Week Home

Well, we are fiinally on vacation. The night before the last day of school I drove around like a maniac to get a cookie cutter so the kids could decorate sugar cookies for the holiday party. The holiday party days are always zanny with parents watching on...kids beserkus for that fact. No workside, which they need so bad. So without an activity we were, well-screwed. At last, after three stores and a vow to kill each and every Walmart employee in cold blood, Lisa came through with a cookie cutter. Boo stayed home with Daddy while I hosted the holiday party at school. What a sense of freedom being at school Ben-less! But at the same time, I felt like I was missing something all day. So many presents! How nice to be a teacher this time of year!

Home at last and finishing up Christmas errands. We visited the Farrells since they will be outta town and Sylvie loved her dollhouse. To everyone's delight she said "I love it!" once we had it all assembled. Ben got an adorable little people airplane and he will have the absolute delight of crashing through his cardboard brick wall with his set of bricks. We hung out with Kacey's second cousins, 13 and 14, who were so nice. They were very cute doing math problems on Syl's miny chalkboard and racing each other to finish. We saw a light festival and even better, went around the neighborhood criticizing the lights. The net lights and "laso effect", the blowups and the plastic figurines scored low while the icicle lights and evergreen swags scored high. So much fun and Ben danced up a storm. We were sad to leave.

Next day was spent with me stressing and taking Ben shopping-not very fun. The only part he liked was the stroller ride to and from the store with the wind blowing rain directly on us-the rain moved horizontally up noses and undershirts...nice! Can't find the car in the monsoon!!!! Argg...gotta love this part of Christmas. He managed, barely but ended last night with a complete and utter meltdown. Too much! he seemed to scream through clenched teeth, screaming, throwing, howling, and then ahhh...sleep at last!