As I walked out of work last week, I saw the most beautiful sunset. I have to remember that even though I am go go go most of the time, in moments of beauty I need to stop and take a moment to savor life. It really is so good.
Last weekend, because Riley had gotten smiley faces the rest of the week, I told him we could start a craft project I had purchased for him. I tried to start it Friday night, but didn't anticipate having to work remotely for an hour that evening and by Saturday morning I didn't have much accomplished.
But after some serious focus while waiting for Chad to get home from Austin, we finished moments after he arrived with Czech Bakery goodies in hand.
Unfortunately, I had purchased two crafts and we still had one to go. Chad started it with the boys, but discovered it needed glue, so on Sunday, after a stop at the store for glue, our crafting weekend was officially over.
Sunday afternoon, Chad took Riley to see The Littlest Wiseman and Carter and I lounged at home. He fell asleep while watching Finding Nemo. Moments of quiet are rare with my little guy.
The December weather has been very warm overall and Riley was able to wear his dragon shirt that Papa got him from China. He was very excited about it.
Riley also wrote his Santa letter last weekend. Translated it says:
"Dear Santa, I want a pirate ship, skylanders, dragon, ogre, eagle castle. Riley"
I guess we got toy one crossed of Santa's list this week, as Haha bought Riley this pirate ship at the store.
I can officially say I am finished with my Christmas shopping and I even have my mom's birthday (Dec 31) and Chad's birthday (January 4) presents purchased. The gift that was the hardest to find was a pair of Hello Kitty slippers for Elizabeth's birthday (December 23). I ordered a pair online at Target, but they were backordered, so I cancelled the order. I then ordered a pair on Amazon and instead of getting girls slippers, I got women's slippers and returned those. On Wednesday morning I drove across town and found a pair at the Ridgmar Target. Thank goodness. I was just about to give up!
On Wednesday I had my pre-op appointments for this week's surgery. First one was at the doctor's office and the second one was at the hospital. They went well and I'm ready to have the surgery behind me.
The boys spent the night with Grandmommy & Haha on Wednesday so that I could attend my work Christmas party.
In the morning, they decorated the tiny tree and this week they have plans to decorate the big tree.
One of the reasons, we love Carter's daycare so much is because they know how to have fun. On Friday we got an email that the custodian of the school had made big leaf piles outside and they let the kids jump in them. So FUN!
Riley is doing a great job making Christmas art.
He also drew this great nativity scene.
This week Carter made an elf and an elf hat.
Chad was my dishwashing elf on Saturday.
On Saturday we went to a birthday party where the boys got to ride in a horse drawn carriage around the neighborhood.
Last night the boys spent the night at Nana & Papa's so that I could attend a Girls Christmas Party. It was so good to see old friends whose children have gone off to other kindergartens and we had a great time doing a gift basket exchange. I then went and met up with Chad and friends who were celebrating the opening of the Kids Who Care show, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.
Today, I met up with Chad, Nana, Papa, Haha, Blake, Rebecca, Wyatt and the boys for Sugar Rush at Kids Who Care. On the way in there is always a bubble wrap carpet to walk on. In years past, this has frightened the boys, but this year, they loved it!
Please forgive me for a moment while I get on my soapbox. On Friday morning while I was touring a property in Allen, I heard via social media about the school shooting in CT. At first I was saddened, but not seriously affected by what I was hearing. How sad that I've been numbed to the news of a shooting! But as the news started trickling in I found myself glued to the closed captioning on the TV in the restaurant where we ate lunch. On our drive back to Fort Worth we had the radio tuned to the news and I heard President Obama's speech and that long silence as he brushed away a tear and composed himself. I could not wait to see my boys that evening. I wanted to hug them and snuggle them and give them anything they wanted, so blessed did I feel that this tragedy did not happen at Riley's school. We watched Hook while eating popcorn for dinner in bed. The annoyance I would have at finding popcorn kernels in my sheets was far overshadowed by spending the evening with my children who bless my life daily.
That night, when Chad arrived home, I shed many tears telling him of the teacher who hid herself and her 14 students in a bathroom and even when the police arrived and slid their badges under the door, she still would not let them in. She said if they were the police they could find a key, and they did. And she and all 14 of her students survived. Another student, 6 years old, watched the shooter kill his teacher and he grabbed some of his friends and ran out of the room. Chad and I talked about how we felt Riley would react, should such a horrible tragedy occur in his classroom, as much as I wish he would run, I fear that he would freeze. But how do you talk to your 5 year old about running if a man with a gun is trying to shoot you? He knows there are bad people in the world, but bad people who kill 20 small schoolchildren? I'm not ready to subject him to that evil.
My friends all have different beliefs and values that have come to light out of this tragedy. Some said they would home school their children, some said they would have guns and teachers should have guns. I believe that we are all allowed to have our own views on this tragedy and while I would never tell my friends not to homeschool their children, or not to bear arms, I know that I feel my own way about it all. Bad things happen every day, and sometime even truly tragic things like the death of 20 schoolchildren at the hands of a mad shooter happen. Will it change my routine? No. Will it make me homeschool my children? No. Will it make me purchase or carry a gun? No. Will I hope and pray that nothing like this ever happens to my child? Yes. Do I grieve for those parents who lost their babies a week and a half before Christmas? Yes. Will I hope that we find ways to keep people from being able to easily purchase assault rifles? Yes. Will I hope that all mentally ill people are able to seek and find treatment? Yes. Will I judge you if you feel differently from me? No.
Because I have love in my heart for each and every one of you. And out of this tragedy should not come polarized political views. Out of this tragedy should grow our love and faith in one another and the goodness that can be inside of all of us.
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