A Very Merry Christmas

Poppy, Ne, and Uncle Markie all came up here for Christmas. Jason was still in bed on Saturday but felt much better Christmas morning. Nicholas loved his motorized John Deer Tractor. He has been riding it everywhere for days now. He opened his presents slowly, a couple at a time, played with them, and then came back for more. At one point, he was ripping them open and tossing them at Jason if he didn't see a truck inside. When we asked him who brought something he replied, "Uncle Markie." This lasted for quite some time until he finally understood that not everything under the tree came from Uncle Markie. This year he woke up at 7:20, his usual time, I wonder what time we will be up next year!

Where will Santa Leave Nicholas' Toys?

Poor Nicholas is so confused. Jason hurt his eyes yesterday using some kind of welding or drilling machine. So he woke up last night at 2:30 and couldn't see a thing. It took me about an hour to convince him to call his dad and go to the hospital. Around 5:30 Jason called to say that he still couldn't see, his dad had to get to work, so he was going to take a nap there. I went to pick him up around 7:30 and his friend Ed was able to get him into see a specialist right away. Luckily, Jason can see now but there are burns on the cornea of his left eye. The right eye is burned, too, but not as badly. Anyway, we are not sure where we are going to be spending Christmas. My parents and Markie are all ready to haul everything here. From the way Jason looks we will most likely have to re-route Santa's reindeer and have him bring the loot here. Never a dull moment.

Spongebob's House

Today we exchanged gifts with Nicholas' best buddy Sebastien. We gave Bash trucks, because he loves to play with them at our house. Bash gave Nicholas dinosaurs because he likes to play with them at Bash's house. Dinos weren't the only great gift, though. Bash gave Nicholas a huge replica of Spongebob's house, the pineapple. It is so big that both Nicholas and Bash fit inside! I don't know if I will ever get Nicholas to come out of the pineapple under the sea . . .

The Talking Deer Head

Our friends, Chris and Deonne, bought Nicholas a huge deer head that talks, sings, and moves. There is even a microphone that you can use to make the deer speak. When he and Jason opened it I thought Nicholas was only playing with it because Jason thought it was so cool. So before we went to bed, I asked Jason to put it away in his office so it wasn't taking up so much space in the living room. Well, doesn't it just figure that as soon as Nicholas woke up, he wanted to know where his deer head was. We have been listening to that thing for three days now.

The Christmas Party Streaker

Yes, you read that correctly. The Christmas Party Streaker is now officially Nicholas' new nickname. As people were leaving our home and I was handing out candy to the kids and candles to the moms, my friend Kristyn came up behind me and started whispering. Her whisper was to tell me that Nicholas had taken off his shoes, socks, and shirt. I assured that this was not a big deal and I would check on him in a minute. Well, a few minutes went by because I was saying good-bye to more guests when Kristyn appeared again. This time she was not whispering but before she could finish Nicholas came running into the room stark naked! Then he tried to bolt out the door with the couple who was leaving. I grabbed him and tried to carry him back inside but the naked guy was pretty wiggly. So Kristyn took him and finally got a diaper on him. He kept his diaper on until everyone was gone except for our neighbors, Toni and Brian. As we cleaned up, I looked over and there Nicholas was sitting on the couch in the living room, staring at the Christmas tree, peacefully eating a piece of chocolate - naked!

The Playgroup Christmas Party

Today was our playgroup Christmas Party. The morning started at about 1:30 for us when Nicholas woke up crying about bugs and spiders. He did not go back to sleep until about 5:00. After two hours of rest, we were getting ready to go when Kristyn called. She had thrown out her back again and needed help setting up for the cookie decorating. We rushed over and helped get everything set up. One of the other kids, John, brought his John Deere tractor which was a magnet for Sebastien, James, and Nicholas. We tried getting the boys to take turns but there were lots of tears from the two who were left watching. After about 3o minutes, we took the kids inside to decorate cookies and exchange presents. Nicholas was hysterical because he wanted the tractor. Kim put the tractor away while we were inside. Nicholas cried for what seemed like ever until one of the moms brought him frosting. Then he calmed down and we went in the laundry room to look at the snakes. We stayed in there eating frosting and watching the snake slither about for a long time. When the other kids were done decorating, we did the present exchange. Then we all headed back outside for more fun on the bikes. Merry Christmas everyone!

SpongeBob SquarePants

We took a little trip to Universal Studios this past Sunday. We thought it would be fun to go somewhere decorated for Christmas. The first thing we did was ride the Jimmy Neutron ride and there was a little part with our favorite SpongeBob. When we exited the ride we saw none other than SpongeBob SquarePants standing right in front of us! Nicholas went right over to him and had his picture taken with him. He even talked to him and touched him. I think it was the greatest moment in his life so far! He was really excited. Why couldn't he have done that with Santa?

A Fun Weekend

Nicholas and I went to visit Ne and Poppy this past weekend. Jason went hunting in Texas so we took a little vacation ourselves. Nicholas and I went to Home Depot with Poppy on Saturday. Poppy must have magical powers because Nicholas never behaves that well for me in any store! On Monday, we went to the beach with Ne. It was such a beautiful day. Nicholas was afraid of the jellyfish that had washed up onto the shore. He helped us collect shells and sand in a bucket. I think Ne would have preferred just the shells but Nicholas had his own plan. Thanks for a great weekend Ne and Poppy!

Visiting Santa . . . or Not

On Markie's last day with us we decided to head for the mall with Courtney and Kailey to visit Old St. Nick. Did I have any expectations? Please. I was fairly certain that Nicholas would not have anything to do with Santa. Markie carried Nicholas over to Santa while Kailey walked right over and let Santa put her on his lap. We asked Nicholas if he wanted to go sit with Kailey on Santa's lap and tell him what he wanted. Nicholas' response was to cling to Markie's neck for dear life and say "NO!" Mrs. Claus came over to talk to us and tried to take Nicholas from Markie. Nicholas crawled up Markie's chest and held onto his shirt as tight as he could. So Markie tried to make him feel better and I told him to tell Mrs. Claus what he wanted so at least Santa would know what to bring. Nicholas scooted back down and let go enough to whisper "Trucks" and then buried his face in Markie's neck. At least he was able to put in his request! We miss you, Uncle Markie!

Thanksgiving Weekend

Nicholas had a wonderful visit with his Ne, Poppy, and Unc Markie. He even ate butternut squash to all of our surprise! He played trucks with Poppy and made him go outside to play, too. Unc Markie loved watching Max and Ruby, a cartoon about bunnies. Ne enjoyed being a kissing dinosaur that chased Nicholas all over the house. On Sunday, we went to Dinosaur World where he dragged us all over the park showing us how dinos roar. Then we went to the Boneyard to dig up dino bones. He made his Ne help him brush off the bones and then dumped a big load of sand down her pants! The rest of us had a great chuckle but poor Ne had to walk around for the rest of the time with sand in her underwear!

Thanksgiving

Tomorrow begins our Thanksgiving weekend. Ne and Poppy will be here tomorrow afternoon. Nicholas has been talking about it since Sunday. He thinks they should have come then and not tomorrow. I guess he doesn't have any patience, another trait from Jason. On Thursday, Uncle Markie will arrive and then it will be as if Ne and Poppy don't even exist. Uncle Markie will be spending quite some time playing trucks and legos if Nicholas has his way. Courtney and Kailey will also be in town this weekend. What a great time of year! We'll be thinking about our family (freezing up north) and wishing we could all be together! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Christmas Pictures

Yesterday we went on our annual trip to have a family picture taken as well as one of Nicholas alone. We arrived at Sears nice and early for our 9:45 appointment so we could get our name in and not have to wait long. The only problem was that there were several people waiting who had appointments at 9:00. The list grew from there. We ended up waiting an hour before they took us in. An hour to Nicholas is like 10 for us so the pictures did not go well. He sat for one pose of the three of us and that was like torture. He started to scream, kick, and yell. So Jason took him to the car and I looked at the one shot that was "perfect" according the photographer. The pictures was absolutely horrible and there was no way I was going to buy it. So, we will be headed back to Sears to try again for the first appointment during the week. I hope it works or there won't be any pictures this year.

Flu Shot

Today was Nicholas' flu shot. To sum up our experience, there was crying and screaming before we even entered the building which continued for five minutes after we were in the car. There was repeated yelling of "No go to doctor!" and we didn't even see the doctor. The nurse gives the flu shot. On our way out, the doctor rubbed my back and shook her head as I literally wrestled Nicholas out the door and into the car.

Our Trip to Jacksonville

Last Wednesday, Nicholas and I took a trip to visit our friends, Courtney and Kailey, at their new house in Jacksonville. The ride up took about 4 hours but thankfully a nap and the DVD player kept Nicholas occupied. About an hour of the trip is on 75 North but the rest is on backroads. It is amazing that there is still so much of Florida untouched by Walmart, Publix, and CVS. There were cows, trees, horse ranches, and quaint little towns with signs warning of speed traps ahead. So peaceful compared to the hustle and bustle of our town. Courtney's house is absolutely beautiful. She has done a wonderful job decorating in the short time they have been there. Nicholas loved playing in Kailey's room and her playroom. He dressed up in beads, headbands, and pretty purple shoes. He also loved her shopping cart and rocking horse. Courtney took us to a gorgeous park on the St. John's river. The view of the river was incredible. We can't wait to go back and hopefully stay more than just one night! Thanks again, Courtney and Kailey!

Locked Out

While on the phone with my mom yesterday morning, I went out on the porch to let Alli outside to do her business. She finished in a few minutes and we went to open the door. As I chatted away, I reached out my hand to pull open the slider door. At the same time I saw Nicholas standing there on a chair pushing in the pin between the doors. I tried to open the door but it wouldn't budge. I filled my mom in on the dilemma and then asked Nicholas to take out the pin. He reached up and pulled it out and said "Come in, mommy." So I tried the door again but it still wouldn't move. Nicholas climbed down from the chair and tried to open it from his end but the door stayed shut. So I calmly asked him to push down the silver button that he had pushed up. He tried and tried but couldn't get it down. I asked him again and demonstrated what to do. My mom was offering helpful suggestions like maybe I should have a spare key outside, maybe I should call Jason to let us in, and what was I going to do if I couldn't get back in. I kept coaching Nicholas on how to unlock the door and finally, he did it! His final words were, "Stay inside, mommy." Thanks, son.

Grampa

Ever since I explained to Nicholas that Grampa has a boo boo and had to go to the doctor, it has been the topic of many conversations. Typically they go like this: "Gampa has a boo boo mommy." "I know, but Grampa is OK." "Gampa go to doctor mommy." "Grampa did go to the doctor but now he is home." "Boo boo me mommy, go to doctor me." "You are okay, you don't have to go to the doctor." The last two sentences also take place each and every time Nicholas bumps something or falls down. Jason took Nicholas over to see Grampa today. Nicholas asked Grampa if he could see his boo boo. So Grampa showed him a bruise on his leg. Nicholas covered his eyes until Grampa covered it up. Nicholas, not to be out done, showed him a bruise he has on his leg. Then he gave Grampa a kiss so his boo boo would feel better.

No Trick or Treating

For the fifth time, Nicholas refused to wear his costume. I thought he might want to when he saw the other kids coming to the door, but no. We even told him he could wear his truck shirt and construction hat and be a truck driver. He still said no. Actually, his exact words were "No trick or treat, stay home mommy!" "Stay home, mommy! NO trick or treat!" He helped me open the door and showed everyone his front end loader. I wonder what will happen next year!

Pumpkin Carving

After a quick visit to the "Pumpkin Patch" we had to stop at two stores to look for a pumpkin carving kit. We used the kit to make a ghost, witch hat, and spider. Once Nicholas finished painting his he wanted dad to carve it like the others. The he piled all the pieces and the tops into mine and wouldn't let me empty it back out. Alli tried to eat everything that fell on the floor. It wasn't the same without Uncle Markie though. Jason had to get the gooey stuff out of his pumpkin himself. Happy Halloween everyone!

Bash's Party

Nicholas went to Sebatian's Halloween party last night. He was disappointed that his dad couldn't be there but he understood that "Gampa has a bee boo, Gampa go doctor." Jason's dad fell off of a ladder at work yesterday so Jason had to rush off to the hospital. We think Gampa broke his pelvic bone, leg, and possibly his back. Until the swelling goes down we can't be sure. Again, Nicholas wouldn't wear his costume. But he did enjoy collecting the candy from the pinata. He wouldn't let Bash's dad help him hit the pinata but when he saw the candy he quickly began stuffing it into his bag! He also did the limbo with the other kids, they were so cute! Kailey came with us, it was the last day of her visit. She was adorable in her JoJo costume. The party was a huge success! Thanks Joe and Kristyn!

The Costume

Well, again Nicholas would not put on his Halloween costume. He did have his truck shirt on and a little track hoe with him. A few parents thought he was dressed as a truck driver until they saw the ghost costume tucked under my arm. I also brought the costume he wore last year, Winnie the Pooh. He will wear that at home but it was a no go at the party. He did have a good time running around with his buddy Sebastian, who was dressed as a dinosaur. Sebastian came for a visit this morning and brought his dino costume. Nicholas wore it for most of the morning. Jason took him to Walmart to find one for tonight's party. Jason found one that was a different color and put it in the cart. Nicholas turned around, picked it up, and threw it on the floor. When Jason tried to put it back in, Nicholas threw a fit and kept trying to grab it and throw it on the floor again. Instead of buying a costume, they bought a . . . truck! I guess there is always next year.