you

This post is for YOU.  YOU know who you are.  You're the YOU of all you's, my one and only and most importantly, the greatest father on earth.  On Father's Day, more than any other day, I revel in the fact that, of all things, I am certain of one:  I chose right. 

It is such a pleasure, honor and thrill to help you raise our three amazing little beings, to see you pass along your patience, your good-to-the-core nature, your tireless work ethic and endless generosity.  You are the epitome of what "father" means and I will never tire of watching you in action.  You never cease to amaze me.

What a perfect Father's Day this year - we got to witness your Nascar Riding Experience with your Dad and Mary.  I'm sure the Driving Experience is next!

For all that you do, for everything that you are, for the dream you have for our family, I thank you and I wish you the happiest Father's Day.  In my humble opinion, no one deserves it more than YOU. 

You're the very best, so deeply loved and forever appreciated.

spirit

I'm finding it difficult to find the spirit this season.  I'm not sure why.  The house looks great, all the presents have been wrapped for a week and my cookies are even baked.  I'm sure it has something to do with the fact that it looks like mid-March outside.  Gray and rainy and sort of warm - not Christmas weather.  And there's no hope for the white stuff in our forecast.  No White Christmas on its way. 

But there are three kids in this house that have spirit for us all, who can't wait to rip open the presents that sit under the tree.  I've never done that before - put presents under the tree before the big day - I think I did it this year with hopes that some spirit would exude.  And it did, for the kids. 

I loved the last episode of Modern Family on ABC, (if you don't watch it, you must) where this quirky, funny and abnormally-normal-in-every-way family rented a snow machine for their fake Christmas celebration in California.  Maybe that's what I could do?

I suppose that wouldn't do the trick either.  The Christmas spirit must come from within.  I know it's deep down in there, buried under the pressures and stresses that accompany this time of year.  Somewhere under the worries of whether or not I've bought the right gifts for the right loved ones, maybe just beyond the 200 samples of cookies I've tasted.  It could be next to the mental menus and to-do lists, concerns over paying off the gifts, excitement for a houseful of loved ones for a week or the lurking weight of upcoming tax prep and personal and business-related New Year's resolutions. 

Now that I've written that, I realize that the Christmas spirit isn't anywhere near those inevitable components of my full life, but instead resides where it always has, within my heart, within my actions.  It's in the fleeting peaceful moments spent with my kids, a stolen dinner out with Mike alone (the first in at least a year), drinking coffee in the wee hours of the morning in front of the tree in a silent, sleeping house, the backdrop of Christmas carols playing during the day, the immense, unyielding gratitude for the year passed and the endless hope I hold for the year ahead. 

It's in the deep traditions, however silly they may seem, that we give our kids each year.  From too many cookies baked, to Uncle Griff's tree, to eating waffles for dinner on the day after Christmas; these traditions are their stronghold on family and what it means to be a part of one, in every way.  Orchestrating and ensuring these traditions, this holiday, this family, is what the Christmas spirit is all about. 

Who needs snow?  I had the spirit all along. 

catching my breath

This weekend was ridiculous.  I hate when our schedules are so packed that you can't even be in the moment with anything because "EVERYTHING" is taking up every ounce of your brain.  We started Friday night with our annual ugly ornament contest in the 'hood - which I'm excited to announce that we won - after participating for many years!  Looking back, even though it was another line item on the calendar, that party was pure relaxation in comparison to what followed.

Saturday morning, we took Riley to the gym at 8 AM.  By 9, Finn, Logan and I were at Finn's pancake breakfast at school.  At 10:30, we picked up Riley from the gym and went to Finn's basketball game, with Grammy and Jim, until 12.  Mike and Finn dropped us off and went to get haircuts - Mike was really starting to look like a cross between Max Hedrum and Conan O'Brien.  After what might be consider lunch, we packed up with our good pals, the Marienthals, and drove out toward DeKalb, to our traditional tree-cutting stomping  grounds.  Two unbearably frigid treks through two different farms resulted in zero tree choices; they were all too small!  We ended up buying from a tree lot at the second farm!  We went home and tried to decorate, but it was so late that we got little done and rushed the kids into bed so that we'd get a good night's sleep before the 5 AM wake-up call for Riley's meet.

 

 

 

 

Sunday at 2:39 AM, Finn arrived to tell us that he'd thrown up all over his bed.  Every hour, for the next several, he vomited more; his little body wondering what the hell is going on.  His ID Reaction, which had been almost healed, flared into craziness and all the spots became dark red and scabbed.  At 5, I woke Riley, did her bun and headed out, without the rest of the fam, to the meet.  I hate sitting there watching alone - it's so stressful!!

Riley rocked it like never before, raising her personal best by one whole point!  She scored 9.3 on floor (personal best), 9.225 on beam (personal best), 9.150 on bars and 9.125 on vault.  I can't describe the excitement on her face with each flashing score - I was one thrilled mama.  She has worked her butt off for a meet like this!  There was a stinging disappointment later, when she learned that at this particular meet, they don't announce places or scores, they just give everyone the same trophy.  Our non-drama girl sobbed for an hour when we got home, but later, a good friend let us know that she was listed at the meet as placing 3rd All Around out of 56 girls that were not separated out by age.  AMAZING!  She felt better, needless to say. 

 

We rushed home to decorate as this was our only chance before Christmas.  This year, and every year from now on, we've decided to have an "Uncle Griff Tree", in the living room.  Aunt Michelle generously donated her pre-lit one to our efforts.  The kids made ornaments for it and left notes and we hung things on it that remind us of him.  Yesterday was also Griff's birthday.

By 6:30 PM, we met up with Nana and Tony, Grandpa and Irene, Grammy and Jim, Tom, Michelle and Ellie to see Logan's Christmas Choir Concert and it did not disappoint!  She is so adorable and growing up so fast.  I couldn't believe my first little babe was standing up there, tall and proud and singing her heart out, with her requested straightened hair.  How did she grow up so fast?  Finn laid in my lap like an infant though, so at least I'm still needed!!

 

We ended the  night at Potbelly's with Nana and Tony before they headed back north.  What a whirlwind!  Today, with Finn home, I'm trying to catch my breath, make last purchases and get a stronghold on what lies ahead.  It certainly feels like the holidays.  Looking to this weekend:  Finn's school holiday festival, another choir concert, basketball game and meet, another Christmas party, a birthday party and an invite for drinks with friends.  Will I survive?  And when am I supposed to bake cookies?

the molluscum contagiosum support group

Welcome to the inaugural meeting of the molluscum contagiosum support group.  If there's any doubt, I hate this awful nightmare of a virus.  What started out as a few bumps have grown into hundreds on Finn, flaring up his eczema and resulting in a treatment of blistering about forty of the bumps.  The blisters, teetering on the edge of infection, are finally starting to show signs of improvement and healing, after a week off school and round the clock dressing changes.  I THOUGHT we were rounding the bend to health since Finn did make it to school yesterday.  But when I woke him up this morning, I was shocked to see a red, angry, itchy rash all over his entire body.  No school again.

We went to the pediatrician - I needed an advocate to help make sense of the mixed messages we've gotten from the three dermatologists we've seen.  She diagnosed Finn with an "ID Reaction."  Apparently, his immune system is sending out a signal that it's in overdrive trying to fight off the molluscum and heal the forty blisters on his little body.  There's no treatment or idea when it will go away, but it eventually will.  In the meantime, there will be no more treatment on his skin of any kind.  He's on Benadryl to control the itching.  For all the poking and prodding and pain he's had in the last week, this kid is one hell of a trooper.

 

In unrelated news, I knew I heard Jingle Bells in the middle of the night last night.

halloween 2011

Some pics of this year's festivities...

 

 

egg nog fog

6 Christmas celebrations

2 puking incidents

1 round of antibiotics

too many late nights

6 days of wonderful house guests

3 tired kids

1 vow to take Christmas Day off next year!

Happy Holidays were had by all, but if I didn't learn my lesson to simplify this year, I don't think I ever will. I have already promised my kids, who begged for it on the way home Christmas night, that we would spend next year in jammies, lounging, eating, assembling and playing. I think we need to enjoy a Christmas at home with toys and no responsibilities at least once before they grow out of this whole toy thing!

can you say "Grizzwald?"

I'm not trying to be a scrooge, but this holiday season is sputtering to start. It came out of nowhere and it seems as if everything is just a little, well, off. With a schedule boardering on - for real - unimaginable, I finally determined that tomorrow between 8 AM and noon is the only window of opportunity between now and Christmas that all of us Andersons can go get our tree. (I still haven't found a decorating timeslot.) This is earlier than I'd hoped; but probably just what the mischievous puppy, a.k.a. Dempsey Doodle, wishes for. That should be interesting.

When I say things are off, here's what I mean: plans to simplify Christmas events have already gone awry, early shopping has led to too much shopping, our house looks ridiculous with half of our garland lights out, a baby deer that won't light up and crooked and crumpled outside entry trees. What's more, each year I buy an expensive poinsettia from a neighbor as a sport's fundraiser. These plants are the most gorgeous I've seen and they last and last. I was so relieved to see it immediately change the mood to a festive one around here when it arrived last night.

After bedtime, I enjoyed my most favorite part of the day (not really), when my butt hits the corner cushion of the couch to watch some DVR'd episode of a show I love. (Last night, it was the Sons of Anarchy season finale!) After literally thirty seconds on the couch, just as I was really starting to exhale, Mike and I heard the strangest creaking noise and turned quickly toward it. In one full swoop, five of the seven huge branches of my gorgeous red poinsettia fell and dropped from the table.

All we can do is laugh! There's money well-spent! Merry Days!

Trick or Treat 2010

It was a great Halloween, filled with parties, parades, lots of trick or treating and our first-ever SCARY haunted house. Finn and Riley loved it, Logan, not so much. Nana and Tony even came along; it was Nana's first one, too!

Here are a few shots of our geisha girl, our rainbow sorceress and Snake Eyes.

Fireworks through Finn's Eyes

This video from the 4th of July says it all....

Family Time

On the 26th, we had big plans to go to see A Christmas Carol as a family. Instead, mother nature dumped a foot of snow on Oswego in record time and we decided against our limited movie theater travel plans. It was a gorgeous snowfall. The kids and dog got out to play in it and it seemed to never stop. When we made the call to stay home, we had a houseful of disgruntled kids (like that had any right on December 26th) and needed a plan of action.

Our first attempt was an on-demand purchase of Christmas Vacation with Chevy Chase. As Mike and I cackled outloud, the kids made faces at each other as if to say, "What's so funny about this?" About half-way through I had an idea. We pulled out twenty or thirty old video tapes of the past eight years and hooked the camera up to the TV for some home movies.

I had eight or so tapes that weren't labeled, so I grabbed those first. As soon as we popped one in, I knew I was in for it. I nearly sobbed through the first hour, so shocked at seeing how Logan and Riley had grown, marveling at Riley's two year old performance of "Kiss the Girl" and instantly recognizing the undeniable sweetness of Logan's personality that remains the same so many years later. Babies' births and first cereal feedings and bare feet in spring mud were all over the screen. We even saw Maggie, our fifteen year old cocker spaniel wearing the red sweater she needed to keep her warm that last year and Harley, and her enormous, loving presense. I couldn't move from the TV.

It's that old cliche "They grow up so fast!" But it's true. In an instant I knew that there were really only four people that mattered and I had no need to worry about anyone else or the holiday stress that buries all of us this season. We spent the rest of the weekend enjoying each other, the way we should every day.

On Sunday, Mike and I took the kids sledding. We had a ball, all of us diving in and sucking up the two hours of constant laughter and fun. For our finale, we went back to the car for some G-rated (as Mike put it) tailgating of hot chocolate and Christmas cookies. It was life as we want it, real "in the moment" stuff - traditions in the making.

As we move into 2010, a new decade, there are a few lessons learned from this one. First, we need a new camcorder - I can't support this new hobby with the hours of needed rewind time on the current model!! But seriously and most importantly, Mike and I will find ways to enjoy the short window we have with these amazing little blessings we call our kids, in spite of everything that's going on in life. Now that we've seen those videos, we know our time with them will surely be gone in the blink of an eye.

Halloween 2009

Logan on parade at school - "celestial sourceress".
Riley on parade at school - "Bratz cheerleader".

Our sourceress was under the weather and had her hair straightened for the occasion!

The cheerleader and last year's spidey wait for the bus.

This year's spidey shows off his dance moves at the school party.