I'll Take What I Can Get...

I'm sure you've heard a Mom say to her child, "You get what you get, and you don't throw a fit!"...or maybe you've said that to your child. I told myself this earlier in the week. And, it wasn't over a present, or what was for dinner, but watching TV with Hank.

See, I haven't been in a Christmasy mood this year. It's not that I've been a Grinch or Scrooge, but I just haven't felt the Christmas happiness that usaully comes this time of year. The biggest part of my non-Christmas spirit has come from the fact that Hank is getting older and that before too long we won't get to do the fun things like take a picture with Santa, or leave carrots out for the reindeer, etc. I want to keep him little, and I can't. I know that. And, it's a horrible reminder right here at Christmas.

A week or so ago, I was all excited that one of the classic Christmas cartoons (Frosty? Rudolph? I'm not sure which) was coming on TV. I wanted to curl up beside my Hankadoo on the couch, and watch the show, and spend time with my sweet boy. He wanted no part of it. He wanted to watch wrestling! He would rather watch Randy Orton, and John Cena than Frosty.

Sigh.

Then, earlier this week, "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" was coming on, I was so excited. I just knew he'd want to watch it! It's his favorite book, and he's never turned down watching the cartoon.

I was wrong.

Another sigh.

As I sat there watching Cindy Lou Who, alone, I might add--Hank came downstairs. He asked if he could change the channel, and I reluctantly said yes. I just knew we were going to end up watching "Storage Wars" or "Modern Marvels"...not exactly my idea of a holiday special. But, he changed it to Cartoon Network to watch Johnny Test, or something equally as annoying.

Within a few minutes, my sweet boy was snuggled up beside me on the couch. It may not have been The Grinch, or Frosty, but he was snuggled up with his momma, smiling and laughing.

I'll take it!

Santa, Let Me Explain.......

This is the face that Hank made when Santa asked if has been a good boy this year.

Priceless.

After a few minutes, Santa decided that Hank was on the "Nice" list afterall.

I think Hank was rather relieved. He was sweating it.

How bad is it?

How bad is it that 2011 is not even over, and I'm studying the calendar for 2012 to see what days I should take as vacation?

You can't say that I don't think things out in advance!

What happened to November?

Wow, it seems like we were just Trick-or-Treating, and now I have the Christmas tree up. Where did November go? I know it was here, but it's a blur. The only thing I can remember about the the month is that Maria and I spent an entire day shopping, Delaney was born, and we had Thanksgiving. That's it, I remember those three days, and nothing more.  Maybe I'm mentally blocking the month because of all the pie I ate!

Our newest family member...

Yesterday, I became an aunt. My niece was born in the early morning. She weighed 8 pounds 12 ounces, and was 21 inches long.

This little girl has...

the sweetest little face...

 the biggest feet I've ever seen on a baby...

 my sister's nose....

...and has captured the heart of everyone in our family.

We love you, Delaney. Welcome to our family.

A big day

Today, PJ took his intermediate driving test. And, even though he had a little trouble with parallel parking, he passed. After coming by my office to show me his new license, and taking Joe home to get our van, my child got into his own car and drove himself to school.

He came in from wrestling practice, and said that he needed to go by work to check his schedule. I knew this was just an excuse to go out and drive. He and Austin headed out to TJ Maxx  and Old Navy. My boys were out on their own. They were even considerate and stopped by the grocery on their way home to pick up something I had forgotten.

And, at this very minute PJ is chauffeuring Hank. I imagine they are going to get a milkshake from McDonald's. Hank said, "Hey PJ, I think we should have some brother time, and go out riding around!"...that boy knows how to play his cards!

How could PJ refuse? Again, another reason to go out driving.

And before they left, PJ said, "Hey Mom, wanna go tan when I get back? I'll drive!"

Think that was a reason to get out and drive?

What? Halloween is over?

Sadly, yes.

We had a great Halloween. On Saturday, we went downtown for the Ghost Walk festivities. This has become an annual event for us. I always help with the costume contest, and I ended up being a judge again this year. You would think that judging a costume contest isn't hard. But, it is! Especially when they are cute, or creative, or the double whammy--both! Take the big sister, little brother and baby brother combination. Big sister was an Indian. Little brother was a pilgrim. And, baby brother? A turkey! How cute is that? Then there was Little Bo Peep with her stuffed sheep. She was quite the ham and wouldn't get off the stage. One of my personal favorites was the little girl dressed as a garden gnome. She was adorable!

I'm proud to say that my little zombie came in 3rd in his age group. He was beat by the Bride of Frankenstein, (she had awesome hair!) and a washing machine. The washing machine was very creative, and made a great costume. Everyone loved his zombie costume, and he received many compliments on it. He also received a lot of attention, which we all know that Hankadoo just hates to be the center of attention!

On Monday, we went to Trunk or Treat at church, and then over to my grandmother's neighborhood for actual Trick or Treating.

We still have quite a bit of candy left, and I swear, Hank still has a gray tint to him from his make-up. He's already started planning on what to be next year. As of now, it's Frankenstein!