Brothers, Babies and Blessings

Today was John's Christmas breakfast and it was a smashing success. We arrived bright and early, with our snowmen in tact, ready for holiday fun. Jeremy came with me and sat with John and his friends. It touches my heart to see John willingly including Jeremy in his activities, they have a very special bond. The tenderness that they will often display helps me to forget the blood-curdling shrieks of, "JEREMY!" and "JOHN!" that they let fly every so often.

Jeremy and I stayed until 10:15 and then we left for home. I had a few errands to run and decided to take Joe with me. He was quite the little helper in addition to being delightful company. We stopped at the library to pick up some books for the boys to read during the Christmas break and for a book on tape for Christmas Eve. We have a long drive ahead of us and Roald Dahl is going to help us pass the time or rather, Matilda, is going to help us pass the time. The boys and I love to listen to books on tape or the Classical Kids stories of the composers, Beethoven Lives Upstairs is our favorite.

I also picked up the book, Claude the Dog, by Dick Gackenbach If you have not read this book, stop what you are doing, go to the library and borrow it. Now! I'm not going to tell you what it's about, but I will tell you that it is a short picture book that will take you five minutes to read. And in that five minutes you will laugh and then you will cry. Please go and read it.

Tonight my mom took John and Jeremy out to dinner and then to the movies to see King Kong. They were over the moon because they are also going to have a sleepover with grandma.

Wonderful Kevin took me out to dinner, too. I heard the Macaroni Grill calling my name, so we went there. There were three girls sitting behind us who thought that Joe was just dreamy. They were ooohing and ahhhing at how cute he was and Joe, ever the ham like his mama, played the part of the cute baby. As we were walking out of the restaurant I told Kevin that if I should drop dead tomorrow, Joe is his ticket to a new wife. My dearest husband laughed and then he was strangely quiet. Hmmm, if I should happen to have an "accident" please enter this post into State's evidence, Exhibit A.

The other day, I was feeling stressed and let out a big I need a nap or a stiff cup of coffee sigh and Jeremy said to me, "Mommy, are you alright?" I told him that I was O.K. and then he said, "If you need help, I can help you. Just let me know what I can do to help you and I'll put my drawing book away." I smiled and went to kiss the top of his perfect little head. I swear, my heart exploded from love.

Look to the finish!