All the Kristi(y)'s

I have what I believe to be an inordinate amount of people named Kristi(y) in my life.  There are 3, actually.  All 4 of our girls started going to pre-k together when they were 3.  Kristi3's daughter stayed back last year, so they are not in the same class anymore, but they remain friends.  Kristi1 and Kristy2's daughters are Ella's very best friends in the entire world.  Ella & I are very lucky to have these 6 ladies in our lives.

 Kristi3 has three kids.  Our boys have also gone to school together since they were 3.  She also has another little girl who is 2 and hilarious.  I just want to put her in my pocket. =]  When the boys were in kindergarten, one of their classmates died unexpectedly.  I don't know if I would have been able to get through it if it were not for this Kristi.  She is selfless and nurturing and really helped me through, without even blinking.  Last winter she was diagnosed with MS.  It has been so tough for her.  So many tests and so little answers.  I think she is finally doing a little better, and I'm so glad because I miss her like crazy.

Kristy2 is a rock star!  She has three adorable, sweet, funny kids, two crazy dogs, a great husband, and recently went back to work in Special Education.  She is so laid back and calm.  She makes you feel calm just by being around her.  I don't know how she pulls it all off, but she does, and with a smile.  She is a marvel.  She has a "the more, the merrier" mentality, and Ella has been spending a lot of time there over the past year.  She is so good to my girl, and SPOILS her!  She is the kind of person who would share her sandwich with you if you forgot your lunch. =] 

Kristi1 is my best friend.  She is funny, smart, and passionate.  With the exception of our political leanings, she is also so much like me, it is kinda scary.  Her birthday is the day after mine, so I think it is a cosmic match.  We are both so very Type A.  She is tough, strong, and has a heart as big as all outdoors.  She also gets me in a way that not everyone does.  For example, during the whole dog drama scene, she knew without even having talked to me that it was bringing back all of the pain of my Dad being sick and losing him.  She just knew.  I don't think anyone else got that, and it just further proves to me what a special soul she has.


I am extremely fortunate in a lot of ways.  I wish everyone could have 3 Kristi(y)'s.

For the Love of Christmas

What is wrong with enjoying Christmas?

Is it really so bad to encourage your kids to believe in Santa?  To want to let them keep that magic as long as possible?  

We are not religious.  I'm not talking lapsed Catholics here (although Matt was raised Catholic), I'm talking no religious leanings what-so-ever.  (I actually have very strong feelings about this, but won't go into that now.  My feelings about organized religion are another post for another day.)  We love Christmas.  We celebrate it as a time to focus on our family, the importance of giving and sharing, and just general love and peace.  We do not reserve these feelings or actions for December.  We are well aware of the origins of Christmas, and that for a lot of people, Christmas is only about the celebration of the birth of Christ.  We don't roll that way.  I don't chastise people for their beliefs; that is not the way we roll, either.  We have our personal feelings, others have theirs.  The end.  Normally.

A recent Facebook post from one of my aunts infuriated me.  This is how it read:

  

".. why do we lie and say the easter bunny is coming or santa is coming so u better be good..Those are lies.. the tooth fairy all of it LIES.. why not be honest is because it takes away parents enjoyment.. why not teach them there is no santa and educate about the birth of Jesus? Why do we not set and example"

Lucien is friends with her on Facebook.  (He rarely uses it, and just likes to play the games.)  Lots of other kids use it, too.  Why would an adult do this?!  What sort of Grinch would want to take the magic of Santa away from a small child?  Don't they grow up and lose their innocence quickly enough?  I can understand that she may feel this way.  While I don't agree with her religious beliefs, I can respect them.  I wish she would have showed the same courtesy to those of us who want to preserve belief and childhood while we can.  It is my right as a parent to decide what I do and do not expose my child to, and this was not her decision to make.  Luckily, neither of my kids saw this, and I have hidden her on Lucien's account to avoid any mishegas in the future.

The really sad part is that she has several grandchildren of her own.  I wonder if she called them right up to tell them the "truth".  I highly doubt this.  She is the last one I would have expected this from, and I must say that I am more than a little disappointed.

On a lighter note, No Chaos Christmas is going fairly well!  I think the kids are noticing the difference.  I'm starting to get just a little panicky; I no where near done my shopping.  BUT, I am working on a list tonight, maybe doing a little online shopping, trying to get out sans kids this weekend, and should be in pretty good shape by next weekend.  We will also be finishing up the shopping for the 3 kids the girls at work and I are buying for.  (love, love, love doing that!)  YAY! 

Ok~so we are on an upswing

I might have been a little hasty in calling the week crap.

The dog is doing better.  We picked him up Friday afternoon (along with a gigantic vet bill).  He still was not really eating, and mostly slept.  But, I think he is on the upswing.  He is eating a little, barking a little, and this morning he seems to be more himself.  I think we will be keeping him. =]

Yesterday was a great day.  Lucien had a basketball game, wreath selling for Cub Scouts, and then went to play at his friend's house.  This left Ella and I to have a Girl's Day.  We went to Ellsworth for some laid back Christmas festivities.  We went to the parade there.  It was wet, and rainy, and too much fun.  Although she tried to play it cool (she is 7 after all), Ella was very excited.  With shiny eyes, she watched as Cinderella, and Scooby Doo, and tiny ponies moved slowly down Main Street.  She would barely even drink her hot chocolate, as she didn't want to miss a second of it.  

After the parade, we walked to the offices of the Ellsworth American newspaper, where they were giving a book to every child.  She carefully looked through the tables of books, finally choosing one about a reporter for a school newspaper.  She is so very thoughtful, and wanted to be sure it was ok to choose one for Lucien as well.  From there, we walked up Main Street to the Grand Theatre to await the arrival of Santa, again, trying to play it cool.  Santa arrived in the same car he had rode in during the parade.  From here, playing it cool was over!  She squealed and bounced, and expressed her concern that she did not know what to ask him for!  The line was not very long ahead of us, but gave her enough time to decide that she would ask him for a Zhu Zhu pet.  When we got into the theatre proper, and neared the stage, we noticed that they were giving out little goody bags to the kids.  Again, she wanted to be sure to get one for her brother.  Finally, the big moment had arrived; it was Santa time.  She was adorable, and polite, and Santa was everything he should be.  

We walked off the stage, she chose a cupcake from the treats table, and we decided it was time to get something real to eat.  We walked just a few storefronts down to the Riverside Cafe, where we had brunch.  She chose scrambled eggs and I had the veggie benedict (my fave!).  She entertained me while we waited, making up stories and telling me random facts.  From there, we headed to Walmart to pick up a few things we needed.  The girls in the office and I have chosen 3 needy kids from our school to buy presents for this year (as we do every year) and I always like to involve the kids in doing this shopping.  El and I got a few things from these lists (which include snowpants, boots, and long sleeved shirts :( ), and headed home.

Lucien got home shortly after we did, and we decided to make the cookies for his Cub Scout Christmas party that is this afternoon.  We had intended to go to the Festival of Lights parade in Bangor, but I got the time mixed up and it was really raining, so we spent a much needed, cozy night at home instead.  The cookies that we made were super easy, but mega delicious!  Really, they could not be easier.  All you do is wrap cookie dough around a bite-sized Snickers bar.  Bake, eat, heaven.  The kids had fun choosing different sugars and sprinkles to roll the uncooked cookie balls in.  With the cookies done, we jammied up, ate a couple of the extra cookies, and watched a movie.

(cookie pictures coming as soon as Matt gets back with my camera!)

After waking up to a blanket of snow, the kids and Matt are outside sledding.  Next, they are going to go cut a Christmas tree for Matt's 90 year old great-aunt, who lives across the street.  I'm off to make a salad to take to the Christmas party this afternoon.


This is so not crap.

ps~ I figured out how to get the pictures off my Blackberry!  =]

This week is crap

So much for no chaos.  This week the dog got sick.  Like, really sick.  

On Monday night, he threw up aaaaallll over the house.  At first, we thought he had eaten a couple of chocolate chips from the kids' cookies.  But it kept happening.  All day Tuesday and into Wednesday morning.  He was also not himself.  He hasn't barked since Monday night.  Sooo not like him.  He also had zero energy.  So, when he was still sick Wednesday morning, we decided we couldn't wait, and had to take him to the vet.

They did a whole bunch of tests, and finally decided that he has pancreatitis.  This means that his pancreas isn't working correctly, and basically leaking digestive fluids into his insides.  We caught it early, so the vet seemed confident that he would recover well.  He is on IV fluids and pain meds.  I talked to Dr.Miles (ps~love, love, love Lucerne Vet & Dr. Chris Miles!!!) this afternoon, and she said while he hadn't gotten worse, he sure hadn't gotten any better, and she wanted to keep him for at least another night.  I took the kids to see him after school today, and he looked slightly perkier than yesterday, but barely moved.  He mostly had a happy to see them look in his eyes.  So very, very sad.

This is so strange to me.  I've not been a huge fan of this dog, especially as of late, but this sickness of his has really hit me hard!  We even had someone come to meet him on Monday afternoon, to see if they would be a good fit to be his new family.  For all of my campaigning to get rid of him, as I'm suddenly faced with the possibility of  losing him, I am heart-broken.  I really feel like it is more than mere compassion for an animal in pain; I think I actually love this dog.  He misbehaves, grates on my last nerve, frustrates me, and causes me general stress......but in the words of Ella, "I would miss that little fluff-ball."  The house does just not seem right without him.

And so, we continue to wait and see.  And hope for the speedy recovery and timely return of my gray hair.