57 Hours and 23 Minutes To Go (if you trust a 4th grader's math that is)

The house is decorated, treats have been made, the kids are off school, all the presents have been bought and wrapped, and we just got 10 inches of snow overnight.  It really feels like Christmas is imminent and in case I lose that feeling in any way, I have two people in my house who are more than happy to remind me, again, and again, where we are in the countdown to the present opening.  Ethan even calculated up the number of hours remaining this afternoon.  I didn't check his math but I think we'll just go with his number.  Here are a few things we have been up to in preparation for Christmas.

A few weeks ago, Drew's special needs class went on a field trip to a local mall.  Our school is the only school in our district which has a deaf and hard of hearing program in addition to the special needs classes and the typical students.  This mall, every year, brings in a special Santa who is trained in working with people with special needs and who also is fluent in American sign language.  It is pretty cool because kids who otherwise would not be able to communicate with Santa can tell him what they want and kids who would have a difficult time with the over stimulation that Santa at the mall can bring get an opportunity to visit with Santa as well. 

This year, Ethan, who is in 4th grade, finally admitted that he is aware we are Santa Claus.  Kevin and I decided to go ahead and tell Drew about Santa, since he is in 6th grade and we are sure all of his regular education classmates are aware that there isn't a fat man living with a bunch of elves in the North Pole.  We had told him maybe a few days before his field trip to the mall.  A few days after the field trip, he was telling me about a toy he was going to ask Santa for.  I reminded him the Kevin and I are Santa.  He said, "No!  I saw him at the mall.  He is real!"  It cracked me up because it is so like him to be so literal.  If he saw him with his own eyes, it has to be real. 

Ethan got these reindeer antlers when his Scout troop went to sing Christmas carols at a local retirement community.  Of course, we had to put them on the dogs.  Tucker was uncooperative, as any self respecting 11 month old puppy would be so he didn't get to be in the picture.  We even had to sequester him in order to get Ella's picture because he seemed to be under the impression it was his JOB to remove those hideous antlers from Ella's head.  Ella had to be bribed with some treats to pose and if you look closely at her expression you can see she is kind of hating me for making her do this. 

Monday, me and the guys made a gingerbread house.  They used every bit of candy and frosting that came with the kit and fully intend on eating that candy off the house as soon as Christmas Day comes.  They are very proud of how their house turned out and I think it looks pretty darn good. 

I hope all of you have a wonderful Christmas and get to enjoy spending some time with your family and friends.  Merry Christmas everyone!

Catching Up

Okay, so blogging has obviously taken a backseat in my life lately.  I have been busy trying to get Christmas done, trying to get baby stuff bought before I am put on bed rest or just too large to move, and taking the 5 million rest breaks I seem to require these days. 

So, here is an update of the goings on in our house and lives over the past month. 

Let's start with a Puppers update:

Tucker is 10 months old now and keeps all of us laughing pretty much daily.  Looking at him sitting on the stairs, like a human on a chair, always makes me smile.  He has a blanket he drags around the house and when he is happy, which is pretty much always, he gets his blanket and wiggles his entire body. 

My sister was here over Thanksgiving with her 5 month old daughter and he was, surprisingly, afraid of the baby.  Naturally.  Those small, 15 pound humans ARE terribly frightening.  He would come near her sniffing, and then jump back.  This went on for like 3 hours and if she moved near him, he would bark at her. 

At one point, we were trying to get a picture of 3 generations of Harmer women and Tucker, never one to be left out, crammed himself into the picture but as far away from that awful baby as he could get just in case she attacked.

After the entire day went by, he finally started warming up to her and was able to get close, sniff her a bunch and even gave her some kisses.  Little does he know come March he is going to have one of those immersion, get over your fear, type experiences when there are two of those pint sized monsters in the house.

Speaking of Thanksgiving, this was the first time Drew and Ethan were meeting their new cousin, Naomi.  They were so gaga over her and took every opportunity they had to hold her and play with her.  They both also got a lesson on diaper changing from my sister and paid attention like it was the most riveting thing in the world.  They are going to be excellent big brothers although I have a feeling their current zeal about helping with babies and diaper changing is going to diminish some once their new siblings are actually here.

In other news, a few weeks ago, I had my 20 week ultrasound to check the babies development and to find out gender.  I was really hoping for at least one girl in there.  Someone who will actually, willingly and without out an ironclad itinerary, go to the mall with me, or who agrees with me that Dirty Jobs is not the greatest show ever.  But alas, no.  Both babies are definitely male.  I guess peed on toilet seats and fart humor are my destiny.  Both babies are healthy as can be and because of their gender's being the same and the way they present in utero, we won't be sure until they are born whether they are identical twins or fraternal.  I am kind of hoping for fraternal as I have worries about somehow mixing up the babies in some fundamental way if they look the same.  However, my friend with identical twins assures me that it only takes a week or two to be able to tell them apart. 

On a side note, if you encounter a friend or heck, a complete stranger who is pregnant with twins, please, please refrain from asking if they did fertility treatments or pointing out that they are going to be huge.  If I had a nickel for every time I have heard either thing since being pregnant, I would be rich.  Why people feel the need to know how you conceived is beyond me and one of these days some poor soul is going to get a very sarcastic, "well, you know, when a man and a woman love each other.....", type speech from me.  Also, I am fully aware, thank you very much, that I am going to be larger than someone pregnant with one baby.  You do not need to remind me. 

So, I think that is a sufficient update for now and since my Christmas shopping is done hopefully, I won't be such an absentee blogger.