Handyman

Okay, I've had it. Today at nap time, Danny threw the usual fit about not wanting to go to bed. I attempted to lock his door, and it is now so warped that it won't lock. Plan A foiled. I proceeded to execute Plan B, which is to hold the door closed while he has his fit. This was working well, I thought, until his little fingers came out from under the door to grab my foot. So, I put him back to bed, and go to Plan C (moving my feet so that he can't see them). A minute later, I hear his toy Black and Decker drill, and he's saying "Take screw out, Mommy pwee" and he's drilling the door! I am in SO much trouble with this one.

Need out, pwee!

Danny has decided not to stay in bed anymore. Not the crib, not the big boy bed, not any bed. It's been three days now, and he is alternating between the big boy bed and the floor next to the door. We turned his door knob around, so at least he can't get out.

The first night, we put him back down about 10 times. We didn't hear anything for awhile, so we started to get ready for bed. When Steve went to let the dog out, he noticed Danny's door open. The little sneak was sitting downstairs with his blanket, watching TV!!! So, door knob is turned, he is locked in, and he is routinely screaming "Need out pwee!" at the top of his lungs for 20 minutes before he gives up.

I have read every bit of literature on this, and I know I'm supposed to be putting him back to bed with a neutral expression. However, after 20 minutes and 10 times of putting back to bed, the only expression I can muster is sheer anger mixed with a bit of exhaustion. I think I'll try my method first. (Before anyone says anything, I know, my removal of the crib didn't exactly go well, either.)

Thanksgiving at Mom and Dad's

Our Thanksgiving this year was wonderful, but too short lived, as usual. We drove up to Mom and Dad's and enjoyed the day with my mom's sisters and their families, as well as one of my dad's brothers and his family. My brothers were there as well, so all in all, a really great day.

Mom made a huge feast, and we all ate (and drank) more than we should have. The prayer was most likely too short and our thanks too few, but I feel blessed to have enjoyed the day with my whole family.

Go Bucks!

I admit this post is a bit late, but I've been busy working on my Christmas planning. Yes, I really am that anal.

This weekend, for anyone who doesn't follow the Big 10, was OSU-Michigan weekend. Sarah came home from school on Friday notifying me that she had gym that day. In class, her gym teacher taught them a new song. "Hang on Stupid, Stupid and all! O-H-I-O!" I tried to convince her that it was actually "Hang on Sloopy," but she's convinced. I proceeded to let her sing it to her heart's content for the weekend. What a riot!!!

I don't recall much of the game, since I was, ahem, busy with my girlfriend doing other, more important things, but I do know that we won! Go Bucks!

Santa

Last night, we wrote our letters to Santa. Sarah asked for a pretend camera, pet shop "thing", and a monkey "thing". It took quite a while to get her to think of the word "please" as something that might be missing!

Danny, on the other hand, knew just what he wanted to write. When I asked him to tell me what to write to Santa, he said "Get truck please!" I was questioning whether or not he really understood the whole Santa idea, but today at the mall, we saw Santa riding around in a wheelchair. (Yes, that's right) Danny said "Where truck?" when Santa came over to us. The joy of the holiday season begins!

Now, any suggestions on how to communicate the real meaning of Christmas to my darling beggars?

The Best Day Ever!

Last weekend, we went to my parents' house to play in the leaves and do other fun things outside. Sarah declared that it was the best day ever, since she was able to play the "jail game". She remembered playing the leaves last year, and apparently Dad and I were chasing her, telling her she was bad, and throwing her in "jail" aka the leaf pile.

Both kids had a blast going in the leaves. They were also able to go for rides in the wheelbarrow and have a bonfire. We darn near lost Dad to the bonfire. Whatever accelerant he used caused a minor explosion that shook the house. He caught on fire...but only a little bit. The side of his face, head and neck were burned a bit, but he's survived worse, I suppose. Probably not a good model for fire safety!

I can't even imagine not being able to drive up there for the day. Our lives our so much better for being close to friends and family. But that's a different topic, isn't it?

I'm bored!

I realize that this is ridiculous only 3 days after I returned from my last trip. I suppose that I got very used to traveling every week with my job, and I haven't quite adjusted to the new, easygoing, unscheduled lifestyle. At about 2 pm every day, while Danny is napping, I have a major boredom attack.

Don't get me wrong, there's plenty I can do...clean something, make my office curtains that I bought fabric for a year ago, make the shelves I would like in my laundry room, clean something else. But I don't want to do those things!

Do I hear a violin?

Houston

Despite my best efforts, we had a great time in Houston last week. Steve is looking at the possibility of relocating there, to cut back on the travel that he does every week. While that part sounds attractive, I would much rather stay in Ohio...

That said, Houston was really nice. There are FAR too many power lines and businesses, but the people are incredibly nice, and there's something for everyone there. For such a large city, the art museum left a bit to be desired, but this comes from someone whose favorite place is the Met. Hard to compete I suppose.

We went to the Johnson Space Center while we were there. That was really cool! We were able to see a mock up of the lunar habitat, the area where the astronauts train for missions, the vacuum chambers where they do simulations, and there were engineers everywhere explaining their research. I don't know if this it's routine for the engineers to be out, as we were there during a festival, but it really added to the experience.

So...will we move? That remains to be seen.