WHAT? I can't hear you....my ears hurt....

I may just owe you a phone call or an email...
maybe a Christmas card even...
and it's coming...
but I've been sick all week.
I've barely had a voice.
Finally went to the doctor yesterday,
and I have a double ear infection.
Which makes me sound like a two year old.
No end of grief from the husband....
who thinks it's funny.
They hurt though...the ears.
It's no wonder babies scream all night when they have an ear infection....
they want to rip their freaking ears off....
(and they want some pain meds...
and a stiff drink)

So before becoming completely incapacitated,
and resigned to sleeping on the couch...
I spend Friday and Monday in the boy's classrooms
(please note this explains WHY I'm sick...
40 little germy people all hugging on me)
helping w/ Christmas parties and gingerbread house
building.
Colten made a 2 story gingerbread mansion.
The kids were so creative...I loved watching them,
and of course listening to a bazillion hysterically funny stories.
Kindergarteners and second graders, they still think moms are very cool.

Gabby, Mike, and the Max-dog came Saturday....bringing good cheer, and some styrofoam cones, buttons, and pins.
Gab and I made some button trees a la Tia....
we opened presents, and ate some food.
Good times...
And even though Jack remarked "OH, only clothes"...I think you can tell by the photo he actually really DID want the arsenal jersey... he really DOES like it....and he really didn't take it off for three days.

Speaking of clothes.
We went to the mall on Sunday to finish up some Christmas shopping.
Personally I try to avoid said mall at all costs, but it was necessary....
We get in American Eagle...and Jack
(who normally would rather hide in the clothes rack)
walks over to the hats,
picks one up, puts it on, and declares it "his" hat.
What the fascination was with that particular hat we have no idea....but he insisted. We didn't think it was necessary...but still he persisted..."it's the perfect hat, it's my hat, I'll wear it everyday"....So, we got the hat...he's worn it everyday.
And as Colin said....it does look like "his" hat.
Like it was made for the Jack.

Saturday before the Feks arrived,
Coley had his first ever wrestling tournament.
Let me rephrase that...his first ever meet/tournament rolled into one. He had been to all of 5 practices....
And they signed him up for a tournament. Whoa...
It sort of made me want to throw up....
He lost all four matches...
but he LOVED it.
And the coaches are the nicest (big, strong, tough guy wrestlers)
you'll ever meet. At the end of each match, they would lift Colten up on their shoulders, he was just beaming.
Beaming....
and
making me giggle in his singlet (unitard)
all 55 pounds of him.
Ahhh...what we do for our middle children....
so they feel they have their own niche.
heehee...

Ok, I'm going back to the couch now.
Thank God for Colin and Jared....my HUGE and wonderful helps.
I hope everyone has a VERY
Merry Merry Christmas.

xxe

On the roll of film I have yet to develop are the pictures of the red and green striped mohawk...
OMG...you'll love it...very festively rad.
Next post.