Naughty or Nice?

There is never a dull moment at our house and Christmas 2009 was no exception to that rule...

Christmas morning arrived and with it a little girl who refused to get out of bed. Katie proudly announced that Santa would be here when it started to snow. She would not get out of bed until it was snowing. Her big brother, Bobby, quickly burst her bubble and told her quite emphatically that it does NOT snow in Arizona. (I guess next year we will have to invest in a snow machine for the backyard!)

Bobby is a sprinter. He likes to open his gifts as quickly

as he can and survey the scene when he is done. After he has finished the race, he graciously offers to assist the others with their presents. :)

Katie is a long distance runner. She likes to slowly open a present, make sure each piece of tape and wrapping paper are torn off, get it out of the box, play with it for a while , and then start all over again. If we let her continue at her own pace, it would take her weeks to open her presents.

Andy sat on the bench this year. He sat in the midst of torn wrapping paper and cheered his brother and sister on. Thankfully, he had his own little helpers to assist him with his gifts.

It is fun to watch each child's personality in effect on Christmas morning as they take stock of their haul. Apparently, Bobby and Katie were on the "nice" list this year.

After the present opening marathon, the real fun began. Each toy I opened was secured to the box by extreme amounts of tape, thick plastic, and never-ending twist ties. Needless to say, opening the toys took more time than the wrapping and unwrapping combined. Next year, I want Santa to bring all of the gifts to my house without any boxes, twisty ties, invisible rubber bands, and a mountain of tape. I guess I didn't realize that the theft rate for toys was so high that it requires each toy to have the same security as Fort Knox.

Christmas is a time to remember the blessings that surround us. I love to talk to my little ones about the story my grandfather read every Christmas morning. Grandpa Miller would open the family Bible and read the story about God's gift to us on this very special day. We would be surrounded by family and love as the words from the pages filled the room with the true meaning of Christmas. Grandma's homemade cinnamon rolls and hot cocoa were always on hand to keep us warm. I am thankful for all of the Christmas blessings that fill my home and heart with love and joy throughout the year. I cherish the memories that are created with my family during these special times and feel blessed beyond words to be sharing these moments with the ones I love.

As Melissa's memorial candle burned this Christmas, I am once again reminded of how precious each moment is. Every time I heard "Christmas Shoes" this holiday season, I thought about her and wished she were here with us. We all love you and miss you Auntie Missa!

Bells on Cocktails Ring

Kids say the funniest things! Bobby insisted on singing Christmas carols in the car on Sunday as we drove home from dinner at nana's house. We were singing Jingle Bells and as we sang, Bobby cracked me up. Instead of bells on bob tails ring, he sang "bells on cocktails ring, making spirits bright..." I don't even think he knows what a cocktail is, but there he sat singing his little heart out. I had to laugh and thought it would be great to write some of these fun and humorous words down. So I'll be adding to this blog throughout the year as my little ones impart their words of wisdom. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

The Not So Toothless Wonder

My oldest son has begun the first rite of passage for school age children. He has lost his two front bottom teeth. Being the creative story teller that I am and to ease his fears of the unknown tooth fairy, I made up a bedtime story for him. I told him that in order for his little brother to get his first teeth, Bobby needed to lose his. He had a million questions, but was quite impressed that the tooth fairy was going to recycle his teeth and give them to his baby brother Andy. As you can imagine, since losing his first tooth a little over a month ago, he has been asking when Andy would be receiving his baby tooth.

The wait is finally over! While playing with my little munchkin tonight, I felt the unmistakable tips of his first tooth. Andy's bottom right front tooth has managed to push its way out and he officially has his first tooth! Although his recent ear infections appeared to be the cause of his sleepless nights, we'll have to wait and see what tooth number 2 brings! :)

Silent Night

I feel like I could re-write the lyrics to the 12 Days of Christmas tonight. My song would end with 4 infected ears, 3 new prescriptions of antibiotics, 2 sick babies, and a dead car in the driveway. After battling a storm of illnesses and what I call life, the house is once again peaceful and quiet.

Andy has been fighting an ear infection. Although he was on antibiotics, they were not working. After countless trips to the doctor, 3 shots of antibiotics, and a new prescription, Andy appears to be on the mend. He is currently sleeping peacefully in his crib and appears to be out for the night. We'll keep our fingers and toes crossed that we have an uneventful night.

Hopefully Santa's elves will sneak in while I am sleeping and help finish the Christmas decorating. Wouldn't that be nice?

Gobble, Gobble Day 2009

Still smiling...even with a double ear infection. Poor guy!

Thanksgiving turned out to be a pretty uneventful day at the Lofgren house. I hung out with the little ones while Robby played golf. Katie "helped" me make pumpkin cookies. And by "helped", I mean she licked the beaters clean when I was done mixing the frosting. At 4:00, we headed over to my mother-in-laws. We had a picture marathon with the kids, ate dinner, played celebrity, and then headed off to bed to prepare for our Black Friday shopping extravaganza.

I'm beginning to think that we now have a Black Friday family curse on our shoulders.

Last year, after a 7 hour shopping spree, I returned home to a son that was burning up and feeling quite icky. After a quick trip to my wonderful pediatricians office, Bobby was diagnosed with pneumonia and given a prescription for heavy-duty antibiotics.

This year, I returned home to find not one but two children that were feeling under the weather. After another quick trip to Tanque Verde pediatrics, I came out out of the office feeling like I could win the Mother of the Year award hands down. My beautiful princess Katie presented with a double ear infection and was given ear drops and antibiotics. My poor little Andy had an ear infection in his left ear that has been causing his cough to hang on. He hates taking his medicine and has to be tag teamed to get it all down.

Hopefully, the medicine will mend everyone's little ears and allow things to get back to normal. (If there is any such thing as normal in this house.)

Coyote Sports Time

We completed our first marathon of team sports for Katie and Bobby today. After 8 weeks of juggling practice, game, and picture schedules, we can now proclaim that we have finished the first leg of the race!!! Bobby loved playing baseball this season and is anxiously awaiting the start of the spring season. Katie was a part of a 3 year old soccer team. It was organized chaos at its best. Many game days, Katie enjoyed being chased by boys much more than she enjoyed kicking the ball. They have both claimed their trophies and declared this season a success. Although I loved watching them, this exhausted mommy is glad that we can take a break from being on the run non-stop for the next few weeks.

The Next Place

The phone woke me up from a deep sleep at 1:30 a.m. on August 6th. As I slowly answered the phone, I heard my mother-in-laws paniced voice tell me that Rob needed to get to his sister's house as soon as possible. Something was wrong with Melissa. Robby threw on his clothes and dashed out the door as my heart pounded. I sat alone in my room waiting for a call to let me know that everything was okay. That call never came. An hour after he left, my husband called and said words that I never expected to hear..."There was nothing the paramedics could do. She's gone." Melissa had left us and gone on to the next place.

On August 6th, my husband's sister passed away suddenly and unexpectedly. She had given birth to her 2nd daughter just days before she left us. As I sat in the darkness that morning with my little ones snuggled in bed next to me, I said goodbye to Melissa. My heart filled with pain, not for myself but for her children. What are her beautiful little girls going to do without their mommy? Melissa's children are the same age as my two youngest...and I can't imagine not being a part of their life.

Tragedies such as this make us realize that life is a precious gift. Cherish each moment and say "I love you" loudly and often. Fill your days with life and laughter; create memories that will fill your heart with joy. Take nothing for granted for it may not be there tomorrow.

Being a mommy is what I do. It is who I am and what I am most proud of. I love my children with all my heart and soul...unconditionally and forever. We'll miss you, Melissa!!!

Betty Davis Eyes

I so thoroughly enjoy reading everyone else's blog that I decided it is time to start my own. I hope you enjoy the glimpses into the crazy whirlwind that is the Lofgren family.

My princess just celebrated her 3rd birthday (although the big day isn't until tomorrow). One of the things I have embedded into my memory are Katie's eyes. She has her daddy's eyes and she instinctively knows how to use them. Katie is a late riser and late to bed. She enjoys her "special time" with mommy and daddy after the boys have gone to bed early. Katie will come into whatever room we are hanging out in and make an outlandish request (ie: cookies for breakfast) and then she'll tilt her head, flash a coy smile at us, and blink her eyes several times in a very diva-ish style. Where she learned this, I'll never know. But she's got the look down at the early age of 2, so God help us when she really turns on the charm at 16. She follows the look up with a "please" and a few more bats of her eyelashes...and I'm sure you can predict the outcome of the request. She truly is irresistible at times.

Katie enjoyed opening her presents for the first time this year and brought out a crazy laugh to accompany her enthusiasm. It was a joy to watch her enjoy her special day. Her eyes were filled with laughter and love; these are the moments we never want to forget.