Time can get away from us so fast these days. Upon review of the blog it has been several months since anything was posted, and it would take pages to document all the anecdotes and growth we have seen in the kids. FB has become the crutch to post short updates and pics, and though busy schedules do not allow for daily or even weekly posts, the intent of the blog remains.
As the monsters continue to grow and advance we say goodbye to old challenges and face new challenges each and every day. The days of diapers and toddlers has passed us, and now we toil with the every day sibling arguments, repetitive commands and questions to pick up your room, put your shoes away, did you do your homework, or the all encompassing question when you cannot fathom their thought process, "what is wrong with you"? There are days we labor to remember if we possibly dropped each and every child on their head as a baby. The good news is they can pick up their room, make their beds, clean the dog poop, tie their shoes, play with each other in a civilized manner, and even on the rare occasion show remorse for something done wrong.
The most recent theme being preached continuously around the house hold is simply "do the right thing." They know right from wrong and I know they know right from wrong because it is written all over the face when they are doing something wrong and they are very quick to point out when the other child is doing something wrong. So the edict is do the right thing no matter what. Even when nobody else is around or you are sure you won't be found out, do the right thing.
We happened upon this theme one day when Lily had a friend over and they were playing with my IPad. All the kids enjoy recording themselves singing, dancing or giving a monologue about who knows what. Lily and her friend were recording each other singing a song and as is usually the case each new recording must escalate and out perform the previous video. Some time had gone by and I needed my IPad for something. The IPad was located and it was just sitting there still recording the ceiling with nobody insight. The buzzer in my head dings as if to say something is not right here. So I stop the recording, go to the beginning and view the video. It opens with Lily's friend introducing Lily quite enthusiastically along with the song she is about to sing. The camera pans to Lily who is standing on her head on top of Abby's bed at which point she stands up right, turns around, begins singing a version of a Carrie Underwood song in her best rock-n-roll, and jumping on the bed like its a mosh pit. 3 seconds later the bottom of the bed drops out and Lily is standing there motionless with a look on her face that words are not able to describe. It was that look of desperation on a child's face when they think Daddy may end my life for this one.
The puzzling thing to me was Abby's bed was all put back together as if nothing had happened. Opportunities like this to find out if your child will tell you the truth are like gold. They were busted and they had no idea. The culprits were located and I kindly asked, "Lily, did something happen to the bed upstairs?" Her quick response with lack of eye contact, "no". BUSTED. "Lily, I'm going to ask one more time, did something happen to the bed." This time in a dejected tone, "yes.........how did you know?"
And so the evidence was presented and they got to listen to my lecture on "do the right thing", even when you think nobody will find out. After the long arduous process of listening to my lecture, we replayed the video about 10 times and laughed harder and harder each time.
The funny thing about kids getting older is they actually listen to you sometimes, and they love to point out when Daddy is not doing the right thing. It's forced me to take stock and make sure I'm doing the right thing. Nothing is worse than a gloating 7 year old little girl who just called you out for not doing the right thing.
Jeff, Kasey, Lily, Abby, Chloe, and Lawson Boy (still eating 3 breakfasts a day)
Friday, November 22, 2013
Saturday, July 27, 2013
Lily Gives Me Hope For the Future
It has never been my intention to use this forum as my personal soap box, but every once in a while some things need be said because the way some people raise their kids in an apathetic manner really grinds my gears at times. This whole idea of fairness and trying to equalize the playing field for our children is just another symptom of the demise of our society and acceptance of mediocrity. Despite the degradation of the morals and work ethic over time there is still hope for our kids future. The evidence is clear and bubbles up in our kids will to succeed, to be better than the kid next to them in class or on the field, and the desire to the right thing. It's our duty as parents to encourage that.
Let me digress for a second and share a quick store about Lawson Boy. Parenting is not easy and we have to make difficult decisions every day that we know our kids are not going to like and will only lead to griping, whining and possible temper tantrums. Many times we have to let our kids learn the hard way. We were coming out of church one day and as we exit the doors Lawson's modus operandi is to take off running. This day it just so happened a friend of ours was next to him and challenged him to a race as they exited the doorway. Standing out in front watching the race it was apparent that Lawson was about to take a header off the curb. As he was running, he was more intent on watching his opponent to size up his competition. My warning to watch out for the curb fell on deaf ears, so I let it happen. Sure enough, the boy ended up with some scrapes on his knees and a bruised ego. Now every time we exit church, Lawson runs over to the curb and stands there with his arms out to make sure nobody else falls off the curb. While I would never purposefully put my kid in harms way, sometimes you let minor things happen so they can learn a lesson. Daddy gave him fist pumps for the cool scrapes on his knees, but he was more interested in mommy's comforting after that little fall. The kids have begun echoing my motto for them, "if you ain't got bumps, bruises and scrapes, you ain't playing hard enough."
Back to my evidence of hope for our future. Lily just finished first grade and over the past year in addition to obviously attending school she played soccer, basketball, performed on the cheer leading squad, and is taking gymnastics. A year and a half ago when we started signing her up for all these activities, my thought was that is way too many activities. A year and a half ago, she also expressed to us she wasn't sure if she wanted to continue playing soccer. After some prying we learned that she did not feel as if she were as good as some of the other girls. Our message to her was and has always been the same since she started playing. I don't care how many goals you score or if you are best player on the field, you work harder than everybody else and hustle and the skills will come. Somewhere along the way this year it sank in with her. Instead of not wanting to play, she asked me to work with her to make her better. Nobody out hustled her on the soccer field, and nobody got by her in basketball without a fight for the ball. Some of her friends are doing back hand springs and she wants to learn so she can perform them as a cheer leader. I went to watch her practice at gymnastics and even when her coach was working with another girl, Lily kept practicing her drills over and over and over with determination to get better each time. Coming off the field after a game and receiving praise for a game well played, she looked at me and said, "but we lost". There is not a scoreboard at their field and nobody tells them what the score is. They know what the score is.
So what is my point other than to brag on Lily? The point is they know the score and they want to win and that will not be discouraged in my kid. Here is what can safely be said about the individual who decided to not keep score and badgers the coach about equal playing time. Their kid probably sucks. Life ain't fair, but every kid has their own talents. Find out what those talents are and encourage them instead of trying to teach my kid mediocrity. We have to stop catering to our kids and giving them everything they want. There is nothing wrong with wanting to provide the best for our children. The best is not simply handing things over to them. The best means they earn it and we spend the time to teach our kid the right values and work ethic so they can best be prepared to go out and provide an even better life for their children.
Whether it is learned or she was born with it, Lily has figured out at an early age how to succeed. She is willing to put in the effort and work hard to do it and that gives me hope.
Jeff, Kasey, Lily, Abby Chloe, and Lawson Boy
Let me digress for a second and share a quick store about Lawson Boy. Parenting is not easy and we have to make difficult decisions every day that we know our kids are not going to like and will only lead to griping, whining and possible temper tantrums. Many times we have to let our kids learn the hard way. We were coming out of church one day and as we exit the doors Lawson's modus operandi is to take off running. This day it just so happened a friend of ours was next to him and challenged him to a race as they exited the doorway. Standing out in front watching the race it was apparent that Lawson was about to take a header off the curb. As he was running, he was more intent on watching his opponent to size up his competition. My warning to watch out for the curb fell on deaf ears, so I let it happen. Sure enough, the boy ended up with some scrapes on his knees and a bruised ego. Now every time we exit church, Lawson runs over to the curb and stands there with his arms out to make sure nobody else falls off the curb. While I would never purposefully put my kid in harms way, sometimes you let minor things happen so they can learn a lesson. Daddy gave him fist pumps for the cool scrapes on his knees, but he was more interested in mommy's comforting after that little fall. The kids have begun echoing my motto for them, "if you ain't got bumps, bruises and scrapes, you ain't playing hard enough."
Back to my evidence of hope for our future. Lily just finished first grade and over the past year in addition to obviously attending school she played soccer, basketball, performed on the cheer leading squad, and is taking gymnastics. A year and a half ago when we started signing her up for all these activities, my thought was that is way too many activities. A year and a half ago, she also expressed to us she wasn't sure if she wanted to continue playing soccer. After some prying we learned that she did not feel as if she were as good as some of the other girls. Our message to her was and has always been the same since she started playing. I don't care how many goals you score or if you are best player on the field, you work harder than everybody else and hustle and the skills will come. Somewhere along the way this year it sank in with her. Instead of not wanting to play, she asked me to work with her to make her better. Nobody out hustled her on the soccer field, and nobody got by her in basketball without a fight for the ball. Some of her friends are doing back hand springs and she wants to learn so she can perform them as a cheer leader. I went to watch her practice at gymnastics and even when her coach was working with another girl, Lily kept practicing her drills over and over and over with determination to get better each time. Coming off the field after a game and receiving praise for a game well played, she looked at me and said, "but we lost". There is not a scoreboard at their field and nobody tells them what the score is. They know what the score is.
So what is my point other than to brag on Lily? The point is they know the score and they want to win and that will not be discouraged in my kid. Here is what can safely be said about the individual who decided to not keep score and badgers the coach about equal playing time. Their kid probably sucks. Life ain't fair, but every kid has their own talents. Find out what those talents are and encourage them instead of trying to teach my kid mediocrity. We have to stop catering to our kids and giving them everything they want. There is nothing wrong with wanting to provide the best for our children. The best is not simply handing things over to them. The best means they earn it and we spend the time to teach our kid the right values and work ethic so they can best be prepared to go out and provide an even better life for their children.
Whether it is learned or she was born with it, Lily has figured out at an early age how to succeed. She is willing to put in the effort and work hard to do it and that gives me hope.
Jeff, Kasey, Lily, Abby Chloe, and Lawson Boy
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Summertime Fun
There is something built into our human nature that just will not allow us to be content with where we are at in life. The kids are constantly talking about what they are going to be able to do when they grow up or when they are in charge. We look at all the fun they are having this summer playing outside, going to the pool, VBS, camps, and we find ourselves green with envy longing for those days again when we ran wild and did not have to bother with the job, mortgage and everything that comes with being an adult. It brings back memories of running through the neighborhood all day long and only coming home when we were hungry or it started to get dark outside.
Not being in school, Abby, Chloe and Lawson are pretty much on vacation year around right now. Lily however is taking full advantage of her vacation. She spends the night with her friends or has friends over to our house so often I actually have to put pants on in the morning for fear of who is going to come running through the house. She has been to 3 different VBS already and has a basketball and cheer camp lined up over the next couple weeks. We are going to drop off Abby, Chloe and Lawson with mama and papa for the week so we can relive the glory days of only have 1 kid. Now that she is pretty self sufficient, it is almost as good as a vacation. The peace that comes with knowing a little person is not going to crawl in your bed at 2:00 in the morning is quite glorious.
Father's Day was very special for me this year, one that won't be forgotten. Lily made the most important decision of her life and prayed to accept Jesus into her heart. We had been talking about it lately and she decided she wanted to go down front at church to let everybody know. Pastor Mark's son is the same age as Lily and he sits on the front row during the service. When he saw Lily coming down front, he came over and gave her the biggest hug you can imagine. It took every ounce of macho in me not to cry like a baby. We are so proud of Lily and the decisions she makes that will continue to form her into a Godly woman one day.
Then we have Chloe who we hope makes the same good decisions one day, but for now will just have to continue trying to steer her in the right direction and pray for her. She is our entertainer and comedian, but the great thing is she does it without trying. We were talking about twins and how special Abby and Chloe are to have each other, and Chloe randomly asked, "are there twins in China?" Abby responds, "what is China?" Chloe very matter of fact explains, "China is the place with all the chopsticks."
In previous blogs, my suspicions have been documented that Chloe might be pathological. The first sign is her ability to lie to your face without blinking or hesitating. Now we have this anecdote as further evidence. Apparently Chloe was not happy with the way Abby was treating her. The reasoning for her ill will escapes me now, and is really irrelevant. Whatever the reasoning, Chloe went about and plotted her revenge. Once satisfied that her plan was fool proof, she began to call out in a soft gentle voice, "Abby, oh Abby, come here." She repeated this a few times and because Abby is no dummy, she did not go. Finally Kasey went to see what it was that Chloe needed from Abby. What did she find, you ask? She found Chloe standing next to a pillow with a plastic bat in her hand. "What are you doing?" asked Kasey. "Abby made me mad, so I'm going to hit her with the bat and she will fall onto the pillow." Now that my friends is sinister genius. Hit her hard enough to knock her down, but cushion the landing.
The most recent lesson we have learned about Chloe is that when she wants something and she does not feel you have put forth a concerted effort on her behalf, she will take matters into her own hands. She told us she would like to get her hair cut. We did not provide a satisfactory answer or solution to her wants and desires.........so she did. Age old question - is lying acceptable at any time? My answer - I would rather tell my daughter she looks beautiful, then tell her she looks like an androgynous midget heading to a gay pride rally.
Jeff, Kasey, Lily, Abby, Chloe, Iron man Lawson
Not being in school, Abby, Chloe and Lawson are pretty much on vacation year around right now. Lily however is taking full advantage of her vacation. She spends the night with her friends or has friends over to our house so often I actually have to put pants on in the morning for fear of who is going to come running through the house. She has been to 3 different VBS already and has a basketball and cheer camp lined up over the next couple weeks. We are going to drop off Abby, Chloe and Lawson with mama and papa for the week so we can relive the glory days of only have 1 kid. Now that she is pretty self sufficient, it is almost as good as a vacation. The peace that comes with knowing a little person is not going to crawl in your bed at 2:00 in the morning is quite glorious.
Father's Day was very special for me this year, one that won't be forgotten. Lily made the most important decision of her life and prayed to accept Jesus into her heart. We had been talking about it lately and she decided she wanted to go down front at church to let everybody know. Pastor Mark's son is the same age as Lily and he sits on the front row during the service. When he saw Lily coming down front, he came over and gave her the biggest hug you can imagine. It took every ounce of macho in me not to cry like a baby. We are so proud of Lily and the decisions she makes that will continue to form her into a Godly woman one day.
Then we have Chloe who we hope makes the same good decisions one day, but for now will just have to continue trying to steer her in the right direction and pray for her. She is our entertainer and comedian, but the great thing is she does it without trying. We were talking about twins and how special Abby and Chloe are to have each other, and Chloe randomly asked, "are there twins in China?" Abby responds, "what is China?" Chloe very matter of fact explains, "China is the place with all the chopsticks."
In previous blogs, my suspicions have been documented that Chloe might be pathological. The first sign is her ability to lie to your face without blinking or hesitating. Now we have this anecdote as further evidence. Apparently Chloe was not happy with the way Abby was treating her. The reasoning for her ill will escapes me now, and is really irrelevant. Whatever the reasoning, Chloe went about and plotted her revenge. Once satisfied that her plan was fool proof, she began to call out in a soft gentle voice, "Abby, oh Abby, come here." She repeated this a few times and because Abby is no dummy, she did not go. Finally Kasey went to see what it was that Chloe needed from Abby. What did she find, you ask? She found Chloe standing next to a pillow with a plastic bat in her hand. "What are you doing?" asked Kasey. "Abby made me mad, so I'm going to hit her with the bat and she will fall onto the pillow." Now that my friends is sinister genius. Hit her hard enough to knock her down, but cushion the landing.
The most recent lesson we have learned about Chloe is that when she wants something and she does not feel you have put forth a concerted effort on her behalf, she will take matters into her own hands. She told us she would like to get her hair cut. We did not provide a satisfactory answer or solution to her wants and desires.........so she did. Age old question - is lying acceptable at any time? My answer - I would rather tell my daughter she looks beautiful, then tell her she looks like an androgynous midget heading to a gay pride rally.
Jeff, Kasey, Lily, Abby, Chloe, Iron man Lawson
Saturday, June 1, 2013
Abby Breaks Chloe's Arm
Lily will be seven years old next week, Abby and Chloe are 4 1/2, and Lawson is is only a couple months from being 3 even though he is as big as a 4 years old and people are beginning to ask if we had triplets. Total their ages, round up slightly and that equates to 19 years of childhood experience. Up until the last year we have been mostly accident free, but to reflect on this past year and the number of ER visits we have taken, it may be fiscally wise to start budgeting for these ER trips or start investing in the clinic we attend. The list to the best of my recollection includes multiple ear infections, busted up chin for Lily requiring glue, laceration under the eye for Abby requiring glue, and the latest is a broken arm for Chloe.
You know how everybody always talks about how they have the kid in their family that should have broken every bone in their body because of the stunts they pulled, but never did? Then there is the kid that always played safe, but seems to have multiple mishaps. Well our family is the same way. Chloe is the last child expected to have a broken bone. My money was on Lily or Lawson simply because Lily in now involved in several sporting activities, and Lawson is Lawson which lends itself to possible injury every day.
The popular question is, how did it happen? The simple answer is monkeys jumping on the bed who didn't listen to their daddy. In her defense, it did appear to just be a awkward fall. Abby was standing on the bed, and Chloe pulled her shirt to bring her down and Abby fell on Chloe's hand. They called it a buckle fracture, meaning the ends of the bone buckled like a coke can and you could see the bend in the bones on the X-ray. And oh how Chloe is milking this thing for all it's worth. If she has said my arm is broken once, she has said it 100 times. She also likes to remind Abby that it is her fault her arm is broken. Abby was walking in the general vicinity of Chloe (maybe within 3 feet), and Chloe tells her, "Abby, be careful, don't break my bones." We thought that Abby would feel really bad, but quite the opposite. In fact she takes great pride in announcing, "I broke Chloe's arm."
Not only is Lily about to turn 7, but she also just finished up the first grade. She is growing up so fast and while sometimes you want to slow the hands of time, we thoroughly enjoy watching her grow and mature. Jealousy even starts to enter the equation when thinking about the fun summer ahead of her. She has several friends close by and it makes me think about all the fun we used to have riding bikes around the neighborhood, going to the swimming pool, and just looking for mischief. It will be interesting to see how the twins handle it since Lily will want to spend more time with her friends cutting into sister time. She is still a great big sister and does more for those girls than she should really have to as an almost 7 year old. She has earned the time to go hand with her friends and just play and be a kid.
We have reached another milestone which gave me great joy. After 7 long years, we no longer have a crib in our household. Yes, Lawson now has a big boy bed complete with Spider man bedspread and sheets. When the 2 of us went to pick out his bedding your would though he was shopping for candy. Lawson Boy was so excited to pick out his bedding and at one point he was torn between his favorite 2 characters Spider man and Lightning McQueen.
Kasey will soon need to write about the girls recent trip to the happiest place on earth.....Disney world. Kasey, Lily, Abby, Chloe, Mo (Kasey's mom), and Lauren made some wonderful memories on their girl trip. Lawson is still too young so we had our own boy's weekend at home full of baseball games, movies, and eating out every meal like men do. Truth be told, there was no desire on my part to ever go to Disney world, but after seeing how much fun they had, my heart has changed and look forward to going with the whole family in a few years.
While in Florida, Kasey was diligent in keeping us abreast of the happenings. The greatest stories were told at Mo's expense. Obviously you do quite a bit of walking while there, so Mo rented a scooter to avoid fatigue. Bad news for Disney world. Mo didn't just crash one scooter, but she crashed her replacement scooter, had to been by paramedics, lost said second scooter, and got completely lost from everybody else. These really are not laughing matters, but laugh and laugh and laugh is all I did.
One final anecdote before signing off. Actually it is a word of warning based on a lesson we learned the hard way. When Abby tells you she does not care for something at dinner, it would be wise to not make her eat it. One of my favorite veggies is roasted brussell sprouts and Kasey was nice enough to prepare them one evening. Abby made it clear she did not care for them, but we have a rule that you must at least try it and I was enforcing this rule. Abby slowly put the sprout in her mouth......little gag. "Abby, swallow that", I say. At this point she has a horrible look on her face.....bigger gag. "Stop it Abby". And then as if only to spite me for not believing her.......she chundered her previously chewed meal all back on her plate. Point made, Abby will never have to eat brussell sprouts again.
Jeff, Kasey, Lily, Abby, Chloe, and Spidey Lawson
You know how everybody always talks about how they have the kid in their family that should have broken every bone in their body because of the stunts they pulled, but never did? Then there is the kid that always played safe, but seems to have multiple mishaps. Well our family is the same way. Chloe is the last child expected to have a broken bone. My money was on Lily or Lawson simply because Lily in now involved in several sporting activities, and Lawson is Lawson which lends itself to possible injury every day.
The popular question is, how did it happen? The simple answer is monkeys jumping on the bed who didn't listen to their daddy. In her defense, it did appear to just be a awkward fall. Abby was standing on the bed, and Chloe pulled her shirt to bring her down and Abby fell on Chloe's hand. They called it a buckle fracture, meaning the ends of the bone buckled like a coke can and you could see the bend in the bones on the X-ray. And oh how Chloe is milking this thing for all it's worth. If she has said my arm is broken once, she has said it 100 times. She also likes to remind Abby that it is her fault her arm is broken. Abby was walking in the general vicinity of Chloe (maybe within 3 feet), and Chloe tells her, "Abby, be careful, don't break my bones." We thought that Abby would feel really bad, but quite the opposite. In fact she takes great pride in announcing, "I broke Chloe's arm."
Not only is Lily about to turn 7, but she also just finished up the first grade. She is growing up so fast and while sometimes you want to slow the hands of time, we thoroughly enjoy watching her grow and mature. Jealousy even starts to enter the equation when thinking about the fun summer ahead of her. She has several friends close by and it makes me think about all the fun we used to have riding bikes around the neighborhood, going to the swimming pool, and just looking for mischief. It will be interesting to see how the twins handle it since Lily will want to spend more time with her friends cutting into sister time. She is still a great big sister and does more for those girls than she should really have to as an almost 7 year old. She has earned the time to go hand with her friends and just play and be a kid.
We have reached another milestone which gave me great joy. After 7 long years, we no longer have a crib in our household. Yes, Lawson now has a big boy bed complete with Spider man bedspread and sheets. When the 2 of us went to pick out his bedding your would though he was shopping for candy. Lawson Boy was so excited to pick out his bedding and at one point he was torn between his favorite 2 characters Spider man and Lightning McQueen.
Kasey will soon need to write about the girls recent trip to the happiest place on earth.....Disney world. Kasey, Lily, Abby, Chloe, Mo (Kasey's mom), and Lauren made some wonderful memories on their girl trip. Lawson is still too young so we had our own boy's weekend at home full of baseball games, movies, and eating out every meal like men do. Truth be told, there was no desire on my part to ever go to Disney world, but after seeing how much fun they had, my heart has changed and look forward to going with the whole family in a few years.
While in Florida, Kasey was diligent in keeping us abreast of the happenings. The greatest stories were told at Mo's expense. Obviously you do quite a bit of walking while there, so Mo rented a scooter to avoid fatigue. Bad news for Disney world. Mo didn't just crash one scooter, but she crashed her replacement scooter, had to been by paramedics, lost said second scooter, and got completely lost from everybody else. These really are not laughing matters, but laugh and laugh and laugh is all I did.
One final anecdote before signing off. Actually it is a word of warning based on a lesson we learned the hard way. When Abby tells you she does not care for something at dinner, it would be wise to not make her eat it. One of my favorite veggies is roasted brussell sprouts and Kasey was nice enough to prepare them one evening. Abby made it clear she did not care for them, but we have a rule that you must at least try it and I was enforcing this rule. Abby slowly put the sprout in her mouth......little gag. "Abby, swallow that", I say. At this point she has a horrible look on her face.....bigger gag. "Stop it Abby". And then as if only to spite me for not believing her.......she chundered her previously chewed meal all back on her plate. Point made, Abby will never have to eat brussell sprouts again.
Jeff, Kasey, Lily, Abby, Chloe, and Spidey Lawson
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Proud Parents
Sometimes it feels like we never stop correcting, repeating, teaching and disciplining our kids. No matter if you have one kid or 4 kids, it seems like a constant chore to get your message through to your kids. It seems like forever ago, but back in the day when we just had Lily we spent a great deal of time working on her manners and correcting her to say please, thank you, yes sir, yes ma'am, and above all don't say "yeah". Not sure why, but that word coming from a kids mouth grinds my gears and makes me want to drop kick them right on the spot. To this day, we still remind and correct Lily along with the other 3 monsters proper manners and how to speak to others politely. Maybe someone else can explain this to me, but there is this phenomenon that happens when other people are around your kids versus when they are at home with you. Just when you start to think that you may have dropped every one of your children on their heads and have blocked it from your memory because what you are telling them does not seem to be sinking through their thick skulls, somebody compliments your child for being so well behaved. After a moment of slack jawed bewilderment, you ask, "you must be kidding, my child?" Then you realize that the little monsters really do hear and listen to you, they just dont' want to give you the personal satisfaction or make your job as a parent any easier along the way.
While it can be a chore, nothing makes you prouder than hearing another parent tell you how polite your child is. We are proud of all our children, and Lily being the oldest having endured our repetitive corrections for the longest time is truly one of the most well mannered kids I know. This year she has taken home from school the award for "Most Respectful", and just yesterday she took home the Pride Award for "Most Dependable". These are 2 qualities that will serve her well throughout her life. Her receiving these awards, and hearing compliments from others reminds us that after a long day of constantly correcting, we make the effort to tell each of our kids how proud of them we are. Those words of praise always seem to sink in much quicker than the rules and demands. While putting Lawson down for bed and loving on him, he will put his head on your shoulder, pat your back, and say "Daddy, I so proud of you".
We are proud of Lily for her awards, her good grades, and nothing makes me swell with pride more than watching her play soccer or basketball and give it her all. She may not have the best skills in soccer or basketball, but she I'll put her determination up against any other kid. When she comes off the field, she is spent from giving it her all. She was playing defense in a game a few weeks ago and the other team was coming up the field with Lily and the goalie as the last line of defense. Lily started to inch closer and as soon as saw the ball get a little too far from the other player she took off in a blur to attack the ball. It happened in a flash, but when the encounter ended all that was left was Lily standing over the other girl on the ground as if to say, "don't come in my house". At least that's the way I saw it, and so did the other dads because we were high fiving like it was the Superbowl. And don't try to post up on her on the block in basketball. She is not afraid to throw an elbow in your chest to get in front of you.
We are proud of Abby and Chloe for finally achieving the goal of neither of them wetting the bed for a week straight. The amount of sheets we have washed since they went to big girl underwear is staggering. Whenever a child is in a confrontation, it's hard not to jump right in and solve the problem for them. It actually entertains me to watch my kids try to resolve issues, especially when it involves somebody elses child. A little boy was picking on Chloe one day, and Abby walked up and stood next to Chloe and they both proceeded to give kid the riot act. That kid backed down so fast, and Abby and Chloe just gave each other look that said don't worry, I got your back.
Lawson doesn't need us to be proud of him though we certainly are. He is most often proud of himself for his antics that he needs very little encouragement. He will be walking by one of the other children and purposefully bump into them while saying "sowwy" at the same time. Then he just looks up with a big grin on his face and could care less if he is about to get in trouble. Clearly we are in for another ER visit soon, because his favorite line right now are the famous last word, "hey, watch this!"
Jeff, Kasey, Lily, Abby, Chloe, and Daredevil Lawson Boy
While it can be a chore, nothing makes you prouder than hearing another parent tell you how polite your child is. We are proud of all our children, and Lily being the oldest having endured our repetitive corrections for the longest time is truly one of the most well mannered kids I know. This year she has taken home from school the award for "Most Respectful", and just yesterday she took home the Pride Award for "Most Dependable". These are 2 qualities that will serve her well throughout her life. Her receiving these awards, and hearing compliments from others reminds us that after a long day of constantly correcting, we make the effort to tell each of our kids how proud of them we are. Those words of praise always seem to sink in much quicker than the rules and demands. While putting Lawson down for bed and loving on him, he will put his head on your shoulder, pat your back, and say "Daddy, I so proud of you".
We are proud of Lily for her awards, her good grades, and nothing makes me swell with pride more than watching her play soccer or basketball and give it her all. She may not have the best skills in soccer or basketball, but she I'll put her determination up against any other kid. When she comes off the field, she is spent from giving it her all. She was playing defense in a game a few weeks ago and the other team was coming up the field with Lily and the goalie as the last line of defense. Lily started to inch closer and as soon as saw the ball get a little too far from the other player she took off in a blur to attack the ball. It happened in a flash, but when the encounter ended all that was left was Lily standing over the other girl on the ground as if to say, "don't come in my house". At least that's the way I saw it, and so did the other dads because we were high fiving like it was the Superbowl. And don't try to post up on her on the block in basketball. She is not afraid to throw an elbow in your chest to get in front of you.
We are proud of Abby and Chloe for finally achieving the goal of neither of them wetting the bed for a week straight. The amount of sheets we have washed since they went to big girl underwear is staggering. Whenever a child is in a confrontation, it's hard not to jump right in and solve the problem for them. It actually entertains me to watch my kids try to resolve issues, especially when it involves somebody elses child. A little boy was picking on Chloe one day, and Abby walked up and stood next to Chloe and they both proceeded to give kid the riot act. That kid backed down so fast, and Abby and Chloe just gave each other look that said don't worry, I got your back.
Lawson doesn't need us to be proud of him though we certainly are. He is most often proud of himself for his antics that he needs very little encouragement. He will be walking by one of the other children and purposefully bump into them while saying "sowwy" at the same time. Then he just looks up with a big grin on his face and could care less if he is about to get in trouble. Clearly we are in for another ER visit soon, because his favorite line right now are the famous last word, "hey, watch this!"
Jeff, Kasey, Lily, Abby, Chloe, and Daredevil Lawson Boy
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Trouble
Lots going on these days, but this video gives a pretty accurate description of the things that make me smile around here.
Okay, one quick story before the video. Lily was eating her breakfast this morning and mumbles something under her breath in what can only be described as a sassy tone. "What did you say Lily?"
"I SAID, ARE YOU GOING TO PUT SOME PANTS ON BEFORE MY BUS GETS HERE?"
Jeff, Kasey, Lily, Abby, Chloe, and Trouble
Okay, one quick story before the video. Lily was eating her breakfast this morning and mumbles something under her breath in what can only be described as a sassy tone. "What did you say Lily?"
"I SAID, ARE YOU GOING TO PUT SOME PANTS ON BEFORE MY BUS GETS HERE?"
Jeff, Kasey, Lily, Abby, Chloe, and Trouble
Friday, March 15, 2013
Too Many Stories To Tell
Yeeesh, it has been almost 2 months since the last post.....what a slacker. Every day just seems like a blur and its hard to keep up with everything the kids say and do. If it seems my thoughts are jumbled and incoherent it's because I'm just going to start typing and see what I can remember over the past 2 months.
Since it is not really clear who all reads this and there may be some newcomers, it bears repeating every once in a while. The genesis behind the blog is simply to create a journal that Kasey, the kids and I can look back on at some point and remember the different seasons of life. Through that process, if others get a good laugh or learn something from our many blunders, all the better. Recently, my role in my company has changed, and for the better. The experiences were invaluable and will help to make me better at what my current role, but most importantly my schedule is more flexible for me to spend time with Kasey and the kids. To even have breakfast with the kids over the past year and a half was an anomaly. Forget about the occasional lunch with Lily at school. Now all those things are routine and quality of life has increased exponentially for me.
When a parent goes to school to have lunch, the child is allowed to invite one friend to join them. So Lily invited a little girl from her class that also plays on her basketball team, Reagan. As a side note, Reagan is welcome to our house anytime, which cannot be said about all her friends. Those 2 cracked me up telling me about all the other kids; who is good, who gets in trouble, who bully's, but they wouldn't admit to me who they thought was cute. They kept telling secrets to each other wondering if they should tell me about something that happened, and eventually they would be convinced to go ahead and tell me. It was just fun to watch them and find myself a little jealous about all the fun they will be having over the next several years with little worry about the responsibility that comes with being an adult.
Since it is not really clear who all reads this and there may be some newcomers, it bears repeating every once in a while. The genesis behind the blog is simply to create a journal that Kasey, the kids and I can look back on at some point and remember the different seasons of life. Through that process, if others get a good laugh or learn something from our many blunders, all the better. Recently, my role in my company has changed, and for the better. The experiences were invaluable and will help to make me better at what my current role, but most importantly my schedule is more flexible for me to spend time with Kasey and the kids. To even have breakfast with the kids over the past year and a half was an anomaly. Forget about the occasional lunch with Lily at school. Now all those things are routine and quality of life has increased exponentially for me.
When a parent goes to school to have lunch, the child is allowed to invite one friend to join them. So Lily invited a little girl from her class that also plays on her basketball team, Reagan. As a side note, Reagan is welcome to our house anytime, which cannot be said about all her friends. Those 2 cracked me up telling me about all the other kids; who is good, who gets in trouble, who bully's, but they wouldn't admit to me who they thought was cute. They kept telling secrets to each other wondering if they should tell me about something that happened, and eventually they would be convinced to go ahead and tell me. It was just fun to watch them and find myself a little jealous about all the fun they will be having over the next several years with little worry about the responsibility that comes with being an adult.
It was my pleasure to escort Lily on our second Father / Daughter dance recently. It was unclear at first whether we would be attending as Lily has this notion that her Daddy is going to embarrass her. After she was convinced that her embarrassment would be limited, she agreed to go and we had a wonderful time. As her father, it is my duty (ha ha, I said doodie) to turn every event into a learning experience. My explanation of why we go on dates and how we will continue to go on dates so she can learn how a boy is expected to treat her once she starts dating was met with no less that 1200 eye rolls. Let's just hope some of it sinks in. Lily got to wear a corsage, and so as not to leave the other girls out, Abby and Chloe received flowers, and Lawson presented Mommy with a rose as well. It was very cute.....see for yourself.
We were all sitting around the other night when it suddenly dawned upon me, we don't have babies anymore. Lily is in first grade acting like she should be going off to college any day. Abby and Chloe have turned into young little ladies overnight, and while they still have the occasional melt down they are learning to figure things out for themselves and at least try to work out their differences. Lawson Boy has turned into an obstinate little trouble maker and it cracks me up way more than it should. It's like looking into a mirror and trying to scold yourself, you just cannot do it without laughing sometimes. The latest lesson that won't sink into his thick skull is "sometimes the answer is no". The boy doesn't take no for an answer, which is admirable to a point. So after the explanation is given that he does not always get what he wants, his usually response is, "Daddy, the answer is YES!" As if that wasn't enough, it is often followed with, "STOP TALKING, go your room or I spank you." Always fun to hear from your 2 year old son.
Friday night pizza night is here, so I better get it going before the boy withers away from lack of food. As if his usual 3 breakfast, lunch and snacks weren't enough.
Jeff, Kasey, Lily, Abby, Chloe and the bottomless pit (Lawson Boy)
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Happy 4th Birthday Abby and Chloe
Just as the process of writing this blog is about to begin, Abby is exiting the kitchen with a very guilty look on her face and something obvious hiding in her shirt. Keep in mind, she knows they are not allowed to take food from the kitchen.
Me: "What are you doing Abby?"
Abby: "Nothing"
Me: "What's in your shirt Abby?"
Abby: "Oh this? (pause) I brought you some crackers Daddy."
Me: "You weren't trying to take them upstairs with you, where you?"
Abby: "Yes, but there for you now."
And that pretty much sums up what we deal with every day most of these past 4 years; a good mix of mischief, cuteness and witty responses or lies depending on how you choose to look at it.
Four years ago God blessed with us with these 2 wonderful tiny little babies. While they do create a great deal of mayhem in our lives and we frequently complain about the craziness that raising twins can bring, truth is we cannot imagine life without them. Funny thing is about 4 1/2 years ago, we were preparing for the fact that both of them may not even live to come home with us. For those who don't know about the challenges during their pregnancy, there is a reason we call them "miracle babies" and what better day to tell their story than on their birthday.
About 15 weeks into the pregnancy, we went for a sonogram with most of Kasey's family in the room while we determined the sex of the baby. The anticipation was great and there was concern of disappointment conveyed by yours truly as my preference for a boy had been made very clear. The process began and the images on the screen started to come into focus. After a few minutes, a comment was made something along the lines of, "you know there are 2, right?" Ha, ha, very funny. After some fun was had at my expense, there is was, the image was clear and I saw 2 babies. Kasey is yelling out, "I knew it, I told my doctor I was having twins." Kasey's brother secured Lily from my arms in fear that she be dropped as the color on my face began to fade to more of a greenish hue. While this tidbit of info was still setting in and weakening my knees, along comes the knock out punch, "they are both girls". Holy *&?*^! is what I start thinking. 3 girls, 3 weddings, 3 college tuition's, not enough guns to wart off all those boys, and on and on my mind raced. As if that wasn't enough, Dr. T asked to clear the room so he could explain some things to us.
Basically we were told that we need to schedule an appointment with Kasey's doctor the very next day. During that visit, it was explained that Abby and Chloe were mono-amnionic meaning they shared the same sac. Kasey's doctor, Chuck, (we have had enough kids that I'm on first name basis with her OBGYN), felt horrible that he missed the twins, but because there was only one sac he assumed one baby. Chuck sent us to another specialist. While his candor was appreciated, he did not do much to make Kasey feel at ease. This guy basically told us there is nothing we can do but spend some time in the hospital moitoring the babies and hope for the best. He told us right now I would say your babies have a 50/50 shot of both living. I still remember walking out of his office that day, and Kasey just began to cry on the sidewalk.
During her 25th week of pregnancy and the day after Thanksgiving, Kasey went into the hospital where she would spend the next 9 weeks. Abby and Chloe would have to be monitored every couple hours to make sure they were not killing each other. Not much has changed really since then has it? They were monitored to make sure one baby was not getting all the blood supply, and to make sure that their umbilical cords were not knotted off. If at any time something happened, Kasey would be rushed in for an emergency C Section.
Those 9 weeks were some of the most memorable weeks of my life. Lily and I spent so much time together during that time frame and she was such a trooper. We went to the hospital almost every night and not once did she cry or make a scene when we left Kasey there. This time frame may be where she mastered her art of stealthing into our bed, as I woke up most every morning with her curled up next to me. Abby and Chloe did great, and aside from the occasional technical difficulties of finding their heart beats, it was pretty smooth going. Kasey became fast friends with all the nurses and if memory serves me correct, Kasey knew all the good gossip around the prenatal unit. We snuck Kasey out of the hospital for 2 hours on Christmas so she could at least open gifts with us. That may have been the toughest day for Kasey through the whole thing. We had so many sonograms those 9 weeks, that we were actually able to pick up on some of Abby and Chloe's characteristics. Chloe could sense when the sonogram was happening and it was if she was trying to push Abby aside so she could get in the picture. We have a sonogram picture of the two of them actually holding hands in the womb.
Me: "What are you doing Abby?"
Abby: "Nothing"
Me: "What's in your shirt Abby?"
Abby: "Oh this? (pause) I brought you some crackers Daddy."
Me: "You weren't trying to take them upstairs with you, where you?"
Abby: "Yes, but there for you now."
And that pretty much sums up what we deal with every day most of these past 4 years; a good mix of mischief, cuteness and witty responses or lies depending on how you choose to look at it.
Four years ago God blessed with us with these 2 wonderful tiny little babies. While they do create a great deal of mayhem in our lives and we frequently complain about the craziness that raising twins can bring, truth is we cannot imagine life without them. Funny thing is about 4 1/2 years ago, we were preparing for the fact that both of them may not even live to come home with us. For those who don't know about the challenges during their pregnancy, there is a reason we call them "miracle babies" and what better day to tell their story than on their birthday.
About 15 weeks into the pregnancy, we went for a sonogram with most of Kasey's family in the room while we determined the sex of the baby. The anticipation was great and there was concern of disappointment conveyed by yours truly as my preference for a boy had been made very clear. The process began and the images on the screen started to come into focus. After a few minutes, a comment was made something along the lines of, "you know there are 2, right?" Ha, ha, very funny. After some fun was had at my expense, there is was, the image was clear and I saw 2 babies. Kasey is yelling out, "I knew it, I told my doctor I was having twins." Kasey's brother secured Lily from my arms in fear that she be dropped as the color on my face began to fade to more of a greenish hue. While this tidbit of info was still setting in and weakening my knees, along comes the knock out punch, "they are both girls". Holy *&?*^! is what I start thinking. 3 girls, 3 weddings, 3 college tuition's, not enough guns to wart off all those boys, and on and on my mind raced. As if that wasn't enough, Dr. T asked to clear the room so he could explain some things to us.
Basically we were told that we need to schedule an appointment with Kasey's doctor the very next day. During that visit, it was explained that Abby and Chloe were mono-amnionic meaning they shared the same sac. Kasey's doctor, Chuck, (we have had enough kids that I'm on first name basis with her OBGYN), felt horrible that he missed the twins, but because there was only one sac he assumed one baby. Chuck sent us to another specialist. While his candor was appreciated, he did not do much to make Kasey feel at ease. This guy basically told us there is nothing we can do but spend some time in the hospital moitoring the babies and hope for the best. He told us right now I would say your babies have a 50/50 shot of both living. I still remember walking out of his office that day, and Kasey just began to cry on the sidewalk.
During her 25th week of pregnancy and the day after Thanksgiving, Kasey went into the hospital where she would spend the next 9 weeks. Abby and Chloe would have to be monitored every couple hours to make sure they were not killing each other. Not much has changed really since then has it? They were monitored to make sure one baby was not getting all the blood supply, and to make sure that their umbilical cords were not knotted off. If at any time something happened, Kasey would be rushed in for an emergency C Section.
Those 9 weeks were some of the most memorable weeks of my life. Lily and I spent so much time together during that time frame and she was such a trooper. We went to the hospital almost every night and not once did she cry or make a scene when we left Kasey there. This time frame may be where she mastered her art of stealthing into our bed, as I woke up most every morning with her curled up next to me. Abby and Chloe did great, and aside from the occasional technical difficulties of finding their heart beats, it was pretty smooth going. Kasey became fast friends with all the nurses and if memory serves me correct, Kasey knew all the good gossip around the prenatal unit. We snuck Kasey out of the hospital for 2 hours on Christmas so she could at least open gifts with us. That may have been the toughest day for Kasey through the whole thing. We had so many sonograms those 9 weeks, that we were actually able to pick up on some of Abby and Chloe's characteristics. Chloe could sense when the sonogram was happening and it was if she was trying to push Abby aside so she could get in the picture. We have a sonogram picture of the two of them actually holding hands in the womb.
So the plan was to take them at 34 weeks or 6 weeks early. Chuck said they could spend as much as 6 weeks in the NICU just depending on how well they ate. That day 4 years ago came and Abby arrive first the smaller of the 2 white as a sheet and barely a peep. Chloe came out screaming bloody murder and red as a beet. We got to see them all of 2 seconds before they were rushed away into a room with 8 to 10 people waiting to care for them. It only took a few minutes before they allowed me into the room and asked me what their names were. "Which one came out first, and is she smaller?", I said. They confirmed that baby A was smaller, so I confirmed that was Abby and baby B is Chloe. They were the tiniest little babies I had ever seen both weighing about 4 lbs. Chloe to this day is still the first one to try new things, and she came home a day before Abby after only 10 days in the hospital.
Happy Birthday to my sweet little twin baby girls, we love you so much!
Quick Lawson Story: We attended cousin Morgan's basketball game who is now playing for Arlington Baptist. After the game all the kids were running around and before they got out of control, they were told to settle down. Lawson began to back talk me as he often does, and after a couple warnings he got a little love tap on his rear end. Though it wasn't hard enough for him to barely feel it, he played the sympathy card and began crying. He shuffles over to Mommy and proceeds to tell on me:
Kasey: "what happened Lawson?"
Lawson: "Daddy hit me."
Kasey: "Where you talking back?"
Lawson: "No, daddy hit me". (He then turns around pointing at his hiney) "Daddy hit me on my hiney......will you kiss it?"
Jeff, Kasey, Lily, Abby, Chloe, and Lawson Boy
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Fun at the Holidays
Happy New Year! We have had so much fun over Christmas and the holidays and can't wait to see what 2013 brings for us this year. Looking back over the past year, it seems to have gone by so fast and yet so much has happened and changed in that year. We struggled through much of the year trying to balance our work schedules and the kids and all the activities they are now involved in, and 2012 flat wore us out. Hard as it may have been, we had so much fun watching the kids grow and learn, and the things that will stick with us are the fun times and the hilarious stories that they fill our lives with.
In an effort to get into the Christmas spirit, we watched several Christmas shows including classics like Charlie Brown, newer shows like Ice Age Christmas, and we sprinkled in some musical specials as well. We chose to watch Michael Buble's Christmas special, and odd as it may seem the entire family laughed the whole way through. Let me explain. We use the term bubali (not sure the spelling) to describe a boys private parts, which is an actual term in Farsi that we learned. The pronunciation of this word is very similar to Buble, so every time somebody said Michael Buble we laughed and laughed and laughed. Not exactly a Norman Rockwell picture, but every family has to create their own memories. The highlight was when Elmo made an appearance on the show and said Mr. Michael Buble over and over and over. The kids laughed so hard, it's a wonder one of them didn't throw up.
This was the first Christmas that all the kids were old enough to truly enjoy the presents. My job this year was take care of Lawson's gifts and that task was gladly accepted. There is nothing more fun than going to the toy store and buying anything you want.....I mean buy toys for your son. It's still up in the air whether Lawson enjoyed opening his gifts more than me. One lesson learned is that those warnings they put on toys that ready "for ages" are based on a scale. It has nothing to do with safety and everything to do with fun factor. The lower the age warning the more boring the toy. The higher the age warning, the more fun. So Lawson at 2 years old did not receive a single toy under 4+.
We had a white Christmas here in the DFW area this year. The kids were so excited to go out and play in the snow until they realized how cold snow really is. They gave up on building their snow man in less than 3 minutes.
It's been mentioned several times in the blog that Lily has a similar sense of humor to mine which can be summed up in the following observation that she made just this morning.
Lily: "Daddy, you know what's funny about buttons?"
Me: "No, what is funny about buttons."
Lily: "If you take away the O and the N, it spells butt."
Lily and some of her friends practice for several weeks to go Caroling this Christmas. They went to the funeral home to bring cheer and joy to the elderly. When asked if they enjoyed their singing, she responded, "yes they did, except for the ones that were sleeping".
Because the kids are still so young they cannot be trusted to stay away from the gifts under the tree, so Kasey and I have to stay up late every Christmas Eve to get all the gifts wrapped and get Christmas morning ready. It's actually become a fun little time for us spend time together even though both of us want nothing more than to just get some sleep. The lack of trust in the kids doesn't make for a very pretty Christmas tree. If they can touch an ornament they will, and they will most likely break it as well. It doesn't matter how many times you tell them not to touch, they will still break it. So our Christmas had 70% of the ornaments at the top of the tree out of their reach and the rest were broken.
Along with the holidays comes colds, ear infections, and stomach bugs. Best guess is that we have washed somebody's sheets the past 12 days in a row due to some sort of nastiness in the middle of the night. In addition we made two ER visits for an ear infection and a fever that spiked to almost 105. Sometimes you just feel like the house will never be clean until that last little rug rat goes off to college.
But the award for best Christmas story in the Strait household goes to Chloe Belle.
Twas the day of Christmas and all through our house
Every Monster was searching for mischief about
Almost asleep on my couch when something I heard
Not sure what it was so to my slumber return
Then up the stairs, Monster Lawson did scurry
With fear in his words as "ooo, ooo, ooo" he did utter
In my daze, I paid no attention at first
Then something hit me saying this doesn't make sense
So I rose from the couch to see what could be
What a sudden surprise hung waiting for me
The dining room light hung from nothing but a wire
Come to find out my Chloe, she is not a good liar
There was a toy on the table that made for good fun
But not as much as if from a chandelier she hung
As best we can figure, she grabbed on for a ride
It pulled from the ceiling and she is lucky to have a backside
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Love
Jeff, Kasey, Lily, Abby, Chloe, and Spidey Lawson
In an effort to get into the Christmas spirit, we watched several Christmas shows including classics like Charlie Brown, newer shows like Ice Age Christmas, and we sprinkled in some musical specials as well. We chose to watch Michael Buble's Christmas special, and odd as it may seem the entire family laughed the whole way through. Let me explain. We use the term bubali (not sure the spelling) to describe a boys private parts, which is an actual term in Farsi that we learned. The pronunciation of this word is very similar to Buble, so every time somebody said Michael Buble we laughed and laughed and laughed. Not exactly a Norman Rockwell picture, but every family has to create their own memories. The highlight was when Elmo made an appearance on the show and said Mr. Michael Buble over and over and over. The kids laughed so hard, it's a wonder one of them didn't throw up.
This was the first Christmas that all the kids were old enough to truly enjoy the presents. My job this year was take care of Lawson's gifts and that task was gladly accepted. There is nothing more fun than going to the toy store and buying anything you want.....I mean buy toys for your son. It's still up in the air whether Lawson enjoyed opening his gifts more than me. One lesson learned is that those warnings they put on toys that ready "for ages" are based on a scale. It has nothing to do with safety and everything to do with fun factor. The lower the age warning the more boring the toy. The higher the age warning, the more fun. So Lawson at 2 years old did not receive a single toy under 4+.
We had a white Christmas here in the DFW area this year. The kids were so excited to go out and play in the snow until they realized how cold snow really is. They gave up on building their snow man in less than 3 minutes.
It's been mentioned several times in the blog that Lily has a similar sense of humor to mine which can be summed up in the following observation that she made just this morning.
Lily: "Daddy, you know what's funny about buttons?"
Me: "No, what is funny about buttons."
Lily: "If you take away the O and the N, it spells butt."
Lily and some of her friends practice for several weeks to go Caroling this Christmas. They went to the funeral home to bring cheer and joy to the elderly. When asked if they enjoyed their singing, she responded, "yes they did, except for the ones that were sleeping".
Because the kids are still so young they cannot be trusted to stay away from the gifts under the tree, so Kasey and I have to stay up late every Christmas Eve to get all the gifts wrapped and get Christmas morning ready. It's actually become a fun little time for us spend time together even though both of us want nothing more than to just get some sleep. The lack of trust in the kids doesn't make for a very pretty Christmas tree. If they can touch an ornament they will, and they will most likely break it as well. It doesn't matter how many times you tell them not to touch, they will still break it. So our Christmas had 70% of the ornaments at the top of the tree out of their reach and the rest were broken.
Along with the holidays comes colds, ear infections, and stomach bugs. Best guess is that we have washed somebody's sheets the past 12 days in a row due to some sort of nastiness in the middle of the night. In addition we made two ER visits for an ear infection and a fever that spiked to almost 105. Sometimes you just feel like the house will never be clean until that last little rug rat goes off to college.
But the award for best Christmas story in the Strait household goes to Chloe Belle.
Twas the day of Christmas and all through our house
Every Monster was searching for mischief about
Almost asleep on my couch when something I heard
Not sure what it was so to my slumber return
Then up the stairs, Monster Lawson did scurry
With fear in his words as "ooo, ooo, ooo" he did utter
In my daze, I paid no attention at first
Then something hit me saying this doesn't make sense
So I rose from the couch to see what could be
What a sudden surprise hung waiting for me
The dining room light hung from nothing but a wire
Come to find out my Chloe, she is not a good liar
There was a toy on the table that made for good fun
But not as much as if from a chandelier she hung
As best we can figure, she grabbed on for a ride
It pulled from the ceiling and she is lucky to have a backside
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Love
Jeff, Kasey, Lily, Abby, Chloe, and Spidey Lawson
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