Sudafed

I love Sudafed, but I'm pretty picky about the kind I get-I need the little red pill only dispensable behind the pharmacy counter.  It's not for my meth lab out back, either-we use Claratin for that.  It's for when I have a cold in the nose.  It's the only thing in the whole wide world that works. 

I swear.

Any other drugs of choice out there?

Christmas Magic

The kids woke up at 4:30 A.M.!!! Christmas morning, excited out of their skin that Santa had left them a cookie on their bed, presents under the tree...and HIS PIPE ON THE FIREPLACE!  Apparently, while snacking on our milk and cookies, Santa got a little forgetful and left his pipe behind-a special corncob pipe WITH TEETHMARKS!  They have been beside themselves with PROOF OF THE REAL SANTA, and have alreade penned a few letters to him to let him know we have his pipe, and will keep it safely under lock and key until he returns to retrieve it.  That Santa-so forgetful.  It's a wonder he makes it around the world in one night with everything he has to do.  :)

Between the pipe and the White Christmas, we had quite a magical few days.  Grady was in full swing this year, tearing into his presents with vigor, but old enough to take the time to watch everyone else opening their presents as well.  The cereal boxes were a big hit.

Despite the early wake up call, we spent Christmas morning leisurely snacking on cinammon rolls, breakfast casserole, and sipping hot chocolate.  Oh-and opening a few presents to eachother.  It was really a magical morning, and one that I've filed away as so very special.  Because we were snowed in, we stayed in our pjs for the majority of the day-even building snowmen and checking out the reindeer tracks in them-but that's part of the wonder of the day, isn't it? 

Around 4 in the afternoon, we decided to make the hike to my mom's house, bundling up in any gloves, hats, snowboots, and jackets that we could find.  We strapped on some pistols (well, Sheriff Grady did anyway), and headed out the door-about an hour later (and many snowball fights, tumbles in the snow, and a little whining) we arrived at Grandmom's, where we had some of her Christmas Feast, warmed our toes, played a little Pictionaryman, and retrieved Todd's truck.

Did I mention we had to leave Todd's truck at my parent's house on Christmas Eve?  Oh yes, once the snow started piling up, we loaded our loot and tried to head the two miles to our house, but Todd had a little difficulty getting out of the driveway and managed to not only get his truck stuck partially on the road, and partially on the driveway, but also to almost dismantle Dad's entry timbers...only to hear the whispers of "I told you so" as the snowfall picked up.  Noone ever said it, but we all knew it was there.  :)  We managed to get home in the trusty minivan, but I doubt any of us will ever let Todd live this one down.

Once home, we cuddled and watched Todd's favorite, Christmas Vacation, and then sent everyone to bed with visions of wonderful in their memory....

oh ye of little faith...

and Bethie thought we wouldn't make a dent in the wine last night...Great times with Sean, Carter and Co.!  Sadly, I didn't take any other pictures.  I know!  Me!  Not taking pictures?  I guess I got caught up in the relaxing and having fun.  :)  Till next time...I'll start stocking up on wine today....

Our White Christmas

We had a great time playing in all the SNOW that fell on Christmas Eve, snow that is still on the ground (as hard as that is to believe!).  We always dream of a White Christmas, and this year, that dream came true.  We decided it was Sandy's little present to us-he and Windy wanted to do something to make us smile and count our blessings even more.  God bless us every one.  :)

Saying goodbye to Sandy...

I wrote this over at Mom's the Word-but needed to post here too, just for our own little scrapbook, and here-I can say that it's been killing me how much I miss our Sandy.  :(  It's hitting me really hard, his passing.  I've been trying to work through it, wondering exactly why. As I looked at a picture of Sandy, Windy, and Ringo, and realized they were all gone, I wondered if I was sad for that time of our life being gone, too-the beginning part of our life, the puppy part of our life.  He was the last link we had to that-and I think that's what's making me so sad.  I know it's specifically Danielle sappy to say that, but it's true...and that's all I have to say about that, but here's what I have to say about Sandy....

just a boy and his dog

That's what my friend used to say when she watched them. They played frisbee, hide and seek, and tag. They walked to the mailbox together, cooked brisket together, and watched NASCAR together. They sang at the moon, raced to the phone, and swam in the lake. Man's best friend? Or Dog's best friend? Honestly, it was hard to tell.


He was a member of a family, a son, a brother, a friend. It sounds cliche, and I know completely sappy, but it's just so very very true. I know because that boy is Todd, and that dog was our Sandy.

We adopted him about eleven years ago, and will love him always. We had dinner plans at a friend's house the day we brought hime home, but instead of leaving him in a crate or the backyard, we brought him with us. He snuggled in our laps through dinner, and that small moment defined our relationship. He was never the dog that had to stay home, because he was always invited-always welcome to come along. We went on daily walks, picnics, roadtrips to College Station (and Decatur), Petsmart, and trips to the lake (complete with boat rides). He was more than a part of us; he was our family. He'd bark at me when I woke my husband for work, so much that the phrase "it's time to get up" would send him into fits. He'd run all over the house looking for the phone when it rang (mostly because I was running, too). He'd dump his food out everyday in the hopes that he would find a treat waiting underneath all that crappy dog food. He'd passively aggressively growl at other dogs only to practically smile at us when we caught him in the act. We called him the fun police, because he always had a handle on just how much laughing would be allowed. He'd "load up" in the car any time we asked, always ready for an adventure.

And boy, did we take him on an adventure. He met three newborns, and lived in four houses in his little life. He bonded with our old collie, the best cat in the world, and two other cats. He put up with other dogs that came in and out of his life, always opting for my husband or some other human for real companionship-because he was so much more than a dog. In our eyes, he was practically human, and he howled to let us know he agreed.

Eleven years is a long time in dog years, and I knew the end was coming. His health had been declining since this summer; he had arthritis and gingerly made his way around the house. He slept a lot, and had lost his hearing. He had stopped "loading up." I think he had a little Alzheimer's, too. We'd find him in odd places of the house-places he'd never hung out before, and when we did, he looked at us like we we were the crazy ones. But, he'd still play hide-and-seek; he'd still bark if I tried to wake my husband up for work. He was still our Sandy-until last Monday when, to me, his eyes seemed a little sad. We took him to the vet because we needed advice, and they diagnosed him with cancer-telling us that yes, he might be in pain, and we should think about saying goodbye.

We brought him home that night, watching and knowing we needed to make a decision, but just torn by how to do that. We didn't know it then, but before the night was over, he'd make the choice for us. The three of us spent the night in the living room, petting Sandy, remembering the life he shared with us, and shedding tears of goodbye. We were at the vet at 8 a.m. the next morning, and without saying a word, they knew. She asked me if I wanted to stay with him, and I managed to ask if they could come out to the car-we had a special place to bury him at home. Strangers hugged me, patted my shoulder, and looked at me with pain and understanding. We held him as he drifted off, thanking the vet, and silently driving home. We buried him next to our Windy, and each remembered our favorite thing about Sandy-the hide and seek, the howling, the dumping of food, the barking when we returned home. Todd and I remembered the day we brought him home the first time, how we instantly fell in love, and how he shared eleven years with us. We've been married only thirteen, so it's hard to imagine our life without him. I still look for him when I pull in the driveway, when I wake up in the morning, or when I'm running for the phone. I'm wondering if I always will; if I'll look around for the "fun police" when the kids are getting a little too loud, or if I'll expect to see him trotting beside Todd as he goes to check the mail-just a boy and his dog. I know he was a special dog, for a special time in our life, and he will live in our hearts-forever.

Teacher Nerd Moment

"Wow!  Class is already over?  This project is really fun Mrs. Scroggins, and I think I learned a lot."  :)

The moments are rare, but when they happen, they are amazing.

Cereal Boxes?

Todd is using cereal boxes to wrap presents.  Thrifty?  or a little odd?

"They are boxes, aren't they?"

Bigger Stronger Sadness

So, Grady has decided that he doesn't love his school as much as he did when we began this new routine.  You know how that wears on my sanity!  Is he just working me?  Or should I talk to his teachers?  :(

say it ain't so, Tiger?

http://skattershooting.blogspot.com/2009/12/tigers-women.html

Is all this hype about Tiger true?  9???

Surely not.

Busy Weekend!

Last night was the annual Christmas Lights Parade in Decatur-one of my very favorite little Decatur Traditions.  We started with a little photo shoot at home before we left to meet some friends for dinner.  I'm a little behind on my Christmas Card Extravaganza this year, and this was an opportunity to get a picture taken.  The kids did ok-I'm just really wondering WHEN they will sit still and just smile at the camera.  Those will be the days!  After the shoot, we headed to Yesterday's in Bridgeport which, for the kids, was like going on vacation.  They loved the decorations and the fact that their food CAME IN A CAR!  (a paper one, but still!!!)  Then it was off to get our spot on the parade route.

It was REALLY cold this year, and there were a few intensely whiney moments as the kids waited in anticipation of the parade, but once it started, the Christmas Spirit took over. 

After the parade, it was the Moonlight Madness sale all over town where businesses offer sales and discounts specifically for that night.  It always sounds a little better in my head to walk around the square and shop with the kids than what the reality of that entails.  After the second store, Todd escorted all 3 kids to the car while I finished up some shopping.  It worked out in the end.  He went to Jason's house; I hooked up with Jennifer, and I think we were all happier.  The boys watched that dreadful t.u. game while Jenn and I hopped all over town crossing those last minute items off our lists (and snagging a few things for ourselves too!).  Superfun times in a small town. 

Today, we headed to the big city to Baby Sona's house and church to participate in Baby Andrea's Baptism.  Sona and Kevin asked us to be Godparents, and of course we were giddy at the chance-especially Father Todd.  I was nervous about tackling our own kids and completing our Godparent duties, but they actually sorta behaved themselves with minimum beatings and threats.  :)

We first attended Mass, and then met up with about 8 other families for a group/private baptism ceremony afterwards.  It was a really lovely ceremony; the Deacon in charge put us all at ease in terms of our kids' behaviors and explained the process and celebration.  Baby Andrea was a beautiful, perfectly behaved little doll, wearing Baby Sona's very own Baptismal Gown.

Everything was running along smoothly.  My own little hoodlums were even paying attention as the Deacon went through the Baptismal Rite.  Before I knew it, Grady had FALLEN ASLEEP on my lap!  It's been months since he did that.  I settled into the pew, just taking in the moment-when I had a panicked thought.  When was the last time Grady had gone to the bathroom?  I dismissed it pretty quickly-thinking he'd been taking naps dry for a few months now, so all should be fine.  Lesson #876 of Motherhood.  Just when you think all will be fine-it won't.

Yep, Grady peed on me.  Right there in the middle of a lovely Baptismal Cermony in a beautiful Cathedral.  Being the problem solver I've come to be, I asked Sona for a non-special receiving blanket and cleaned up the puddles.  Yep.  PLURAL.  Luckily, I was wearing black, and the incident didn't show on my outfit, but still.  STILL. 

We managed to make it through the rest of the ceremony without crisis, and spent the afternoon relaxing at Baby Sona's house-with Kevin all the while teasing me about my skirt.  It was an afternoon spent with family, and one that made me wish (as I always do) that Dallas and Decatur were just a few miles closer together.

Especially since Kevin and the kids have so much fun playing.  :)

cooking class

Me:  "Don't lick your fingers!  These cookies are for book club!"

Grady:  "I want to be in book club!!  Pleeeeaaassseeee!"

i want to wash my hair in snow.....

It didn't last long, but this morning we woke up to a winter wonderland.  The kids made snowballs before breakfast, and Grady conned Gran into letting him hang out with her for the day to have the chance at a snowman.  I think it worked out for both of them.  :)  The kids were sad to see the snow gone after school, and are counting the days until the next "snow blast."