Where in the world have the Nagle's been??

It's kind of like Where's Waldo......except we haven't been lost or in a puzzle (maybe a puzzled state!), just really crazy. Let's take a walk back in time, not too far back, cause I don't remember too far back.

Ahh, Christmas, the time I wait for the most (other than spring and I thaw out). Christmas is passing me by and I can't stop it! I even stopped the countdown clock by needing the batteries somewhere else and got busted when Olivia realized the numbers weren't moving. So that didn't help and made things worse when I re-did it and realized 3 more days had passed by. Couldn't wait to Thanksgiving, cause you know what comes after that....nothing like taking a nice walk at night when it's quiet and it's snowing those big flakes and for some reason the whole neighborhood is oddly quiet.......snap out of it.......it's been either raining or turning everything to ice, the neighborhood is rather noisy, and there is brown mud everywhere. OK, I promise the next time I write this post, I will have holiday cheer.

Let me tell you how I got this far behind.......It's a little man named Logan. Yes, this little man that I was so sure wouldn't make life any different than it was, after all I consider myself a professional stay-at-home mother, I can handle this! I handled 7 kids babysitting last yr. I was so wrong and have surrendered. The white flag is waving. It's been 5 yrs. and you forget just how long it takes to actually leave the house or that he will want to eat when you are leaving the house! It's all good, I can do this. Take away the holiday and push it back another 30 days and I can do this.

Now, how did I get so far behind that I barely have anything bought for x-mas, ordered my cards on Tues. evening (yes, don't look for mine until after the 19Th), haven't baked a cookie unless it's choc. chip and comes already pre-sized and cut. Bonus: tree is up and outside and house are decorated!! OK, we have dealt with ear infections, sleepless nights, cranky kids, hernia operation, overnight spent at hospital, cranky kids!, more doctor's appts.

So Logan's hernia surgery went really well, they did end up keeping him overnight to keep an eye on him since he had never been "put to sleep" before. We weren't really prepared for him to spend the night, but it all worked out well. I have to say I got a whole night's sleep and when Rich went to wake me up the next morning, I closed my eyes really tight and tried to pretend he wasn't standing there and it really wasn't time to get up already! You know how kids do that, they close their eyes and if they can't see you, you can't see them. Doesn't really work well for grown-ups, must be only a child thing. LOL My father-in-law came down with a horrible case of pneumonia (on the day of Logan's surgery) and is thankfully home from the hospital now. He does the babysitting of Melinda's kids and takes the girls to school and picks them up. So every body's schedule has been changed. So I am babysitting and doing the taking and picking up............oh yes, and don't forget, preparing for x-mas!! LOL

So Mr. Logan is doing so good, he now weighs 8lbs.9oz (can you even believe it). He is pretty much wearing newborn clothes (sad but good to pack the preemie's away) and I have caught him laughing!! How exciting has this been. It's not the "reflex" laugh that babies have and everybody gets excited and it's only gas.......this is the real thing. He is so fun.

Olivia is just being Olivia. She decorated the tree for the most part and how nice is that when your kids get old enough and can do these things. I have threatened to get her hair cut short if she don't let me do something with it. She doesn't even want to brush it. She did not like leaving her brother at the hospital overnight, which in a weird way made me feel good that she really does love him and recognizes him. Other than that, Olivia is Olivia...................Here is a good conversation between her and her cousin Mackenzie,

Olivia: "Mom, Mackenzie is touching my stuff in my room and I told her she's going to get my germs"

Mackenzie: "It's OK Olivia, I told you we are cousin's, so it's OK if I get your germs"

Olivia: "Well fine then, if you want my germs, go ahead and touch them. I thought you said we were Twins, not cousins"

Mackenzie: "We are, we are twin cousins"

I will leave it at that!!

Last, but not least, I would like to tell you about the Martha Stewart we have in our family. I read my cousin's blog the other day, after i was sooo proud I finally got my cards ordered and found these wonderful projects posted on her blog. She had these perfect cookies, potato stamps!(never even thought of these before), and was making her own wrapping paper! Yes, I read this and realized how pathetically behind I was. So what does a girl do?, call mom. Well too bad they were already in bed for the night and my dad was laying there listening to my "poor me" message. Oh, I must tell you, my cousin has 3 boys, all from 5 and under and she DOES this. So cuz, all I have to say is, next year........Game On. I will be wrapped, stacked and baked by Dec. 1, 2008...................Kim, you know I'm joking and I truly admire what you have done, but seriously......game on! Oh ya, got her x-mas card about 2 weeks ago also!!!!!