PADdington Bear

My cousin and his wife were recent houseguests of ours.  While we were having a lovely time catching up on life, Haley was keeping herself busy playing doctor to her stuffed animals in her bedroom.  I didn't think much about it until she marched in to show me her bandaged bear.  Take a gander at her nursing talents:

Poor bear had a cut

In case you can't tell why a bandaged bear is worthy of a blog post, maybe a closeup will explain why I was incredibly embarassed!

Where's the nearest rock for me to crawl under?



The Boob Tube

I have many reasons to believe Tivo was developed by parents.  What did society do before Tivo existed?  Go insane?  I just can't imagine being a parent without it.  Not only do we get to watch our tv shows without interruption, we can plop the kids down at any given moment when we need a little downtime.

Back when I was a kid, we only got cartoons on Saturday morning.  I bet my parents lived for those free moments, when my sister and I were glued to the Smurfs and Scooby Doo.  Kids' programming for a few hours once a week should have been considered parent abuse in 1979.  PBS did offer Sesame Street, 321 Contact, and Mr. Rogers everyday, but those re-runs would only go so far.

Before having kids, I bought into the whole "limit your kids' tv time to so many hours per week" crap.  I swore my kids would be learning from books, not from Barney.  HA!!

Confession time...my kids watch tv at least 2 hours a day*.  And, guess what?  I don't feel guilty or embarrassed to admit that.  In fact, it is those precious, calm moments that keep me sane.  Plop Haley in front of Max and Ruby with a sippy cup of milk, and mom instantly gets to check Facebook do laundry.

So, in the spirit of "educational programming", I wanted to give a rundown of all the kids' shows poor Bryon and I have become way more familiar with than we ever imagined. 

1.  Octonauts.  Okay, so this one isn't the most annoying thing on Disney Jr.  In fact, I kind of like the "Creature Report" at the end of every episode that gives facts on marine animals.  Although, I can never tell if they are singing, "Creature Alert" or "Creature Report."



The Gup-E.  Get it?



2.  Doc McStuffins.  Probably the best female character Disney has created EVER.  This little adorable black girl cures all the toys' ailments in the neighborhood.  Such a better role model than that needy Sleeping Beauty!



No prince needed here!



3.  Max and Ruby.  I hate this show.  Ruby is the most nagging animated creature I've ever seen.  Of course this is the only show Haley ever asks to watch.  She does it just to drive me crazy! 



Ruby doing what she does best...nag Max



4.  Poppy Cat.  I've never actually watched a full minute of this one.  I hope it is teaching good behavior.  For all I know, Poppy Cat is growing poppies for her own personal narcotic addiction.  The only thing I do know about this show is that Bryon has taught the girls to make silly clicking noises during the opening song.  It's amusing to listen to while chccking pinterest doing laundry. 



To the poppy fields?

 I realize these confessions will probably put me out of the running for Mother-of-the-Year, but that is a risk I'm willing to take.


*Okay, it is probably closer to 3, but who's counting??

I REALLY mean it!

Is there anything cuter than pre-schoolers on Valentines Day?  This year was no exception. 

First up was Haley's class party.  They did the typical games, books, sugar-filled snacks, and card exchange.  But, the highlight was the little presentation they did with their teacher, Ms. Liz.  How Ms. Liz can get a group of 9 two & three-year-olds to stand still and sing is beyond me!  She has more patience in her left pinky than I do in my whole body.  Check out the cuteness that is "Skid-a-ma-rink-a-dink-a-dink":

At the end, the kids all sing, "I love you.  I REALLY mean it!"  Haley's been adding the line to everything since her presentation.  "Mom, I need milk now!  I REALLY mean it!"  "Mom, my arm hurts.  I REALLY mean it!"  




Haley and 'Lone (Malone, her bestfriend)



And, another song showing just how patient Ms. Liz is:



After coming down from my sugar high from the first party, it was time for Shelby's class.  Being a little older (4&5), they all knew what sugary goodness was in store for the day.  It was heart-warming to see them so excited to pass out their special Valentines cards to all their friends.   In a few short years, it will be more about the boyfriend/girlfriend experience, so I am cherishing these years while Shelby LOVES everyone just for who they are. 



Shelby checking out her loot

 Shelby's teacher, Ms. Monica, surprised the kids by arranging their monster card boxes around the room doing various activities.  Sam's box was sitting in Ms. Monica's chair.  Shelby's box was hanging out in the stroller.  Dany's box was rocking Molly's box in the cradle.  My favorite was Varalika's box ironing.  I wonder if she would come do some ironing at my house!


Varalika is ironing!

Not to be left out on the love, Bryon and I went on the best Valentine's Day date is YEARS.  (Not to say we've been on some bad dates, but we just haven't done anything at all in a long time.)  We went to some friends' house and took the kids.  They were pretty close to perfect, playing upstairs all night, all the while letting the adults sip a little wine and have real adult conversations.  What more could a middle-aged mama ask for?!?

Time for Shull

Just look at that grin!  Is Haley in her "happy place" or what?!?  Her newest passion is playing "shull" (school) in her room.  She loves to raid my disposable plates, cups, and utensils, then set up snack time for all her stuffed animals.  In true Haley style, the best part is passing out the "snacks".  A dollop of applesauce, a handful of chocolate chips, some pieces of pecans, and a spoonful of powdered ranch dressing are just a few of the delicious (?) goodies she has served her lucky students.  

The funniest shull story so far was the day I peeked in and saw her with a roll of paper towels, cleaning up some applesauce off the floor.  I asked her what she was doing, and she said her student "Fanana" threw up.  Sure...blame the teddy bear for the mess!!

A Christmas to Remember

Because of Bryon's surgery, we ended up spending Christmas at home this year.  I have to say it was one to remember for several reasons.

First, the girls finally figured out the Santa concept and were absolutely obsessed with everything Santa.  Now I know what I put my parents through on Christmas Eve.  Getting them to bed was real chore!  But, seeing their excitement on Christmas morning made it all worth it.  Some highlights:

Haley getting caught opening a gift before it was time.  "What?  Me?  I'm doing nothing wrong!"

The girls trying their hardest to get on the "Nice" list

Shelby discovering her ultimate wish came true~a unicorn Dreamlite and a trampoline!

Funny masks from Grandma Birdy

After Santa arrived and we opened all our gifts, my mom & Jeff, and Molly, Marc, Carly, & Conrad all came over for our big family gathering.  The girls had a blast pestering Conrad, while the grownups had a blast feeding our faces.  

Cousins!

Just after eating and opening gifts, the rain changed to snow.  My family all hit the road before they were going to be snowed in at the Pfaff house.  I guess the idea of driving on black ice sounded better than spending the night with my crazy kids!  

With the house empty and the hot tub nice and toasty, the girls talked Bryon into quite possibly the silliest idea I had ever heard.  When I think back to Christmas 2012, what I will remember most is hearing the roaring laughter coming from my backyard while Bryon and the girls swam in the snow.  

My crazy polar bears!

No longer a pain in the neck

The first week of December, Bryon was in New Mexico for work.  While there, his left arm started to go numb and was very weak.  Dr. Google had him worried it was a heart attack.  So, he went to the urgent care in Las Cruces.  If you've never spent much time in New Mexico, you should know that some people there are big believers in things like "organic", "natural", and "homeopathic".  Western medicine shares an equal spot with Eastern medicine.

So, the urgent care doctor in Las Cruces examined Bryon and informed him he had a muscle spasm in his upper back.  He was sent on his merry way with a prescription for yoga, massage*, and a chiropractor.  Gee, thanks...Would it have been too much to ask for at least a little ibuprofen or Tylenol?

By the time he got home a few days later, he was in extreme pain.  One look at his MRI results, and his local back doctor sent him straight to the surgeon's office.  By this point, I was really getting worried.  The idea of back surgery was really going to put a kink in our holiday plans.  But, seeing him unable to hold anything in his left hand was even scarier.

Finally, 10 days after being told to try Yoga and see a chiropractor, Bryon was seen by a back surgeon.  We could not have asked for a better fit with Dr. Clavenna.  He informed us 80% of patients he sees with the same symptoms can improve without surgery.  Bryon was not in that group.  He had a herniated disk between C6 and C7 that was compressing his spinal chord by 1/8th of its diameter.

The surgeon advised Bryon that he needed a disk replacement.  He wanted to use an artificial disk, as opposed to using some bone from Bryon's hip and fusing the two vertibrae together, pending insurance approval.  The surgery would be performed through the neck, leaving just a tiny scar.

After sleeping on Dr. Clavenna's recommendation, getting a second opinion from Dr. Google, and seeking counsel from a good friend of mine that is also a pain specialist, we decided to go through with the surgery just as soon as possible.  Insurance even approved the artificial disk at the last minute.

Sparing you the boring details of the big day, the surgery was a big success, in more ways than one.  See post operation x-rays of Bryon's new bling:

Side view of cool new bling

front view of cool new bling

Bryon had some feeling coming back in his fingers immediately.  His recovery was very fast, with only an overnight stay in the hospital.  Per his doctor's orders, he had to stay home for at least 2 weeks.  Since I was already off for a couple of weeks for Christmas, we were able to spend more time as a family than we had ever.  Surprisingly enough, we weren't ready to kill each other after so much together time!  My sweet hubby even sent me flowers for taking such great care of him.

The girls got a kick out of the neck brace on dad.  Shelby even drew a picture of our family, with dad in a brace.  I'm not sure what the alien in the upper right hand corner has to do with our family, but the whole thing cracked me up!

Dad's new necklace rocks!

We were really sad that the surgery forced us to cancel our trip to New Mexico to visit Bryon's family, but in the end, we were really thankful for living in a city that believes in Western medicine that was able to fix him fast!  

*Why hasn't my doctor EVER prescribed me a massage?  I think it's time to see more Eastern medicine doctors!

Gee, Thanks!

The girls and I went to Austin this weekend with two goals in mind.  1--to see my dad and his family.  2--to buy Bryon a chiminea for Christmas.

The first goal was easy.  We enjoyed seeing Peepaw, Christy, Vikki, and Loren and catching up with them.  They also have two adorable Boston Terriers that kept the girls entertained.  Shelby became the dog whisperer, teaching "Harley" to shake.  And, poor "Max" got renamed "Mackey".  No idea how that happened.

The next goal was also a success, at least for one day.  I knew I had seen chimineas at H.E.B. in years past for cheap and wanted to stop by there to get one.  My dad wasn't about to let me try to load one all on my own, so he went with me to the grocery store to get Bryon's Christmas present.  (Doesn't everyone do their Christmas shopping at the grocery store??)

After picking out the biggest, most heaviest one, I finally found someone to ring us up and got the thing loaded in the car.  Dad even helped me secure it so that it wouldn't roll all over the back and get cracked.  Finally, the hardest person for me to buy for was marked off the list...or so I thought.

That night, I called Bryon to catch up, and he was SO excited to tell me he found the coolest Chiminea at Kroger for only $25.  WHAT??  After telling him he should have waited until after Christmas to make such a purchase, I realized I was going to have to take the HEB gift back.

So, back to the grocery store with Dad.  The employees were super nice to refund my money, and Dad was super helpful in unloading the 100 pound piece of pottery.  I was pleasantly surprised to see that, in the end, I liked the Kroger chiminea better.

It's back to the drawing board for a gift for the man that has everything!