All they want for Christmas...

The kids have been talking about Santa since...well...we bought their Halloween costumes.

IN AUGUST!!!

Thank you Costco and your damn awesome Ninja costumes that I couldn't resist!!

IN AUGUST!!

So, now that it's not even December yet, I'm kinda already tapped out on Santa talk.  Just sayin'!

Either way, I have been asking for about that long what the kids want for Christmas.

Big has had a pretty standard answer:

Not too much stuff because he doesn't want to be greedy.  He wants a Nintendo DS, a trick scooter and a scooter that shoots flames out the back
(*Shaking my fist at his friend Noah and his darn scooter with a spark!)

Now, there's NO CHANCE in hell that mommy will let a Nintendo DS enter this house.  NOT ONE IOTA OF POSSIBILITY!!  Santa!!  I hope you're reading this!!  NOT. GOING. TO. HAPPEN!!

And we already have 2 scooters.  So sticking with the not being greedy rule, well, I'd say Big isn't going to get what he's asking for this year.

Enter Mommy trying to switch gears and make other suggestions...

"How about one of those Airhog things?"

Well, hurray!  Big has now decided that all he wants is an Airhog counter strike and an Airhog Battle something or other.

Have you seen any of these around?  No, really.  Have you?  Santa sent me an email that he's having a hard time finding one.  Plus, they're kinda out of his price range.

Big's going to have a rough year, it seems.  I guess he'll just have to suck it up and enjoy the BRAND NEW BIKE Santa is likely bringing!!!



And then there's Small.  <sigh>  Small.  He hasn't had one original thought about his Santa list since...well...AUGUST when we started talking about Santa!

He's pretty much repeated every. single. thing. his brother has asked for.  Come on, Small!  Grow a pair and come up with something yourself!  Aren't you the independant one in this family???

Hmm, remember your mom ever telling you to be careful what you wish for??

Well, here's Small's current list...which, by the way, seems to have stuck because he asked me to write it down so he can send it to Santa.

It goes a little something like this:

- A bat.  A real one.
- Bat food.  To feed the bat.
- A dog, a cat and a bird.  Because he really likes animals.
- An elephant.  For you mommy!
- and a little dragon that giggles when you tickle it.


Seriously!!  Where does he come up with this stuff???

Santa????  Oh Santa????  Are you still reading????  Better work some magic on this one!!!

Now Enter Big.  We've been trying to teach him to read English but it's slow going and sometimes I wonder if he's reading or memorizing books.

Well, he walked into the kitchen the other day, looked at Small's Wish List and without me saying a word yelled, "A BAT???  A REAL ONE???  WHAT FOR???  IT'S NOT SLEEPING IN OUR ROOM!!!"

You've got your work cut out for you Santa!

All I wish for is two happy kids.  So make sure you grant that one, too, huh????  :)  

Can't we all just get along?

Wow!  It's been a long time since I blogged....Life.  You know.  It gets in the way...

So Big is in Grade 1 now.  He's doing great...despite it being in French.  He'll thank me for it some day, right :)

He's got a kid in his class, though, who is a great, big meanie struggles with social dynamics.  He acts out A LOT and the kids get the brunt of his frustrations.  It's been a pretty tough thing to help Big work through.

On one hand, Big is a really sweet, kind kid who wouldn't hurt a flea. So I've been trying to help him empathize with Bully Boy and recognize that he has a lot to deal with in his life.

But, Big is also a really sweet, kind kid who wouldn't hurt a flea!  And MAN!!  Some days he comes home and I want to tell him to just turn around and pop the kid in the face!!

You know what Big says, he says, "But if I hurt him, he'll think I'm a bully!"
Damnit, kid!!  How come you're always so good??

Anyhow, long story short, today at dinner we went through our highlights for the day.  His was that he helped Bully Boy.  I was like, "WHAT???  WHY???"  And you know what he said?

He said that "Bully Boy hurt himself on the playground and I wanted to help him feel better.  Just because he's mean to me sometimes, it doesn't mean that I shouldn't help him when he needs it."

After I picked my jaw up off the table, I asked him how he felt after helping Bully Boy.  He said, "I felt good mommy.  I like helping people!"

If only we all could be as beautiful as that kid!



I tell you, though...if Bully Boy keeps picking on my kid, I may just unleash Small, my little Tazmanian Devil, on him.  You know...to make things right in the world :)