Dear Santa

Fletcher started asking tonight if the Tooth Fairy was real. Our parental responses, "What do you think?" "Did you get money the last two times you lost a tooth?"

Then he asked why she comes at night.

I said maybe it was because if she came during the day too many kids would want to talk to her and play with her and she wouldn't be able to get any work done.

Ahhhhhhh...I'm not ready for these conversations yet. I figured I had at least one more year.

I guess not.

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

One More Time

I know I've posted this video before, but it just never gets old. Just trying to spread a little holiday cheer! I think my favorite part is around the 1:02 mark when his shoulders drop like he is a little tired.

Yesterday

Yesterday was my birthday.

Yesterday we got take out from Chili's for dinner.

Yesterday we had chocolate ice cream cake from Cold Stone Creamery to celebrate.

Yesterday I got some really fun gifts from my friends and family including a neat keychain, a new wallet, a Reisenthel basket and some cool little mini cocettes and a cookbook to go with them.

Yesterday I received countless emails and Facebook comments from friends and family wishing me a Happy Birthday.

Yesterday I received some sweet birthday cards in the mail. Even got one from our neighbors because she remember that I share a birthday with her son. How cool is that?

Yesterday morning I spent two hours at the doctor's office with Luke.

Yesterday they did a test and told me he had strep throat. It is really hard for a two year old to get strep throat. This particular two year old has had no symptoms to speak of. He has been eating and sleeping like normal. His extra stinky breath tipped us off. He had to get a shot. But a lollipop made that all better.

Yesterday afternoon I spent most of the afternoon doing laundry while Luke napped. I couldn't exactly go anywhere with a contagious toddler which is why we had take out for dinner.

Yesterday was a good day. Not exactly how I envisioned spending my birthday, but still good. I am loved by many people. God has blessed my life immeasurably more than I can imagine (Eph. 3:20).

Two of the funniest moments?
Picture this: Candles on the cake are lit. Fletcher and Kevin are singing Happy Birthday.
K & F: Happy Birthday to you.
Luke: It my birfday
K & F: Happy Birthday to you.
Luke: (louder) It my birfday
K & F: Happy Birthday dear Mommy
Luke: (even louder) No. No. Say happy birfday Wuke
K & F: Happy Birthday to you.
Luke: It my birfday.

Fletcher: Mom! I told my whole class that you are 41 years old today.
Mom: Oh... thanks (I think).

Shoeboxes!

On Monday we had the opportunity to go to one of the Operation Christmas Child processing centers for an open house to see what happens to our shoeboxes once we fill them with goodies and turn them in. I didn't get a picture of the map showing all of the countries the boxes are going to this year. But some of the countries include Cameroon, Georgia (near Russia, not the state), Iraq, and St. Kitts. The project started in 1993 and they've sent out 60+ million boxes. Each year it takes over 120,000 workers to process the boxes.

The volunteers told the children how the boxes travel sometimes by truck, dog sled, elephant and even camel! Fletcher got to be the plane.

The center was closed for this special Family Day but normally there are hundreds of volunteers along these lines sorting, inspecting, taping, and boxing up the shoeboxes to be sent to their final destinations.

Some of the boxes have very specific rules depending on what country they are going to.

This volunteer was explaining to Fletcher and his friend Noah how the boxes get sorted into bigger girl boxes and boy boxes.

It is hard to see in the photo, but there is a "Shoe Box Hospital" for boxes that come in that are damaged or cracked. Some items have to be taken out of the boxes (war toys, liquid, chocolate, etc) and they are replaced with "filler items" that are safe for the children to have.

The boxes move along these conveyor belts. The parking lot had several semi trailers that are also filled with boxes. I forgot to take a picture of that.

At the end of the tour, Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber from Veggie Tales were there to greet the kids. (Luke was here, but he isn't in any of the photos because he was strapped in his stroller eating his snack most of the time. He wanted *nothing* to do with the freakishly GIANT garden vegetables).

I think Fletcher enjoyed it and learned alot. I really enjoyed seeing how it all works. It is amazing that the place we went is only one of 6 or 7 processing centers around the country. I'd love to volunteer here one day. They told us that groups come from all over the country to volunteer (senior adults, women's groups, youth groups, etc).

When we made our boxes, we signed up with EZ Give which is supposed to allow us to track our package and see where it ends up. We did three boxes this year so I wonder if all three will go to the same place. We'll see.

No Way!

When I sat down to write this post, my handy little blogger thingy said this was my 400th post! Four hundred! It is hard to believe I've written four hundred of these things.

So I'm not sure what to do to celebrate a 400th post. Does Hallmark make a card for that?

Here's a thought. Just for fun. Leave me a comment and let me know who you are and how you know me and if you have a favorite post (with 400 it might be hard to choose). I have no idea who reads this little blog so it might be fun to find out -- unless you are a creepy stalker type in which case I would prefer that you not leave a comment.

Happy 400th post to me!

That Didn't Take Long

Mom: Fletcher, what happened?
Fletcher: Luke was touching the lights and I told him to stop.
Mom: And...
Fletcher: I tried to take the lights from him.
Mom: And...
Fletcher: The tree started jiggling.
Mom: And...
Fletcher: I don't know what happened.
Mom: Where were you?
Fletcher: We might have been under the tree.

At this point I sent both of them to their rooms because it was inappropriate for me to get video footage for the blog while they were watching. That might somehow affirm their behavior. Luke was happily playing completely unaware of the chaos he helped cause. Fletcher was crying in his room saying, "Christmas is ruined! It is just ruined. Ruined forever." Overreact much?

This could be the longest 18 days of my life.