Listen to the Angels

This is the title of the Christmas Play that was performed by all of the children at Jessa and Spencer's school. And I think it is a great title on many levels. They are all angels (mine are most of the time. . .) that we were listening to - listening to their singing and acting. But the main characters of the play were also dressed as angels. They were all so cute, very angelic, and well worth listening to!

This was Jessa and Spencer's first foray into performing in public, and I think they had better not quit their day jobs! No, seriously, they were precious. And I was in love with staring at them, but neither one of my children ever sang a note. And neither one of them danced or even paid that much attention, BUT they both stood in the proper places and did not do anything terribly embarrassing. More than I can say for several children, so I am considering it a huge success.

Monday night was the first performance, Spencer's. He was not thrilled when I dropped him off at his classroom. It was not the normal school time, and he was not too sure how he felt about school at night. He was in tears when I left him. When he calmed down, he told his teacher, "I am done with my crying." I guess it was good he got it out before hand, right? My favorite part was the mad waving that was going on. Every time a child saw someone they recognized in the audience, they would grin and wave. Very professional! Spencer was so excited to see all of us he waved several times throughout. He even got a wave from our vet whose grandson is in Spencer's class! Although he did not sing or dance, he was a precious angel all the same. He did play with his shiny belt, adjust his halo several times, briefly picked his nose, and even clapped when the songs ended.

Sorry for the iffy pictures,

but I was st the back trying to videotape, too.

Ours is the angel on the front row, in the middle.

When Spencer's performance was over, Jessa and I were waiting for him to get his costume off. We were still in the sanctuary sitting in a pew at the front looking at the set. Her class performed the same play on Tuesday night, so she was pretty proud that she already knew what was happening. So she says to me, "Mommy, want to know a secret?" And I said, "Yes." And she pointed at the manger with a little baby doll and said, "See that baby?" I nodded. And she said "It's not a real baby. It is just pretend." I got so tickled at her sharing this insider information with me! She proceeded to inform me that the painted cardboard sheep and donkey were also shockingly not real barn animals! And so I asked her, "How do you know all of this?" And she said, very matter-of-factly, "well, I am in the play. It is sort of like a movie, just pretend."

Then Tuesday was Miss Jessa's performance. She was cast as Mary, a non-speaking, but important role. I was glad she had no lines to memorize because I would have had the duty of forcing her to practice! She was excited about getting to hold baby Jesus - she even brought Jesus a toy. And she loved wearing a special costume. Everyone had the same costumes: either shepherds or angels, except for Mary and Joseph. She never sang a word, but she was in the right place and moved at all the right cues. She picked up her baby at the right time, so I guess it was a success. She spent a lot of time playing with her costume and looking around. My personal favorite part was when she was performing her own little play with her hands totally oblivious to what was going on around her.

I was at the back again - sorry!

She is easy to spot in her blue-green costume!

I am sorry that all of you missed their theater debut. I cannot tell you how much I loved watching them. To me, they are such gorgeous creatures. They are miracles walking around. I know that every parent in that room felt the same way about their child, but that does not make me any less in awe of mine. And hearing them sing Christmas Carols (I have heard them singing at home - Spencer loves "and hea-ven and heaven and nature sing.") warmed my heart. I loved listening to all the angels - especially mine!

Meet Max

I am sitting in the lobby of the vet's office on Friday morning. I had Dunken there for his shots and check-up. He was near the door and greeting everyone as they came in. We were patiently waiting our turn and visiting with the other folks who were also waiting.

In walks a nice lady with a carrier from the Clayton County Humane Society. And she said to the animal inside, "See, Max, that is how you are going to look when you are all better." She placed the carrier down next to Dunken and me and went to get another animal. We could see two big, sweet, dark eyes staring at us. Dunken was curious and went over to sniff and make friends. I turns out that fate had brought a Westie in need of a home to the vet at the perfect time to meet us.

As I sat there, my mind was racing. Do we need another dog? NO! Could we give this sweet little guy a good home? YES! What will David say? What will the kids think? Would I be taking on more than I can handle? Momma will kill me!! But I tried not to think about it. It was our turn to go back. We were with the vet (we are very close friends with our vets and have been for years. They are some of the most special people in the world, and we are so blessed to know them and have them to take care of our furry babies.). And I could hardly focus on Dunken for worrying about the mysterious little baby, Max. So I asked Dr. Ryan. She was excited to tell me all about him. She even went to bring him in to meet Dunken. They got along very well. I burst into tears. I am so tender hearted about furry critters. Through the years, we have had our share of strays (my freshman year at NGC, I brought him a Momma cat and her 6 babies! And Mom let me in! We still have one of the kittens 15 years later!). I could not get the little sweet Westie face out of my head. David and I are in love with the breed, and my meeting him felt like a sign.

I headed out to pay and what was on the counter? Max's chart! I cried some more. The gals at the vet's office went ahead and called the Humane Society to make sure that he was not promised to anyone else. And not only was he not promised, they were shocked that someone was interested. Poor Max had been severely neglected. When the Humane Society rescued him from Animal Control, he had ear infections, eye infections, skin infections, his nails were infected, his fur was matted, and he was simply miserable. But after a few weeks (about the time I met him), he was bouncing back so well. His skin still has issues (as does Dunken's, I am pretty well versed in skin conditions), and he will need eye drops forever. Due to the neglect, he has chronic dry eye (Restasis, anyone?!). But he is as sweet as can be. He loves the kids - lots and lots of sloppy kisses! He gets along well with Dunken and Cooper (we had to all meet him at the Humane Society to make sure that he would fit in with our crazy crew). And in about a week, he will be healthy enough to come home with us!

So we were not planning on adding to our family, but sometimes we do not plan these things. Things are so crazy and so hectic with the holidays, but we are going to make it work. We have a loving home. We also have the experience in dealing with skin allergies, so Max was meant to be ours, don't you think?? What a fun Christmas present for all of us! And a fun welcome home gift for David, right? But the best gift of all is for Max. I KNOW that he will be happier and more loved than he ever imagined!

Decking the halls. . .

Our tree is up! YAY! I LOVE CHRISTMAS!!

So I am one of the people who still think that decorating before Thanksgiving is nuts. I think that part of what makes Christmas so wonderful and special is that it is just once a year. And it does not last from October to January! I love having my beautiful pre-lit tree up, but I would not appreciate it as much if it were up for more than a few weeks. Now once the kitchen is cleaned up from Thanksgiving dinner, bring on the tinsel! But I do not want to cheapen the most wonderful time of the year by making it last longer than it is supposed to.

Now, off my soapbox. . .

We are not going to decorate our new house because frankly, the nomadic, unsettled, boxes in every room thing is working for us. Ha! We don't have room for anything, much less a tree. Plus, I was raised by a serious Southern family who believes that if you have even one decoration up at 12:01 AM on New Year's, you will have bad luck for the whole year. And with the whole moving in thing and David coming home, I do not need the added stress, know what I mean?? Nor do I want to risk bad luck!!

So we are sticking with May's tree. After Momma and Daddy sacrificed their Thanksgiving to help me get lots done at Ft. Stewart, within minutes of us getting home, Daddy was in the attic hauling down all the decorations. He was even in a happy mood. It was so cute, he was singing "Deck the Halls with Bough of Holly. . ." and Spencer would go, "la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la" in the proper tune! That's our Bay, always in a good mood!

The kids were out of control with excitement! They were decorating branches before Daddy could get them out of the box! We lost some glass ornaments that way, but it was so worth it to watch their joy. I gave them their new Christmas jommies to signal the start of the season. And we watched "Barbie's Christmas Carol" to help get us in the spirit.


I said before that I LOVE Christmas, and I always have. BUT it is even more fun to watch it through their eyes. And as they get older, it gets more fun. They "get it," you know? We made our rings of paper to tear one off each night. We have our advent calendars with a chocolate for every night (just like Lucas and I always had. . .). And they are both quick to tell you that Christmas is Jesus's birthday, so I think we are on the right track!

And the best part of all is that right after Christmas, we will get the present we have all been praying and hoping for, David will be HOME! So this Christmas season, we have so much to celebrate and look forward to.

So Merry Christmas! And God Bless us, every one!

The fashionista and foot germs

Jessa has had on quite the outfits today. Spencer has worn very little. In my haste to get this house unpacked and in order, their attire is the very least of my concern. As long as I get them fed 3 times a day, to the potty as needed, and to sleep, I am happy. They are being GREAT helpers and have been getting along. We pulled a "Smurf" unpack last night. (picture all of the smurfs in a line passing a bucket of water down the line to put out a fire) I would open a box of toys and they would take what I handed them and hurry to the play room. It worked out very well!

Anyway, unpacking is always an adventure because you never know what you are going to find. We found Jessa's dress-up shoes and jewelry last night. This was very exciting. They have been having to make-do with just the dresses and no "slippers!" What a fashion faux pas! Jessa even slept in a lovely plastic necklace all night. Fashion is of the utmost importance to her, even in sleep.

This morning, the ensemble was this:

Not sure what the deal is with the hat, but it has been a fixture today.

Later in the day, she was reunited with her favorite pair of Belle Shoes. She LOVES these shoes. I have been scolded several times over the past few weeks for allowing the packers to pack them. As soon as she found them, she had to put on her Belle dress and dance! And when she plays dress up, Spencer plays, too. Bless his heart. Here he is after she dressed him as Sleeping Beauty with matching pink slippers, waiting his turn to dance. He eventually had to be the wicked stepmother. Don't worry, David will be home soon to "man him up!"

(The picture is grainy because I had to sneak up to catch it.)

So after we ate supper tonight, Jessa and I were still at the table and Spencer had wandered away.

J: Oh no, he is putting on my shoes! (the beloved Belle ones)

Me: That is OK, isn't it? (trying to encourage her to share willingly)

J: But mom, they already have MY foot germs.

S: Where? (looking in the shoes)

J: Oh they're in there.

Me: Well, it is true you cannot see germs.

S: I don't see them. (he is now turning the shoes upside down and concentrating trying to find them)

J: They are in there and they are crawling all around and they're going to get on you.

S: No they not. (checking out his shoes and now his feet, just to be sure)

J: I am warning you, you are going to get my foot germs.

"Beware of foot germs!"

Much to her dismay, Spencer apparently unfazed by the threat of Jessa's foot germs, threw caution to the wind and proceeded to put on the Belle shoes. He was very happy and proud that he was wearing her favorite shoes. I was also happy because she did not have a dramatic episode as he wore them (great progress!).

He thought they looked GOOD!

You cannot blame a girl for trying, right?

He wore them, foot germs and all for about an hour until she somehow coaxed them off of him.

Jessa's Important Job

*****UPDATE *****
After I posted this, I went to WSB/TV.com and saw that the story was already posted, so I guess it ran earlier. . .
There is a link to the story on the home page and you can briefly see Jessa with the Spider Man Punching thing. Oh well!!

My baby brother works at WSB/Channel 2 in Atlanta. He has been there since he interned there his Freshman year of college. I am always impressed when we visit him at his job - he is a Director and Technical Director. For those of you who live in Atlanta, you may watch Channel 2's news. (and if you don't, you should! Ha!) Clark Howard is a consumer reporter who does a cool special every year called the "Toy Test." Lucas has always wanted my kids to be a part of this, but it has never worked out before. We were either not close or not the right ages. Finally, this year, Jessa was the right age, AND we were in town! Perfect! Don't worry, we are already planning to make sure Mr. Spencer gets to do it next year!!

It was a Saturday morning and 25 kids aged 3-10 were asked to show up at 10 AM. They did a count down and released the kiddos into a room filled with toys. This year, the theme was economical toys, so all of the toys were under $25. Jessa had so much fun! It was so funny to watch them all play together and check out the new things.

5-4-3-2-1 GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The wonderful lady who ran the whole thing told them all what an important job they had because they were going to help kids and parents everywhere decide what toys to buy. They all seemed to take it seriously!

She did not want to give up the hippiy hop,

so she will play with both, thank you very much.

I wanted to post this today because this afternoon on the 5 o'clock news, the story on the toy test will air. I am not sure if Jessa was ever on camera or not. They try to catch candid moments, so if the kid looks up, they leave. They never asked Jessa a question, but she did not mind at all!

She made herself at home coloring with blendy pens-

at one point, Lucas swore she fell asleep.

So if you are around a TV in the Atlanta area at 5 today, please check out Jessa and all her new friends performing their important job!!

Multi-tasking at its best - she said her daughter made a mess.

Where has she heard that before?

I'm Back. . . And Happy Thanksgiving!

I have not had a second to sit down and even check my e-mail the past week or so! From the trips to Ft. Stewart (3 1/2 hours one way) to the unpacking to everything else, I have been so busy. Plus, my darling "carrier monkeys" have given me one heck of a cold. And that is why I have been up and on the computer since about 6:45 this morning. I could not breathe, which impeded my sleeping somewhat. The kids are mostly feeling better, but Momma and I are taking it harder. Mom does not even have a voice! They always do this to us, they bring something home from school and then I make sure they rest, drink, etc. No one ever makes sure grown-ups take it easy, thus when we get a cold it lasts longer. . .

We had a crazy week last week, so I will hit the high spots, OK? I will be as brief as I can, but you know I am long-winded. Sorry!

First, I tried a new photographer to take the kids' pictures. I have always gone to Sears. I like the on-line sharing and the 20% military discount. But Spencer had gotten to where he would burst into hysterics when we walk in the door. Not conducive to treasured family portraits. So we went to the lady who took their school pictures this year. And I LOVED her! And more importantly, the kids LOVED her! I was relaxed. I laughed. I did not sweat, cry, or get high blood pressure. It was awesome! And the pictures are great! I am not sure if I am allowed to post them since they are copyrighted, but I will check and see. . . This was a huge event that I was dreading, and it is now over and it was actually fun! Who knew? I did take a picture of the kids in her front yard as we were leaving. I am so pleased with their outfits this year. . .

The other big thing last week was the Thanksgiving Feast at school. I got to cook and eat twice, once for each child. I liked this a lot that they had 2 feasts because I got to go with each child and let them be the center of attention. Jessa always craves this one on one time. Bless Spencer's heart, at his feast, he kept asking, "Momma, where Jessa?"

Jessa's feast was on Thursday. And she has gotten to where she NEVER behaves well when I am at school with her. She is clingy and doesn't listen well. I have always told them that at school the teacher is the boss, not me. But lately, she acts ugly when I am with her. I told her I may not come anymore if she does not straighten up, so I am hoping the Christmas Party will be better.

Her class made Indian (or am I supposed to say Native American, not sure, but they do not call the way they sit "Indian Style" like we did, it is "Criss Cross Applesauce") vests out of paper bags (Remember those?) and little headbands with feathers and even a necklace out of colored pasta. Jess did not want to cooperate. Photographic evidence:
notice her holding my hand - CLINGY!

So, her feast was not terribly enjoyable. Although she is famous for being able to turn the drama on and off, she eventually acted a little better. . .

Spencer, on the other hand, was thrilled to see me and had the best time at his feast. I could eat him up with that sweet face!

He ate well, and he even got an extra cupcake to take to Jessa. He loves her so much and is just so thoughtful. . . His class made turkey hats, which he was reluctant to wear, but agreed to a few pictures.

Spencer's feast was on Friday, and we left right after to head down here to Ft. Stewart. We are skipping Thanksgiving in order to have an uninterrupted week of unpacking. Mimi and Poppy spent the weekend helping, but they went home. I am not a huge fan of Turkey, so no biggie for me, but my poor Daddy (with Abby) is driving to Atlanta on Wednesday from Illinois (9 hours) to pick up Momma (and Cooper) to drive another 3 1/2 hours here to help me. I am planning to cook David a turkey when he gets home - maybe we will all celebrate Thanksgiving in the new year? We have had it in February before when David was deployed. . . So here I am. At Ft. Stewart, swimming in boxes and paper, trying to makes us all fit in this tiny house.

I am thankful for so many things this year. I am thankful for phone calls and e-mails from Iraq. I am thankful that David will be home in 2 months! I am thankful that no matter how small, we have a place to live. I am thankful for everything I unpack because of the happy memories that are attached to each item. I am thankful for my family who always comes through for me when I need them. I am thankful for all my friends. I am thankful that my baby brother is cancer-free! And I am thankful for my sweet and precious babies who continue to entertain themselves so well in the midst of all of this chaos:

Here's is hoping you all have a happy holiday full of family, friends, food, and fun!

A wish from me and my turkeys:

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

10 ways to make unpacking interesting

Jessa and Spencer are very resourceful little people. We are spending almost all of our weekends at Ft. Stewart trying frantically to get every little thing unpacked, organized, and put away as fast as possible. I do not want the kids to miss school since they have to leave in January, but I want the house to be as settled as possible before the wonderful return of our David.

Unpacking is not that much fun for anyone, but it really not fun if you are a small person who does not understand all this moving stuff. BUT my precious children are creative and imaginative and for the most part are taking it all in stride. AND we still have not had the TV hooked up, so besides a lone DVD player in my bedroom, they have had to find things to do that were not TV related!

The only funny problem we had was when I told Jessa to get dressed to go to Wal-Mart shortly after we arrived on Friday. They had their school shirts on, which she did not want to wear Friday morning. I told her to put the dreadful thing back on after I had cruelly made her wear it all day. What is my problem? She sighed and as she was dragging herself down the hall to get it she hollered out, "Mom, this outfit makes me look RIDICULOUS!" Can't wait until she is a teenager!

And now for the list of ways to amuse yourself and make the drudgery of unpacking more interesting: (please pardon the occasional lack of clothing - sometimes dressing is just too much trouble, know what I mean?)

1. Pretend that the packing paper is snow and roll in it, throw "snowballs" with it and make snow angels with it.

2. Take advantage of the fact that all of the cooking pans, utensils, and pots are all out and easily accessible.

Voila, a pretend bakery is born!

3. Play dress up with oven mitts on your feet or wear your sister's princess dresses or even a towel (at least he is temporarily dressed. . .)

4. You can always roll around in the paper.



5. There is all this paper around, hey, why not color it?

6. When you are tired of playing, take a rest and catch a movie.


7. Chair spinning anyone???

8. Did I mention PAPER, CRAZY PAPER!?!?

9. You can always "help" mom and may unpack by sorting, yeah, that's it, sorting. . .

10. And after a long, hard day of unpacking, nothing is nicer than laying down to take a rest on an oh so comfy pile of . . . you guessed it

PAPER!

(seriously, I almost fell asleep!)