Monday, December 28, 2009

Christmas? Check.

Well, Christmas has come and gone, and I'm officially a grown-up because I'm actually glad that it's over. I remember hearing adults say that as a child and I was disgusted...now I get it. Christmas transforms children into little monsters! Between all the candy, cookies, presents, and general hooplah, they're strung out! It's awful!
Christmas Eve was spent with Carl III's father's side of the family. It was a lot of fun, but they're a large family, and that means nothing ever starts on time, which resulted in 2 overstimulated kids out 2 hours past their bedtime. YIKES! They were so strung out that they didn't even fall asleep in the car on the 30 minute drive home. Ugh. You would think that maybe because they were up so late that they would sleep past 6:00am, right? WRONG!
Christmas Day was nice, though. We got up and did stockings and opened our presents here at home, then headed to Debbie's (Carl's mom) for breakfast and more presents. Then, after dragging the kids out of Debbie's kicking and screaming (sidenote: why do they always act like they'll never see her again? They see the woman almost every day!), we came back home and had lunch and naps (aaaah...naptime, I love you!). Then, we got all dolled up and headed over to Carl's aunt and uncle's house (which is fortunately only 5 minutes away) for Christmas dinner. We had a great time, and I'm a little more relaxed with the kids when we're with that side of the family, because they see them more often and I know they'll whip them into shape if the need arises!
An exhausting few days, but well worth it for the excitement shown by the kids (especially Carl IV). All I have to say is thank God Christmas is only once a year!

***My camera is rebelling, so I'll try uploading some pics at work tomorrow***

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Ho! Ho! Ho-oly CRAP!


Sunday morning we took the kids to see Santa, and let me tell you...he was a big hit! Even Paige was in total awe of the big man in red! She kept stroking his beard and trying to "talk" to him. All in all the trip was a huge success!
I have to admit, Santa is a useful trick to have on-hand when dealing with a 2-year-old. Take this morning, for example. Carl III's mom comes over in the morning from 7-9 so I can get ready for work since Carl III's not home. So, I'm drying my hair this morning, and hear Debbie shout, "What are you doing?!" I come out knowing that nothing good can come from a statement like that, and am faced with my son's ashamed (not nearly enough in my opinion) face. Debbie was in Paige's room changing her clothes since she'd ended up with half her breakfast all over her 1st outfit of the day, and in the time she was doing that, my son had opened a drawer in the kitchen, found a blue Sharpie marker, drawn all over the kitchen counter and his bedroom walls! BLUE PERMANENT MARKER! I swear, I had to turn around and go to my "happy place" and take a few deep breaths, or I would've knocked the kid out. I know what you're thinking..."Dee, he's 2. He doesn't know any better." Bullshit. He's not your typical 2-year-old. Anyone that's been around him for more than 5 minutes will vouch for that. He knew exactly what he was doing! I have actually witnessed this kid ponder the cause and effect of his actions, and still decide to go ahead and be bad anyway. He's EVIL! Grrrr! My mom tells me it's payback for all the walls that I "decorated" with lipstick and crayons in my day, but mom...this was a SHARPIE! I'm never getting that off!!! So, please...if you're reading this, pray for my sanity and my son's safety, because I'm still pretty peeved, and it's been a good 5 hours since this happened! Deep breaths, Dee. Deep breaths.
Anywho, where was I going with this? Ah, yes...Santa. Well, when I get home tonight, we're going to have the little monster (otherwise known as Carl IV) "call" Santa, tell him how very bad he was, and apologize. I already told him Santa might have to give his presents to a good boy who isn't rude and destructive. Needless to say he was not pleased at that thought. I think I'm going to take down his stocking when I get home and pretend that Santa asked for it back until Carl could prove he wasn't a bad boy. We'll see...


Wednesday, December 9, 2009

What do you mean it's almost Christmas?!?!

Seriously...what happened to 2009?! I can't believe in 2 weeks Paige will be 1. I can't believe Christmas is 2 days after that! Where did this year go?! It's amazing how differently time passes as an adult compared to when I was in school. I remember how the time between August (school starting) and Christmas felt like an eternity! Now I feel like I must've slipped into a coma at one point and missed a few months!
We're going to be taking the kids to see Santa in the next week or so, and Carl IV is SO excited it's contagious! He calls Santa every day on his toy phone to tell him he's being good (whether that's the truth or not is often open for debate). We put up our Christmas tree on Sunday, and he's absolutely thrilled every morning when he walks into the living room and sees it all lit up with presents undeneath. It's the cutest stinkin' thing!
Good news on the job front for Carl III. A friend of his from high school works for a trucking company down the road from our house that was looking for a new driver! The interview went beautifully, and he's starting on a trial basis once his background check clears! Basically, they're test-driving him to make sure he's as good in real life as he looks on paper, so if you know Carl, he'll have them impressed in no time!
As for me, work is still going very well. I even had a client (who happens to be a friend of my boss) tell me, "You know, Jerry speaks very highly of you. I know what he's like, so he probably doesn't tell you to your face how impressed he is, but he knows good and damn well that without you he would be screwed." I was like, "Wow. Thanks!" That made my day. It's nice to know that I'm appreciated and that my work gets noticed!
All in all things are going pretty well for the Rudegeairs. The only problem we keep encountering is Paige's teething... it's amazing how you block things out from child 1 to child 2. I know Carl IV went through the same thing, but I can't remember it lasting this long, although I'm certain it did! Ah, well. I'll be sure to post the kids' picture with Santa once we make the trip to the mall. Whoops, did I say the mall? I mean the North Pole!