Recently, on Darby Lane…. November 28, 2009

We’ve had an eventful week here!

On Nov 21, Grandma Deb, Mr Jeff and Alex came to visit for a few days.  While here we had our Christmas with them.

We also had a lot of things fixed/finished by Mr Jeff!  He replaced our laundry doors that were ruined in our dryer fire 3 yrs ago.  However, that wasn’t just a simple task.  The dryer we’d bought to replace the burnt one was too long to fit the space.  So he and Chris had to figure out how to make it scoot back.  In doing this, Jeff decided our venting pipes were too brittle and needed replaced.  So that meant a trip up into the attic (as this is where the dryer vents out to).  While up in the attic Jeff decided he didn’t like the lighting.  So he installed two additional lights along the rafter beam.  In the meantime, he fixed our front outdoor water faucet as it had cracked and leaked into the house.  We have not used it in about 2 years.  All the while, he was scanning/defragging our computer, which went from 11-14 GB free to 79.5 GB free!!!  It’s a shame they weren’t here one extra day.  We could’ve had our van repaired, our facia scraped and painted, hardwood floor laid, lights changed in upstairs bathroom, ceilings painted, and dryer vent redirected!!!  Man, Mr Jeff just does not rest!  Oh, wait…  he rested at 9pm Monday night.  The night before they left. 

Our visit with Mom was great too!  She’s GRANDMA!!  We never have more ice than when she’s here.  She’s so stealth about emptying and filling our ice tray!  It’s awesome.  She also does the dishes in secret.  It just seems like we have a meal and the next thing I know, mom’s putting those dishes away and our dishwasher is empty.  I hope I learn this magic trick when my kids are grown and I visit them!  Just wave your hand and everything gets done!  Our laundry is usually all done too but with the dryer being worked on, she couldn’t tackle that job.  I’m sure that was driving her crazy.

What is it with parents?  They just don’t sit still.  They want to fix/work/clean everything.  I’m not saying I mind, but I’m a parent and can’t stand doing any of those things.

Oh yeah, AFTER they left… I found my vaccuum cleaner emptied and a gas tank full of gas.  WhAt ThE hEcK?!?!  I was in my van most of the time.  How did they do THAT??!!??  I shake my head and remain baffled.   When I thanked Jeff for the gas he just said he peed in the tank.  SO… not only did he fixed almost our entire house, he solved the gas crisis!!!  Pee in your tank!!!!!

Of course the kids loved having so many visitors.  Lots of hugs were handed out by Reagan.  Zac had more fun watching Alex playing computer games than playing his own video games.  Which I thought was great because Zac chattered the whole time; to which Alex would respond a little.  Nothing wrong with cousins of all ages spending time together.

Later in the week, Wednesday Nov 25, Papa Randy came through for a few precious hours.  We picked him up around 8pm I think.  So he watched the kids open presents from him.   Zac got a much wanted Batman Lego video game and Reagan got her first Barbie’s (2) and a Barbie dvd movie.  As Zac was playing his video game, he said “I’m sorry your dad died.”  (out of nowhere).  Then he says “You’re next in line”.   (Thank Goodness Randy can see the innocence of this statement!  We laughed.)

Reagan, then… after getting her two Barbies, one pink and one purple… informs Papa Randy that there is a blue one.  But she couldn’t remember the store.  Then she says “Oh SNAP!  It was at Toys R Us!”   I actually did a double take!  ‘Oh Snap’???  Where…  what….  who…..  HUH?????  ‘Oh Snap’ is not something I’ve EVER said.  I’ve not heard that on TV and not sure other 4 yr olds would be saying that at school.  Either way…  she now “SNAPS” a lot of the time.  <sigh… my 4 yr old is cooler than I>

Thanksgiving brought Chris’ parents and a rare visit from Chris’ brother Nick.  In the end it turned out to be a good visit with Nick and Chris outside talking for a few hours after Papa and Gram went home.  I can’t remember the last time Nick has even come over for a holiday meal.  Much less stayed after.  Zac was upset that Papa Bill wouldn’t spend the night.  He’s been so spoiled at having his Grandparents stay over that he expected it to not be a problem.

So, we’re still on holiday time, meaning Chris has already been home two whole days and it’s only Saturday.  Can’t believe it!  Two more days to have family time.  How great.  Last night we had grilled burgers, played Christmas music during dinner and after dinner we decorated and ate sugar cookies.  It was a wonderful evening!

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving with family/friends and got some much needed rest and relaxation done.  I know we are still enjoying rest and relaxation!  It’s very hard to believe that in 3 weeks, Zac and Reagan will have TWO weeks off for Christmas break!  I love it!!!  Sleep in, play games, stay in our pj’s until 2pm!!  I think I’m more excited than either of the kids!

What I would give… November 15, 2009

Chris was still home earlier so we were having a great Sunday family lunch together.  For some reason, Zac says “If Reagan was ever stolen, I’d give  a million dollars to help find her.”  I said “That’s great sweetie, but you have to HAVE a million to give a million.”  So Zac then says “Well, then I’d sell my Nintendo DS and the Nintendo 64 and all the games to help get her back.  I would just have to get Reagan back.”  You have to understand that his video games mean more to him than just about anything.

So then Reagan pipes up and says “If Zac was stolen I’d give….  ummmmm…..  uhhhhh…..  um… an ornament to help find him!”  Looking around the room and settling on the Christmas tree ornaments.  Zac looked at me with a disbelief and asked Reagan “You wouldn’t even give Quackers?” She immediately yelled “No WAY!!!  Not Quackers!  He’s my favorite!”

I guess we know where her loyalties lie right now!!!

Family Picture November 13, 2009

Ok, it’s been over 3 years since we had a family picture taken.  Reagan was 9 months old!  So we had one this year.  FINALLY!  I didn’t want a formal picture seeing that we don’t wear formal clothes.  Just something casual but holiday looking.  I am happy with how it turned out.  I hope we don’t have to wait 3 years until the next one!!

School Pictures November 13, 2009

Zachary’s 4th grade picture Sept 2009 and Reagan’s Pre-school picture Sept 2009.  They are 9 and 4 yrs old.

Reagan’s still 4! November 13, 2009

I came across these random paper notes today.  I normally jot down Reagan/Zac’s funny sayings because I can not remember them unless I do this.  I like documenting this stuff so I can look back later.  Here is what was on those notes:

–> 7/16/09 Reagan was playing Legos with Zac.  The Lego guy she was playing with had red hair.  I heard her say, in character, “I have red hair.  I know because I ate a volcano taco.”   (If you didn’t know, Taco Bell has a Volcano Taco in a red shell.  It’s the only thing I have if we eat at Taco Bell.  She has obviously noticed.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

–> 8/19/09  Full of spur of the moment thoughts, Reagan said to me “I tooted from my buttocks.  Wanna smell it?”

–> 8/24/09  It was a very rainy day.  After getting ready she asked what we were going to do and I said I didn’t know.  She then says “Well, we can’t go shopping with Miss Von.  She’s already at the grocery store.”  ????  This is not really funny in print, but it was so off the wall and didn’t mean anything I laughed when she said it.

–> 8/27/09  We had a betta fish named Tony.  He was in a small fish bowl after we bought him but he was not very active.  One day while observing him, Reagan says “He’s nauceous.  It means he has a small tank.”

Reagan’s never-ending comments! November 8, 2009

Yesterday was a banner day for Reagan and her 4 yr old comments. Sadly, I can’t remember them all. However, here are some that stick out.

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Reagan asked me “What’s your favorite kind of horse?” I said “Palomino”. She then asked “What’s a Halopino?”

The funniest part of that is that Catherine, a friend, commented on Facebook:  Halopino= a really spicy horse!

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So, my dad calls and Reagan answered the phone. She recognized it was him and said “Hi Papa Randy. It’s Reagan. You know, the girl you slept with!”

The previous time my dad had come through, they slept on the hide-a-bed together.  What’s even funnier is that Reagan fell asleep in her own bed and I moved her downstairs when it was time for the rest of us to go to bed so she could wake up with him and know she slept beside him.

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Chris “tooted” at some point in the day and Reagan, with her brilliant wit, says “Ewwww.  The ladies don’t like to smell that!”

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While playing with her little miniature Christmas tree, Reagan was singing a song.  “Deck the walls with thousands of Mommy”.

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Speaking of Christmas trees, our tree is up as well.  This was done by Friday evening.  It’s just too much work to put up for one month.  I love the Christmas season.  And having my kids enjoy it is just icing on the cake.

While putting up the tree, I turned on the music channel on our cable tv.  It’s not MTV, but a radio with no commercials or talking.  It was Christmas Sounds of the Season.  They were playing  a version of “We Wish You A Merry Christmas” and next thing I know, Zac is downstairs.  He’d turned off his video game upstairs, joined us and said “You know… something about this song just makes me happy!!”    That’s one of the reasons I love this season!  It makes people happy.

 

Reagan’s haircut October 20, 2009

Reagan had her hair cut last Friday 10/16.  I was surprised she wanted to go as short as she did.  She now thinks she looks like Emma (my friend Von’s daughter).  She loves the comparison.

Reagan is in the purple shirt and Emma is in the striped shirt.  Emma’s was taken in 2007 and her hair has grown lots since then.  But for some reason, Reagan thinks she looks like her. 

Bird Feeder October 20, 2009

Reagan had been wanting to make a milk jug bird feeder for a while.  She picked the milk jug she wanted (it didn’t matter but she had a specific one, with pink labels) and we got it all washed and aired out.  We went on a search for items to decorate it with in our yard.  Thankfully, we have two fir trees and they have lots of goodies to donate all year round.  We cut the holes and glued on our decorations.  It’s very “woodland-y”.  We had to wait for the glue to dry, it actually took 24 hours.  Then we filled it with birdseed today and hung it in our front tree.  It’s the lowest branch that we can see from our windows.   We hope to see many birds who need our seed.  It would be great for Reagan to see that her project is helping the birds who stick around in winter.

Hating the cold October 16, 2009

I hate the cold.  I hate winter!!!  It’s barely fall and the temps have forced our winter coats out.

What I am even more bothered by?????    All those people who screamed and cried for the end of winter and wanting warm weather.  THEN… those same people saying “UGH!!! It’s too hot.  Can’t wait for fall.  Wish summer would end already.”

Just look at the green.  It’s gorgeous.  Who would want this covered with snow???

This picture was taken at my moms.  Standing in her backyard looking toward the back of her property.  My kids and I love it there!

Just Stuff October 16, 2009

Zac had his 5th (out of 8 ) fencing class last night.  He seems to really enjoy it.  One of the teachers was happy to hear he likes it and would like to continue but said that Zac just needs to try and focus sometimes.  I’m just thinking “You don’t even know, dude!!”   I think Zac is doing very well considering his meds have worn off by the time we get there.

He’s also doing amazing in school.  Not one single bad day this school year.  By this time last year he’d already had 2 in-school suspensions and numerous notes written back and forth between me and the teacher.  I am so very proud that he has finally grown or that my recommended male teacher tactic is proving true.  I just LOVE being right!!!

Reagan’s fever from yesterday broke before noon yesterday.  So I did not deal with a sick kid all day.  That was a blessing.  However, I kept her in her pj pants and a t-shirt all day instead of putting her in jeans.  They were much softer around her belly.  It all made me wonder why I don’t have any pj pants like that!!!  They look amazingly soft and comfy.  I was jealous that I could not wear my pj pants I do have (very thin cotton, like sheets) all day.  

The rest of our day yesterday was just the same.  Quiet, decently behaved.  No real tragedies or humerous events to discuss.

I must add here, though, that my oldest nephew, Alex, was actually diagnosed with H1N1 a few days ago.  However, yesterday morning early his fever broke and he’s doing much better.  When the doctor gave him the meds early in the week, he told Marissa not to expect much until closer to the weekend.  I’d say he hit that spot on!   So we are very thankful for things to be looking brighter up there in Wisconsin.

Alex 2008