Civic Found

Just a quick post to let everyone know that Nathan's car was found. It is being held at a body shop (to which it was towed). They do not open again until Wednesday, so we will have to wait until then to see what kind of shape it's in! Nathan is pissed just thinking about seeing it stripped down and having to think about someone else being in it and driving it around and touching everything. He feels so violated! I will update later in the week when we find out more.

Bathroom Woes

I'm pretty sure every mom out there can relate to my topic today. Every time I go to the bathroom, I have this internal struggle about whether or not to lock the door. I think..."What if there is an emergency and the kids have to get to me??" Then I quickly run through the list of possible emergencies, and how I would deal with them from my position on the toilet (or in the shower). Too many times, I end up leaving the door unlocked because of that mental picture alone.

The problem is, my kids have this crazy radar that tells them when I have entered the bathroom. No matter where they are or what they are doing - not to mention how quietly I tiptoe to the bathroom and sneakily shut the door- they always know when I have entered that oh so alluring room. So as soon as I have settled on the pot (with Ellen book in hand) for some private time, they run to the door and do one of two things. If the door is unlocked they throw it open and laugh and want to have a long talk about poop and the differences between our genitalia. If the door is locked, they throw themselves against it over and over, screaming as if they are being chased by a giant lizard (not Godzilla, though....think smaller and less famous...maybe Dorothy the dinosaur).

As if that isn't enough to ruin my mommy time, they get REALLY mad that I have locked that door. And by get mad I mean they get even. One time Hazel unrolled the entire roll of toilet paper and threw it all over the apartment. Another time she smeared poop all over their bathroom. Then there was the time they got my purse and ate every last piece of gum out of it and then stuck them in various places around the apartment for me to find later. OH! And I almost forgot the time Hazel used the toilet brush to dip in the toilet and clean various parts of the apartment. Sometimes, if their imagination is running low, they will just fill cups up with water and make puddles all over the carpet to play in.

You would think from these stories that I am in the bathroom for an insanely long time, but you're wrong! They just think fast. In fact, I think I am causing serious bowel issues by spending too little time in the bathroom. I guess I know why they refuse to even shut the door when they are using the restroom. They are probably just waiting for the day I decide to get even!

Maybe I could hang a bunch of candy from the ceiling just out of their reach.

No...that's not good enough. I will have to keep thinking.

In the ghetto

Well- I have to say that I am proud of us for making it in the Phoenix ghetto for over a year without being the victim of any major theft or life-threatening situation. That ended today.

Before you panic...we are all still alive.

Nathan went to get in his car today and drive to work....only to find an empty parking spot. There is no worse feeling. We, of course, filed a police report immediately, but I have very little hope. I'm pretty sure our sweet little Honda Civic is gone forever.

Of course, Nathan has been talking about getting a new car for a while, so he is trying to see it as fate (which adds slightly to my building anger). To make matters worse, his grandfather's WWII 22 rifle was in the trunk. Don't ask me why....although I also enjoy carrying family heirlooms around in my trunk. After all, doesn't that seem like the most reasonable place for them?

Movie Buff

Hazel has never been much of a t.v watcher (which sucks for me), but lately she has really started to love a select few movies. Her favorite is Lion King. She watches it at least once a day and has apparently started quoting lines from it. I found this out yesterday when she turned to me and passionately yelled, "You said you'd always be there for me!"
Needless to say, I was more than a little confused until I remembered the scene where Simba is talking to his dead father up in the sky.

So, I breathe a huge sigh of relief that I apparently have a few more years until I have to deal with her abandonment issues.

A Pictureless Christmas

I can't believe I am admitting this, but I took ZERO pictures on Christmas morning. I don't really know what happened. One minute I was waking up at the buttcrack of dawn, and the next thing I knew, Christmas was over. I did have the video camera rolling for the opening of presents, but I just never even thought to go get my camera. In my defense, the whole day was a whirlwind...plus our Christmas day pictures never turn out that great anyway. They are always dark and everyone has red eyes and bedhead....can you tell I am trying to make myself feel better about it? Here are a couple of shots that I got a few days before Christmas.

The day started with Owen sneaking out of his room around 5:45, taking everything out of his stocking and playing with his Santa presents before even waking us up. So of course I did what any loving, laid-back, patient mother would do and said "You better put everything back in that stocking, wait for me to wake up Hazel and turn on the video camera, then act surprised all over again!" So- he tried his best, but couldn't help saying a couple of times "I already knew that was in there" when looking through his stocking.

For me, the sweetest part of the day was opening the gifts that Owen picked out for each of us from his school's gift shop. Luckily I saw Nathan's presents ahead of time, so I told him to act thrilled when opening his new "Basketball Ln." street sign, his DAD flashlight, and his toy spinning top. No! I didn't give away the surprise! I just gave him fair warning. :) Owen gave me a very charming picture frame that says "My mom is the prettiest" a big, plush turtle key chain, and a beautiful bookmark that I started using immediately. He gave his sister a little mesh purse with a big flower on it (that she loves). It was just so precious to see his face as we opened the presents that he picked all by himself. So cute.

Hazel added her own cuteness to the day with her breathy exclamation of "Oh my!" each time she opened a present.

The excitement still has not faded, so they haven't really had time to settle down and pick their favorite toys. They are still trying to play with every new toy every day. It's very tiring for them. :)

Preciousness

I just had to upload this video of Hazel singing her favorite church song, I am a Child of God. I just love her little voice.

Prepping for Santa's visit.

Christmas Eve. We put out milk and pumpkin bread for Santa. Now I realize the traditional Santa snack is cookies, but I already had leftover pumpkin bread. And if you really think I am going to bake two days in a row just so "Santa" can have his cookies, you obviously don't know me. Then Owen decided that we needed to sing "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" to prepare for his big visit. I just wanted you to see how hyper they were the night BEFORE Christmas.

Now imagine what the actual big day was like. It eventually led to a very serious discussion between me and my brother about the lasting effects of Ritalin. Ha.

The day before this, Owen all of a sudden had the insight to ask "What if Santa doesn't bring me any presents because I've been so naughty?" I tried to convince him that he was still good enough to get presents, but he then proceeded to list all the naughty things he had done in the past month or so....and it was not a short list. The more he listed, the more upset he got until he was almost in tears. He almost convinced me not to put out his Santa presents this year! What kind of a message did I send by still giving him the presents!?!?