Christmas 2008

Farewell 2008!

I'm usually a little sad to see another year pass, but not this time. 2008 has been such a hard year for so many. I will say though, like with all things, we must experience the bad to be able to recognize the good. I've accomplished a great many things this year in spite of a work injury and the accident that left my back aching and my finger broken needing multiple surgeries. I've been reminded that it's the tough times that weed out the weak and help our true characters, for better and worse, to appear and show us how strong we are and what work we still need to do. How has this year shown you who you really are?

Christmas was lovely. Both of our mom's were here and Mason was in grandma heaven! Everyone seemed to enjoy the time together but as usual, Dave worked so hard. I know he loves to cook, but I have to wonder how much of his many hours spent in the kitchen was to stay out of the mix of entertaining the moms! Laughing! We all chipped in and I'm sure this will be a Christmas Mason won't soon forget. What was especially nice was that the gifts were thoughtful, fun gifts but not over the top. Each of us got an instrument, we've all committed to learning to play, and a few other things along with our stockings. Yes, Santa is always very generous with me, this year my nearly three-foot long stocking was filled to more than forty inches! See pictures below.

Have a very happy new year and thank you for all your love and friendship. It means the world to me! Let me send 2008 off with this quote, I think we could all benefit if we could just let go. "For peace of mind, resign as general manager of the universe. "
— Anonymous

Christmas Pictures

Merry Chritmas!

Merry Christmas!

This week has been very eventful, so much so that instead of a lengthy story-telling e-mail, I'm just going to say have a Merry Christmas and I'll slip some of this weeks stories in over the next few weeks.

My mom arrived last night (very late last night!), and Dave's mom will be here tomorrow. Mason will have Christmas with both his grandmothers and even more special is both grandmothers will have Christmas with Mason!

With love,
Kathy

A Merry Christmas Laugh!

Earlier this week Mason and I were out delivering the apple butter I made for Christmas gifts to our neighbors. As we went door-to-door, Mason would answer the usual questions about what he wanted for Christmas and has been a good boy. Like his mother, he has no trouble getting right in the conversation contributing what he feels are important and sometimes funny pieces of information.

We arrived at the Dawson's house and were greeted by Cheryl and her friend who was visiting. We exchanged holiday well wishes, talked about homemade gifts, and just then Mason said, "Um, excuse me." We all looked at him and he started his story with, "Today I went pee..." Now I thought for sure I knew where this was going because as we were heading out to deliver gifts, Mason had come from the side of the house in the back yard with his belt off, shirt untucked, and pants undone. I asked him in he had peed in the yard and he shook his head. I then asked him why his pants were nearly off and he said, "Everything just came all undone!" In the next breath while I stared at him with the raised eyebrow mom look, he recanted and said, "I'm sorry, mom, I did pee outside. I don't know why I did it, I guess I just had to go." So you can see why I thought I knew what was coming next. Wrong! Mason went on to say, "Today I went pee in the bathroom. While I was peeing in the water, it splashed up and went right in my eye. I peed in my eye!" He burst into hysterical laughter repeating to himself I peed in my eye! Of course, we all laughed but I tried to stay in mom mode and let Mason know that was not appropriate holiday chit-chat. Cheryl chimed in that she has two boys and her friend has three, they've seen and heard it all. As we left and walked to the next door, I advised Mason not to tell that story again. Mason agreed but looked to me and said, "Come on mom, have you ever peed in your eye?" Again, cracking himself up (me, too!), I replied, "No. No Mason, I have never peed in my eye." Try keeping your face strait with that one!

Thursday night we were at a Christmas celebration in Old Town Auburn. Some local businessmen had snow trucked in to cover a sloping street for sledding, there was a bon fire in the center of the party, live music, kettle-corn, carolers, vendors, and of course, Santa Claus. Mason, Dave, and I went to tell Santa what we all wanted for Christmas and when it was time to leave, Santa asked Mason a question. Mason opened his eyes really wide, gave Santa a sort-of sideways look and said, "Those chimneys are gett'n smaller and smaller you know" all while nodding his head in a way that implied Santa should understand what he was trying to say. Santa looked completely perplexed so I leaned down and asked Santa what it was he asked Mason. He told me he asked him if he would be leaving cookies and milk out on Christmas eve. Suddenly Santa got it! He started to laugh, gave Mason a hug and thanked him for being concerned with his diet and health. As we walked away, we could hear the laughter from Santa and his elves as Dave and I were doing our share of chuckling as well.

Holiday Hodge-Podge

We have just 10 days until Christmas and our holidays are in full swing! Cookies have been baked, cards have been mailed, gifts are bought, most are wrapped, and now we just get to have fun delivering them. The early preparation I've done this year is really paying off. We've had time to gather in the living room with a roaring fire and enjoy our Christmas tree.

You all must feel like you know Mason by now, and those of you who know me, know he is my son through and through. Last week while I was working, I sent Mason out in the backyard to play. I could hear him talking to Johnny Test and they seemed to be getting along famously. I found myself engrossed in writing a letter when I heard Mason's voice coming from the front yard and he was talking with an adult man. I ran downstairs and out on to the front deck to see Mason in the middle of a sales transaction. He had set up a folding chair at the bottom of the driveway with a pile of his toys on the ground next to him. He was standing next to a truck with a man leaning out the window holding a toy boat (the man worked for Davey, a commercial tree trimming service). He was asking Mason if it floated and Mason told him not so good. I called out to Mason to let both of them know I was there when the man looked up at me and said, "You've got quite a boy here." I nodded while Mason got right back to the sale. Mason told the guy that though the boat didn't float so good by itself, it was still fun to play with in the bath tub. The guy asked Mason what he wanted for the boat and Mason put his hand to his chin thinking. The guy offered him $2.00 and Mason said, "Sure!" I called to Mason to come upstairs and as the guy handed Mason the money, he waved to me and said, "Smart boy. Good job mom." And he drove away. Yes, kids become what they see and it appears my entrepreneurial ways are rubbing off on Mason.

Finally, Dave came up with an idea to use our Halloween pumpkins a third time. We decorated with them alongside our Jack-O-Lanterns and then we used them with corn stalks for Thanksgiving. This weekend at Dave's suggestion, I painted them red and green, painted cocktail cups gold, added a hook made from a hanger with a red bow, and turned our twice-used pumpkins into holiday ornaments in our yard!

I learned this week that I didn't get the job with the National Guard and to say I was disappointed would be an understatement. It's hard to reconcile when the powers that be didn't even meet me and interview me. I tell Mason often that life is not fair. I say it now with a renewed, and painful sense of how true it really is. I know it must not have been the job for me so I better get to finding the one that is. I'm still doing mortgages but really want to find steady, regular paying employment.

I hope all of you are well and enjoying the Christmas season as we are. Even though we've had some recent disappointments, we take time everyday to recognize how lucky we are to have all that we do and mostly each other!

Hodge-Podge Pictures

Mason wrapping the presents he made.

Yep, he did (most of) it!

Uh-Oh! We have a peeker! Yet again, a sure sign he is my son.

Learning to roll cookie dough that's perfect for cutting out gingerbread Santa's

Hanging ornaments on the tree

Riley making the most of all my early holiday preparations

Our Halloween, Thanksgiving, and now Christmas pumpkin ornaments.

Dave's beloved Christmas decorations. It's only too bad you can't see and hear that the lights dance to holiday music!

Christmas Cookies

Hi Friends,

I'm late today because I was in Truckee this weekend and arrived home just today. When I got home, Dave and Mason met me to head out to find our Christmas tree so I didn't have a chance to sit and write to you.

The weekend started off with some very sad news. Our horse Chance was involved in a devastating accident and had to be euthanized. It's still very upsetting and we are doing our best to deal with the deep sadness.

On a lighter note, Lisa and I spent the weekend in Truckee making heartfelt Christmas goodies for our friends and family. We made decorated sugar cookies, oatmeal-cranberry-orange cookies, chocolate-peppermint sandwich cookies, and mixed nut brittle. We bagged them to look even prettier and enjoyed each others company. I really enjoyed being able to share my cookie making talent with Lisa and I think she made her way home feeling very proud of her cookie creations.

Finally, Dave, Mason, and I picked out our Christmas tree and put it up. We will decorate it tomorrow and then I'll have to get to the business of wrapping gifts to finish painting the picture of Christmas.

I hope you are in the holiday spirit and enjoying the people in your life. After all, the joy of the Christmas season comes from those we love, not the things we possess.

Pictures

Cookies galore!
Lisa painting Santa's belt buckle gold.

Some of the best!

Packaging them for gifts.

It's Official! Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas!

It's official, today is December first and it's the beginning of the end. The end of the year maybe, but today is the beginning of a magical season. Everyone wears their prettiest clothes, we see people we don't see any other time of the year, we bake goodies, gather at parties, and decorate in such a way that all of our childhood memories come flooding back like they happened yesterday. It's also the time of year that even the Scroogiest of scrooges soften up and find some Christmas spirit.

Thanksgiving was wonderful. We spent Thursday with Dave's family and Saturday we did it all over again with friends. One of the high-lights of the weekend for me was playing Pictionary on Saturday night. There were ten of us playing so we picked numbers to make two teams. Mason was one of the ten and played as well as and maybe better than some of us grown-ups. He totally got the idea, guessed only when his team was drawing, and did some pretty great drawings of his own. It occurred to me how special it must have been for him to be up late and playing a game with his parents and their friends. Did you ever get to do that with your parents? When you were five? My family never played games so it never occurred to me that it could happen. I'm so grateful to be part of a happy family raising a child with so much love and friendship everywhere we look.

I've posted some pictures from the Thanksgiving holiday. We had such a good time but there's just too much to share here. Take a look at the pics and let them tell the story. I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and will slow down to see the magic of Christmas all around you!

Today's motivator: Christmas is the time of year we find love and charity in our hearts. What would our world be like if we gave of our selves just one day each of the other eleven months of the year? I think we could change the world with this one little act.

Thanksgiving Pictures

This is a spectacular twisted manzanita tree on one of the trails near our house.

This is where we hiked on Sunday morning.

Mayhem at dinner time!

Diana and Julie

Mike and Neave

Julie, Greg, and Dave

Everybody decorated turkey cookies that I baked from cut-outs of their hands.

My husband, quite the artist!

Mason met with Santa on "Black Friday" at the mall

Thanksgiving Day with Ric, Mason, and Terese

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!

This is going to be a short work week so make the most of the days you are working otherwise you'll come back to work on Monday and have to face an even longer list of things to do.

Over the weekend we went to the ski and snowboard show in Sacramento and also to the Mountain Mandarin Festival here in Auburn. We had fun and enjoyed seeing so many people out spending money. Both events were jam-packed with people who seemed eager to spend but not so much on retail items, there was more cash flowing to the vendors selling dip mixes, fresh bread, and other kinds of gourmet food items. In talking to many of these vendors, they were selling out of their inventory. I see this as people getting back to basics and the homemade gift. I know I like to give homemade food items to my friends and neighbors and though it's certainly not cheap, it's less expensive and more meaningful. On another note, it's becoming more clear that we have a wide open market to sell our gloves. We spoke with the three vendors who had children's products for sale and all three are interested in talking this week about selling our gloves in their retail stores. One woman in particular said, "It's about time someone woke up and realized we need gloves made for little hands. That's why I only sell mittens. Call me next week." Cool, huh?

I hope you have many family and friends to spend Thanksgiving with and I look forward to hearing all about your holiday next week. Today's motivator has been used here before, but the timing it just perfect this week. "If thank you is the only prayer you say, it will suffice" Meister Eckhardt.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Bee Happy Today!

Happy November 17th!

Today is happy because I got to wake up with Dave. Dave has been gone since last Tuesday and wasn't suppose to be home until later today. While we were on the phone yesterday, he commented that he was finished working and just hanging out in his hotel room because the day was designated for family. It was an easy conclusion that he should catch the next plane home and not spend another night away from us. Mason and I put things in high gear and got the house cleaned, put our Thanksgiving decorations up, and put clean sheets on our beds. Before we knew it, we were all snuggled up on the couch planning what kind of fun thing we could do today. Riley was the first one to greet Dave at the door. This was his Halloween costume and though he doesn't like clothes, he likes to make his people happy. How can you not smile seeing my Riley dressed as a bee?

I suggested we take a short drive and see some of Mother Nature's handiwork with the fall foliage. Dave probably wants to just stay home, and Mason wants to go to Chuck E. Cheeses! Ah, back to all the normal stuff that makes me so happy to be a part of this loving family.

What did you do this weekend? Jot me a note and let me know! Better yet, log on to my IW blog and join Lisa A. and I in our gratitude journal. I was right, there really are benefits in sharing in what we are grateful for. Have a great week and make sure to stop and appreciate the next brilliant display of color in the trees and bushes all around you.

The Other Great Shot

Moving Chairs

Happy Veterans Day!

I have so much to share with all of you that I have to pick and choose. Yesterday was our seventh wedding anniversary and we shared little celebrations all weekend long. The best part of all our celebrating is how much we laugh together and though Dave and I share our own little funny moments, nothing compares to how much Mason makes us laugh.

As it is with all kids, Mason has a hard time sitting still and often won't sit properly in a chair. He'll sit sideways, slouch down, or turn around to lean his front on the back of the chair, and rock it on the back two legs. Last week after numerous scoldings to sit still AND properly in the chair, he lost his balance and fell. I hurried over to make sure he was okay, and as moms do, I scolded him again for not listening to me the all the times before he fell. In true Mason form he stood up, held his hands out in front of him and said, "Well, mom, you shouldn't buy chairs that move!" "What?! Chairs that move? Let's stand here for a moment and see if the chair moves again." I said laughing through my tears. What tears was Kathy crying you may be asking yourself, well they were the tears that were squeezing out of my eyes because I was talking while trying not to laugh. we stood there for a few more seconds and Mason finally gave in that the chair probably didn't really move, but he was sure he didn't tip the chair over either. He told me he would look into it and get back to me.

On Thursday, I was living one of those hectic parenting moments when I got to see what talent my son really has. I was making dinner, unloading/loading the dishwasher, clearing the kitchen table when the phone rang. It was Dave wanting to use his drive time to talk about some time sensitive issues we had to make decisions about. Mason was playing in the living room and at that moment, the television seemed really loud. Apparently it wasn't that loud because while on the phone, I heard the sound of Mason's head hitting something (once you've heard that sound, you know it), followed by a short cry and then the long, deep breath, that comes before the loud cry that the whole neighborhood would be hearing momentarily. He managed to get up and walk over to me while I was going to him to see the black, raised bump on his forehead. Now this is not really out of the ordinary for people with kids, but how it happened just may be. I hung up the phone, turned off the stove, and grabbed the ice pack from the freezer.

As we sat on the couch together and I held the ice on his head I asked him what he did. I'm going to do my best to paint this picture, but nothing will recreate him showing me what he did. "I was being the cop and I was being the bad guy. When I shot myself like this (he shows me how he made a gun with his hand, pointed it at himself and fired), I flew backward to die and hit my head on the rocking chair." He explained in his still crying voice. When he came back to the couch to continue icing his head, I asked him why didn't he know the chair was there. In that moment he looked up at me, black bump on his head, red wet eyes, and said, "Maybe that chair moves, too."

I hope this made you laugh today. I'm still laughing at the thought of moving chairs, and his ability to be so in the moment he could throw his body with that kind of force on a wooden chair. Have a great day and find something funny each day this week and laugh!

The Big, Black Bump!

This is a few days later, but still shining!

Halloween Weekend

Happy November!

What a crazy-busy weekend we had! Friday was Halloween and we did the usual haunts for trick or treating, and thankfully, we finished the after dark trek just before the rain started to fall. We made the most of Friday night by driving to a Halloween party hosted by one of Dave's coworkers.

Saturday started early when you consider that Friday night didn't end until early Saturday morning. Mason and I went to a kid's craft expo where he got to make several Christmas gifts for family and then we went to spend the afternoon visiting with Ken and Dahlynn. You might be thinking, "Wow, what a full weekend you had." and you would be right, but it's not over yet. After dinner, Mason got to go play with Kain and Taylor while Dave and I got to go play poker. Dave placed third and won a few bucks. Again, arriving home after midnight, the idea of an early start for Sunday wasn't all that appealing. Good for us, we had planned Mason's birthday party for the afternoon so we didn't' have to hurry. We got the house picked up and because it had rained so much, had to adjust our outside party plans to inside. I baked some leaf shaped cookies and let the kids decorate all they wanted to take home. We had cake, sang happy birthday, opened presents, and after a bit of visiting, called it quits for this holiday weekend.

As I sit here with a fire roaring, I think about how grateful I am that I'm living this life. A loving husband, a happy son, pets, friends, support, the list just goes on and on. Thank you to those powers that be and all the people that make it real. Happy Monday!

Today's Motivator: If you expect too much, you might be disappointed. If you don't expect enough, you'll never have the best! Where will you set your expectations?

Happy Halloween week!

We've had a stay-close-to-home weekend, and it's just what the Partak family needed. Dave got Friday and today off as one of several passes he couldn't take when they were originally issued So let's catch up.

While we were traveling we learned so much more about the world according to Mason. Those of you who know Mason know he has used his own unique vocabulary to communicate. As a baby he called candy "neo" and to this day I don't know where that word originated. Before we took off for our cross country flights, our doctor advised us to make sure we had gum for Mason to chew when the plane began to descend. I brought gum and Dave not being a gum kind of guy, brought taffy. While we were at the hotel I ate the last three pieces of taffy and left the evidence on the bed beside me for Mason to see. He picked up the empty bag, looked at the wrappers and started this obviously fake cry. He through his head back, clenched his fists, and did his best to eek out a few tears. I immediately started to laugh. He looked at me and cried, "You ate all the landing candy!" "Yeah, and?" I replied, still snickering.
"That was landing candy, not candy just for eat'n."
I looked right at him and said "You've got to be kidding!"
He stopped crying and started to laugh and said, "Yeah mom, I was just kidd'n you. I wanted to see if you had some more candy to give me but now I can't keep my face strait." He got off the bed and went to play with his Legos.

The other funny one came after we'd already been home for a few weeks. Mason and I picked Dave up at work to go out for dinner for Mason's birthday. Mason asked Dave when he had another contreatment. I asked Mason what a contreatment was. He said, "You know, you do papers, talk on the phone, look at your computer. You know, a contreatment." I told him it sounded like he was talking about work. He said he was but not the kind you do here, you do it at a hotel. "Oh! You mean a conference." "Yeah, that's what I said, a contreatment." Is it just me or do conference and contreatment sound completely different? Like I said, this is just a glimpse inside the world according to Mason.

So we went to Apple Hill on Friday and bought apples and vegetables. Saturday, Dave and Mason decorated the yard for Halloween while I baked gingerbread skeletons. Sunday, I made my moms apple butter (which I'm sure she loved because even though she gave me the recipe, I called her every step of the way verifying that I was doing it right. Mom's love when we, in our 40's, still need them!), and Dave and Mason finished the decorations. We went for a walk around our neighborhood to see the changing colors and enjoy the evening. It was a really nice weekend.

Finally, my (our) friend Rod is part of Team in Training to help raise money to fight Leukemia. I know times are really tight right now and we all have our charities where we put our time and money, but if each of us could just donate as little as $5.00, collectively it would make a big difference. Go to http://pages.teamintraining.org/sf/rome09/rscott to read Rod's story and make a donation.

This week, enjoy the last of your light evenings because next Sunday we "fall-back" and set our clocks back one hour. Today's motivator is a reminder about how you feel. I'm not attributing it to any one person because so many have said it in their own way. I know I feel it's true, do you?

"Nobody can make you feel anything. You're responsible for how you choose to feel about any given situation. Any feelings you have with regard to another's words or actions are your feelings. They emanate from your life and experiences. Look at them and see how you can feel or not feel. Again, you get to pick, so pick and do the appropriate work."

Have a great week!

Weekend Pictures

Colors in our neighborhood

No low hanging fruit for us!

Thanking the Harvest Gods for an abundant crop.

Skeleton Gingerbread

Dave and Mason's Graveyard

Mason and the witch.

Dave's Masterpiece after dark.

The Pumpkin Patch

What's New?

Hi Friends,

Happy birthday Mason and welcome to another gorgeous fall day. Here in the foothills we're looking forward to a sunny day maybe reaching the low 80's. The colors are changing and it just makes me feel like I want to explode with glee! No kidding, I see these trees that seem electric or neon in their reds and yellows and I want to just squeal. I love this time of year.

So what's new? We're getting back in the swing of things here at home and I'm feeling much better. After two surgeries (all the meds) and a ten day vacation (eating on the road), my body was begging for a break. I put myself on a ten day system cleanse, I'm eating lots of fruits and vegetables, drinking plenty of water, and getting back to intentional exercise. It's amazing how fast we bounce back when we take care to put the good stuff in. The finger is healing but until the pin comes out, I'm having to be be very careful with everything I do with my left hand.

I've also applied for a new job. It's a contract position with the National Guard working with soldiers and their families before, during, and after deployment. I'm really excited about this opportunity and know I can really make a difference doing work like this. Hopefully the interview process will be swift and I can get to work soon.

On the glove front, we got the second round of prototypes on Saturday. They look good, but still need work. My plan is to land this new job while still building our glove empire, pay off the bills we've incurred with patents and such, and sock away as much extra cash as we can. In today's economy, it doesn't make sense to turn away a (good) paying job while we wait for our glove venture to start paying.

Tell me, what's new with you? Do you have a favorite season that makes you feel like fall makes me feel? Do tell!

Today's motivator:

"It doesn't matter where you live, happiness is anywhere your heart is smiling." KP

Pictures

Happy Birthday Mason! We had dinner in Morocco while at Epcot.

The "Tree of Life" behind us was really something to see.

Mason and the red Power Ranger. This was a high-point for Mason!

Got a Spare Camera?

Hello All!

Well, we're home and it was certainly a long day yesterday. We left FL on a 6 PM flight, stopped for dinner in TX, and were back on our way to CA just after 9 PM. That put us in Sacramento just after 11 PM where we found our car in the parking lot with a very dead battery. This of course compounded the emotions of an already weary group of travelers (mostly me), and added to the tight time frame we were already working with. You see, Dave was suppose to be home today and then have to travel via a short flight to LA for work on Wednesday. Instead, his commander changed the plan while we were in FL making it necessary for him to be in Sacramento at 7 AM this morning to make the trek south by car. Sheesh! With just a few hours sleep and his bag pre-packed while we were at his dad's house, he's not getting a moments rest.

As for Mason and me, we got a bit more sleep and have to contend with all the stuff you have to do when you return from vacation; laundry, groceries, mail, plants, e-mails, phone calls, appointments, etc. With that said, watch for another e-mail in the next few days with some funny stories and hopefully pictures. I say hopefully because apparently this Partak family in under a dark cloud when it comes to our cameras. The last day of our trip, I had my hand uncasted while sitting by the pool. I reached for our older camera (the one we had before I got my Canon that was stolen in August) and as I was passing it to my injured hand, I sent it strait to the bottom of the pool. I'm currently looking into a recovery service for the memory disk and will happily accept any donations of your "old" digital cameras! As sickening as it was to see the camera sink to the bottom of the pool, the way my hand was up to receive it but did literally nothing was very funny. Talk about a mix of opposite emotions at exactly the same time!

So I'm off to work and will be in touch in a few days! Have a great week!

Kids Are A Constant.

Kids are a constant. A constant pain in your ass or a constant joy, sometimes both at the same time.

By the way it's Dave writing. I'm giving Kathy a break since she has to hunt and peck with one hand, although I have found she makes less errors that way as she has to concentrate more. Any rate, back to the story...

Mason has a special friend. His name is Johnny Test. Now Johnny Test is real, on TV, as a cartoon character and maybe to Mason's imagination can be real from time to time. Johnny Test has been a friend and mentor to Mason. Johnny Test has had items put on him in the car and has been locked out of the house on occasion. He is particularly useful at dessert time. Now that you know who Johnny Test is, here's the rest of the story.

A few nights back we put Mason to bed. After his bed time story he started fussing because he only got one story from his book. After numerous ups and downs and into our room Kathy gave him the what for and sent him off to bed crying. As he lay in bed he was going through fits of crying interspersed with totally calm and rational talking. It turns out that one of the voices was a very upset Mason (or Johnny Test, we're not sure) and the other "voice of reason" and calm, the other. It was hilarious to eavesdrop on this.
Crying voice - "Mommy is never nice, she never lets me do anything"
Calm voice - "Now you know you have to go to bed. You shouldn't make your parents angry". This went on for a few minutes until he walked back into our room.
Mason asked, "If daddy puts me in my room (after I fall asleep) can I lay with you guys? I promise not to talk or move or anything."

Pause in the story for a moment and understand that we completely realize that we have set our son up. We both know he will not keep his word...he cannot keep his word. Now back to the story.

Well, after the good laugh we had at his expense we couldn't say no, but Kathy said, "If you move or talk once, it's straight to bed." Which he agreed to. He jumped in between us and settled down. We were watching "My name is Earl" so we turned it back on. Not one minute into hes agreement, he asked what they were doing in the program. In unison, Kathy and I said, "Okay, you talked off to bed." Which brought off a new round of crying.

Kathy is busting up laughing because she said, "You are my son because you can't keep from talking" (which of course I say amen to). As he trundles off to bed defeated, dejected and crying disconsolately you hear the voice of reason, "You know you weren't supposed to talk, why did you talk?"

P.S. The photos is an older one, but still completely accurate at any given time. Also, we've recently learned that Johnny Test is the voice of reason. We're glad somebody is!

Update

Hi Guys,

I went to see the doc last Wednesday as a post-op appointment for my hand and the news was not good. The pins in my finger didn't hold and everything had slipped down and out. It was a mess and I had to go back into surgery Thursday to have it all redone. Maybe that's why it had been so painful. Heather, this likely means the cake for your shower will be store bought and not baked and decorated by me like I'd planned...sorry.

Last time my doctor came in before surgery and asked me if I would like to join him in prayer before he started. I politely declined. In light of the way it turned out, I told him I wanted to join him this second time around. Dr. Christensen laughed and told me God didn't work that way. He then took my hand in his and began to pray, "Dear lord, please keep Patricia safe through this surgical procedure, see that she is held in your love and your light, and see that she finds her way to a speedy recovery. Amen." As he started to let go of my hand I held on and continued, "All that for Kathleen, too." Dr. Christensen held both of my hands and laughing, a little embarrassed said, "Yes! Yes, I meant Kathleen, Patricia was my patient before you."

As it turned out, my finger was more severely broken and had to be reconstructed. So here I am tap, tap, tapping with just one hand and trying to keep the nausea at bay, but feeling a bit better each day. Before I go, let me sing Dave's praises yet again. Dave's been the best through all this; handicapped wife, four, almost five year-old over-the-top-non-stop son, and all the household stuff I usually do. I'm so lucky to have a husband and friend who's genuinely hurting for me, and not making me feel bad for needing so much help. He did buy a good bottle of whiskey, though!

Okay, this is all I can do. Happy Monday and I'll see you next week!