Damon's Home!!!

Damon made it home this afternoon! I would have been happier to see him, if I'd been more than half awake when he came in the door. Every night for 4 nights Max has been sleeping worse and worse at night. I was attributing it to his recent mastery of the roll-over, but last night after crying every half an hour from 11- 4am, I finally started to get a clue that something else was going on. I gave him some Tylenol at 4 am and he slept from 4-7am. What a long, miserable night! Why, oh why didn't I give him Tylenol any sooner? I'm still feeling guilt for not being more receptive that more was going on. I took him to the pediatrician this morning and he has ear infections in both ears!! The poor little dude. No wonder he hasn't been sleeping. What's wierd is that he doesn't have any cold symptoms. But my other boys have been known to do that too when they were babies. He's been drugged up with Tylenol and his amoxocillan all day, and has slept most of the day and evening away, so who knows what tonight will bring. The good news is that now we've got Tylenol on our side and I won't be doing it alone tonight! Welcome home, Damon!

(The older boys received Incredibles match box cars as their 'surprise' from Dad, and Max got a Mickey Mouse rattle. Sam informed me that he was sorry, but I didn't get anything. But what he doesn't realize is that I got the best gift of all: I got my husband back!)

Another Day Closer to Damon's Return!

We survived another day without Dad!

We talked to Damon twice, both times at Will's insistance. The first call Will made the minute, and I mean the minute (he ran straight for the phone) he got home from school. Unfortunately we had to leave a message and wait for about an hour until Damon had a break and could call us back. The second phone call was made at 9:15 - 45 minutes after Will was put to bed, because he was missing his Dad so much he couldn't sleep. The poor, sweet child had a tearful conversation with his father, who made all the same suggestions we had already tried - get a drink, sleep with Dad's pillow - then felt better enough to get himself to sleep. Unfortunately for me, he keeps telling me he's hearing strange noises in his room - "like someone, (or something's) teeth are chattering." Everytime I went in, I didn't hear anything. It makes me wonder if we have another mouse.

So Far, So Good

Damon left this afternoon for a business trip. :( He's going to a convention in Anneheim, California, right across the street from Disneyland. :( He's gone until Thursday. :( We already miss him. :( He promised to bring the boys back something if they were good. : ) So far they're doing pretty good. :) They are in charge of being the "men of the house." : ) They got ready for their baths on their own, were in the tub together and Will helped Sam wash his hair, while I fed Max a bottle. : ) So far...so good. :)

Max's New Trick

Max is doing something new these days - something that he's starting to get good at. Something that keeps me busy checking in with him because when you're a tummy sleeper and you're stuck on your back, you're not going to go to sleep. Something that up until now has been a mysterious phenomenon that only occurs in his bed and only when we leave the room.

I think that was 4 roll overs in about 2 minutes. What am I going to do with him?!

Thanks alot, Em

Thanks alot, Em, for making my boys obsessed with gum.

I knew all along that there had to be more to the 'self-haircut' than saving me a pretty penny. It suddenly occured to me what it was: gum. As in gum in the hair. Yep. The gum in the hair scenario explains why an 8 year old (who I had just described the previous weekend as 'recently maturing') would take several chops out of his own hair. Mom's wrath - the banning of all bubblegum - and the 'what were you thinking?!'s - it could all be avoided with just a few simple snip-snips, and no one would be any the wiser. Mom would never have to know that gum had managed to make it from mouth to head.

Me: You cutting your own hair wouldn't have anything to do with gum, would it?
Will: probably.
Me: How did you get gum in your hair?
Will: I don't know...I don't want to talk about it.

He already knows the advantages of pleading the fifth. He already almost got away without incriminating himself. You say too much, you're doomed.

So yeah, Em. I'm blaming this one on you. So thanks! Never mind that I was up on the couch falling asleep while the boys were down on the computer playing a game when the haircut took place yesterday. You remember the computer room, don't you? It would be the same room that I recently put a ban on being in unless I'm present because Will helped himself to my brown paint, which he managed to get on his shirt, and someone (no one ever owned up to it) knocked over a special order art piece I was working on and chipped it. Yes, it would be that same room. What happened to that ban, you ask? Well, you see I was sleeping and they were downstairs and being quiet and I was lazy, ok? I WAS LAZY! ASLEEP ON THE JOB! I admit it. This time, I'm sticking to my guns. No kids in the computer room.

Conversation

Things I heard in the van this morning:

Me: Sam, put your gloves on so your hands don't get cold.
Sam: I only have one.
Me: Why's that?
Sam: I don't know.
Me: maybe the other one is at home.
Will (from the backseat): There's some extra ones back here. Here you go Sam, wear these.
Sam: Will! You're a genius!!!

I didn't even know he knew that word, 'genius!'

Will: Mom, I'm just going to give people the short version, about my hair.
Me: Oh yeah? What's that?
Will: hair got cut.
Me: And what if people ask you who did that to you?
Will: then I'll say, 'don't want to talk about it.' If people ask you, you tell them the short version too.

huh.

A Hair Scare

A child in my household, who wishes to remain anonymous, came up to me today with the opening line, "I'm really, really sorry." Nothing good ever comes from a conversation that starts out that way. He decided to take scissors to his hair today. Why, you ask? That's a very good question. The answer I got, and which I'm finding quite hard to believe, is because he wanted to save me money on a haircut. He does know the way to my heart is a good bargain. Well, he's saving me money alright. His father decided that he can either live with the hair, or pay for a haircut out of his own money. So I guess I might end up coming a'head' on the whole deal. (Get it?! a'head'?! Ah, I crack myself up. If only I felt like laughing. I'm still a little too P.O.'ed to laugh yet.)

His brother claims that he tried to give him a haircut too, "and it really hurt," but upon a thorough scalp inspection, I could not detect any missing follicles. So I'm not sure what that was all about. I suspect that an attempt was made, and his brother made a hasty escape and a few hairs got pulled.

It will be interesting to see what other people have to say about the chunky hairstyle. In my mind this is going to be the sweet part of natural consequences. I've already alluded to the fact that he may want to think about what he's going to say when kids come up to him and are like, "DUDE! What happened to your hair?!" This prompted my John Doe child to wear a baseball cap to AWANAs tonight. But he can't hide forever! Prayer time and the Pledge of Allegiance will catch up with him eventually! I'm kind of hoping that his teachers tomorrow have a 'no hat' rule in their classroom.

I promised I would only take a close-up of the hair and not photograph the face of this nameless child so that he can live out his days in anonymity. It's not my fault if you happen to guess who it is on your own.

Oops! How did that last picture get in there?! Pay no mind to the boy covering his head. Uh, he just has an itch...yeah...that's it...an itch.

Fun Times

Here are some more pictures of fun times with Emily:

Will must be trying to create his own 'look' - what it is, I do not know:
Here's what a treat looks like after Lily gets ahold of it: Something good and chocolatey is missing...
Already Emily looks sad to be leaving the next day:

Mom and Em took over control of Sam's new toy:

The kids put on a show for us, complete with a written invitation to join them in the kitchen at 8:00. It was so cute!

Don't they have some good moves?!

A Late Christmas

Here are some pictures I took when Emily was home for our Christmas celebration. Damon's wrapping job:
Emily's wrapping job: (It was an extension hose for the wall-mount shop vac that McC's got him. One might ask oneself how a person carries something like this home on an airplane. The answer is, you don't. You get your sister - not me, the other one - to do your shopping for you!)

Will tried out the origami stuff Em got him, and got it figured out right away:

The gang: Yes, I still have all my decorations up!

It's Finally Time to Begin the Healing Process

Ok. I think enough time has properly passed for me to be able to blog about my morning last week. I had to give myself a little time to emotionally heal from the trauma. I debated on whether to give you all the long dramatic version, or the short, to the point version. And since this is my blog and I can do whatever I want on it, I opted for the dramatic version.

It all began one cold Tuesday morning in the Kohl's parking lot...

Well, now wait, maybe I'll just try to summarize after all.

Basically what happened was that somehow I managed to drop the diaper bag out of the stroller and onto the parking lot without realizing it. I then proceeded to back over it, and drag it under the middle of the van, over to the Wal-Mart parking lot next door. Once there, I realized I'd maybe better check out what was making that funny noise. I peered underneath the van and discovered to my horror what the noise had been. I got down on my hands and knees, and pulled it out, only to realize that my wallet had fallen out en route. I retraced my 'steps' and searched under parked cars, then went back inside Kohl's and was relieved to find that some good samaritan had already turned it in! Everything - cash, ID, credit cards was still inside! How do I do these stupid things?! Not only that, but this is the second time I've dropped and had my wallet turned in in the Kohl's parking lot. If I didn't know better I'd say that place was cursed! I joked that God was punishing me for spending so much money in there. Laura thought it more likely that God was punishing me for going shopping without her! It's a good thing God doesn't really work that way!

The diaper bag looks like it's been through a cat fight. My wallet won't hold any coins anymore.

Happy Anniversary!

Happy Anniversary, you crazy kids! Seven years of pure bliss - can you believe it? Seems like just yesterday...

We are so glad you met each other, and took her off our hands.

Seriously, though, I'm proud to call you a part of our family, Don. It's been a blast to watch you both grow together in Christ. Here's to many more years together. Love you guys!

Roly Poly

Sunday morning Damon went in to get Max, who was busy cooing in his crib, and found him rolled over onto his back! Then again, just now, I put Max to bed tonight and went in to check to see if he was asleep yet, and he was busy talking to himself, once again on his back! I have a feeling that we're going to be doing a lot of flipping from now on, 'cause I don't think he's going to like sleeping on his back!

Must Be an Aunt Thing

One of the things that Emily did while she was here was to teach some of her nephews a very important life skill: how to blow bubbles. There has been a lot of gum flying around lately:

If you listen carefully, you can even hear my mom and Damon in the background talking to Sam, who just dropped his gum on the floor and then somehow managed to step on it. Good times.

Hair Dilemma

Max's hair is getting a bit long - but only in certain places. Just for fun, I combed his hair into a mohawk after his bath today, just to see what it would look like. Here's the result:

So the question is, do you prefer the punk rocker 'do, or the old man comb-over?:

Max's First Cold

This past week and on into this week Max has had his first cold. I took him to the doctor on Thursday because his breathing sounded wheezy to me. Sure enough, they suggested we do albuterol treatments. Luckily we already had the nebulizer from when Sam was little. It turns the medicine into steam for Max to breath in. It only takes about 5-10 minutes to do, and we do it every 4-6 hours. He doesn't seem to mind it too much, probably because it helps him breath better! He tries to grab at the mask and put it in his mouth, but it doesn't scare him. I'm glad for that, because it's kind of noisy. The noise actually seems to soothe him sometimes. Each of the kids (including Lily) were a bit freaked out the first time they saw Max doing it. Basically my job is to hold the mask over his face and follow him as he moves his head around, 'cause he doesn't sit real still!

Baby Jesus

I couldn't resist showing you something that Sam made at school. Baby Jesus has the cutest little face I've ever seen!

Sweet Hands

I have to hurry and post this because I am stealing these pictures from my sister's computer. Don't worry- I am giving her all the credit. She took these sweet pics of Max's hands with her new rockstar camera. They turned out so good, I had to steal them for myself!

The Wait Is Over!

Two kids patiently waiting for their aunt Emmy's flight to arrive: Max was wringing his hands with worry: "Is she ever going to get here?!"
She did! She made it! Emmy's here for a fun-filled week and a half!

Bumbo Time!

Well, I caved. I decided to get on the Bumbo bandwagon. I hope it wasn't a mistake, because so far he doesn't seem to care for it all that much. Right now he only tolerates it for short amounts of time. It must be hard work because he gets all out of breath. I think he'll like it once he gets used to it, and starts developing those muscles more.

Once again, the video ends in typical fashion!

It's G-r-r-r-reat to be a Lemme Leopard!!!

Holiday Specs

I was messing around with our camera the other day, and discovered I could show everyone what a person sees when they look through the 'holiday specs' that the McC's got for all the kids on Christmas eve. They look like 3d glasses, but when you look at Christmas lights through them, you get this really neat halo effect around each of the lights, in fun shapes. Here are the snowman ones: Santa faces:
The real images are actually clearer than these pictures, but you get the idea. The kids are still getting a lot of use out of these glasses. Someone's always coming up to me and telling me to "take a look," so now all of you can "take a look" too. They are pretty neat.

Recent Pictures

Max waking up from a nap at my sister's house, while the rest of us made Christmas cookies: Lucy got Sam with her paw while some wrestling was going on:
You're too close, Will:

Chubby cuteness:

Update

Damon WAS brave enough (or silly enough) to climb up on the roof yesterday to remove as much snow and ice as he could. He said he sat up at the top and straddled the peak, but was afraid to go over the edge of the peak toward the front of the house, because it's a long drop to the ground in the front if he slipped and fell. Other areas of the roof he was able to get to better, because he knew that if he slipped, at least he'd land in big piles of snow on the ground! He said that on the roof, underneath layers of ice and snow there was standing water with nowhere to go. It was insulated by the warm roof and the snow, and therefore didn't freeze. No wonder it's finding its way into the attic! He was able to clear away alot of stuff and chiseled some channels through the ice to create a path for the melt-off. Hopefully things will get better around here after all of his hard work.

As for another update, I know many of you have been on the edge of your seats wondering whatever happened to Will's loose tooth. Grandma Connie ended up pulling it out on Christmas Eve at church! So Will not only received a visit from Santa that night, but from the Tooth Fairy as well! He is now a dollar richer.

Last night we were messing around being silly with the boys and we found a spatula in the couch. We were trying to "figure out" what it was and I announced that it was a "spanking stick." Damon "read" the "directions" on the spatula which he declared read: "For use on children ages 4 to 8. Use briskly, rapping repeatedly on the buttocks." I don't know why, maybe you had to be there, but Damon and I laughed so hard! Damon had to leave the room and was wiping his eyes - it was that kind of laughing! My husband is funny. I love him!

Ice Problems

Our house has problems. (I mean more than usual.) All of the ice and snow melting and refreezing is wreaking havoc around here. Our back door won't close, and the ice is coming in inbetween the two doors:
We've even started to get a bit of water leaking in through the inside door, onto our kitchen linoleum. There are huge icicles everywhere. Now we've got a brown water spot on our bathroom ceiling. So somehow it's getting inside into the attic space. Damon is once again outside chipping away at the ice on the roof, trying hard to get at it without actually having to climb up there - big wind gusts today and a man on the roof do not mix. We see that our neighbors somehow managed to shovel their roof, so that may have to be next for us. He just stuck his head in the door and asked me to bring his little butane lighter to him. If he sets the house on fire, he'll be in trouble. Evidently he's using it to warm up the screen door latch and thaw it. This reminds me of a Home Alone movie or something. He's been online looking up solutions to the ice dam problem we have going on up there, and one website said to make bags filled with calcium carbonate out of pantyhose, and throw those in your gutters, then they won't wash away. When Damon told me that, he looked at me like I was going to be his pantyhose supplier. I haven't worn pantyhose since the mid 90's and don't plan to ever again, if I can get away with it! So I guess if he wants pantyhose, he's going to have to be a man and go buy it himself.