Thursday, November 24, 2011

Thanks-freakin-giving.

I think that in general, I'm a fan of this holiday. We get to eat all day, sleep for awhile while the kids run wild, then eat some more. So, hooray for Thanksgiving.

Just a word, though. Last year to the day was the last time I saw Sam. He was excited to be moving into his new apartment with Kat and I remember being really happy for him. He'd been working hard to save $ to get a place and I was impressed, even though he did complain about always working and never sleeping everytime I saw him. I think it was a bit of a brag though, to be honest. He was tough and not afraid to remind me when I saw him.

And that is what I remember about him. He was tough, but he was a softy just as well. He'd talk about missions in Iraq like they were a day at the office and laugh, then have to give everyone a bear hug before he left. And he had every one of our backs. All the time.

So, today I'm gonna go eat turkey and have a nice time. I don't think I need to say anymore about Sam. Love you, Sam.

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Marek

In honor of Marek's 8th birthday, I'll tell a short story about him. Out of the thousands that I could tell, I'll tell my favorite one because I think it shows his true self:

A few years ago when we still lived in Saginaw I was shopping with the kids. I think at the time I had Marek, Raina and Rowan. We were in a store that children should be banned from because of all the oh so tempting to touch and oh so breakable stuff. They did alright though and at the end I let them all choose something small that I would buy for them. Marek had been watching me the whole time, looking at the things that I was looking at. So, when I told him he could choose something, he started looking through some rings I'd been looking at. Why the hell a little boy wants a ring, I could not figure out, but I didn't say anything. At one point he asked me which I liked best, the turtle or another one. He loved turtles at the time, so I picked the turtle. I knew there was no way he'd not pick the turtle. But, I was curious...

(A little fun fact about Marek: when he asks me to choose which one I like best, I do, and then he picks the opposite one. EVERY time.)

He picked the turtle. We bought our stuff and left the store. As we walked out, I handed the kids their loot telling them good job on the good behavior. Marek took his for one second and then handed it right back saying, "I picked this for you Mommy." Aww, what a sweet boy who I love so much.

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

I have a trick I use to get my kids to sit calmly in the car and wait for me when I need to jump out really quick for something. Mostly its for when I need to run into the gas station or the school or something like that. Pretty much anywhere that will take under 7 minutes, give or take. Getting them all in and out will always add an hour. Anyway, its very simple. I pick the one or two that look like they're gonna start screaming and tell them that they're in charge. Then I jump out of the car and take off. I think it works about half the time.