Seeing Eye Dog

Lizzy: Can you go blind looking at the sun?

Mommy: Ummmm. You'll probably hurt your eyes.

Lizzy turns and stares out the car to look at the sun.

Maddy: Stop, Lizzy!!!

Lizzy continues to stare out the window at the sun.

Maddy: Stop, Lizzy!!!

Lizzy continues to stare out the window at the sun.

Maddy: Fine, Lizzy! Get your own seeing eye dog! I don't care!

Confession

Maddy had her First Reconciliation (Confession) at church on Tuesday, December 6, 2011!!! Her reconciliation was in conjunction with the entire parish's reconciliation night. Because of this process, I also had to go to confession.

I had not been to confession since before Maddy was born and I was quite nervous about it. I sat down, face to face, with the priest and told him that I was nervous and that it had been a long time since I had been to confession. Fr. Mike was kind and gracious.

I continued to talk to him and go through confession. After I was finished, Fr. Mike says to me, "Well, you shouldn't be nervous, you sounded like a professional." I, jokingly interjected, "A professional sinner?!?!?!?!?" Fr. Mike belted out a hearty laugh that was heard throughout the church eventhough everyone was supposed to be in silence mode.

Kerpatrick said, "It's just like you to crack a joke during confession."

Paying Santa

"Mom!!!! Can I get an X-Box for Christmas?" Exclaims Sawyer running into the room. I respond, "Ummm. Well, an X-Box is really expensive.....it costs a lot of money."

Sawyer, with a puzzled look, asks, "Why we gotta pay Santa?"

This is Awkward

"Mom, here's my list for Christmas," Maddy said to me. "Maddy, um....I think you are going to have to cut this list down. It's quite long and quite expensive." Maddy turns her head right and left to look over her shoulder, "Look, I know there's no Santa. I know it's just you and dad. I already had this conversation with dad." "What do you mean?" I asked. "I know that there once was a Santa and he died and now there is no Santa. I mean, come on....how can Santa be in all the different malls?" Disappointedly, I ask, "What about the Tooth Fairy?" "You mean dad slipping the dollar under my pillow?" I continue to probe, "What about the Easter Bunny?" "Ummmm....the dude in the suit at the Community Center?" She continued, "Don't worry, I won't tell the other two."

I then ask her, "Is there anything that you believe in?" Maddy thinks long and hard before replying, "Ummmmm. Yeah! I believe that there once were Native Americans on this land and that they played the drums.......Oh! I also believe in God."

I then used her response as an opening to talk about God, Jesus, and Christmas....how if you believe you will receive, etc. when Maddy finally says, "Ummmm. Okay....I'm gonna go 'cause this is getting akward......."

I'm Bored...

For Kerpatrick's grandmother's 95th birthday, we decided to travel up to Chicago. I drove the kids up there (8 hours) and Kerpatrick flew in from South Carolina.

We had a really lovely weekend spending time with Kerpatrick's family. Lovely dinners, a trip to the zoo, and socializing with family we haven't seen in years.

Kerpatrick was able to drive all the way home with us to Kansas City. Since there were two of us in the car with the kids, Kerpatrick decided that we shouldn't turn on the DVD player (against my judgement).

For two hours, we had to listen to Lizzy complain about how bored she was and if we turned on the tv she would not complain any more....it got to the point where Lizzy said, "Please? I'm bored!?!?! What can I do? Anything? Seriously? Can you put on a puppet show or something??????"

Boob Job

On August 30th of this year, I underwent surgery for my shoulder. The surgeon originally thought that he was going to go in and clip the labrum, but I ended up having the rotator cuff repaired, labrum clipped, and then bone spurs removed.

For the procedure, they gave me a nerve block which really hit me hard. Kerpatrick came back to be with me and I could hardly open my eyes; yet, the nurses, doctors, and anesthesiologist came frequently to check on me. Everytime a medical personnel would come in, they would ask, "Okay, what are we having surgery on?" They did this to verify which extremity, right or left, was being operated on.

Apparently after answering the same question a dozen times, I became quite aggitated. The last time the nurse came in Kerpatrick was with me. She again asked what I was having surgery on, but this time I replied, "I'm having a boob job."

I said it with my eyes closed and did not smirk, giggle, or laugh. Poor Kerpatrick stood there in disbelief as, once again, his wife was able to put him in another awkward situation even while being sedated. He then had to explain to the nurse how I was really there for shoulder surgery although I'm sure he thought about not correcting me and letting me undergo breast augmentation.