We did a ton of talking about giving this year. One time in particular was watching Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas. In this, both Mickey and Minnie want to buy each other a gift. Minnie wants to buy Mickey a case for his harmonica and Mickey wants to buy Minnie “a chain for her neck to wear her watch.” In the end, Mickey sells his harmonica to buy the chain and Minnie sells her watch to buy each other’s respective gifts. Really, its a sweet story and I made sure SB understood.

here’s a clip….

One thing that EP and I discussed, oh you know the week before Christmas, was that we should have SB think of something he would like to give us. As adults, we tend to buy all the gifts, so I wanted him to take ownership in his gift.

SB and I were talking one night and I said, “Hey, I want you to think about what you would like to buy for daddy and mommy for Christmas, okay?” He shook his head and ran off. He brought me a box a few days later filled with cars, fake money and a measuring tape and told me it was for dad. I let him put it under the tree and reiterated, what could we BUY??

So, when EP said Stunt Boy told him exactly what he wanted to get me, I was a little jealous. In fact, EP said he has asked on several occasions and received the same response every time. They left one morning on a mission and I sat at home wondering what they could be doing. Of all my gifts this year, it was the one I was most excited about getting….for obvious reasons. What had the boy thought of??

When SB proudly brought the box in, told me it was for me and put it under the tree, my heart swelled!!

I kept asking, “what do you want to get daddy?” And it was always his toys. When I’d tried to defer he’d say, “but daddy loves my cars.” Okay, okay!!! {okay, one time he told me that we needed to go buy daddy a big hummer, but that wasn’t in santas budget}

So, Christmas Eve the time had arrived. SB gave me my gift and sat in my lap. He was so excited….he even wrote his name and mine (very well I must say for the small space!) on the tag. Of course I saved it but didn’t get a picture….yet…

Inside was a present for “his girl” a “chain for her neck.”

My husband told me that SB knew exactly what he wanted. People, they went to James Avery three days before Christmas, took and number and waited almost an hour just to get me this “chain for her neck.” AHHHHH!!!! I still well up with tears.

On one hand, I hate lugging that big heavy old carrier around. And don’t even get me started about hoisting it up into the car. I swear. The carrier itself weighs 20 – lbs…actually, i looked it up and its only 9 lbs. Starlet weighs 16 lbs so the whole getup is around 25 lbs. YUCK!

On the other hand, I have the cutest car seat cover ever from my sweetest SIL, so Starlet truly looks like a star.

(Day 4 – How prissy is that??)

Also, there is something to be said about ease of transporting babies in carriers. I love my K’Tan, but just running in to grab Stunt Boy at school doesn’t really warrant putting the whole thing on.

Anyway, EP and I were talking the other night how we (ahem – I ) needed to start pricing and looking out for car seats. No sooner than we had the discussion a deal came up on my Google Reader from Baby Cheapskate for a Britax Marathon from Target $149.99. I almost always miss out on these deals because I either see them too late and they sell out or they end up being a pricing error and my order cancels. Also, with car seat deals in particular, sometimes the patterns are ugly or questionable. While Hannah isn’t my top pattern (I’m VERY minimal – i like simple solids), it wasn’t ugly.

Any mom researching car seats knows the Britax name. They are really great seats, period. Britax also carries a HEAFTY price tag. The car seat in question is usually $265! I would never spend that much on a seat. I think I top out at $200.

So, I ordered right away…I was even shaking — don’t tell me you don’t know that i-have-to-get-this-right-this-second feeling. I kept waiting to be cancelled but instead I got a shipped notice. YAY! Delivery date December 15th, but guess what showed up today?!?!?!

Stunt Boy really liked the box…

ohhhhh….what’s this???

Testing out the seat (its HUGE!)

Then of course we had to put it in the car…only bad thing is now I can’t see the mirror :-/ I even tried switching sides, but its too big!

We’ll have the seat for a LONG time as it seats children up to 65 lbs. I was hoping to eventually get both kids Nautilus car seats. SB LOVES his. But, Starlet has to be 20 lbs (which I guess is only 4 more lbs), so I’m planning on getting it for her first birthday. I’m thinking this beauty will eventually be in EPs car with the Fisher Price Safe Voyage (aka. Britax Marathon at a discount).

Now that I’m thinking about it. In 4 years I have purchased Evenflo Travel System, Evenflo Triumph (hate it!), Costco Scenra (for SBs sitter’s use), Safe Voyage, Nautilus, Marathon, –That about $800 in car seats….with one to go. I am NOT complaining. If ever there was something to spend your money on it would be a car seat, right???

We have always made sleeping in our bed a big deal. In fact, up until Kenlee was born, I think Stunt Boy had only slept with us a handful of times. But, now that he’s a bit older its kind of fun! He doesn’t kick and flail near as much as he did when he was younger.

Anyway, kids are weird sleepers. Besides the kicking and flailing mentioned above, they do weird things like play with your hair, talk in their sleep, etc. Things you’d never really know since you don’t regularly sleep with them. (well, wait, i have a lot of crunchy family bed friends–so this post is irrelevant to yall). The following things happened in my bed last night…

Before bed: “Mom, don’t let your hair get too close to me, it tickles and it stinks.” (nice.)

11pm – SB starts belling laughing in his sleep…like hard that-joke-is-really-funny hard.

4 am SB wakes up saying he so cold. Bless his heart, his hands and feet we FREEZING. He must have pushed off the comforter at some point.

4:45-ish SB yells out, “Mom, I can’t hear you. I CAN’T HEAR YOU MOM!!!!!!” (uh, dude, i’m right here and i’m not talking)

5-something – more hysterical laughing.

6:45 – “mom, i need a drink and a snack”

7 – “can we PLEASE turn on my shows now”

Later this afternoon he told me he was tired because he “didn’t get good rest in {my} bed.” He also reminded me that he got a little rough (during the 4 am wake up) and that he thought I was going to take him back to his room.

I think we are both okay sleeping alone again tonight.

I’m a member of Mothers of Preschoolers (aka MOPs). One of the recent topics was intimacy in the marriage and how to keep it hot after kids. I’m sure everyone with kids can relate to the weariness that follows. Anyway, I happened to miss this particular meeting but the girl who took notes for me sent them along and added was a book, Sheet Music: Uncovering Secrets of Sexual Intimacy in Marriage.

I, of course, googled and read the description. There is always room for improvement in this area in our marriage (isn’t there in everyones?) so I thought why not. My Pastor is so good about reminding us to watch what we are reading/watching/etc, because so often even “Christian” books can get into some trouble. But, after praying, I felt comfortable with this book.

Yall, I’m not going to go into details as I know better than that, but I must say, this is a great read. I was enjoying it so much that EP actually went to two stores in NC to find, buy and read while he was gone. EP does not read much outside of scripts. He has never shown any interest in any book I have ever read fiction or non fiction. So, imagine my surprise (and sheer delight) when he was willing and wanting to read this to!!

We both agree this book hits the nail on the head with respect to intimacy in marriage. I thought the author (male) was reading my mail when reading the “husbands this is what your wife needs” sections (including help around the house more!!  i nearly fainted!)  and EP said he agreed with everything in his section as well. At the same time, it was hugely convicting of how selfish we can each become. Our generation is so “its all about me” –but when you are married, by scripture, it isn’t all about you first. This book really opened the lines of communication in our marriage. We are talking much more about things that we put aside for a long time due to kids.

This book is for MARRIED or engaged couples. It will have no relevance to you if you are not married. God created sex as an institution between husband and wife. He addresses both the previously sexually active and the virgins about to get married…every chapter was worth reading. We’ve been married almost 6 years but both had a lot to comment on the “before you get married” chapter. In fact, that chapter had both of us longing for a second honeymoon. (Because, if you’ve never heard, our first one was a doozy) Taking time off from parenting is a little hard right now, but we are bypassing gifts of all kinds this year to really go all out for 24 hours alone.

We owe it to our marriage to make every aspect outstanding. God created husband and wife to be this way.

Anyway, HIGHLY recommend. I would offer you locals one of my two copies, but I’m afraid we both underlined and took notes…and you don’t really need to know THAT much about us now do you??

****PS I did ask EP permission to write this.  We both agreed that it was so insightful that we thought we should share. *****

….you aren’t afraid to smell that odd stain that appeared on the floor.  After all, if you can’t identify it, how are you going to clean it.

…you cry the first time you have to shop in the “big kids” section.

Stunt Boy became a gardener.

We picked out our Christmas wish list over breakfast.

Starlet was involved in an at-home photo shoot.

We visited the zoo with family (i still haven’t come up with anything creative for them yet!!).

Had a BUNCH of pre-Thanksgiving eating….

And finally….Thanksgiving. I was thankful to have my husband home!!

…you find yourself saying “you have to brush your teeth because if you don’t all of your teeth will fall out.”

…you have a day all to yourself and realize as you pull in to pick the kids up that you’ve been listening to the kids CD all day!