Warm your heart with this.

Eureka! I just had one of those moments. You know, the one where you think (briefly) that you are not making a botch of parenting and might actually be doing something right.

Today is the last day of school before Christmas. Kirk was very eager to get to the bus stop, because if you leave early, you get out of school early, right? This 7 year-old boy logic. Anyway, he was putting on his coat and his backpack (which he left in a heap by the front door) and Suzanne was standing there watching the whole thing. I went into the kitchen for my second cup of coffee and heard this little exchange...

Kirk to Suzanne: "Goodbye, I love you, give me kisses!"

Mom to Kirk: "Goodbye, honey, I love you!"

Kirk to Mom: "Mom, I wasn't talking to you!"

Clearly all his love is reserved, at least this morning, for Suzanne. And I think that is fine and dandy. He didn't even seem to mind that she was standing there wearing nothing but his UofO Jersey. And for once she didn't get annoyed that he gets to leave for school before her. She's going to be really irked next week when we don't get on the bus at all...

We are also going to hockey tonight, which is always a good time. We are going to take one of Kirk's friends and Kirk has decided to use some of his own money to buy snacks. He has a bank that was given to him by his Grandma Della that is filled with dollar bills, also given to him by his Grandma Della (she sticks a dollar in every card she sends). Since I'm not very forthcoming with bucks for snow cones and cotton candy, he's going to spend a few of his own and treat his friend.

Suzanne loves hockey and is really getting into the cheers. The best one is the one that they do whenever they make a goal. Haven't had much practice with that, unfortunately, because the Winter Hawks really stink this year, but we are always hopeful that the next game will be the one where they pull it together and make some goals. Suzanne will be happy as long as she gets to hug the mascot, Tom-A-Hawk. Cute name, eh?

Nag and thou shalt receive

I'm very impressed with Kirk. That boy has great focus and determination, traits that will serve him well later in life. It's kind of a big pain for me, but good for him.

Grandma Pat can take credit for this one. She decided to take all of her grandkids skating over the Thanksgiving weekend. FYI--Klamath Falls has a really nice outdoor skating rink and a nifty Zamboni to keep the ice smooth. Not like the old days where you'd practically break a leg skating on the lumpy, bumpy rink out by Moore Park or, heaven forbid, the "A" Canal. It was Kirk's first time skating and after he decided to let go of the wall, he did pretty good.

This led to two weeks of nagging to go to the Lloyd Center skating rink. We decided to go this past Sunday because it was a benefit for the food bank and we could finish our shopping. Kirk spent about 4 hours skating while we went to various stores in the mall to shop. He wouldn't even leave to eat lunch, so we got him a dog, chips and a root beer.

This happy event led to a few hours of nagging about our tree. Can we put it up? Can we put it up TONIGHT?????

At approximately 9:30 pm Sunday I finished putting up the tree (thank goodness for fakes). Kirk is finally getting the hang of spreading out the ornaments and not putting all the reds together. The same cannot be said of his father, but Kirk did a good job of coaching his dad to space them out a little better. Kirk takes the tree decorating quite seriously.

Suzanne, for once, paid very little attention to any of it. She got her hand swatted once and seemed to having enough of decorating She likes to sit on the couch and look at the lights, but she's doing a good job of keeping her fingers to herself this year. The next test will be when I put some presents under the tree. I wouldn't bother except that Oscar has taken up residence underneath the tree and he's as clumsy as an ox and could bring the entire thing down.

We are having a cozy holiday this year. I'm throwing a party on the 22nd for our friends and neighbors, which will be a lot of fun. The highlights will be Grandpa Wick's egg nog (a boozy holiday treat!) and Susan's hot crab dip. I'm also going to offer a signature holiday drink. I'm torn between the Ginger Martini or a Cranberry Vodka Slushy. If you have a preference, please let me know.

Suzanne loves a party and I'm sure she'll be the queen of this one. It is nice having two kids who are social and good in crowds. I just hope she manages to keep her clothes on the entire time. When she feels like getting nakey, she doesn't care who is in the house.

Yikes! Banging from upstairs...wait...it's from the bathroom. Please let me find Suzanne sitting on the potty!

Never a dull moment...

I remember the first time Suzanne met Santa. It was our first Christmas in Washougal and we took the kids to Meier & Frank (now Macys) to see Santa on the 10th Floor. It was the last year that Santaland was open. Just think "Miracle on 34th Street"--that's what it was like. Suzanne waited patiently in line for nearly 2 hours, smiling and laughing the whole time. The second she got seated on Santa's lap, she busted out crying and wouldn't stop. Kirk's smile was big enough for the both of them, and he refused to let her bad mood spoil his good time. I think we used that picture in our Christmas letter that year--Suzanne yelling and Kirk giddy with joy.

Then there was last year. My sister and I decided to celebrate a little with a Girl's Night at the Melting Pot Restaurant (all fondue, all the time--yum!). Greg is not one to sit at home with the kids, so he got Hilary and took the kids for a ride on the Holiday Express steam train. Suzanne didn't exactly cry when she encountered Santa, but she did look at him with suspicion in her eye.

And then there was last Sunday. The Down Syndrome Network Oregon hosted a Christmas party at the Portland Children's Museum and I would have to say that Suzanne has overcome her distaste for fat bearded men in red suits. She sat on Santa's lap, she danced with elves, she played in all of the exhibits, and she did it while battling a fierce case of plumber's butt. Poor kid could not keep her drawers up no matter how tight I cinched the waistband!

Oh well, Suzanne does not let these little inconveniences distract her from having a good time. Or from meeting new friends. She was quite taken with a little guy named Sam who is 2 1/2. They sat together during the magic show. She stole his snowman, he responded by taking her reindeer. Finally, a man who doesn't let her push him around. Kirk, pay attention!!

It was so nice to have a nice family day considering what happened last Tuesday. Oh gee, did I not mention that we had to repaint the house last week? OK, slight exaggeration. We had to repaint the upstairs from the 3 foot line on down because Suzanne found a magic marker and decided to practice writing her "T's" from Kirk's room clear down to the front door. At approximately 3:30 p.m. last Tuesday I found her sitting in the living room painting between her toes with a blue magic marker. I wasn't too bothered by this because magic marker comes off after about 3 baths. At approximately 3:31, I turned toward the stairs and my eye was drawn upward by the blue marks going up my staircase wall...upward across the computer room door...thence to the master bedroom...thence to Suzanne's door...thence down the wall to Kirk's room. She painted the carpet also. My eye is beginning to twitch just thinking about it.

I hurried to get the marks off the woodwork just in case it decided to soak in and need to be sanded. This took about an hour. Then I started working on the carpet, got ready for a meeting, reminded Kirk to get ready for basketball, released Suzanne from the prison of her room, then discovered that she had done this little number on the living room couch! More squawking ensued as I tried to rescue this piece of furniture and some blue marks on the hardwood floors. We then piled into the car and went to basketball practice, where I was glared at by Greg because I was late. I explained to him that when he saw the walls, perhaps he'd understand. When I got home later that evening, I discovered that he had spent the time repainting. We still have a bit of touchup to do, but most of the blue is gone now.

Kirk is nagging me to put up the tree, which I want to do, but I'm hesitating because....well, you can probably see why I'm hesitating. Sigh! I need to time it so that the tree is up long enough to please Kirk but not so long that Suzanne's tree shenanigans tempt me to flee the country.

Balance, life is all about balance....