Merry Day After Christmas

Funniest story told during the Holiday and its Eve... Kourtney's family was singing Christmas songs the other day. This exchange took place between five-year-old Kennedy and her dad, Kris. Kennedy: Daddy, you are singing the wrong words! Kris: Kennedy, I've been singing these songs since I was a kid. Kennedy, in a sympathetic tone: Have you always sung the wrong words? If you know that kid, you'll know why we laughed so dang hard at that one. ----- Haley was the perfect picture of a six-year-old at Christmas. It started first thing when she awakened, realized it was Christmas morning and almost hyperventilated: "It's Christmas! It's Christmas! It's Christmas!". It even went as far as breakfast, where she downed our traditional sausage balls and informed Kelsee that they were "brilliant"! Have I mentioned I love that kid?

Pictures for the Masses

Just trying to increase readership of our blog... Picture time! We went out to Roscoe Village on Saturday when we went to Columbus for Hannah's baptism. It happened to be their Christmas celebration, so Santa made a stop to color with the kids. Awesome! He even drew a picture for Haley. Here she is showing her gratitude: And of course, Haley and colored pencils can't be in the same room for 20 seconds with the little artist making use of the drawing implements... OK. So this next picture has some motion blur, but the story is so sweet, I just had to share it. Kelsee had wrapped the presents for me, Cameron and Haley and placed them into some big sacks (like Santa would carry), each with our names embroidered on them, and placed them under the tree. I had not yet wrapped any of Kelsee's (I know I procrastinate; leave me alone), and Haley commented on the absence of presents for her mother. Even though we explained, Haley was still concerned. She disappeared for a short while we went about our normal activities. When she returned, she handed Kelsee a a brown paper bag tied closed with a ribbon. She told Kelsee that it was present for her with all her favorite things. Inside the back were indeed many of Kelsee's favorite things. Without our knowing, she had gone outside and gathered leaves, sticks, rocks, walnuts, and pinecones, then grabbed a few things inside pencil, candy, picture of Haley. This picture says it all: Here's Haley at her class Christmas party. The freaking looking blurry kid is Blaine. He's not really freaking looking or blurry. It's just the picture. Honestly. BTW, all the kids are wearing jammies because the received an "in school snow day" for filling their compliment jar. And last but not least, one of the coolest buildings in existance: the Longeberger Basket Company's home office. Seven above ground stories complete with easy to grip carrying handles, located in the middle of nowhere several miles from Columbus. Amazing...

Can't Tease Haley...

On Wednesday night, we went caroling with our ward youth. As we drove from one house the next, Kelsee and Haley were reliving last year's caroling--Haley and JT, one of our older young men slipped down a muddy hill and had to spend the rest of the caroling covered in mud. (As an aside, Haley's always kind of had a little crush on JT. We tease her from time to time about it.) Anyway, when the talk on Wednesday turned to JT, Cameron leaned over and started teasing Haley: Cameron, in a sing-song voice: Haley and J.T, sitting in a tree... Haley, without missing a beat: One fell off and bumped his knee! Kind of took the wind out of Cameron's sails, it did. Later that evening, after we finished at one widow's apartment, we were climbing back into the van. A dog in a neighboring apartment was going nuts, barking and howling non-stop. Haley shook her head and said: "That dog is throwing quite the fit." Gotta love that kid.

Sometimes it Sucks...

We're now facing some of the true agonies of raising a child, especially a multiracial child. Seems there are a few kids on the bus who like to poke fun at Haley, for one reason or another. First it was the kids who told her she was dumb. I wasn't aware of it until one night when we were working on sight words (words you recognize just by seeing them; you don't need to sound them out). She has been having a hard time with those, and that night was no different. Finally, she started crying in frustration and said "Those kids on the bus were right. I am dumb." I absolutely wanted to throttle those kids. Kelsee and I, of course, had to remind Haley that she is just in kindergarten and is still learning. I told her that just because someone says something doesn't make it true. We reminded her that she has a vocabulary twice that of most kids her age and more than many kids older than her. We also took her through her addition table, which she does well at. When we were done, she was feeling much better. I still want to throttle those kids. Then yesterday she tells me about some second or third grader on the bus who calls her "Brownie". I asked her why she called her that, and Haley says it's because she has brown hair and brown eyes. I asked Haley if this girl calls other brown hair, brown eye kids that, and Haley says she doesn't, that it's Haley's "special name". By the way, Haley is likely one of the only multiracial children on the bus. I'm POSITIVE she's not the only brown-hair, brown-eye kid... Anyway, she told me that sometimes she's being nice when she calls Haley that, but other times she's being mean. Uh, what the...??? OK. I'm so glad my daughter has help working on her self-esteem every afternoon on her way home from school. Did I mention I want to throttle those kids?

Random Stuff for Mid-December

First, a Haley-ism. You know, because that always draws people in... Last night we were singing some Christmas carols after FHE. Haley was in form, singing at the top of her lungs. (As an aside, Cameron was also in form, feigning ignorance regarding the words of the songs.) We sang "Away in a Manger" and then "Silent Night". Kelsee kind of lost Haley and I on the second and third verses. When Kelsee started in on "We Wish You a Merry Christmas", Haley jumped back in with gusto. Kelsee and I sang along until we came to one part of the song, and then we lost it. Haley's version: Good tithings we bring, to you and your kids... Good tithings for Christmas and a Happy New Year! ------ By the way, here is the effect on a Microsuede couch when you've been sitting for too long: Butt imprints immortalized in time!!! ----- Speaking of pictures immortalized in time, here's Haley outside before school during our first day of snow flurries... She doesn't always walk this way. Honest. She was spinning circles trying to catch the flakes on her tongue. And here's one... Who decided to teach Haley to take pictures with my cell phone? Huh? HUH?

14 And Counting...

Yesterday, Kelsee and I "celebrated" our 14th Wedding Anniversary. I put the verb above in quotes because here's how we celebrated: 1. We had a fight the evening before. Yes, we made up before we went to bed. (Everybody, get your minds out of the gutter. It wasn't like that, and even if it was, I wouldn't tell you here.) 2. I slept through the alarm and was awakened by Kirk (my friend and the guy I carpool with) calling my cell wondering where I was. I showered and was out the door after a hasty kiss for my wife. 3. I forgot that I had a gift for Kelsee that I wanted to have waiting for her when she woke up, so I called her while I was on the road and told her where she could find it. (I'll explain why I didn't just wait until I got home in a moment.) 4. I worked all day. 5. I went and administered a final exam for one of my classes. 6. Several students ended up staying after the final exam to received last minute help completing some assignments. I didn't leave until 9:40. Mind you, I mentioned it was my anniversary, and we even talked about it for a while. The students kept saying things like "your wife is going to hate us" or "I'm almost done". 7. I arrived home about 10:30, exhausted. 8. Kelsee was tired and also not feeling well. We chatted until about midnight about this and that, then ventured to the land of nod. 9. That's it. 10. Seriously. Kelsee made a good point last night, though. We don't need to wait for a specific day to commemorate our marriage and love. Hopefully, we're commemorating every day. We're even commemorating during a three-day romantic excursion to the mountains of West Virginia starting tomorrow. The thing is, I think we are both most looking forward to sleeping in each morning. That and the absence of anyone who speaks Whinese. (If I walk into a restaurant and hear a whiny kid, I'm going to dump my entire bowl of salsa/bottle of A1/plate of linguine over his or her head. I'm guessing his or her parents will hug me with tears of gratitude in their eyes, and everyone else will be jealous because they didn't think of it first.) I really don't care what we do on our trip, as long as I'm with my sweetie. (Sure, you can use words like "cheesy", "suck-up", or just roll your eyes, but that doesn't make the above sentence any less true. So snicker all you want. If everybody had as good a marriage as we do, the world would be a heck of a lot better place.)