O, Christmas Shrub!

I haven’t written in a while because I have been so busy with the boys and preparing for Christmas.  Actually, I am not going to lie.  I haven’t really been in the Christmas spirit because every time I turn around, someone has caught a bug. Between that and Carson’s leg, I just can’t concentrate on much else.  And it’s like I have forgotten how to type because I haven’t blogged in like a week!  I’m going to have to rename my blog “Haphazard Haphazardly”!  There are several little stories that I want to tell, but first is about the Christmas tree.  I really am trying to prepare for Christmas, but I am having a difficult time.  Oh, and no Christmas cards this year….dropped the ball on that one!

We didn’t put the Christmas tree up as early as we usually do because we knew that the boys would take the ornaments off and break them, and quite frankly, we wanted to shorten the amount of time that we had to deal with that.  Plus, 10 days to a child is an eternity, so they don’t need it up for an entire month.  We got the tree out of the attic yesterday and set it up. Let me pause to say that this is a really nice artificial tree.   It’s beautiful.  Anyway, it was a little crooked, but I told Logan not to mess with it and that there was a screw in the stand that hadn’t been properly tightened.  I took Lindsey to ballet and when I got back the tree was curved like a “C”.  I asked Logan what he did, but he said he didn’t do anything.  I had to bend the pole back until it straightened.  Later on in the evening as the children decorated the beautiful tree with ornaments, the tree started to fall.  Lindsey caught the 8 foot tree with her right hand and saved her baby brothers from being smashed.    Don and I moved everyone out of the way and examined the tree to see what had happened.  The pole had bent and snapped in half due to Logan bending it and my bending it back.  Long story short, the tree is trashed and we immediately went online to look for another.  Then we started laughing  because Lindsey put the very top part of the tree onto the “stump” and placed the star on top.  We started calling it names and were laughing about “what if” we kept it up and got a new one next year.  We were singing songs like “O, Christmas shrub, O, Christmas shrub” and “Rockin’ around the Christmas bush”.  We were talking about how the kids wouldn’t ever forget the year we had a stump for a tree and that it would make for funny pictures.  Also, the boys will be three next year and will be less likely to tear the new tree up.  I think we have decided to have a Christmas shrub this year, just because we think it’s hilarious.  It’s something that would’ve happened in one of my favorite movies, “Christmas Vacation”.  I can just imagine if anyone comes over.  “And here’s our beautiful Christmas stump.”  Haha!  I don't know if I can actually stand it for another day; I might change my mind.  Here’s a picture:

Now that Carson has been cleared to walk, he can also sleep in his bed again because he’s able to be alone.  I told the boys that Santa called me and said that he wouldn’t bring toys unless they sleep in their own beds every night.  They were actually excited  and it worked.  I got up 11 times with Dylan, but they were all within the same hour or two, so I still got some sleep.  He woke up yelling for Bo at one point.  I went in and placed the bear’s ear up to his nose and he fell back asleep.  Carson only woke up once to say that he needed a new diaper, but it was only because Dylan had woken him. 

Little update on Carson…..he walks like a little old man because he’s stiff.  If anything touches him, he falls.  The coolest thing about all of this is that he has learned to operate the computer and mouse.  I taught him one afternoon so he’d have something to do while he couldn’t walk.  He can completely navigate through PBS’s Curious George site.  He plays for hours at a time and Dylan sits next to him and watches.  Dylan is totally cool not operating the mouse because he knows that he hasn’t learned how to work the mouse yet.  Carson’s funny.  Last night when I was putting him to bed he said “Mama!  You go to your bed and watch Frasier!  You go to your room and watch Frasier!”  He didn’t want me sitting there forcing him to stay in his bed anymore.  As soon as he promised to stay in his bed, I left and watched an episode of Frasier; he rolled over and went to sleep. 

I still haven’t taken the kids to see Santa and this morning Dylan asked to see him.  I am taking them either tonight or this weekend.  I’ll post pictures. 

Lindsey had a holiday ornament making party on Sunday and she has been extremely busy with dance.  Tomorrow she has her Big Sis/Lil Sis Christmas party at the studio.

Logan has been pretty chill, no crazy stories except for the apology letter we got last night for breaking the tree.  He had put the ornament boxes in front of the tree and everyone kept tripping.  He broke the tree and then celebrated the “shrub” and since he had broken it, we told him not to get crazy and celebrate the fact that it was broken.  I said “It’s one thing for us to look at the bright side, but you broke it and shouldn’t be acting crazy and proud.”  Honestly, we weren’t very angry and he wasn’t in trouble, but he still wrote an apology letter, which was nice.  I also told him that it was my fault just as much as his because I bent it back.  I don’t know if you can read it, but here’s the letter.  It's a damn good apology for a 10-year-old.  How can I be mad at him?

It says: "Dear Mommy and Daddy, I'm sorry that I ruined your Christmas Tree.  I know it doesn't matter if it was 1 dollar or a million, I shouldn't have done it.  I know that you put a lot of time into it and I am sorry.  I am also sorry for arguing and putting the boxes right in front of the tree.  I am also sorry for celebrating "the shrub" and being proud that I broke it.  And Mommy, I'll go ahead and take the blame for breaking the tree.  It was my fault.  I truly am sorry.  Love, Logan."