Part 3- Christmas Prep

Hi All-

I'm not gonna lie.  I was not super excited about Christmas this year.  Maybe it was the loss of Big Pete, maybe it was the unseasonably warm weather, but I just really wasn't into it for some reason.  Our neighbors put up their decorations literally the day after T'Giving (I guess you do that here in the 'burbs) and Rin was pestering me to pull all of the decorations our of our garage as soon as the first ones were up at our neighbors.  I tried to fend him off with gingerbread house making that lasted for a couple of days.  Rin's decoration of the gingerbread house this year was meticulous.  The house stood proudly on top of the desk in the living room for the duration of the season until I let Rin and Bek destroy it after New Years.  I think that was the best part actually- my little destructors liked wrecking it better than making it.

But Rin finally wore us out a few days after Thanksgiving.  There’s a strong possibility I might have gotten aggravated and said, "FINE!  We'll go get a frigging tree for G's sake!" I'm not saying I'm proud of it.  But off we went to the tree place, me grumbling just a bit (I hate hate HATE putting the stinking lights on) and trying to not quell Rin's excitement.  In short, I was being a total Grinch.

It wasn't until we were shopping for a tree at our favorite roadside veg stand (Potomac Vegetable Farms- love 'em) that it hit me.  This is Bek's first real Christmas.  Don't know why it hadn't occurred to me before then.  But as of that moment I decided that I had to make up for his first.  I had to make up for the Christmas when he sat in a room full of babies and ate the same food, sat on the same teeny tiny potty while tied to the side of the playpen, played with the same broken toys, no one gave him hugs or kisses or even looked him in the eye most likely, and there was nothing special about the day.  I wanted to make up for him not even knowing it existed at all.  I wanted him to experience all of those things that I loved most about Christmas when I was little.  I wanted him to smell the tree when he woke up in the morning, spend time looking and each ornament and finding just the right spot on the tree to hang it, listen to all the holiday music that Pandora can provide (Nat King Cole with a little Bing Crosby thrown in), open a ridiculous number of presents, and feel the excitement of it all.  And so, as our boys were running around the tree place like lunatics set free from the asylum, I finally got excited.  I got really excited. 

There are very few times when I feel like I 'saved' my children but every once in a while it hits me that the experiences that we provide for them are not ones that their Baby House friends will ever get to have.  Ever.  And I am so happy that we can bring happiness and love into their lives.  My Grinchy little heart melted and we picked out the best, prettiest, most Christmassy tree we could find.  And I even let Rin pick out a $14 pie to take home for a special tree decorating dinner (those pies are so friggin good- all crumbly on top with nuts mixed in- mmmmm). 

Bek, of course, was confused by the whole thing.  The look on his face through the whole process was hilarious.  But, truly, it is a strange thing when you stop and think about it.  You go to this place with a bunch of trees and find one that you like, take it down and chain-saw the end of it, strap it to the top of your car, drive it home, and then bring it INTO your house.  Such a bizarre thing to do.  I mean, I won't even let my kids wear their shoes in the house because they might get dirt all over the place and we have a special place to keep sticks and rocks so they don’t come in either.  The first few days we had the tree, I would carry our little Beksters downstairs in the morning, he would shout, "LOOK!" and point at it and struggle to get out of my arms to go and try to pull off all the ornaments.  Can't blame him really.  It IS super fun.  

I get the boys an ornament every year representing something about them that year so for this year I got a chicken for Bek because his favorite thing to do is look at photos of chickens on the computer.  He stands next to me as I check email or whatever and says "BokBok!" and flaps his little arms.  So cute. And I got a pencil for Rin because he learned to write words this year.  Can you believe he's writing words?  Big stuff!

   

And after we got the tree up, it was on to other things.  I could barely hold Rin back from pulling the 14 tubs of Christmas decor out from the garage himself.  His number one thing that he wanted to get out was the little (very breakable) Christmas village but with Bek around it wasn't really such a great idea to have it out I didn't think.  So our compromise was that Peter took him to the Hallmark store to buy him his own little unbreakable village.  And he played with it for hours.  And after about a week of that, he let Bek have a turn too.  He's such a good big brother.  Seriously, he is.  And he has taught Bek well.  The other day, I gave Bek a few jelly beans and then turned around to get Rin a dinner treat and I hear, "Thanks, Little BooBoo!"  Bek had shared his precious treat with his big brother just like Rin always shares with him.  I just can't get enough of them.

But the most hilarious part of the preChristmas hoopla was our visit to see Santa.  We went to Richmond for a charity party that some friends throw (we were hoping to win some money for SPOON- no luck this year) and the following morning (post many mixed drinks and more than one jello shot- how old so I think I am? 20?) we hopped in the car and headed out to the mall and Auntie Ann met up with us.  I had been trying to prep our little emotional mess for the Santa thing but really there's only so much prep work you can do with a two year old so we just had to go and see how he would do.  I sorta thought it wouldn't go so great and I was TOTALLY right. 

We sat and watched kids sit on Santa's lap while we ate lunch and he had his little eyes glued to the scene.  I asked him several times if he wanted to go do it too and I always got an emphatic shake of the head.  And he didn't budge on it.  But finally it was our turn to get in line and wait for Santa, we couldn't put it off any longer.  Rin was super excited about the whole thing and tried his best to be the best big brother ever and encourage Bek that it would be fun but just as I anticipated, our little Sweet Chunks balked.  Rin hopped right on up on Santa's lap and I attempted to put Bek on his other knee but he clung to me like a little spider monkey, his nails cutting into my arm.  Finally Santa suggested that I sit on his lap and hold Bek (kinda creepy but OK) and I did but poor Aibek just kept right on screaming, this time reaching out for Auntie Ann to rescue him since Mean Mommy wouldn’t.  Peter was off to the side trying to get some photos with our camera and I was really hoping that he could capture the hilarity of it.  This is the best we could do.  Poor Rin is smiling and looking angelic while Bek is having a nervous breakdown.  Too funny.

But then we were done and the boys got a lollipop and all was good in the world.  A train ride around the mall later and it was time to head back to DC.  Tired boys and tired parents but Rin got his Christmas requests in to Santa so mission accomplished.

More about Christmas to come soon.  Still trying to figure out my awesome new computer.  Love to all, -m

Part 2- And then there was a play

Hi All- 

And then there was a play…

Our mischievous little man was an elf.  How fitting, right?  And he could not have been more excited about it.  He walked around singing all day every day- one of the five songs that they were to perform.  We made a sign,we got costumes, and he practiced practiced practiced.  He had volunteered us to make cookies (which thankfully his teacher filled me in on a day before) and so cookies were baked and decorated appropriately.

And then the big night was upon us.  And it did not disappoint.  The excitement ‘backstage’ was palpable as the kids got dressed up in their costume.  Everyone was on their best behavior for the big night.  Parents were told to take their seats- our Mr Bek was not to happy to leave the fun of all the kids- and we waited patiently for it to begin.  There was the parade of characters through the crowd- Santa of course, the Elves, Betty Beautiful dolls, soldiers and trains.  Rin put the “Shhh” sign to good use to hush the crowd and it began.  It was a succession of songs that we all knew but with different words.  “Jingle Bell Rock” became “Soldier boy, soldier boy, soldier boy march”.  That song that I can't think of the name of that says "Falalalala-la-la-la-la became “Chug-a chug-a chug, chug chug chug chug” and so on.  

And the kids- ranging in age from 3-5- did absolutely wonderful.  Miss Carla said it was the best performance in 15 years.  The only issue was when a couple of the trains crashed into each other as they attempted to chug in a circle and all the parents tried not to laugh at the cutest train wreck ever.  The whole play was just so stinkin’ cute I could barely stand it.  And Bek was entranced as well.  Every time one of the songs ended, he make frantic ‘more’ signs until the next one started.  When it was over we had to bribe him with cookies so he would stop crying that they were done.  And the boys played until we drug them home. 

All in all, it was a complete success and if there had been critic in the audience that night, I am confident that they would have given the play five stars.  Yes, I am biased- but aren't I allowed to be?  

Love to all,  -m

The Holiday Season- Part 1

Hi All-

Does it seem to anyone else as if the holidays start at Halloween and just never STOP?  Yes, this is a two (or three, or four/five/six) part-er.  What can I say?  We were busy the last couple of months.  In a good way.  It all started with a performance and a feast…

Rin’s class sang four sweet songs to celebrate Thanksgiving and what it means and had the parents come in and share food.  I just love Thanksgiving and the message that it sends.  It’s not about what you buy someone or what you get in return. There are no obligations aside from eating a few bites of each dish that someone made and telling them it’s delicious.  It’s all about appreciating what you have.  And boy do we appreciate things around here.  Especially these boys.  

I am so thankful every day for my boys, even on the more trying days.  As Rinat asks me sometimes in the middle of playing Lego’s or reading a book or just hanging out, “Mommy, do you still love me even when you are being mad at me?”  But he knows that I do.  He knows because I tell him about a hundred times a day.  Sometimes in the middle of 'being mad' at him even.  And so when I answer ‘yes’, he looks at me with a smile and says.  “Yeah, I know.”  It’s like he’s just sorta checking.  Just in case.  But really just cause he wanted to hear it for the hundred and first time that day.  But for every bit of aggravation that he brings to me at times, he also brings out the best.  He melts my heart on a daily basis- being so gentle and caring toward his little brother who sometimes hits him and steals his stuff, working so so hard to spell a word for one of the books that he’s written and illustrated, being so proud of himself when he cleans up his room all by himself during quiet time without being asked- I mean, sometimes I can hardly stand it.  He’s amazing.  And I am so thankful that he ended up in our family.

And as for the other boys in my life, what can I really say?  I am just as obsessed with them too.  Little BekMan just gets cuter and lovey-er every single day.  He is the highlight of my day every single day- even when he hits me in the face and laughs, even when he has a diaper blowout, even when he screams his head off when I put him to bed.  It’s still the best day possible because he’s there. 

And Peter too.  I have been in love with my sweet hubs for 18 years now.  EIGHTEEN.  I can hardly believe that I am 18 years old, much less that I have been with Peter for that long.  (And yes, I am way waaaay past 18 years old.  Don’t remind me.  Seriously, don’t.  I just want to live in LaLaLand and pretend I am NOT approaching 40.)  Just like my other boys, Peter can make me furious sometimes and I might still wake up with smoke coming out of my ears the next morning but then he does something like say, “No, Hon, you stay in bed.  I got the boys.“ and I am smitten once again.  I can’t tell you how wonderful it is to stroll downstairs at 8:30 and see all my boys around the table playing Lego’s or PlayDoh just as happy as three little clams.  It's absolute heaven.    

And I am so thankful that I have someone who truly appreciates what I do and doesn’t pressure me to earn money outside of the house at the expense of the kids.  I feel like time with them is so limited and I want to be there just as much as I possibly can.  And I am.  Day in, day out, I am there.  I know one day I’ll get a real job but for now, this is my work and I love it.  Every day I am so thankful I filled out that application for position of mother (literally!).  The pay is crappy, the hours long, and my coworkers sometimes annoying but the payback is beyond measure.  

Love to all, -m