from the land time forgot

I don't want to go home.

Our flight here was awesome. I am so proud of my kiddos. Titus slept the entire first flight, Felix stared out the window at the airplane wing for at least 90% of the flight and Simon was enthralled with a sticker book. Traveling with kids is still not anything I would jot down in my Book of Fun, but it was good. It's fun to watch travelers. The airport is kinda like a circus without the tent and elephants. There are wierd people in this world and they seem to congregate near large masses and airplanes. I find it all very hilarious.

Waking up at my parents house makes me not want to go back to Texas. I like the comfort of being here. Being close to family. The memories and the familiarity. Nothing changes here.

Driving to Sean's Grandpa's house today to do Christmas, it was interesting to see how absolutely nothing in this town has ever changes. That very thing that makes everybody to want to leave, makes me want to come back. I could be happy here, now that I know. I guess it could be because I know coming back here isn't even an option.

There's this road that I took to high school every single day for five years. A few things have changed. They've built some townhouses and a few neighborhoods, but there's still the never ending driveway sale at the half-way point. There's a cinderblock bar that keeps changing names, never has patrons, but always has the neon lights glowing. It's currently, Slappy and Stinkies? If it wasn't so creepy, I'd put the boys in front of it for a picture. It's all very much the same. I guess everybody's hometown is probably like that.

Simon and Felix are loving life. They got spoiled today by Ambulance Grandma and Grandpa, Aunt Nikki, Pop Pop and Oma today and they get to have Christmas again on Thursday with my side.

We found out today that Felix is rather allergic to cat dander. I wish I could post a picture. My goodness. Scary swelling! Benadryl is a life saver.

I guess that's about it. I'm just trying to soak it all in. Our five day vacation, that's really only three when you consider the travel time, is going by way too quickly.

We call him

Titamook

Mook Mook
Titamookis
Titamunk
Fatty
Fatty McGee
Mr. T
Tighty Whitey
Booga
Boog Boog
Chubs
Chumba Wumba
Tito
Teeters
Fe-Titus
Hymie{short for High Maintenance}

But today, we're just calling him back to normal. The pink stuff has worked wonders.

While I'm on the subject of names, someone my sister knows has a sister that is naming their baby Titus. I've heard they're normal and not from some strange, unknown tribe of leprechauns deep in the heart of Ireland. It makes me happy.

I like that my kids will never have to distinguish themselves among the masses as far as their names go. So far, Simon has never been made fun of for his name. It's pretty accepted now. Not so much when I was telling people what his name was going to be almost seven years ago. Even Felix is popping up in quite a few places. There was a Felix in a recent Target commercial and it was also in Pottery Barn Kids. I saw it tonight on the back of someone's car window{football helmet decal with FELIX #15}. There was a Felix on Blue's Clues once. It means "happy," how could people not love it? We'll see how it fares when he gets to school. I've only thought of one name that can be used against Titus. I found another one when I almost made a pretty bad typo on the Christmas cards. So glad I noticed the "U" was missing. :)

My Simonster will be seven one week from today. Why do the numbers have to keep going up? I really, really can't believe it. It's going too fast. I keep thinking of all the things I'm doing wrong with him. He's the first, so naturally, he'll be the one that needs a shrink. In all that I've done wrong and all the ways I've fallen short as his Mama, he's turning out alright. I feel like, if nothing else, I've given him the most important thing I can...my time. Love and affection and all that, too, but I really think time is what they need. I've been able to witness all the little stuff and big stuff and all the in between stuff and I don't regret any decision I've made when it comes to that one and his tagalongs. Anyways...

I should be packing. I am so excited! We leave Monday morning.

just like that

Titus slept all night long{and is still asleep as I type}. The wonders of modern medicine. After two nights of absolutely no sleep, Sean and I have been checking in on him constantly to make sure he's still breathing.

The man passed his CCRN. It's a test he's been meaning to take for years. Seriously. It's an expensive test, though, so he just kept putting it off. He finally took it and blew it out of the water, just like I knew he would. Luckily, the military pays you back for it, so long as you pass.

Today is Simon's last day of school before Christmas break. :) He gets an extra week since Sean couldn't get any other time off. Per Nicole's post, I whipped up two teacher presents last night. I'll post pictures later. I sent them in "Merry Christmas" bags, with a picture of Simon that I photoshopped in a "Merry Christmas." I tucked it inside a Christmas card with a Christmas message about the true meaning of Christmas. They don't make "Winter Holiday" gift bags.

I must start packing. The laundry is ready to be folded and tucked into a suitcase. I still have a present or two to figure out. Sean was saying we don't need to take presents as we spent a fortune on plane tickets and that's present enough. Yeah, but...you can't wrap that.

aww

saved @ 6X4, 300dpi{ignore, just trying to tell if there's a difference on my screen}

saved at 6X4, 72 dpi

The most pathetic little sick boy ever. His eldest bababababa is also quite the defeatist when snotsy. I would take ten sick Felix's over these two. That kid is the coolest sick kid ever. The other two, not so much. Mr. T has insisted on being held since 3 a.m. this morn after being awoken by the eldest requesting a solution to his inability to breathe.

It has been a long day.

Typepad?

Yay, Blogger has finally decided to upload pictures again. But they still look pretty crappy. I started a Typepad blog. I don't like it. It's frustrating and I am a true creature of habit. I have Blogger figured out. It's aggravating, but easy. I don't need all the bells and whistles that typepad has to offer.

I think I just need convincing that it's worth it. Or maybe I need convincing to just stick with what I already have. Any opinions?

If I could figure out the right formula for uploading to Photobucket and then just copying my pictures over here, it would help a lot. They are either HUGE or small and grainy/pixelated. I can't find a happy balance. These are saved at 7inches wide, 300dpi. Usually, when I upload to PB, I save them at 12in wide, 300 dpi and then resize them in PB. Advise me.

And I can't just not post pictures. I mean...look at him. :)

The other two have snot crusted to their faces, as does this one today. Sick kids are pleasant. At least they're getting it over with before our big trip!

He sees you.

broken record...

Blogger, you're _________. Fill in the blank with anything inappropriate or juvenile. I have tons of pictures to share, but am not wanting to waste my valuable minutes of silence trying to figure out why nothing will upload the way I want.

Just the three. The first shot is from the boys window. That's the snow we got. I am well aware that it is possibly just frost, but down here, we take what we get. Simon and Felix helped Sean hang Christmas lights by riding their bikes and begging for hot chocolate. Is there anything better than hot chocolate 'staches?

the jingle hop has begun

I'm finally feelin' it. Christmas is coming and I am excited. I missed my alarm this morning. It didn't snow even a single flake, but I still didn't know if school was canceled. I mean, the sky was grey, so...Lucky for Simon, they didn't cancel Career Day. They got to dress up as what they want to be when they grow up. It was either Batman or a Fighter Pilot.

After dropping him off, Feefs and I jumped into some sugar cookie dough I mixed up last night. We rolled and cut, rolled and cut, rolled and cut the morning away.

After that, I started and finished four special projects for one very special person. I'm pretty happy with how they turned out.

Simon came home with this today. I love kid art.
:) Thinking

We waited on Simon to decorate the cookies. They sprinkled.

The rest of the pictures are from the past couple of days.

His cheeks are nice and rosy and comfy cozy is he:

Playing peek-a-boo with my camera strap{courtesy of this chick}.

Felix found a "diamond" on the floor at Hobby Lobby the other day. He has been carrying it around with him for four solid days. As he was climbing into the car with it, though, he dropped it. As I was on my knees in my good jeans, in the freezing cold, trying to reach it, I smiled. Only a mother...I really think their ought to be sashes for mothers. We could earn badges and such for the things we do. Take Girl Scouts to a whole new level.

The diamond hooked into an ornament hook:

Lastly, Sean got bored the other day and decided Simon needs his own email address. It's cute. He writes his teacher. He wrote my dad, too. All by himself. Right before bedtime. It took for-ever. I can't believe he knows how to type as well as he does, even using the shift key properly for punctuation and caps. Crazy.

An email from my dad:

Hi, Simon!! I’m really looking forward to seeing all of you guys, too!! How is school going? Do you like it? What’s the girl situation? Remember! They ALL have kooties, so watch out!!

Are you taking care of Titus? How about Felix? I hope you two aren’t fighting too much. I attaching a picture of my new plane that I painted. I hope you like green.

See you soon!!

Granpa

Simon's reply:

I love it grandpa and I do like the color green. How is grandma doing? I love you grandma. I hope you are looking ford to seeing Me!

It might snow tonight!

oh Feefs

I adore this kid. Even when he does things that just aren't cool. Like respond, "You have arms, you can do it" when I request he takes care of his plate at lunch.

or

When he ran for the front door yesterday. I told him not to go outside yet, I had to run upstairs for a jacket for the baby. As I turned to go upstairs he closed the door. I came back down and I thought he was hiding from me. He's big into sprinting under the couch or into the pantry when we turn our backs so he can jump out and BOO us. I called for him. Told him I wasn't kidding. I didn't hear his normal stifled laughter, so I checked outside the front door. I called. I told him I really wasn't kidding. Nothing. I came back inside, did another run through. Calling. Calling. I went back outside, he wasn't there. I started freaking out. I was telling myself there was no way anybody snatched him in the 15 seconds it took me to grab a coat. I went back outside and he ran into me coming around the side of the house. I hate that feeling. When you get so freaked out that surge of adrenaline hits you and your blood runs cold.

or

When I go psycho on him in public. I was that mom in Target yesterday. He's already got a cold and I saw him resting his face on the edge of the buggy. "Don't, Felix. Yuck. The buggy is nas-ty, don't put any part of your face on it." Two seconds later, I peek around{he was in the basket part} and he had his lips parted and resting on the buggy. What the heck, dude? I didn't yell at him, but there was definite passion in my voice. I think I may have even done a "Kate" eye roll or huff. I think carts are disgusting and if I didn't have 8,000 kids to corral, I would not use them.

He's a good boy. Actually, he's reached a test phase. It was very sudden. I don't think he means any harm, sometimes boys just have to get into trouble. Even when he is being a monster, he's very innocent about it. I say it all the time, "He is so good at being bad."

DEC 1-3

It's gonna snow tonight. It seems to be a pretty huge deal here in southern Texas. There's talk of a snow day and Sean actually had to pack a bag to take to work with him in case the shift in the morning can't make it in. Uh...it's his weekend off, they better strap some skis on and see if they can't make it through the flurry blizzard. Seriously, an inch is what's being predicted.

What's that sound? Oh, it's the rest of the world laughing at us. It's fun though. Exciting. There are still shorts being filtered through the laundry cycle, so it's a pretty big swing in the weather here.

I'm doing the December Daily, like the rest of my scrapbook buddies. Just a little album to document our daily goings on in the busiest month of the year. This year actually hasn't been all that busy Christmas-wise. Sean and I aren't doing gifts this year. Well, unless you count my rendition of Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas." The words I can remember anyways and the chorus. No, really, we're just kinda laying low this year. We're going "home" for a week and that's gift enough for us. I seriously cried this morning because I miss our family so much. I think it's okay for a grown woman to cry because she misses her mama. Something about Christmas really does just make you want to be near your people.

Back to my December Daily. December 1 we didn't do much. Felix cut out 80 billion circles and I stuck them together making these pretty little ornaments. We set up the tree.

Yesterday, we decorated the tree. I worked on a Christmas present. Or what I hope will be a Christmas present if I can finish it on time. And today, we played with the tree. And did some shopping for some more homemade goodies. Went to Target in case the world ends along with the dusting of snow. I mixed up sugar cookies and almost cried again thinking about my mom. Sugar cookies are one tradition I will never let die. Every single year when I was a kid, we made roll out sugar cookies.

I had much to say, but Grr! Blogger won't let me upload any pictures, so...