Fleeting Moments

Snacks climbed into bed with Sissy and me this morning and said, "I love you guys more than anything in the world."

Which I enjoyed for exactly thirty minutes until I was back to my "Worst Mom in the Whole World" status.

Save One for Daddy

Snacks' most favorite treat these days is chocolate coins. Luckily we can get a little bag of them from Walgreen's for only 64 cents--they don't have to be the fancy expensive kind.

Snacks always makes sure to save at LEAST one coin for his dad. In fact, Snacks saves at least one of ANY treat he has for his dad. No matter what.

Crazy Talk

Snacks has been talking in his sleep for as long as I can remember. I used to run in to his room when he sat up and try to make sense of what he was saying. I'd try to get him to repeat himself; tell me what he needed and try to calm him if he was agitated, which typically didn't work.

Until I finally learned that even though his eyes are open and he's sitting up in bed, he's ASLEEP and not rational. So now I just do the best I can to try to get him to lie back down without engaging him in conversation.

Tonight when he sat up and gestured to me and said, "I need something fat...," I just kissed him, laid him back down and said, "Okay, honey, I'll go right out and get that for you."

And back to sleep he went.

Waiting for Auntie Em

Auntie Em came to babysit on Tuesday night. Snacks couldn't wait, and for two hours before she arrived he was looking out the window and checking out the front door. He decided to "decorate" the house for her.

Here are his stuffed animals decorating the house and looking out the window to greet her.

Compassion

At the zoo the other day, Minna was lagging behind most of the time, which is unusual for her. As we entered one of the buildings, I turned around to ask Snacks to run back out and walk in with Minna to keep her company. But I didn't find him behind me...

Because he had already run back out to Minna on his own. And he was holding her hand.

My sweet, sweet boy.

Christmas Star

Snacks and his dad made this Christmas star to go on the top of our tree this year. It's made of cardboard and tinfoil...and a toilet paper roll to hold it onto the tree, which I think was actually Snacks' idea.

It's almost time to take the Christmas tree down and I'm afraid the special star may not be sturdy enough to survive being packed away 'til next year...so I'm saving it here instead.

Cousin Olivia

Cousin Olivia lives several states away. She and her mom stayed with us when Snacks was two, and he has been smitten ever since. Not a week goes by that he doesn't ask when Cousin Olivia is going to come visit again. He frequently asks what time it is in the state she lives in wonders what she is doing. She happened to be here for his birthday that year so each birthday he asks if she will come. He draws and sends her pictures and photos of himself.

This week Snacks was surprised with a last-minute visit by Cousin Olivia. He got to spend two wonderful days doing fun kid-stuff with her. Here they are together at the zoo.

Sunrise

I called Snacks upstairs this morning to show him the sunrise. When he saw it, he ran downstairs to get Sissy. He lugged her all the way up the stairs--with great effort--so he could share it with her.

Santa Comes Through...A Little Early

By sending two elves, in the form of my aunt and uncle who randomly appeared at our door in the middle of a blizzard, to deliver the electric train that Snacks has been POSITIVE he was going to get this Christmas.

He was so excited, he didn't even notice it wasn't the Polar Express Christmas train (THAT DOESN'T EXIST.)

June Cleaver Never Needed Elastic Waist Pants

Because she OBVIOUSLY did not start eating her Christmas give-away goodies at 9:45 in the morning (and CONTINUE eating them for the next twelve hours...)

NEXT year, I want to remember NOT to make my gingerbread babies. Because they are too much work and I needed twice as many as I thought I did and, it turns out, they aren't NEARLY as cute as I always remember them to be.

NEXT year, I'll make myself a note to make something easier like Mexican wedding cakes or peppermint bark. And I'll remind myself not to even START eating what I'm making...and continue until I feel sick. And bloated. And no longer have the energy to clean up the mess I made in the kitchen.

And NEXT year, I'll remember not to leave everything to the last minute so that on neighborhood delivery night I am not trying to bag all the goodies while J and Snacks are standing there with their coats on ready to start their route.

But next year I'll ALSO remember how important this annual ritual is to Snacks. How excited he gets planning when he and J are going to go out and knock on the neighbors' doors and surprise them with colorful bags of Christmas treats...

which is REALLY what it's all about.

Sweet Memories

I want to remember forever that today, at 4 a.m., Snacks and I held hands as we walked across the empty parking lot--our coats over our pajamas; Snacks' fleece pant legs stuffed into his boots--and into the grocery store. We were on a Croup Ride and we decided ice cream was just the thing to make him feel better.

He chose Party Mint, and on the way out we saw a table where he could write a letter to Santa:

Dear Santa,

I will be at home and at Grampy's.

Love,

Snacks

P.S. I want an electric Polar Express Christmas train.

And then we walked out, holding hands across the still-empty lot, to drive home and eat our ice cream for breakfast.