My husband!

It is Christmas Eve! Yeah, now we just need about a foot of snow and all will be good.

Mike needed to run to the store to get supplies for Christmas dinner tomorrow. I suggested that he take Evan so that they could have some bonding time together and mommy could maybe shower by herself. So Mike goes up to shower and get Evan dressed. As he is walking up the stairs, I tell him that Evan has clean jeans in his suitcase from Grammies house. About 15 minutes later Evan comes downstairs all clean and dressed. Check out these jeans he has on. I told Mike that the jeans were in Evan's suitcase. So now lets see, for any of you that know Evan. If there was an Elmo suitcase and a Thomas suitcase which one do you think would be Evan's? Well apparently since my husband just moved in here, he did not know that Evan is Thomas Crazy! So he pulls these jeans out of Nick's suitcase and puts them on Evan. As soon as I saw them I had to take a picture. I don't know what I should be more alarmed about, the fact that my husband did not notice that they look like knickers on him, or the fact that Evan can still fit into size 12 months! As Pooh would say, 'oh bother.'

Today was quite the day ...

Wow, did we get a lot done today. Mike left this morning bright and early, but before he left Nick needed to be in our bed around 3:41 am. Mike left I think around 5 or 6 am, I really don't know, he kissed me goodbye, but I could have been dreaming. Evan woke at 7:14, and since he will STILL not get out of his bed, I woke up at 7:14 also. He yells ma-ma, mommy, mom UNTIL I go in and get him up. Many mornings I just open his door and say 'come and get in mommy's bed.' Anyway that is how our morning started. Let's see I got the boys interested in watching Curious George so that I could take a shower. Nick was fine for about the first 1 minute, then he realized that I was not actually on the bed with him. So he managed to get off the bed, no head wounds thank goodness. We made it down for a very quick breakfast, then over to MC for MOPS. Nick started to cry as soon as I turned onto the road to MOPS. Evan was fine. After MOPS was over and Nick was done crying, I headed out for a fun day of shopping with toddlers. I took some good cookies from MOPS to bribe them with. Evan's cookies lasted until we made it to the first store, Nick's is still in my diaper bag/purse. Anyway, from MOPS we went to Menards, that was fun. Then to Gordans Foods, great place for toddlers. Especially since by this time they both need their diapers changed. Apparently Gordons does not get too many moms shopping, no changing station. So we used the cart, now both boys have a shopping cart grid on their behinds. We made it through, then we went to get ink for my printer. Oh the clerks in this store, I think they had just met on www.meetyourhottieatstapels.com, they were not very interested in talking with a middle aged mom and her sugar driven toddlers. Wow, as I type this, I realize I only went to 3 stores today, I thought for sure that I had gone to EVERY SINGLE store in MC. From there we came home, Nick slept most of the ride home and Evan screamed that he did not want to listen to mommy's news station. Merry Christmas. We arrived home and Evan went RIGHT to bed. Nick was fine as long as he was in mommy's arms. At 3:30 I had to get Evan up from the nap he was not taking so that I could go and get our first babysitter of the day. He of course was hungry because the sugar was long worn off from the cookies I had been feeding him. Quick meal, ha. Then back in the car. More crying, why do we have to go? But after he has managed to get the bottom 6"of his pants completely snow covered, from walking BESIDE the cleared off sidewalk. Why would you want to walk on the sidewalk when you can walk in the snow, right. Anyway, we go and pick up Ra-ra, that is a good thing. We get back here and the boys are very happy to see her and hang out in the blue room and watch 'The Polar Express.' I breezed out. Came back after my meeting and a fast trip to the grocery, Nick is always out of bananas. Ra-ra and I actually get to sit and visit for about 45 minutes, that was so nice. Then my second sitter shows up, Madeline. A wonderful, wonderful young lady, I could never express fully how much she is appreciated here at the Messinger house. Someday Evan and Nicky will understand. This is why I posted this picture of my precious first born, Evan Michael. I was trying to rearrange the freezer so that the meatballs for Mike's office party would fit in, and he comes over to me and says 'mommy, please don't leave,' I swear it was just like that moment in Guatemala when he was 6 months old and I had to give him back to the foster mom, he looked at me like 'don't leave me now'. Oh my God, I knew that I have always loved this little man, but today he was tearing out my heart. It was the second hardest time by far that I have ever left him, I love that little guy so much!!! That's why I love Madeline so much, she gets the boys situated and I kiss them goodbye. I still need to take baby sitter #1 home, so I drive her home. Then on the way back I hear this funny sound, like maybe I ran over a big chunk of ice in the road. Well, then about 2 minutes later, I hear this sound like maybe I have a flat tire. So then the sound gets louder and louder and I know that for sure I have a flat tire. So I manage to drive all the way home, we will see what the damage is when Mike gets home tomorrow. I then walked over to City Hall for my meeting and caught a ride home with a neighbor. Madeline's mom was able to come and pick her up, since I do not have a drivable car now. But I am so Thankful. What if I would have had a flat tire with the boys in the car? It is so cold out. I would have had to carry Nick and convince Evan to keep up with me walking in the snow. Somebody must be looking out for me! With all that said, I had to post a favorite picture of my little Evan. He is the joy of my life and I cannot imagine a minute without him. And I know that when I go up tonight and check on him to make sure he is covered up, he will wake up, and he will want to get in my bed. And I will try and be strong and keep him in his room, but honestly in my heart, I would let him sleep in my arms every single night. I love my boys. I am so blessed. Good night.

Hi, it's Evan

Hi, it's me Evan wishing everyone a MEERY CHRISTMAS!!!

Making a gingerbread house!

Last year when we went to make the gingerbread houses, Evan just basically ran around the room and ate fruit loop cereal. This year he loved it. I asked Ra-ra to come along and help out, so she and Evan had a great time. They were the last ones decorating. Ra-ra has a little Martha Stewart in her! Nicky on the other hand was very interested in eating M&M's, fruit loops, gum drops and any other sugar item he could get in his mouth. Then we went out to lunch and Nick was on a sugar high, he could not sit still in his high chair. They were playing Christmas music and he was going to town!

It was really fun!

Playing in the first snow of the year!

Evan making a snowball. Evan loved the snow, he was trying to throw it in Nicky's face of course! Nicky was not the biggest fan of the snow this year, maybe next year. I had him so bunndled up, he could hardly walk.

Need some Christmas help!

This is what Mike's office looked like yesterday. I played Christmas music all day, trying to get in the mood, but there is so much stuff. And so much stuff for a 16 month old to put in his mouth. I wish I had a penny for every time I said 'No Nicky' yesterday. But I did get a lot done. So I am playing more Christmas music today drinking lots of coffee, so hopefully I will get everything done! And with the snow outside, I have to get the boys outside for pictures, it will be Nick's first snow!! Now I wonder if I have a snowsuit his size, I'm sure the one I used for Evan last year will be too big still. And boots, they will probably need boots, and gloves, where are the gloves? And hats and scarfs .... wow I think I have typed myself out of the mood to go out in the snow!

Counting down to Christmas

Well the Christmas fun has started at the Messingers! Evan received an advent calender from one of the ladies at Sit & Knit in NB. I thought that was really sweet of her. So yesterday after his little melt down at church, I didn't feel like giving him a piece of chocolate, so we waited until today to open the first window. I thought there was just going to be a little picture behind the window, but oh no, there was a little piece of chocolate there. Evan doesn't even know what it is until I tell him that it is candy, then he gets the idea. So I am trying to explain the reason for the calender, he is just asking for more chocolate. I put the calender on the counter and tell him he will get another one tomorrow, but he has to be good for Santa. So the boys are running around and I am emptying the dish washer for the 27th time today. The boys are too quiet. I look over and they are on the floor with the advent calender. Evan immediately gets up and takes off into the new room, Nicky is just standing there looking at me. So I pick up the calender, 3 of the windows have been opened and there are 2 missing pieces of chocolate. I call to Evan, 'what is going on here'? He has his back to me and he says 'I don't remember'. Remember when you were little and you were looking for something that you were not supposed to have and your mom would say 'what are you looking for'? And you would say 'nothing'. And then my mom would always say, 'do you want it in a bag'? So anyway, whenever Evan has done something that he isn't supposed to do, he says 'I don't remember'? And he says it very seriously. So I yell for him to come over beside me, well when he turns around he has chocolate all over his face! I was trying not to laugh. So I say to him, 'who ate these chocolate pieces'? He says, 'Nicky'. I didn't snap a picture, I was laughing to hard! Here we go!!!