Dry Ice

Ethan begged me to buy dry ice, as you have to be 18 to buy it yourself.  I finally just gave up and bought it for him.  Strangely enough, I did not end up regretting that decision.

After New Years

After Ethan fell ill, the rest followed like dominoes.  This wasn't a stay in, watch movies, drink soup kind of sickness. This was a full body aches, high fevers, lay in bed and moan, type of sickness.  People were falling asleep all over the place.  One night I went to bed and woke up too miserable to go back to sleep, so I moved to the couch. After a few hours I moved back into my bed to find Sam and Michael in it.  I moved Sam to the floor.  When I next woke up Michael was on the couch and Sam was back in our bed.  It went like this for days.  Everyone was so uncomfortable we played roulette on the furniture.  My children, who are all old enough to find the toilet when sick, lost this skill; we did a lot of laundry.

Thankfully Libby was the last to fall, and she played Florence Nightingale to the rest of us.  When she finally succumbed, violently all of over the bathroom missing the toilet completely, I was starting to be able to move again.

Five days later, everyone was starting to mend, hence the food and mostly upright positions.  

We all survived, the kids lost a week of winter vacation, Michael lost three days of work, but fortunately they didn't miss any school.

New Years

Ethan has been wanting to play Dungeons and Dragons.  My sister DM's for her family.  It was decided they would come over for New Year's eve and we would play.  We bought snacks, bought apple cider, poppers and confetti cannons.  The party was set.

Then Ethan started running a temperature.  My sister, for some strange reason, did not want to expose her entire family to Ethan's illness, so they stayed home.  We still played games and ate junk food, but Ethan spent most of the evening in the tub.  He did join us for the countdown, though.

Doesn't he look chipper?  All the poppers made Harley a little...edgy.

Libby made a confetti angel.  Confetti cannons are pretty awesome and they only cost a couple bucks each.  We may be looking for any excuse to buy them in the future.

Lots of noise and a giant popper.

 Two horns at the same time.

 Ethan still feeling sick.

And a blurry Grace.

Happy New Year!

Christmas...and a little miracle

Sunday night we celebrated Ethan's birthday, hung the stockings by the computer screen (it counts, we had a fire video playing), and sent the kids to bed.  The gifts were wrapped, all was prepared, except one thing.  Libby's phone screen had shattered a few months prior, and while it still worked, it was difficult to use.  Santa had decided to replace her screen for Christmas.  In our house Santa brings the stockings and one gift for each child.  At eleven o'clock on Christmas eve, Santa sat down to work.  At 11:15 Santa said some not so nice words.  The new screen was broken beyond repair. There was no backup gift.

It was Christmas Eve night, the roads were slick with snow, the stores were closed, and Libby had no gift.  After a quick Google search it seemed there was one Walmart open, across town.  I knew that it was most likely a Google mistake, so I tried to call.  There was no answer.  At that point, I was willing to try anything though, so I jumped in the car, while Santa put Libby's cracked screen back on so she would at least still have a phone.

After a harrowing drive across town, I determined Walmart was in fact closed and the roads were awful.  I drove around looking for a drug store or even a large gas station that was open, anything!  Michael and I give each kid three gifts and Santa brings a large, well thought-out, gift.  There was no rearranging gifts to cover the lapse.  I started to head home, while looking for anything open.  I kept having the thought that I should call my sister Heidi, but it was midnight by this point.  I figured her and mom were already in bed.

As I approached an intersection where I would usually turn, I found a big semi had slid off the road and partially blocked the intersection.  Rather than sliding around him, I decided to go up to the next street. This took me even closer to Heidi's house.  I really felt I should call her.  So I finally heeded the prompting and called (thank goodness for my van's Bluetooth!).  She answered the phone to hear her distraught sister talking a mile a minute, trying to explain that Libby had no gift from Santa.  She told me to come over, we would find something.  Which was a good thing, as I was already parking in front of her apartment.

I walked in to find Heidi and Mom scurrying around, trying to create a last second gift.  Heidi has a ton of craft stuff in her house and started pulling out supplies.  Within forty-five minutes we had stretched a metal screen over a Goodwill picture frame, added knobs, and had a cute jewelry hanger. Nothing like drilling holes at one in the morning.  Meanwhile, Mom was making a bracelet, while Heidi was digging through her pounds of costume jewelry.  They added jewelry and a cute little hat to the board, and with a grateful heart and teary eyes, I headed home.  I cannot believe the incredible people I am surrounded with.

I staggered home, set out Libby's present, and was asleep by 1:45.  The kids woke up at seven, but Christmas was saved and Libby loved her gift.  She did ask me later what had happened because she recognized the jewelry hanger as a Heidi creation, and she heard me come in so late. She figured it was not a part of my normal Christmas behavior.

A couple weeks later we also fixed her phone, which now a couple months later is broken again.  Sigh.

Sam unwrapping gifts at his Grandpa and Grandma's.  Never doubt my kids are spoiled.

Ethan sporting his new t-shirt.  He is Hamilton crazy.  I can handle my kid being obsessed with Broadway musicals, although he only kinda likes Les Miserables.  My heart weeps for his ignorance.

 I don't know what she is doing, but we love her.

I crocheted a Hobbes for Michael for Christmas.  He was ecstatic. Hobbes now lives at his office in a safe place of honor and veneration. I'm so glad Michael loves it, because I doubt I'll ever crochet again after finishing that thing.  I am not a master crocheter, and it doesn't look like I want to become one.

So far behind...Quick recap of December

The library had a Harry Potter Yule Ball.  Of course my big kids went and the little kids were horribly disappointed that it was only for teenagers.  There was no dancing, but there was wand making, dressing up, and competitions.  I had to laugh to myself when I dropped them off at the library, because I saw the standard assortment of people entering the library: moms with children, kids in hoodies, and a few indigent folks and my kid in a tux held the door open for all of them.  The juxtaposition was jarring.

And of course we made gingerbread houses. The girls could hardly wait to eat theirs!

This year I bought a cookie cutter set to cut the gingerbread.  It was awesome.  I think if we ever want to get truly creative with gingerbread houses, we will have to do it in February, when there is a little more free time.

Three thumbs up, just before the fair housing committee condemned it.

 The best house of all, not that I'm biased.

We had lots of treats given to us.  It is always a red-letter day when our neighbor drops off her treats.  It's okay to be jealous, I would be jealous.  They taste even better than they look.

Libby and I spent some time painting with other young women and one very talented mom who guided our steps.  Libby's final painting has the snowman looking sideways as well.  She painted over her poor snowman six different times, until she was satisfied.  Alas, I do not have a photo of her finished work.  I love my little snowman gazing off towards the stars.

Last, but not least, this boy won't stop growing.  He turned fourteen this year.  He's taller than me, but his dad is still 1/4 inch taller than him.  He is actively involved in choir, tech club, builders club, and future cities club.  He tried wrestling for a day, but decided he was too busy and it was too large of a time commitment. The way everyone talked about teenagers, I have been afraid to get to that point.  It's not been without it's difficulties, but I am thoroughly enjoying this stage!