Little sister?

In case you haven't noticed, a lot of our unusual conversations are started by Nolan lately.  A couple weeks ago, he opened a very large can of worms.  I was busy doing something in the kitchen and he walked in and said, "Mom?  Can I have a little sister?"

I thought he was kidding.  But he was very serious.  Apparently, he's wanted one for awhile, but I haven't brought one home.  Auntie Boo, Aunt Kristi, Aunt Mandy, and Aunt Emily have all produced little girls since Nolan was born, but he is still waiting for his little sister.  I laughed and told him that he needed to check with everyone else to see how they felt.

Sam came in the room just moments later, and Nolan quizzed him.  Sam lit up.  Yep, he wants a little sister too.  I was sure that TJ would be the one to shoot the fantasy down, but when he walked in a little while later and heard the discussion, he got excited.  I was totally surprised. How is it that no one has ever told me that they wanted a little sister??  I told all three boys that they would have to take this up with their father.

That night, when Bill got home, the boys told him they wanted a little sister.  Bill's reaction?  He looked at me (somewhat accusingly).  I laughed and told him that I had nothing to do with the conversation.  Bill spent quite some time after that trying to explain to the boys why our family is perfect, just the way it is.

Honestly, I have gone back and forth on this many times over the years.  I can't physically have another child, but part of me still wonders if I was supposed to have a little girl.  Bill keeps saying he likes the stage where we are at (solid foods, no sippy cups, everyone is potty trained and in school), and most of the time I agree with him.  It's just that little part of me that wonders if we are still supposed to adopt.  The rest of me is exhausted and keeps telling the little part of me to be quiet and go to sleep.

D-I-V-O-R-C-E

We had a rather strange conversation at the dinner table the other night.  Nolan started it with a question.  "What's a divorce?"

Bill and I tried to diplomatically explain why divorce sometimes happens.  And that a divorce means that a judge has said two people are no longer married.  Nolan nodded and then asked us, "Have you ever been divorced?"

Bill said, "Um.  We are both still here" at the same time I said, "Not that I'm aware of".  But Nolan's question launched quite the discussion.  TJ commented that Mom would move back to Grand Rapids, since that's where she works.  He and Nolan then decided they were moving back to Grand Rapids with me.  Sam announced he wasn't going anywhere and he was going to live with Dad.  TJ commented that he and Nolan would miss seeing Sam around the halls at school, since he and Nolan would be back in Coopersville while Sam stayed at Kent Lake.

I then informed my two 'custodial' children that if a divorce ever happened, that Mom would be very poor, because Dad makes most of the money in our family.  I told them we'd have to live in Grandma's basement and that Papa probably wouldn't be too thrilled about that.  Bill followed this up by telling Sam he could probably afford to keep the house, but that he wouldn't have much money for groceries so they'd be forced to eat beans and rice for dinner every night.

In the end, TJ, Sam, and Nolan concluded that it would probably be best if Mom and Dad stayed married.  Okay.  I'm glad we all agree on that.  I kinda like our nuclear family, just the way it is, quirks and all.

December Randomness

Christmas is rapidly approaching.  It's not coming quickly enough for the boys, it's coming too quickly for me (no where near done wrapping, not quite done shopping).  The boys have decorated every inch of the house, including lighting up their bunk beds.  And we have two trees--'Sam's' tree is in the family room (lovingly and expertly decorated by a second grader and his little brother) and the large tree is in the living room.

We have been quite pleasantly surprised by the level of decorating we have seen in the neighborhood.  Nearly every house has some Christmas lights up outside the house.  We lit up a wreath that Bill hung on the garage, and we also lit the front walk and some garland on the porch supports.  Bill promised Sam that when we get some bushes planted next year, we will light those up at well.

Our neighborhood is laid out in a large loop.  We are at the front of the loop, but lately, the boys have wanted to drive the full loop before we return home in the evenings.  They want to look at everyone's lights.  The first time we did it, TJ commented, "I am so proud of our neighborhood."  I thought his appreciation was sweet.

On a totally different subject, Nolan has been invited to a birthday party this weekend.  His friend and classmate, Anthony, is turning six.  Nolan is thrilled that he is included in the party.  I'm more than happy to let him go, but now I have to figure out what this child might like for a gift.  Nolan is no help.  I asked him and he said, "Get him a bouncy ball!"  You know...the little rubber bouncy balls that cost about 50 cents and immediately get lost or break something.  I told Nolan he would be a cheap date.

Epic

TJ has been begging us to take them to see the new Disney movie, "Frozen".  I had no problem doing this, since he hadn't once asked for a birthday party.  We finally had a free Saturday afternoon this past weekend, so we went to our local theater (it has only one screen and is extremely reasonably priced).  We settled in to the very back row, because they have tables for the chairs in the back row.  No popcorn or pop spills for us!

Bill was sitting next to Sam.  As the lights dimmed, Bill turned to Sam and asked him rather seriously, "Are you buckled in?"  Sam looked puzzled, and Bill said, "Well, isn't this like one of those rides at Disney?"  Sam rolled his eyes and said, "No, Dad. Seat belts are just for the epic movies."

The movie was quite good.  TJ seemed to love the music in particular.  When we got home, he asked permission to buy one of the songs from iTunes.  TJ got an iTunes gift card for his birthday, so he was financing the purchase, but we have his iPod set up so that only Bill or I can download things on to it (safety feature and peace of mind).  I put the song on it for him, but I really should have talked him into buying the whole album.  I REALLY should have.  After listening to the same song over and over, for a couple hours straight, I wanted to rip my ears off.  Ugh!

Risky business

So we now live in a two-story. My office is upstairs, so this means I am trekking up and down the stairs probably a dozen times a day. After awhile, you start to zone out while you march up and down the stairs. 

That's dangerous for two reasons. If I have one of my dizzy spells, I could lose my balance and fall down the stairs. Two, it's dangerous because of Willoughby. He loves the stairs and thinks they are a fabulous way to get attention. When he sees me heading up or down, he will run just ahead of me and then stop on a step.  I am fairly certain he isn't trying to kill me or commit suicide. Judging by his purr and his best 'you know you love me' look, he wants attention. I never mind giving him attention. He doesn't sit on my keyboard the way Katie does while I'm working. But boy, I wish I could reason with him and explain why it's not a good idea to stop on the stairs.