Weekend recap

Had a nice weekend.

To quickly recap - we got family photos taken by Paige Stevens Photography.  She's been taking our photos since 2002, when we got married.  It's been a while since our last session - summer of 2009!  And while I like the photo on my blog - I'm ready for a new one!

During our session she showed me a couple of shots on the camera and I was really happy with them!  I am so excited to see all of them!  It was pretty cold outside, so the kids weren't the most cooperative.  And after I got home I realized that we never got a photo with just the three kids.  At least I don't remember any.  I don't know how the heck that happened.  I think it might have had something to do with Cooper and his lack of desire to be a part of the whole process.  He is no longer a new walker like he was in our last professional photo shoot.  Nope.  He's a confident runner.  And he moves non-stop.  I'm betting he has ADHD.  But, it will be years before that can be confirmed.  And, who knows - maybe he'll grow out of it.  We an hope anyway.

So, I guess even if we tried to get the three of them, he wouldn't have gone for it.  We did the best we could and that's all you can do.  I know she got great ones of each of the kids alone.  So, I can always do something with that.

Hopefully I can show you soon!

That afternoon Tom and Murphy went to go get our Christmas tree.  We tried for a few years to go out and cut our own down.  And while I liked that - I just think that's a vision in my head that will not go as well in real life.  I want to start our own family traditions.  But, I know that in reality, we will be constantly calling for and looking for Cooper.  And I'm pretty sure there would be a substantial amount of yelling.  Which really messes up my vision of wonderful family traditions.  We'd be frustrated and exhausted by the time it was all said and done.  And Cooper really needs a nap.  Okay, fine.  We really need Cooper to nap (remember my aforementioned ADHD suspicions?).  So, in light of all that (and the higher cost associated with going to the Christmas tree farm) Tom and Murphy went to Lowe's.  And a family tradition is born!  At least until we can change it.

We put it up, but had to wait until the branches dropped a bit before we could decorate it.  So, we did that this morning.

So, decorating the tree... another vision in my head that didn't go as well in real life.  We put Christmas music on and opened the box and things started to go downhill.  I can't tell you how many ornaments the kids have broken over the years.  A few years ago I got one of those cute Hallmark mechanical ornaments on sale after Christmas.  The next year we opened the box for the first time to put it on the tree.  Murphy wanted to look at it.  Understandable, it is pretty cute.  And in the first minute of winding it up - he broke it.  Ugh.  And you'd think that I'd be over it by now.  We still hang it.  But now it doesn't move.

So, after repeatedly telling Cooper not to play with the ornaments, he broke one.  It was a glass scuba diver I got in Las Vegas of all places, in November of 2001.  I don't know why I bought it.  But I liked it and at the time I was recently certified to scuba dive.   Anyway, it's gone now, so I suppose it doesn't matter.  I picked up the diver and the pieces on the floor and then realized that he had ornaments in each fist.  So, a small tug of war ensued and I forgot to put the broken glass pieces elsewhere (than in my hand) so I got three small cuts in the scuffle.  Cooper got time out.  Yet my cuts still hurt and I'm pretty sure he has no memory of the time out.

Just making wonderful Christmas memories over here in the Holton Household.

Tomorrow we don't have a nurse.  So I'll be going to school with Harlie again.  It's actually not a bad day for me to go because Harlie has to leave early anyway to go to one of her private speech therapies. Yes, she sees two speech therapists.  Actually, three, if you count the one at school.  They all work on different, yet equally important things with her - so I think it's good.  And I would have her do more if it were possible.  But, as it stands, we are booked!

So, I'll write another post tomorrow while I'm there.  I just won't be able to post it because the school system won't let anyone on Blogger.  I've been working on a post from freaking October.  And it's a fun post, too!  So, hopefully I'll be able to get that one up tomorrow afternoon after we get home.

Thanks!
~Christy