He Holds the Key

So...did anyone notice on my Valentine's post that I said what a great Valentine's Day the boys had? There's a -- now that it's over -- funny story behind that.

I must preface any further comments by stating that I have the world's greatest husband. No, seriously. I do. I know that other women may think theirs is the greatest, but it's really no contest. He cooks, he cleans, he changes diapers, but he does much, much more. He is a great role model for our children, he is completely loving in every way, and he is probably the most thoughtful married man on the planet. Want proof? Last year for Christmas, one of my gifts was a phone number. I was told to call this number, and after my repeated threats to the contrary, I finally succumbed to the pressure. When I called and identified myself as I was instructed, the most wonderful voice came over the line. It was my first grade teacher, Mrs. Cochran, who I loved and idolized and who I wanted to be since I was six years old. We had kept in touch until I was in sixth grade, and then she moved away, and we lost contact. Eric heard me talk about her and how I wished I knew where she was, and he tracked her down. She lives in Florida, we had a wonderful conversation, and now I am back in touch with a wonderful woman who had always been an inspiration to me. That's just one of a million examples, but I think I have made my point.

So, when you are spending your life with someone who is reliably wonderful in so many ways, you don't expect things like this to happen ... on Valentine's Day.

Eric decided he wanted to leave a little early that morning, even though we usually leave around the same time. And guess what? I was running late (it's shocking, I know). So I said my goodbyes to him and the boys and rushed around the house by myself to finish getting ready to leave. A few minutes later, with my coat on and briefcase over my arm, I'm in a panic. Where in the world are my keys??? I always put them by the door, and they weren't there. I have all of my keys on one ring so that I won't lose them -- car keys, house keys, school keys. So, I dumped my purse, checked all of my pockets, looked behind all of the furniture, and they were nowhere. I called Eric's cell in complete stress mode, begging him to think where I could have put them. By this point, I looked at the clock and realized I will probably never make my forty minute ride to school in time. That's when the tears come. I don't have a regular job where I can call and say I'll be ten minutes late. If I am late, there are twenty-five kids waiting outside of my classroom who are counting on me. I am beyond upset, I am crying and screaming at myself for being so stupid, and all I can think to do is call Eric back a second time, whose job is a forty minute commute in the opposite direction to Philly. When he answers, he tells me he's so sorry. My keys are in his coat pocket, also commuting to Philly. (But in his defense, he was on his way home to bring them to me when I called.)

So, when these appeared at school after having arrived late with a substitute covering my homeroom, I was less than thrilled, even though they were a very "me" arrangement.

Maybe it was a good thing that we didn't have a babysitter for Valentine's Day after all, in light of all of that. But like all happily married couples, we talked it out, and he admitted that I am always right (just kidding; the gift certificate for a massage at my favorite salon and spa didn't hurt, either). And luckily, my mother-in-law came down last weekend to spend some quality "Gemma-time" with the boys so that we could make up for the previous weekend and have a do-over for Valentine's Day at a great restaurant.

It was an evening out that we both truly needed, as hard as I find it to leave the boys. And guess what? The only key that Eric had of mine this time was the one he had all along ... the key to my heart.

(You saw that one coming, right? Okay, you can stop the fake gagging noises now. I know it's terribly corny, but it's still completely true.)

Access Denied

62%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?

I use my thirty minute duty-free lunchtime at work to wind down from the constant chaos. I get a little work done and then catch up on my emails and visit my favorite sites, which of course, include various blogs. I have been doing this for over a year now. Until yesterday. Yesterday, I brought my protein bar and water bottle over to my computer, checked my email, and then went to check my blog. Guess what? "Access Denied." Excuse me? I tried a few other blogs. "Access Denied. Access Denied. Access Denied." Apparently, our district web filter no longer allows "blogging/personal sites." Which is even more frustrating when you consider that, in August, I had a three hour inservice on the instructional possibilities of .... wait for it ... blogging.

No Business Like Snow Business

We had a snow day on Friday (our first all school year), so Eric and I bundled up the boys and took them outside before he had to head off to work. This was Connor's first time actually playing in the snow! The snow quickly turned into rain, so we tried to accomplish as much snow fun as possible into our venture outside.

So happy to be in the snow!

What do I do now?

Big Brother shows Little Brother how to play in the snow.

Daddy makes a snowball for Connor.

Seriously, guys, what do I do now?

I'll show you! Throw it at the tree!

That was cool!

How many angels do you see in this picture?

Peek-a-boo!

That was fun!

Now, let's go inside for some hot chocolate.

Shave and a Haircut, Two Bits

The boys got much-needed haircuts last week. Okay, so they didn't get a shave (thank goodness they aren't growing up that quickly!), but they did do a great job with the clippers. The only time Connor cried was when the stylist broke out the hair dryer; he preferred to have wet hair in the chilly outdoors. Oh, and it did cost a little more than two bits, but in comparison to Mommy's haircut and color yesterday, it practically seems that inexpensive.

Brotherly Love

The boys had a great Valentine's Day; they got some adorable cards from their grandparents and friends (in the pictures, Connor is holding a car we made from Cameron's card from Pop Pop and Grandma), and they enjoyed their gifts from Mommy and Daddy, too. Cameron beamed while telling me the details of his preschool party (he got to eat two chocolate doughnuts!) and Connor was a hoot kissing and hugging his new Valentine's Day bear. Here they are showing their love:

Cameron is wearing the Valentine's Day crown he made at school in the above video. And Connor is just learning to say "I love you" (can you see my heart swelling?). Their shirts may not be legible, but they both say "heart breaker." And it's true; I love them so much, sometimes it practically breaks my heart!

Disclaimer: For some reason, I feel the need to add that our dining room does not always have boxes stacked in the corner. We recently had to have an entirely new drainage system installed in our house, and we are in the midst of rearranging our storage space. There. Now I feel better. :)

Have a Heart

Today I woke up with the same massive headache I went to bed with last night, four of my students cried to me in four separate classes about four separate problems, I got pelted in the face with freezing rain while trying to put my children in their car seats, my husband was stuck on the turnpike for three and a half hours and barely got home in time to kiss the boys goodnight, and our cat peed on the carpet ... again. And do you know what makes it all okay? This does:

Over the River and Through the Woods ...

We went up to see the boys' paternal grandparents this weekend, otherwise known as Gemma and Pop. We had a very relaxing and fun time looking at the snow out the windows and playing with the boys by the warm fireplace. Okay, so maybe they didn't like to pose for pictures, but trust me, a fun time was had by all.

Cameron enjoyed spinning jacks and learning how to play the game with Gemma (as did Connor with Pop, not pictured below),

And Connor enjoyed looking at and feeding the fish with Gemma. (In case you are wondering, yes, his shirt does say "Babe Magnet.")

Gemma's wonderful best friend, Margie, brought identical low-rider cars for both of the boys for Valentine's Day. They were a huge hit! They raced them up and down in the kitchen floor together for a large part of the evening. (Margie and Gemma later joked that we could leave them at Gemma and Pop's house "accidentally" if we wanted. The cars, that is, not the boys, of course!)

We had a yummy home-cooked meal, watched the races with Pop, and Cameron even helped Pop feed the deer (his favorite job at their house in the woods). Thanks for a nice visit, Gemma and Pop!

Brace Yourself

Here is the first picture of Cameron with his brand new leg braces and sneakers (extra wide width). He has been such a trooper about wearing them; he is anxious to be able to show them off at school, too. Inspired by the spaceship design on the braces, he deemed himself a new superhero, "Space Leg Brace," during playtime with Daddy today. In case you were wondering, his super powers include super strong stomping skills and the ability to shoot spaghetti sauce from his fingers.

New Poll

Don't forget to vote in my new poll at the bottom left of this page. I was inspired by our time at the movies with the boys to wonder which children's movies our friends and family like best. You can vote for more than one film if you can't narrow it down to just one favorite! And be sure to comment here if your favorite recent children's film isn't on my list.

A Milestone Movie

Another milestone was reached today for both of the boys: they saw their first film in a movie theater! While we had considered taking Cameron before, we never felt confident taking both of them together until the latest Veggie Tales movie, The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything, was released. Our family loves the Veggie Tales; besides having Christian morals that accompany every storyline, the writers are extremely witty, and they typically include some very catchy songs as well. We knew that we could trust that this movie would be suitable for both of them and not have to worry about any questionable dialogue or scary villains. I think I would rate the experience a success; Connor was very well-behaved for almost the whole first hour (which is longer than Eric and I expected), and Cameron was enthralled with everything from the actual theater itself to the yummy popcorn. Connor was so cute in the beginning of the movie; he said, "Uh-oh!" in all the right spots, clapped to the music, and said, "Yay!" when something exciting happened. When he got antsy (and the distractions of snacks and milk were exhausted), I took Connor out into the "hallway" of endless movies, and we ran up and down the long halls for a while, looked and the brightly colored self-serve candies, giggled and chased each other until I had tired him out enough to go back in and watch the remainder of the film. Cameron had to be reminded to whisper a few times, but he was so happy to be there that it was hard for him to stifle his excitement. He usually asks us to go to a "play place" when we tell him we are taking him somewhere (we have been to a few indoor playgrounds this winter), but on the ride home tonight, Cameron asserted, "Going to see that movie was funner than any play place." Even I can forgive the grammar when the sentiment is that sweet.

Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toewalking

When Cameron was about two years old, we noticed that when he got excited, he went up on his toes. Eventually, we realized he was walking on his toes the majority of the time. When he entered preschool last year as a three-year-old, his teacher suggested we intervene by having his gait evaluated. So, I made an appointment for him to see an orthopedist at our local children's hospital. (Side note: His doctor turned out to be the same doctor I saw as a teenager -- 20 years ago -- for chronic back pain. Delaware really is a small state.) The orthopedist and his intern evaluated Cameron and diagnosed him with idiopathic toewalking. We were relieved at the diagnosis since continued toewalking can be a symptom of some serious conditions: cerebal palsy, muscular dystrophy, and autism, just to name a few. Naturally, we had guessed this would be the diagnosis, but we also received some good news in that his Achilles tendons were still quite flexible and not tightened much by his habitual toewalking (which is not often the case). The doctor prescribed physical therapy, and I was instructed how to stretch the heel cords every day.

Unfortunately, after six months of these at-home exercises, his toewalking had not improved an inkling. So, over Christmas break, we had a re-evaluation at the orthopedist. He agreed that the exercises had not been successful, so we were sent off to have Cameron's legs casted for leg braces. Lucky for him, orthotics have come a looonnngg way since I had a back brace. He got to choose the design and colors of the braces, which really helped with his level of anxiety. (It also helped that they had an outer space design that resembled Cameron's newest obsession, Planet Heroes.) I have to say, for a little boy that is usually quite dramatic, he was so serene and even angelic through the entire process. A few days ago, we had an appointment to have his braces fitted. He was actually excited to get them! Here they are:


You can't actually see them on Cameron yet, because the most frustrating part of this story is that I have been to six stores attempting to find shoes that will fit over these suckers. They have to be a wide width sneaker with ties (and that combination is easy to find in infant and adult sizes, but not so much in his toddler size). Wish me luck as I continue my pilgrimage for new wide shoes this weekend. More importantly, wish Cameron luck that these braces will correct his toewalking, and that by June (when he is evaluated again), he will be able to take them off. That would be a wonderful outcome!

P.S. Update: We were able to find shoes over the weekend at New Balance (they have extra wide widths with ties and slipped on without too much extra effort). Of course, Cameron didn't like the ones that were on sale for $19.99. He liked the ones that were not on sale for over twice the price that had to be special ordered. But hey, if it means he will happily wear them, I will happily pay for them.

Reading is FUNdamental

This has become my new favorite book. Let me take you back to a glorious time ...oh, one whole week ago. Every night, Connor and I would read books (or "bookies" and he often says) until his bedtime. It was a time-honored tradition. It was fun. It was meaningful. It was one of the best parts of my day. And now, it might be over. Okay, I am being a bit dramatic, but he now realizes that the beginning of "book time" signals the beginning of "bedtime." He screams, kicks, he runs around in circles taunting me as I try to entice him with a favorite story. Once I get him to engage in the story, I usually have him. But I never had to be this creative to trick my little one into reading before. He loved it as much as I did. The above story is a cute one: Mommy tries to figure out what in the world is troubling her little Pookie (sidenote: that is the nickname Eric and I use for each other....awww). The mommy in the book makes up all kinds of silly things that could be bothering her little guy, but he keeps insisting "no," and she finally begs him to tell her why he is so upset. Little Pookie's reply: "Um...I forget." I know Connor might forget all his tantrum-like behavior once we begin reading his books, but it still makes me sad. It's one more thing that reminds me that he is no longer a little baby, even though he will always be my little baby.

Blogging 101

Since I have just begun my own blog, I thought I would share with others of you who may be novices one of the nicest features of a "blog." While it is an online journal of sorts, it also encourages audience participation. See the little link under each post next to the pencil icon that says "0 (or 1 or 2 or 3) comments"? If you click that link, a pop-up window will come up that enables you to comment on every posting. You don't have to sign up for anything to do it! (If you already have a Google or Blogger account -- or any account listed in the choices -- you can use that if you want.) But for the vast majority, simply write your comment, then verify the letters given by typing them in as you see them (this prevents spam on my blog), and simply put in your name where it says "nickname" (you can also list a website where it says "url," but you don't have to worry about that). Then click on "publish my comment," and voila! You have added your own two cents! It is also fun to read the comments of other blog visitors simply by clicking the comment link. So, I challenge each of you to let me know you were here and leave a comment! Otherwise, how will I know that you visited? (Okay, so several of you emailed me or actually told me, but this way is fun, too.) Go ahead and leave a comment if you are reading this so that I know I gave adequate directions. I have to test my teaching skills outside of the classroom every once in a while! :)

P.S. And don't forget to vote in my new poll! (As for the last poll, Christmas won as the most favorite holiday, and Thanksgiving came in second place.)

Wishin' I Wasn't Already Missin' Christmas

I absolutely love Christmas, and it seems to go by so fast that I am admittedly sad when it's all over. And since I didn't even begin blogging until after the holiday, I am entitled to more Christmas pics, don't you agree? I also have always loved stationery, and I was particularly pleased with the way our cards turned out this year. It was on a nice, heavy, semi-glossy cardstock, and it was very easy to create on the American Greetings site (I cannot take credit for its design). Here is the front: And here is the inside:

We get the boys at least one new ornament each year, but considering the name of my blog, I thought you would be interested to see the obligatory peanut (purchased a few years ago):

And here is the companion piece, a pumpkin, just added this year:

Christmas Eve was so much fun and filled with anticipation:

Can you tell they were excited?!?

But soon it was off to dreamland, with visions of sugarplums, no doubt. Nighty-night, sweetiepies.

Hope you have as many happy Christmas memories as we do!

Not Quite Picture-Perfect

Here are some of the "B Team" Christmas photos. The first one with the boys hugging isn't so bad until you notice that Connor is clearly trying to escape, and the background was the majority of the picture. The next two with the presents were interesting. The photographers gave these to the boys to pose with as props. No...they were not meant to be opened. Oops! They are 4 1/2 and 1 1/2; what did they expect? I love the way Connor is looking to Cameron in the first one like, "He's doing it, too, so it must be okay." I also love that the box Cameron has says it is to be delivered to the portrait studio only. The last one shows Connor as he was throughout most of the shoot -- running around. Oh well...at least we got a few keepers out of it!