One Down, One To Go

My middle son, Alec, turned 12 today. His sister will be nine in 2 weeks. So, one birthday done, one to go. Birthdays are kind of stressful, for some reason. This year was a quiet, less-costly (out of necessity) one which is just fine. He had a great day. Todd worked, came home this a.m., decorated the cake he baked yesterday and went to bed after Alec opened his gifts. We do this at breakfast usually, why wait, I say? Chad and Carmen decorated the dining room with streamers and balloons. All I had to do (after spending 3 weeks of "what do I get him and what can we afford?") was wrap the gifts and sign his card. I personally spent the day quietly, walked with Carmen and read a lot. Alec wanted hot dogs for dinner so that was easy. He's usually a much more demanding kind of kid but today, he was just appreciative and nice. In fact, Todd had said that we could do the cake after lunch, as usual, even though Todd would be sleeping (he works again tonight). When I told Alec this, he asked if we could wait until dinner because he wanted his Dad to be a part of it. That's not like Alec at all, to wait for anything! I thought it was sweet and Todd appreciated it, too. It did make for a hectic meal, as Todd gets up at 5:30 and has to leave by 6:30 but we did it. It was worth it. Todd, by the way, makes great cakes.

We watched a DVD that Todd's sister sent for Alec, a great documentary on whales and dolphins (right up Alec's alley) this evening. When it was over, Alec jumped up and said (for some reason), "I'm strong, I'm 12!" and dashed out of the room. We all laughed ... I think he was really happy. 12 seems to be a milestone for him. And I'm breaking all the rules here about how to write numbers in a sentence. Chad's recent grammar lesson explains the appropriate way to write numbers and I can see glaringly what I'm doing wrong. It's amazing how much I've learned by teaching my kids. Homeschooling is cool.

Drum Roll, Please ...

I have news!!

No, not that kind of news (our family is complete, thank you very much!)

This is better!

These braces are coming off - February 18, 2010!

I will probably post before, during and after photos, if Todd gets industrious (and if anyone cares).

Then comes a year in a retainer, 24/7, and then another year with retainer at night. Small price to pay. I can't wait to brush my teeth without wires shredding the bristles. Actually feeling the brush on my teeth! Never thought I'd care about that, but, oh! Oh ... I can't wait!

After Holiday Ruminating

Christmas is put away. New Year's decorations just got taken down (doesn't everyone decorate for New Year's?) The house looks somewhat empty but back to normal. Even better than normal. We hope to try and keep it looking guest-ready, for our own enjoyment. But how do you keep the clutter down with three kids at home, all day long? School papers, art projects, etc. - you know what I'm talking about. But we are all willing to try and keep the house neater.

Next - we want to tackle the garage.

Alas, we have two birthdays to prepare for, the end of Jan and mid Feb. After that, finally, there will be no more gift buying. The kids don't really want or need anything, it's a bummer to be born so soon after Christmas. Alec wants a trip to Hawaii. Carmen says she doesn't need anything. What to do?