird things with his fingers... and his eyes!  haha.

 He is transforming...

Maybe we need to get him out more!  haha.  My little buddy!  Different is good!  ;)