Family Time at Christmas

We all hope everyone had some special time with their family and friends during Christmas.  Our last couple of days, certainly have been packed.  Christmas Eve day both Ben and I had to work.  Luckily enough both our jobs let us out earlier than our normal departing times (Ben got out earlier than me though...*phewy*).  

Christmas Eve we headed over to Ben's parents house to have Christmas with them and his sister and her family.  It's always a fun occassion at the in-laws and I'm truly blessed with wonderful in-laws.  I've always said that I couldn't of married Ben if I didn't love his parents as much as I do.

Then Christmas day, the morning is spent here at the house with just Ben, myself and C (oh can't forget the kitties too!) opening gifts and having fun.  By mid afternoon we are off to my parents house to have Christmas with them.  And then early evening it's just a jaunt across my parents drive-way to my grandparents house to have Christmas with my whole family.  It's always HECTIC there, but the kind of hectic that you love!  Everyone jumbled around coming, going, talking all at once.  Drinks being poured, food being consumed waaaay tooo much and laughter....always laughter.  And my aunt Jo always making her faces or stuffing some kind of BIG spoon into her mouth....see for yourself here.  Gotta love it when you can catch them in the act!! 

Back to work on Friday for me at the second job....retail hell on the day after Christmas...everyone returning, using the gift cards, and complaining they didn't get what they wanted!  Ben wonders why I can't get into the Holiday spirit like I used to.  Working retail just sucks it right out of you....I thought it was just me but when you talk to everyone else they have the same exact thoughts.  It's amazing how RUDE human beings have become, and how it's "all about me, me, me" anymore.  Oh well, as long as I can still stay true to my values and we can raise C to good morals and values.....

Today ended the Christmas rounds of family at Ben's aunt and uncle's house for the annual post Christmas/New Years celebration.  Lots of people (aunts, uncles, cousins...new babies this year too!) and again lots of food and the Christmas yankee gift swap that's always a good time (and maybe even a little payback time or two...hehe!).

~danine 

Surprising a Rhino for Christmas

We hope everyone had a blessed Christmas!  Santa surely made his stop here quite wonderfully!

So two years ago we sent forth on trying to build a computer for C that would hopefully last him until his high school graduation (we got the computer free put had to pay for some upgrades etc...), well that poor little computer tried it's hardest but couldn't keep up with the technology and the growing that C did...hehe!  So this year we pulled our resources together, got the grandparents involved and got C a new Dell computer (thank you Dell!!).  It was so hard not to spill the beans as the weeks prior to Christmas C's computer kept giving him problems and you'd hear him working on a school project and say "dang it...stupid computer".  Needless to say, now he's just been drooling!

The funniest thing and this backs up how appreciative C is, the new computer came with a new key board and C has been needing a new one of those too.  Ben's also picking on C that he has "clacky fingers" because the keyboard is so loud and some of the keys don't work unless you really pound on them.  

Well we wrapped the keyboard seperately and just gave that to him with all his gifts first (we really played it up and gave him all his gifts, opened all of ours gifts and made it seem like we were done before we pulled out the big guns....oh we are soooo dementing him) and he was more than appreciative of just a new keyboard.  Not even expecting a whole new computer to go with it......makes a mom proud!!!

danine

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone! A little early wishes from us to all of you. We all hope Santa spreads his cheer (not the reindeer poop!).

with much love,
Ben, Danine, and Christian a.k.a. "the teenage rhino"

Don't forget......

to check out my photography blog at

backtodanine.blogspot.com

OLD versus Young

I've come to realize how OLD I really am compared to how young and tough C has become!

It was never a problem for me to wrestle with him and we've always truely wrestled, rough housed and I was able to toss C around. Well last night I started to rough house with C and to my dismay.....*gasp*...I couldn't budge the rhino! I can't pick him up anymore! I can't throw him off the coach! I can't bundle him up in a blanket like a pig! Now the rolls are reversed and he's kicking my arse, *sigh*.

The only advantage I have.....he's still severly ticklish everywhere and heck yea I'm going to use that every chance I get!

~danine

Ralph Waldo Emerson was dead on

“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

Remember C, to be you.  You've made us proud from 1st grade when you stuck up for Jenny by telling the other nasty little girls how mean they were to today spending time shopping for homeless children.  Yes, you've had some "Wilbur" moments along the path but I'm very proud of you and my heart overflows.

143

Mom

~

What does Rhino do when it's cold outside?

what else play video games!

(i like how both C and Ben are kicked back, feet propped up on the coffee table, the jar of candy between them.....aw what the life of the men in my household....spoiled rotten!!)


~danine

Season might be over but......

that doesn't stop us!

Don't worry NASA it's only our house!

Ben was at it again last night! Adding Frosty the inflatable (not a fake frosty but the "real" frosty) to the yard and MY NEW GIRAFFE!!!!!

I came home from work and was totally shocked to see a jolly jingle giraffe sitting at my back door all plugged in waiting for me to love him. I screamed like a little school girl went bouncing into the house to quiz C on it (I already knew him and my mother were up to being the little elves!) the second thought immediately was "oh crap Ben is going to kill me and we have NO where to store this after Christmas". Oh well, I love giraffes and have never seen a Christmas giraffe before, maybe the little elf who delivered it will also allow for storage????

I can say our house this year isn't as bad as it normally is. I'm thinking as the hubby gets older NASA is safe from seeing that from the international space station...hehe!

~danine

The Christmas tree has sprung

Well our Christmas tree has made it's arrival today. Ben and C dug it out of the shed and carried into the house and assembled it. Yes we have an artificial pre-lit tree.



Ben grew up with an artifical tree and I grew up with always have a real tree but since I'm allergic to evergreens and the allergy keeps getting worse as I get older, our household has an artificial tree (I must admit, I really like not having to climb under the tree to water it and not have to pick needles out of the carpeting for weeks on end!).



As you can tell, C got into his usual spirit and decorated himself up too! I can't even say he got into too much eggnog all I can say is.....that's my boy, lol!

Friday night Santa arrived in town here. This year, our little boro decided to start a kinda of winter festival. They had a little parade and tried to get the local business owners in on it. One of C's best buddies' mom owns a shop right down town and she got C and her son (we call him Eggie) to dress up in a snowman costume she designed and made herself. The boys had a blast! They ran around main street for about 3 hours entertaining the traffic and the kids, adults too (and by C's accounts I think him and Eggie had as much fun has the kiddies!!).



Unfortunately I had to work that night but I asked Ben to go down and take pictures. Here's one of C in the snowmen costume with Eggie and another one of his buddies. Rumor has it that C and Eggie have requested to do it again next year and have asked Eggie's mom to make a penguin or a gingerbread man costume also so they can both go at it together. God help the town next year!!


~danine

Hoping the roots stick!

The world is a great mirror.

It reflects back to you what you are.

If you are loving,

If you are friendly,

If you are helpful,

The world will prove loving and friendly and helpful to you.

The world is what you are.

A wonderful co-worker and friend (thanks again Lisa, boy it's seems like you've been saving the day alot lately!) posted this on her blog and it really touched home. We've tried from day one to teach C to treat others how you'd want them to treat you, not judge the book by the cover, and all those wonderful things BUT as we all know no one is perfect and WE ALL have our down times. Again another lesson for C (and this one he's come to realize fully!) Karma comes around. I pray in the years to come that C can reflect back on these words, in tough times and in difficult times and keep to who he truly is, not who society, friends, family, his job, etc..want him to be.

Keep being you C, remember our talks and the promises made. Remember your roots and alot of times the bum on the street has more in life than the millionaire in the mansion. 143, mom.

~danine

Catching up

Things in the household have calmed down in a sense.  We're not running around as much since soccer season is done and 6 of the 7 days of the week are not taken up with soccer.  I think C and I are both lost sometimes with having time to do whatever!  Ben on the other hand, I think is happy that the home cooked meals are back and we're not scrambling for left overs and take out so much.  I'm also thinking he's glad to have his wife back in the house hold (and the house back under control again) more often than not!

I'm still working the second job (note to remind myself to take a break during soccer season next year so my house doesn't explode!) and with the holiday season in full swing the mall hours are longer so hence my hours are longer but just think of all the male bonding time that C and Ben get to have (yea right, it's more along the lines of who can stink who out of the computer room with the farts!).

Snow and cold weather has settled in upon us, making me wonder why I still live here (I hate, hate snow).  But I'm trying to get through it with getting back to photography and I also have a photo buddy too (thanks Lisa!).  C has been over to a couple friends houses to hang out and sled ride, etc.  Hopefully we all can make it up to Aunt JoJo's house for our annual sledding competition to see who can make it the furthest and to see if anyone can finally make it out into the horse pasture (I'll promise to take pictures!!).

School is still going well for C.  The girlfriend is still illusive for him but there are some prospects in the future.  He's become more confident and "adult like".  I'm loving our conversations that we have.  He's always been my best friend but now he's really my best friend!!  You all might think it's funny but I'm trying to brace myself for the upcoming college days when he's not going to be around so much.  It's not that I haven't cut the apron strings, it's that I truly LOVE spending time and talking about life, social, music, history, reality, THINGS with C.  I love to hear his perspective on issues.  I guess all I can say is thank goodness for unlimited "in calling" and free nights and weekends!!

~danine