While I was in the shower, she crawled into bed with Russ.  When I came out of the bathroom and the light shown into Russ’ still asleep eyes, he rolled over and put his arm around Taylor and gave her a big hug….to which she replied, “Uh, you’re disgusting!”

I laughed SO hard.  When she realized that she may have hurt his feelings, she clarified, “But you smell good”  – apparently his arm had landed on her mouth during the hug and she was noting that he tasted disgusting…maybe…or maybe she was just trying to spare his half-asleep feelings.

Then, at breakfast, we were all sitting together, which is a rarity in the morning.

Taylor mused, “You know, black is the darkest of the colors.”

Me:  “Yes, that’s right.  Which is the lightest of the colors?”

Taylor: “Yellow”

Me: “Hmm….what about this (pointing to her white napkin)?”

Taylor: “Oh, white”

Russ: “Actually I think she may be right because white isn’t really a color”

Me:  “True, white is the absence of color…Taylor, you may be right”

Taylor:  “That’s because I know everything.”

LAUGHTER ENSUES

Me:  “Taylor, you are funny”

Taylor:  “I know”

I’m glad she’s a confident girl.

Later on in the meal, she declared, “It’s like we’re in a meeting”.  Funny, smart, confident, and also a PK.

________________________________________________________

In other news, Caleb LOVES syrup:

A LOT

He also enjoys climbing:

But then Grammy arrived with other plans since she was determined not to let the boys-only-Orlando-trip ruin her holiday.  Knowing full well that the kiddos would not make it to midnight, she had the clever idea to celebrate the Parisian New Year…which makes good sense in this house since without Paris, life would be incredibly different today.

We began the evening with croissant sandwiches (and silly hats of course)

Then we went outside for sparklers and poppers

Then, the kids got in their pjs for the countdown

5…4…3…2…1…

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

CHEERS!

We ended the evening with ecclairs.

I would be remiss if I didn’t also show you Taylor’s New Year’s picture.  I dug out some of my old scrapbooking stickers…notice Mary (yes, the mother of Jesus) next to Taylor dressed as a reindeer…both holding a bottle of champagne.

Happy New Year everyone.  I hope you all have a great night and a great year.  My only resolution for 2012 is for nothing even close to 8 lbs to come out of my body (2010 – 8lb9oz Caleb; 2011 – 8lb cyst).

Dawn Michelle Staley (born May 4, 1970) is an American basketball player and coach. Staley is a three-time Olympian and was elected to carry the United States flag at the opening ceremony of the 2004 Summer Olympics. She was named the University of South Carolina women’s head basketball coach on May 7, 2008. After winning the gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics, she went to play professionally in the American Basketball League and the WNBA. In 2011, Staley was voted in by fans as one of the Top 15 players in WNBA history.

Taylor had a lot of fun and even got to meet the players and the coach and shake their hands afterward.  She was pretty excited.  She got a poster, and Pops gave her these little cards of all the players that he got with his season tickets, like baseball cards.  She came home from the game and wanted to put them all on her wall in her room.

She says her favorite players are #0 and #1 and the coach.

It’s good to bring a little diversity to her purple, flowery, princess, girlie room.

Taylor slept until 7:15 am, which was marvelous, except for the facts that her brother woke up at 5:45 and she is the POKIEST person in the mornings.  We had to accomplish in 30 minutes what it typically takes over an hour to do.  Her breakfast was on the table when she came out of her room, but she dillied and dallied and poked, so I had to hurry her along.  Then she took her time getting dressed and brushing her teeth.  I was ready to scream.  Then finally when we were all ready to go, I set my purse, which contained two books, on the table so I could grab something else and it tipped over and fell on my foot, books first.  I did scream then.

We managed to get to school only a few minutes late, but then I realized that we forgot Taylor’s folder.  We avoided a melt down because I was able to distract Taylor by saying “Oooo….it’s Christmas Party day…and you have on a pretty Christmas dress”  Then she bounded off to show her dress to her friends, and I thought (naively) that maybe today wouldn’t be a total disaster afterall.

I had a long list of things to get done today because I didn’t get to go to work yesterday as I was home with sick Taylor…and tomorrow we are going to be gone all day for Christmas celebrations.   I went into work first because I needed to print off some things and our home printer is out of ink.  Apparently, my office printer is also out of ink.  But I can also print to the copier, which was broken.  So I screamed a little in my office, too.  So I went over to the fellowship hall to move some tables around for Sunday.  One of the tables wasn’t quite as sturdy as I thought and drop on my foot.  I screamed again…perhaps this second near broken toe incident should indicate that perhaps flip flops in December are not wise.

I decided work was just not meant to happen, so I went to the grocery store.  For some reason, I could not remember ANYTHING and had to keep backtracking to different aisles in the store to get the things I had forgotten on the first pass.  I was in the grocery store for at least 90 minutes – it was maddening.  Also, I needed an unsliced Pumpernickel loaf, which proved to be quite elusive.  The  first grocery store didn’t have it, neither did the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, or 5th store I tried.

I picked the kids up midway through my hunt for the elusive pumpernickel, which was a bad idea.  Taylor was all hyped up on Christmas party goodies and was a disaster to have in public.  She needed a large field to run in for an hour rather than the car, two grocery stores, and the bank.

So at 4:45 when I was over the day and the five stores without pumpernickel, three non-usable printers, two almost broken toes, and one wild and crazy preschooler, Russ came to my rescue.  He took over kid duty.  I called my mom who was able to find the pumpernickel like a bread ninja.  Then we went to eat Mexican for dinner (because even though I did plan something to cook for dinner, I was out of time to cook it because I was obsessed with pumpernickel)…and I had a Margarita.  So my terrible, no good, very bad day became much less bad.

After dinner, I went to Walmart to get printer ink.  On my way out of the store, there was a car full of guys blaring Cher and dancing and  singing at the top of their lungs with complete reckless abandon.  I couldn’t help but smile as I watched them and remembered high school and college days of doing the same with my friends. So I got in my car and decided I needed a little reckless abandon to counteract my day of frustration of not getting my grown-up to do list done.  I turned the car on, and Christmas music came on the radio.  No, that wouldn’t do.

I channel surfed until I found the perfect old school soundtrack for my ride and turned up the volume.  I sang and danced my way home to Eminem, Red Hot Chili Peppers, No Doubt, and Prince.  It was splendid.  And I did feel much better when I got home.

It’s funny how such little things can make your day go sour.  But at least little things can make your day better, too.  So today, I’m thankful for moms and husbands who come to the rescue, margaritas, old school music blaring on my minivan speakers, and a brief 15 minutes alone to abandon my list and stress and responsibilities…and jam.

She and “T” have been growing in their fondness for each other since then.  Taylor talks about him all the time.

During football season, Taylor declared that she like Carolina AND Clemson because T liked Clemson.  We definitely need to work on this!

Last week, she said that she was going to marry T and another little boy whom we’ll call “C”.  Even though we try to tell her that she can’t marry two people, she keeps insisting.  But I think T is still her favorite of her future husbands.

Later last week, she was talking about how “E” was wrestling with her, and T pulled him off and told him to leave her alone.  Her own little knight in shining armor.

It’s funny that whenever I pick her up she is running around playing rough with the boys much more often than she is playing with the quiet girls putting together puzzles or playing with the dollhouse.  At first, Russ thought this was great – preferring a rough and tumble girl to a prissy girl – until he realized that this extra time spent with boys meant she was spending more time with boys, and T in particular.

She missed that last 2.5 days of school because of a mystery fever, and has been asking to see her friends each day.  Today, I finally let her go visit when we picked Caleb up.  She walked into the room, and “T” was the first one to run over to her to say hello.  I could tell that they were both really excited to see see each other.  He told her all about the day they had been having.

Then they had a little spat.  Taylor said that she got the plates for their class Christmas party (we got Christmas plates today for another party and she got it confused).  He corrected her and said, “No, I’m bringing the plates for the party.  You must be bringing something else.”  It was hilarious because it totally could have been a married couple arguing over a miscommunication about who was supposed to buy the plates.

But after the brief preschool spat, I told Taylor that it was time to go.  T gave her a big hug, even picking her up off the ground.  As we were leaving, he yelled out, “Your dress is really cute”

When we got into the hallway, Taylor smiled slyly, giggled, and recapped, “T said my dress was cute.”

And with every story about T, Russ’ heart breaks just a little.

Secondly:

This afternoon, she crawled up into my lap after playing outside (this is one side effect of being sick that I don’t mind one bit).  Russ had just left to meet a friend for dinner before going to a meeting and told Taylor that Grammy was coming as a means of convincing her she didn’t want to go with him.  She looked at me and said, “Mommy, are you and Caleb going to stay home with me and Grammy?”  I sighed and replied sadly, “No, I have to go back to work for a little bit….but you know what?  After tonight I won’t have to work at night again for a long time.”

She perked up, threw her arms around my neck, and exclaimed with much excitement “THAT’S SO GREAT!”  Then she grabbed my face in her hands and gave me a big kiss.

How’s that for making a mom feel guilty?!  I really felt like I got punched in the gut.  I love my job.  And I love that my job has the flexibility to spend a lot of time with my kids, but missing bedtime is tough….especially when there are weeks like the last two when I’ve been gone at night much more than I’ve been home.

And to add insult to injury, on Monday morning, we were looking at a picture that Taylor drew of a child with a frown on his/her face.  We asked her why the child was frowning, and she said “Because he’s sad, and he misses his mommy and daddy because they aren’t home at night.”

UH!

So I will begin to assuage my mom guilt by staying home with her tomorrow for her third sick day in a row.

But then I will have minister guilt because there are things left undone at work and things that I’ll have to cancel.  It’s a never ending cycle trying to find the balance.

I am, however, definitely looking forward to the next few weeks when the scale tips more towards the family side.

Last night (this morning?) at about 12:30 am, Taylor stumbled into our room and said she had a headache.  I got up felt her forehead and tucked her back into bed.  At about 1:30 am, she strutted back in (as if she had been awake the entire previous hour contemplating what she would say), and declared, “Daddy, I need some water, and some honey for my cough and some medicine on my chest”  So Russ got up and met her requests and tucked her back into bed.  She coughed a bit for the next hour or so, but finally drifted into a deep sleep and then slept late – all the way until 6:30am!

After breakfast, she said she didn’t feel good, but she looked and acted completely fine.  I felt her forehead again and told her to get dressed for school.  On the way to get her shoes on, she said.  “I have a fever.  I’m not going to play today at school.  I’m just going to sit down and rest because I’m sick and I don’t want to get my friends sick”.  I thought that was a pretty interesting statement, but still, she was acting and looking fine…and her forehead still felt normal, so we sent her into school.

Then at 11:30am, I get the phone call from her school that she has a temperature of 103 and it was still climbing!

Poor thing had a fever and chills…was completely flushed…and just so pitiful.  She fell asleep on the way home from an errand and would not wake up for the next couple of hours.  But almost-doctor-dad came to her rescue and took great care of her this afternoon/evening.  I hope she’s on the mend.

But for now, I’ve learned my lesson – I need to trust her when she says she doesn’t feel good.  Well, at least until she’s a teenager and faking sick to get out of going to school.

Not only am I done with Christmas shopping (a whole 15 days early), I am back on the coupon wagon.  And every time I get a good deal, I say “BOOM!” in my head a little and imagine myself looking like that lady…I think I even have that sweater.

I was off the coupon wagon for a bit because it is time consuming and once you’re off, it’s hard to get back on and get organized again.  It doesn’t help that I keep forgetting to get a Sunday paper.  But now, me and coupons are tight again.

I was also assisted by my sister.  She sent me a link for a $4 off coupon for a sweater at Target…the sweaters were on sale already for $8.99 – you guys!  That’s a sweater (and a nice one) for $4.99!  So I got two.  Plus she sent me this link to a $10 gift card when you purchase $50 worth of stuff, which ain’t hard to do at Target.  So I added a few necessities to my sweaters, like Aveno lotion for the kids (cause they both have exzema and it’s now winter) – which I also had store and manufacturer coupons for, thank you very much.  It was a super sweet deal.  And even though I’ve already said “BOOM!” in my head, I still feel the need to tell everyone who compliments me on my sweater that it was only $4!  It blurts right out of my mouth.  I can’t control it.

THEN, I got diapers at Babies ‘R Us with $5 off coupons AND got a $25 gift card.  I’ve totally been buying our Christmas presents with the gift cards I’ve accumulated by watching the deals.  OOOOO – I love it.

I had cut back on our eating out, but on Friday after my good deals at Target and Babies ‘R Us, we splurged and went to Chick-fil-a because I had accumulated 2 free chicken sandwich and 2 free chicken strips coupons….and also packed the kids drinks and sides…so maybe we didn’t actually splurge all that much.  But we FELT like we did, so that’s nice.

This saving money, couponing, deal seeking stuff is a huge rush and completely addictive.  And also completely necessary since we went WAY over budget in November – the sheer amount we spent on food last month is unspeakable.  But that’s what happens when you fall completely off the coupon wagon and also eat out way more than we should because who can make dinner when there is a toddler hanging on your leg for all the hours of the day, especially when you’re in the kitchen and he senses that food is eminent.

But now I’m planning ahead for meals and planning to get to know my crock pot very well.  I feel so very domestic.  Saturday night (because we know how to party), we all straightened up the house and folded the laundry.  Then after the kids went to bed, Russ and I made deviled eggs for a church lunch on Sunday and made a whole pot of chili soup to freeze (5 meals worth), AND I sewed the strap back on Taylor’s $.99 Christmas apron.  Cleaning, cooking, and sewing…what is this? 1950?  But I don’t care – I LOVED every minute of it – feeling productive, taking care of my family, and doing it all with the best partner in crime.

BOOM!

They have both been sleeping past 6:00 am most mornings (which may sound early to you, but for us, it’s like sleeping in).  Sunday, they even slept until almost 7:00 am!  Kids are so much cuter at 7:00am.

This morning, Caleb was crying because I walked out of the room (which is a fun topic for another post), and Taylor came over and let him hold her favorite stuffed kitties, Smokey and Pumpkin.  He pulled them close to his chest, stopped crying, and then reached out his other arm and gave her his dinosaur (which is his favorite item of all time).  Brother and sister sharing!  Without prompting!  It was amazing.

And a few nights ago, they danced together:

A few days before that, they helped me clean up – the both of them, together – in their pjs.  Little warms my heart more than little people cleaning up.  Especially for Caleb who applauds himself each time he finishes a cleaning task.

Gah, I love them.

I mean, really, what’s better than sitting around the fire on a crisp fall evening sipping hot chocolate, listening to Christmas music, roasting marshmallows, making s’mores and hanging out with your favorite people?  Nothing.  Nada.  The only thing that would make it better is if Caleb would refrain from trying to touch the fire and therefore be allowed to hang out with us.  So far, he’s only made it 5 minutes before I put him to bed so we can enjoy the time without fear of third degree burns and a screaming toddler.  But the upside of that is that Taylor has gotten some good quality time with the undivided attention from both parents.

Last night we sat around talking for a while.  Taylor finished her hot chocolate, then pulled her s’more apart, ate the melty chocolate, then scraped the gooey marshmallow off the cracker, then decided to put the cracker in the bushes for the ducks.  Then she wiped melty chocolate and gooey marshmallow on her jeans (*note to self:  bring wipes outside next time).  She sits back in her chair for a minute gazing into the fire before looking at Russ and saying:

Daddy I want to cuddle with you.

and climbs up into his lap with her blanket in hand.

His face was covered side to side with a grin of perfect contentment as he says back to her:

I love you so much.

She gives him a kiss and says:

I love my whole family.

Then she snuggles her hello kitty hat covered head under his chin as he and I share a glance that confirms that this is what dreams are made of.