Christmas 2008

I am truly hoping everyone reading this had as fabulous a Christmas as we had. This year was near perfect. Of course, I do wish my brothers could have shared the day with us, but they were in my heart that is full of other Christmas past memories.

We shared Christmas Eve with our good friends Tammy and Brian and their two boys. Tammy made homemade pizza. It was delicious!

Opening gifts. Spencer loved his new Slinky. Must have tasted good!

Note the bag Brian's gift was wrapped in. I had nothing to do with this; John is a twisted individual. **cough, cough**

Christmas Day was hosted by my sister, Tanya and her husband Rich. Going to their house is always a treat, especially when you get to spend time with family you wished you saw more often. Tanya's house is beautiful and warm and cozy. The perfect atmosphere to spend Christmas Day at.

My Dad and I.



Tanya's Corgi, Sophie.

My nephew, Sam. He not only plays electric guitar, but the sax too!

Spencer playing with Grandma and Sam.



Helping Daddy open a present.

Spencer actually took interest in his gifts this year. My family is so wonderful. Aunt Tanya got him a frog book. It's super cute.



Remember my sister Robin's wedding I stood up in this summer? Here's the happy couple.

We are such a blessed family.

Taking Some Good When Times Are Bad

The economy...on a downward spiral, going fast. Almost everyone I know has taken on a second job/side job to help make ends meet. We are no different here. I have been laid off for 1/2 a day, a week, for a few months now with extra time around the holidays. I will admit, I LOVE the time spent at home and with Spencer, but it hurts the bank account. John took a second job a few months ago along with extra hours at his current job at the hospital. I wanted to help also, but refuse to spend any more time away from Spencer. I love this kid and it would break my heart not to see him or be able to put him to bed at night. So, I went back to the very first job I had at age 13. Babysitting!

Meet Kayla. She is 14 months old and adorable to boot. We love having her at the house. Her mom and dad are both nurses and work long shifts, so we get to enjoy her while they can't. She and Spencer are very jealous of one another and fight over everything from sippy cups to my lap. Then they kiss. They make me laugh and it is actually quite nice to have another wee one in the house.

I sat between them at dinner time. I want to make sure Spencer isn't feeling left out or as if he is being neglected. He is having a bit of a hard time understanding any type of sharing. I think it is healthy for him to interact with Kayla also as she is one smart cookie.

Not liking sharing his mommy at all...

What a mug!




A little sulker we have here. Lounging in his bean bag, giving me the sad puppy dog look. With each visit, Spencer is warming up to her more and not throwing as many tantrums for attention.

See...good things can come from bad, Kayla is just what we needed!

Samson and Delilah

Adorable...

Ban Me...Now!

I need our local pet store to issue a "NO SHERI" policy ASAP. I usually need to stop by there every week and a half to get crickets for my frogs and toads. I honestly, despise crickets (OK, I'll be honest, they are creepy and scare me!), but it is the main diet of my babies, so I suck it up and deal with it.

My baby frog I wrote about a few weeks ago, died after only a week. I think he wasn't it good health when I got him though. It really bummed me out and was quite sad to watch.

A forum I am a member of (of course this forum is for frog owners) frequently has pictures of members other pets. Cats, dogs, snakes, lizards, boyfriends, etc..and bearded dragons are quite popular. I learned they are gentle, easy to care for pets and are good for young children due to their calm nature and love of affection. Unlike my frogs which shouldn't be handled often, beardies love the attention and to be petted and held.

I had an empty 30 gallon tank already, sooooo, I came home with two baby bearded dragons tonight. Samson and Delilah. John loves them and already wants a colony. I think two is fine. They can reach 20 inches and I don't want to have to rent a storage unit, just to keep them. HA! They really are beautiful and very curious.

At times like this, I think of how much my nephew Colin would love to come over and play with my critters.

Samson

I am starting to feel like a backwards cat woman...lol!

The Lord Knew What He Was Doing

When he gifted me with the cutest boy on earth. For if my son was not so stinking adorable, I might have put him up for free on craigslist this weekend. Spencer has made leaps and bounds with his understanding. Many phrases he used to need a lot of guidance understanding, he now clearly knows exactly what you mean. Yeah!

Lately, though, he has been testing me constantly. I am not sure if he doesn't comprehend right from wrong as a whole yet, or is just a turd in disguise and could care less. Since, I don't believe hitting a child is a good form of punishment and I can't see needlessly yelling either, I work with time outs, finger pointing (this one helps let off steam for me) and raising my voice. Most of the time Spencer laughs at me. Can you believe this? I usually laugh back, I mean, who passes up a laugh?

While folding laundry in the basement today, I heard a muffled thump. That thump was my Christmas tree! Here is the end result. I nearly cried! Cute boy gave me a hugenormous lip pout and I ignored him for .5 seconds. I think he learned his lesson. Pretty sure he did; nope, don't see him doing this again. **Insert large guffaw here**

Oh yes, our neighbors are green with envy, I'm sure.

I think I will just display the ornaments on my coffee table in a Glad bowl. Starting new trends is a passion of mine.

This did start out with fake snow and beads. Sometimes less is best!

Giving Thanks

As I mentioned, we had Spencer's first parent/teacher conferences not that long ago. I don't think I stopped smiling until the following morning! God has blessed us yet again with another wonderful teacher for Spencer. He adores Georgia (all the children call the teachers and aides by their first names) and she adores Spencer in return. Something I did not expect was for Spencer to also respect her. My little boy is growing up and trying very hard to impress his new teacher. I saw Spencer listen and concentrate more in that short time that I ever have before. I saw the delight on his teacher's face when she showed us what he could accomplish. I hung on her every word...I am thrilled at all the new things he is trying and learning. Spencer also has a real, true friend. He has taken an extreme liking to a slightly older very autistic boy and likes to mimic Elias. Elias is more advanced in numbers and letters. Spencer follows Elias around and likes to do what he does. So Spencer's teacher has allowed Spencer to sit and learn with Elias and he is catching on some!

Our house has been ringing with the sounds of "Where is Thumbkin?" recently as these seems to be Spencer's new favorite song. I sing it too!

This is how Spencer greeted his teacher.

Making himself at home; off go the shoes!

Showing us his matching skills.

Brrr...

Hello my friends! It has been lightly snowing here on and off for the last few days. Nothing that accumulates but just enough to remind me that very soon I will dread every morning and evening driving to and from work. I don't like snow EVER! I have my first cold of the season. It's seriously trying to kick my butt!

We have Spencer's first parent/teacher conference tomorrow night. I am very excited to go. Spencer is still loving school and I see so many good changes in him. He is maturing a little. He counts on his own up to ten quite clearly and recites the alphabet with very little prompting, again saying his letters nicely. He is learning how to draw straight lines, play with his peers and how to follow directions. He is understanding more what is being said/asked of him as well. I see things click for him more often. Yeah!

Of course I have to talk about frogs. I mean you would expect no less of me right? I have been keeping myself busy creating new environments for my babies. I also received the cutest early Christmas gift this weekend. He/she was shipped to me now instead of Christmas time due to the cold temperatures. See below for the cutest baby you have ever laid eyes on!

This is Little C. (until I know what sex he is). He is a baby Waxy Monkey Tree frog. He is the cutest little fella.


Instead of hopping, he prefers to walk.

The fire belly toads got a new home. They love water, so they got their own pool. If you look closely, you can see a couple of them over by the plants.

How are you all doing? I don't have much to blog, so I have been MIA lately. Would love to hear from you all!