We’ve had a few snow flurries in the area over the past few weeks, but nothing that actually stuck to the ground. I snapped the above picture along I-75 on my way home from work yesterday morning. I absolutely love when the snow coats the branches of the trees. It is just so beautiful.
When Ella woke up this morning, she looked out her window and saw the snow on the ground and immediately wanted to go outside and play! She loves to be outside! However, she had to wait a bit because Andrew had an appointment. I got the kids breakfast and packed up the diaper bag so that when Sam finished getting ready, they could get right out and on the road.
I was asleep when they got home, but before naptime the kids did get to go outside.
You wouldn’t know that Ella didn’t want to put her snow pants on by looking at this picture! She would have been more than happy to just go out with no coat on.
Andrew was still newborn last year, so he really didn’t get to go outside to play in the snow at all. This year, it’s a whole new experience for him. The snow made us aware that we need to get him some boots! He was fine running around in his shoes. Look at that smile!
I can only imagine how much fun we are going to have in the snow when there is more on the ground! You can see his hat didn’t last long.
I foresee lots of snow angels in the months ahead! I need to stop and get a new sled for us. I used to love when my dad would pull us around on the sled. There is a small hill close to our house that I want to take them to this year.
I suppose I’ll need to stock up on hot chocolate to warm up with after our Frosty Fun Play Days!
Those who have toddlers understand. I posted this on my Facebook page and thought it was funny enough to share here.
Ella is quite smart. She is in the terrible two stage right now. This means there is a whole lot of “I want it NOW!” and “No!”
That being said, bedtime, which used to be quite easy, has become more of a process. What follows is a rough estimate of what happened at bedtime last night.
From My Facebook Page:
(5:00pm) Sam puts Teletubbies on Netflix as a joke. Little did she know that both kids would LOVE it! (Urgh!!)
(5:30pm) Ella is hugging Sam before she leaves for work. “I’m tired. I wanna go sleepy”
(6:30pm) Kids are in pajamas and await video call from Mommy.
(6:55pm) Video chat with mommy. Both kids are fighting over who gets to hold the phone.
(7:15pm) Routine diaper check/change.
(7:30pm) I ask who/what Ella is taking to bed with her. (Usually it’s her princesses or books) “Nothing!” I ask if she is sure. “Yep. Nothing.”
(7:45pm) I tell her after we watch one more Teletubbies, it’s bedtime. “I’m not ready for bed, Daddy.”
(8:00pm) I say it’s time to brush teeth. “One more Teletubbies, Daddy. Then we brush teeth”
(8:15pm) Final diaper check/change. Time to brush teeth. I turn TV off and both kids rush to the bathroom. Teeth are brushed and we head to her room. I ask again if she is bringing anything to bed. “Nope. Just my blanket and Nini (pacifier).”
(8:17pm) We begin to say bedtime prayers, she interrupts. “Daddy, I need Rapunzel, Belle, and Cinderella! (Her Little People Princesses)
(8:18pm) We find the princesses she requested and head back to the bedroom. After getting under her blanket she says, “I need book Belle!” (The Belle from Little People is holding a book. Different from the Belle holding a flower!)
(8:19pm-8:20pm) Andrew and I walk out to the living room and look for “Book Belle” who was buried in a pile of toys.
(8:21pm) We return to Ella’s room. “You found her!”. We say prayers. “Say them again, Daddy.” I ad-lib a version of what I just said. “Amen.” She begs for me to say them again. I tell her God heard us the first two times and that it is time for bed.
(8:25 pm) I turn out the light and say goodnight. “Daddy, where is Tiana?” I ask if she wants the big Tiana (a stuffy) or the small Tiana (plastic bath toy). “Big Tiana”
(8:29pm) I return after a search of the living room with Tiana. “Oh thank you, Daddy!”
(8:31pm) After kissing her goodnight, I turn out the light and start to walk out. “Daddy, I need the white blankie on my pillow.”
(8:35pm) After adding the blankie to the top of her pillow and cover her back up. “Daddy, I want the Paw Patrol Blanket on, too.”
(8:37pm) Paw Patrol Blanket is now on. I say goodnight and close her bedroom door.
(8:45pm) Andrew falls asleep and I put him in his crib. I begin to write this post.
(8:50pm) Ella begins crying. I go in to see what’s wrong. “I need you to sing me a song, Daddy.”
(8:51pm) I sing “You Are My Sunshine” a couple times.
(8:53pm) “Sing me another song, Daddy.”. I sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. “Sing the ABC song, Daddy.”. I do.
(8:56pm) “Sing me one more song, Daddy.”. I choose Vieni Su, a Dean Martin song I used to sing to her as a baby. She obviously doesn’t remember it. I tell her I used to sing it to her. “I believe you, Daddy.
(9:01pm) One more kiss goodnight and I head back to my room to finish typing this! Whew!!
I saw a thing on Facebook that made me laugh. It said, “It only snows in November because people decorate early for Christmas.” Blame me if you wish, but we needed to brighten things up over this way!
There has been a lot going on in my life, some of which I have shared and some I have kept to myself. We’re all processing a variety of emotions. With the passing of my sister-in-law, there is an extra bit of sadness. Like the song says, “We need a little Christmas!” So we decided to put up the Christmas tree this weekend.
The older the kids get, the more fun this becomes. Andrew was just a couple months old last year, so he was especially excited to see the tree and the lights. He and Ella both “helped” handing me lights. They were both extra giddy.
I had the lights plugged in as I walked around the tree with them. That way I could make sure they were placed evenly and all areas has the proper amount of lights.
Andrew, as you know, is everywhere. He gets into everything! So we debated waiting until closer to Christmas to put ornaments on the tree. We also debated not putting any on at all. We did decide to put the tree topper on, and Andrew was the perfect helper!
My dad commented on a picture of the tree on Facebook. He said he was taking bets on who was going to know the tree down – Ella, Andrew, or the cat! For the record, the cat has yet to get near the tree, which is really odd.
We brought up the baby gate and set it around the tree. It’s the “look, but don’t touch” gate. The kids can still touch it, but the probability of the tree coming down is a lot less.
I decided that certain ornaments had to go up on the tree. As ridiculous as it looks, all the ornaments are on the tree from about a foot higher than the top of the baby gate and up to the top. In total, there are maybe 12-20 ornaments on there.
Every year, we got to Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland in Frankenmuth to get an ornament that represents a big even from the year. We got one for our engagement, or marriage, the birth of both kids, etc. We went early this year and at the time, didn’t really have an “event” to get an ornament for. We opted instead for a plaque for the door with a snowman family on it.
When my sister-in-law, Grace, passed away I decided I was going to get Sam and her folks a memorial ornament for the tree. I had seen a few designs in the Bronner’s catalog, and chose this one.
I had hoped to save it until closer to Christmas to give it to Sam, but I can’t control my face. Let me explain.
I took the kids with me to Bronner’s on a day Sam was home sleeping. I kept the ornaments in my car so she wouldn’t see them. Then a day or two later, she was getting ready for work and said, “I was thinking about getting a Christmas ornament with Grace’s name on it for my mom.”
I must have stood there dumbfounded. My face obviously giving away that I had already done it. Instead of just saying, “That’s a great idea. We should do that.” I knew that she would just go and do it. So I walked out to the car and brought inside.
I’m glad it’s inside and I’m glad it is on the tree. Grace already has a special place in our hearts, and now she will have a special place on our tree every year.
If my tree being up brings snow your way, I’m sorry. We needed something help brighten the season, even if it is early.
Another thing I saw on Facebook this week said, “Don’t you just love it when the Christmas tree is the only light in the room?”
Halloween 2022 is now behind us. The day started with me and the kids getting our flu shots. I, of course, waited until the last possible minute to get mine for work.
As we drove home, one of the neighbors had put up a HUGE inflatable pumpkin. Ella saw it from the window, and despite the fact that it was raining, insisted that we go down to look at it. Thankfully, it was only a couple houses away. When she got up close to it, she couldn’t believe how big it was!
Sam took last night off from work and we were all able to walk the neighborhood to trick or treat last night. Trick or Treating in our city started at 5pm. We had napped late in the afternoon and by the time we had dinner, we didn’t get out in the neighborhood until around 5:30.
Despite it being a bit misty, the temperatures weren’t too bad. Last year, it was SO cold I brought Ella home early. This year, she was gung ho to do the whole neighborhood – and she had a BLAST!
This was the busiest Halloween I’ve seen in our neighborhood. There were kids of all ages, too! I loved seeing the families who dressed up together. One of our neighborhood families dressed as characters from the Wizard of Oz. It was awesome.
Ella wanted to go to every house! She loved seeing the pumpkins lit up and all of the costumes. What was really sweet was that there were neighbors who recognized us from our daily walks and they would give her extra candy.
We did let Andrew venture out on foot once or twice, but he was running all over the place, so we wound up having to put in back in the stroller. He didn’t seem to mind, however, as that is where much of the candy was …
I was impressed that the kids did the entire neighborhood! When we got home, we took Andrew’s costume off because it had chocolate all over it!! We got in the car and drove to Sam’s mom and dad’s. They had special treats for them when we arrived.
It was almost 8 when we got there and on the drive we talked about how foggy it was! It was truly spooky. It wasn’t that foggy by our house, but it was crazy foggy on the way to her folks. Perfect for Halloween. The fog lasted well into the morning, as a friend posted this picture of downtown Detroit:
When we finally left Sam’s folks to head home, we both decided we were hungry. I veered off the diet as the only thing open was McDonalds. The kids had chicken nuggets, Sam had a Big Mac, and I grabbed a Filet of Fish Sandwich. It was probably not the best thing to eat that late, and probably explains the weird dreams I had, but overall, the day was a great one with the family!
Just a few days ago I posted pictures of the colorful trees in the neighborhood. All it took was a windy rainy day this week and many of those leaves have now fallen. As you walk through the neighborhood now, the ground is covered in yellow, red and orange while the trees are more and more bare.
More leaves on the ground meant more leaves to play in for the kids … and me! We certainly have had our share of fun jumping in the piles in the yard. It’s funny how different the kids are in regards to the leaves. Ella wants to be surrounded or buried in them.
Andrew, on the other hand, really doesn’t like to be in the pile much. I tried to get him to sit in the pile a few times, but once he is in there, he wants out! He’d rather pick them up and throw them.
It was just as fun for me to get down and play in the leaves with them.
Of course, it didn’t take long for the two of them to start throwing leaves on me!
The wonderful thing about these moments – they don’t cost a thing. I hope that when my kids look back at these blogs, they will remember with joy the fun that we had just being silly together.
The simplest things can bring about a smile and happiness – and this picture is proof of that:
Never be so busy that you don’t jump in the leaves!
I’m not sure I’d ever have what it takes to be a photographer. Oh sure, many people comment on the pictures I take with my phone and post on Facebook, but they are far from professional.
There is a local photographer close by that has never disappointed us with her photos. She took Ella’s First Birthday pictures, Andrew’s helmet pictures, and recently Andrew’s First Birthday pictures. Her name is Beth and she owns Enjoy the View Photography.
I am always amazed when I look at the pictures she gets. I know the chaos that was happening when the pictures are being taken, yet she is able to grab that perfect split second in time that makes it frame worthy.
For Andrew’s session, she set aside some time for us to get a few of both kids and the family. The autumn colors were not at peak, but the outdoor photos still look fantastic!
She got pictures of the whole family sitting, standing, with Ella on my shoulders, and more. It is hard to pick a favorite and which ones to put on canvas.
Then there were photos of the two of them together. Some truly amazing shots of them sitting, but the one that both Sam and I love is them running from the camera.
There is one of Ella grabbing Andrew and hugging him that makes me laugh …
…and one that makes me tear up….
Beth got a couple solo shots of them, which wasn’t easy with Ella. She was way past being done, however, there is one that just came out perfect…
…my favorite solo picture of Andrew captures him in all his sweetness…
We headed inside to get birthday and cake pictures. Again, Beth was able to get these split second moments perfectly. Andrew was not really about sitting still, but you’d never know it by these pictures.
As far as a cake “smash,” we didn’t really get that for pictures. We got some at home on his birthday, but he was just to careful during the photo session. It was almost like he was saying, “I’d rather not make a mess…”
My kudos again to Beth and Enjoy the View Photography for these wonderful pictures which we will look back and enjoy for years!
Andrew had his surgery today. You may remember his sleep study showed severe sleep apnea. A diagnosis of laryngomalacia was given and today the surgery was to correct that.
Going in we knew that there would be at least one surgery for sure and a list of possible others. The possibles would be assessed after a scope of the airway was done. The doc was unclear as to whether the tonsils and adenoids needed to come out. That was one of the possible “others.”
We had to be up very early to make the trek down to the hospital. I really never understood why they tell you to be there so early. We had a 7:30 arrival for a 9:30 surgery, which was moved to 9:45, then 10, and I think we finally were back in the OR by 10:30.
Sam’s aunt came over and watched Ella for us while we were there. We were very grateful for her coming at the last minute. Some other family issues came up that forced us to change plans.
We had smooth sailing all the way to the hospital. Once we were checked in, the waiting began. There were plenty of people in the waiting room – kids and adults.
Andrew is not a patient kid. He likes to be walking or running or exploring. He is not going to sit still. So, Sam and I took him and walked around the halls a bit while we waited to get to the prep room.
Once in the prep room, he was gowned up and the Child Life folks brought in some toys. They kept him occupied for a short time, but he hated being confined to the room.
They told us that there were some wagons/cars in the hallway and eventually I walked him through the halls.
By this time he was exhausted from the early morning wake up and he fell asleep on Sam.
I was the one who went with him to the OR, so they could put him under. They brought me one of those white “bunny suit” gowns to wear in the OR. They did this for me when Ella had her ear tubes, too. This time, thanks to my 40+ pound weight loss, I could actually zip it up!!
Sam passed him to me so I could take him down. I had hoped that since he was sleeping, they could just put the mask on him and he’d stay asleep. He didn’t. He woke up and I held him while they put him under.
After the scope, the doc came out to say they were just going to do the one surgery because the tonsils and adenoids looked ok. After that surgery, he came back out and asked if he choked on his food or drink. Lately, he had been doing this, so we said yes. He found a small abnormality that he was able to fix while he was still under.
The doc came out afterward to say that all went good and it would be about 30-40 minutes before we could go back to see him. While we waited Sam got a text saying that he was doing well in the recovery room. We continued to wait.
Finally, they let us back. If you have never seen a child waking up from anesthesia, it is not pretty. When Ella woke from her “twilight” she was head butting, fighting and screaming like we have never seen her before. Andrew was similar, but he was mostly squirming and screaming. It was not easy to see him that way. Nothing seemed to calm him down.
They wasted no time getting us up to our room, which was already set for us. The nurses on the floor were a bit surprised that they didn’t keep us down there longer, but we all rolled with it. Andrew eventually fell asleep on Sam and that extra sleep helped him a lot.
Sam noticed that they must have had a difficult time getting an IV. He had two pokes in both hands, and the IV was in his foot. Not that it mattered much – he pulled the IV out when he woke up. We thought they were going to have to put a new one in, but the nurse said if we could get him to drink some fluids, we may not have to do that.
Well, the poor kid hadn’t had anything to eat or drink since 9pm the night before. So when he was handed a sippy cup, he drank from it. When handed a popsicle, he chowed it down. When he was offered Jello, he ate it like it was a gourmet meal! No need for another IV!!
He had three EKG leads on him to monitor his heart. He also had a pulse oximeter on his toe to watch oxygen levels. These basically had him tied to the room. He didn’t want to just sit. He didn’t want the equipment on him either. He promptly starting ripping those things off. We pressed the nurse call button and waited for 30 minutes. Finally we just took him to the hallways to walk.
He squirmed in our arms, so we let him walk on his own, which led to him running through the halls and into rooms. Sam and I got our steps in today. It had to be a sight watching us chase him around!!
We’re glad the surgery is over and now we wait to see if this helps with his sleep. Next step is his echocardiogram next week to see if the apnea has caused any damage to his heart. We pray that all is ok.
It is truly hard to believe that Andrew turned 1 today! It seems like just yesterday we were bringing him home from the hospital. Yet here we are one year later. A lot has transpired in 365 days.
For new followers to the blog, you can relive all the excitement of his delivery and birthday here:
He didn’t go to bed any later than normal last night, but he slept longer than Ella today, which is not the norm. Ella was up and playing in her crib and I got up to get her. We came back to my room where Andrew was still sleeping. As much as she tries to whisper, every now and then she forgets and just gets loud. When I reminded her that it was his birthday, she screamed with excitement … and of course, woke him up.
When Sam got home from work, we whipped up some breakfast and had some well deserved family time. We snapped a few first birthday photos and then got ready for a day at the park. It was just beautiful today with temperatures up near 70. The sun made it feel a whole lot warmer.
We drove through and grabbed lunch and brought it to the park for a picnic lunch. There is a small park about 20 minutes away and it was just perfect. There was a playground with playscape and swings and a pavilion with picnic tables where we ate. There is a trail that you can walk with a small creek and fall colors.
Sam and Andrew explored the tennis courts and playground while I sat with Ella as she finished her lunch. When she was finished, we walked over to them. Sam asked if Ella wanted to show me where she had seen some ducks the last time they were there. She said she’d rather play on the playground, so Andrew and I took a walk over.
There is a little bridge that overlooks the creek and he loved just walking on it and looking down at the creek.
We were at the park for quite a while enjoying the day. We didn’t leave until it was close to nap time. Andrew wound up falling asleep in the car, which worked out because Sam wanted to stop and pick up some balloons for him. When we got home, Sam wanted to take a short nap before dinner.
Her mom stopped by to drop off Andrew’s birthday gift and brought their dog Toodles! We all love that dog! The kids loved that she was here and we all went outside and ran around with her. I wish I had gotten some pictures of that!
We had planned on making a chicken and rice dish for dinner, but I neglected to pull chicken out to thaw, so I wound up running to the store and picking up a rotisserie chicken. We made some green beans and mac and cheese to go with it.
After dinner, Andrew opened his birthday gifts and played with his new Little People School Bus before it was time for cake. We sang Happy Birthday and we gave him his cake.
Unlike the day of his cake smash pictures, this time, Andrew REALLY chowed down on this cake!!
It was very fun to watch. He just kept grabbing chunks of cake and stuffing his face. I swear, he ate 3/4 of that cake! I’m surprised he fell asleep tonight after eating all that sugar!!
He snuggled up with mommy and fell asleep on her tonight. It was just beautiful. Sam mentioned to me last night, she never really understood just how different it is in regard to the mother/son bond. She loved them both the same, but that bond is a little different. I explained that I totally understood what she was saying because I feel the same way with Ella. That daddy/daughter bond is really special.
Sam, Ella, and the birthday boy are all asleep as I write this. I think back over the last year and remember so many wonderful memories. He certainly has given us a run for our money. Plenty of after hours urgent care visits, a few months with his helmet, fracture of his foot, and all kinds of other things.
His sleep study showed he had sever sleep apnea. He was diagnosed with Laryngomalacia, which is some extra tissue on the larynx which can cause apnea and other issues. He goes in for surgery on Thursday to correct this. His sleep doc is also worried about whether or not the apnea caused some heart issues, so next week we have to go for an echocardiogram for him. We’re praying that all goes well with the surgery and the echo.
Before he has surgery, he had to get a COVID test. I had to take him in for it and I was totally prepared for a lot of crying. I just knew that it was going to be awful for him to be swabbed. The nurse came in, swabbed him, he made a face and there were no tears! I literally snapped this picture like 20 seconds after the swab.
What a blessing he is to us. As I said on Facebook today:
One year. 365 days. What an amazing trip around the sun it has been for our Andrew Joseph! He is unique and wonderful in so many ways!
This amazing little guy has brought even more happiness to our home. His bright blue eyes light up the room. His smile is contagious. His laughter is joyful noise.
His happy dance makes us all giggle with delight. He is a good little brother, even though Ella has said that he “drives me crazy!”. I have no doubt these two will be best friends. Thank you, God, for allowing me to be “dad” to these two amazing kids!!
Happy birthday, AJ! Thank you for a wonderful year of memories and milestones. We can’t wait to see what the years ahead will bring….
I love you, son.
Sam posted this:
Andrew Joseph-
Today you are ONE! This momma might be in a bit of denial that you aren’t my tiny baby anymore. Even though you are my second baby, you have definitely taught me how to be a momma in a whole new way. You taught me to listen to my momma gut when something isn’t right. You have taught me to fight for answers and pray harder then ever.
Andrew you are fierce and determined! You will not let anything stop you. Your sister might be bigger but you have no issues pulling her to the floor by her hair if it means getting your toy back. You will find a way to get to whatever you want. Even if it isn’t always the safest. There is a reason we call you Bamm Bamm.
You are brilliant! There is not a single gate, or baby proof tab or lock that you haven’t mastered. All it takes is one time of you watching and you know how to do it.
You are so loving! You have always been busy, but you are the first to always snuggle your momma. You still have yet to ever nap somewhere that isn’t in my arms and 99% of the time that is where you are all night too. You fall asleep with my lips on your forehead every single night. And it is secretly my favorite part of the day.
You have the best smile and the brightest eyes and we love you more than you know! Happy Birthday Sweet Boy!
I have said it before, but it is worth repeating – I am a truly blessed man.
When Sam and I started dating, my wardrobe consisted of many “band” shirts. I had shirts from the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, AC/DC, Pink Floyd, and many more. At one point she started wearing my shirts, so I made sure to get her a couple for her birthday. Band shirts has been an inside joke since almost the beginning of our relationship.
Last week, we went to the store to get some clothes for the kids. Ella and Andrew are outgrowing things SO fast. Sam has always been the one who buys clothes and outfits for the kids. She coordinates everything for family photos and more. However, as I was walking through the store, I found the coolest little outfit for Andrew. I held it up and said, “Come on! We have to buy this. It’s his first “band shirt!”
How cool is that?! A band shirt with matching pants!! He pulls it off pretty good.
***
Today, Sam asked me to run up to the store to grab a few things for dinner. Ella went with me. The list consisted of: chicken, potatoes, mac and cheese, and milk. I figured we’d be in and out pretty quickly. I am learning that this is not always the case with Ella.
As we walked through the small, she kept spying things that she wanted. I told her that we were going to do a big shopping trip tomorrow, so we could add the request to mommy’s list. With food items like cookies and fruit, it was no big deal. She was ok with that. Then she saw something at the end of one of the aisles.
There was a big basket of children’s hat/scarf combos that looked like animals. There were wolves, monkeys, bears, and more. She spotted a pig hat and said she wanted to put it on. I began to tell her no, and she looked me in the eyes with the “Oh, please, father. It would make me so very happy if you would purchase this hat that I really don’t need. You are the most wonderful man in the world and I know you wouldn’t want to break your daughter’s heart” look.
I said we couldn’t get it and the tears started. I had to avoid the 2 year old melt down as we hadn’t even gotten half of what we came in for. I let her wear the hat, thinking that I’d be able to get it off her and stash it on a shelf somewhere and she’d forget all about it. Nope. She wore it the rest of the time we were in the store and in the car all the way home.
I am adapting the nursery rhyme ….
This SPOILED little piggy went to market …
On the way out, some woman said, “I like your hat” to her. She responded, “I know! It’s just perfect!”
To say that the past few days have been stressful is an understatement. There have been some very good moments and I tried to just take them all in. However, something was on my mind all weekend.
I’m not going to get into detail on that. I could, but I won’t. Let me just state that it is stress related to things outside of my home life. Read into that however you wish.
At any rate, after a particularly emotional and crappy Monday that was the culmination of all the things on my mind, I needed something – anything! My Monday evening walk with the kids helped. I was out in the neighborhood, counting squirrels, saying hello to our “puppy friends” and listening to AJ babble and Ella sing.
Sam knew the weekend and Monday had taken a toll on me. She never said it was her plan, but she suggested taking a trip to Bronner’s in Frankenmuth to look for our annual “ornament hunt.” Bronner’s is “The World’s Largest Christmas Store” and I have blogged about it before. You can read about that here:
We packed the family up in the car after Sam got home and we made the short drive there. It was the perfect day to go. Tuesday morning in September. Sure, there were people there, but not the normal crowd that is there. The sounds of Christmas music were playing through the outside speakers as we walked in.
(Johnny Mathis’ version of Marshmallow World was playing as I walked in. I found myself thinking that the Dean Martin version is FAR superior to this version. As a bonus, Dean’s version played before we left!)
I hadn’t thought about it but this was Andrew’s first trip to Bronner’s. He was in awe of all the lights and him and Ella were anxious to touch everything!!
Every year, we get an ornament that marks some big event that happened in the past year. We have an engagement ornament, a marriage ornament, a mother-to-be ornament, and two “Baby’s First Christmas” ornaments. So what big event could we commemorate this year?
Neither one of us changed jobs. We didn’t get a new house or new car. Now that I think about it, the only big thing that happened this year was my vasectomy! I doubt they had an ornament for that, but then again, they have thousands of ornaments for just about every thing! They probably DO have something for that!!! Maybe I will call and ask …
Instead of an ornament, we got a snowman family plaque. You have probably seen what I am talking about. It has mom, dad, and snow-kids.
The one above is not the one we got, but it is similar. So we had them put our family name on it and then each of the snow kids had their name written on them. It came out really cute and we’ll either put it on the mantel or hang it on the main entry door.
Next year, Sam has said that she wants the kids to go and each pick out their own ornaments. I think that is a great idea and a good way to make it a tradition. We want them to have that experience and then every year when the holiday rolls around, they can look back on the ornaments and relive memories.
The kids were both getting a bit antsy, so as soon as the plaque was personalized, we headed out. We stopped for photo ops and walked outside. As we exited the building, there was a huge Santa Claus. Andrew saw it and began to point to it. It was a perfect (and frame worthy) photo.
It was just want I needed to get my mind off all that transpired over the past few days. A welcome distraction with those that I love.
One thing is for sure. Despite all the feelings that are churning around inside me, especially as I think about things, I think on the reasons why I keep going. The people who mean the most to me. I think of my wife and her never ending support and love. I think of my two older sons, and of course, the two little blessings who accompanied me on our trip to “Christmas in September” …
THEY are why I continue to do what I do. THEY are the reason I need to focus on getting healthy. THEY are the reason I am happy.
Various Ramblings of a Nostalgic Italian 