Clark W. Griswold

Ok. so if you know me at all you will know that I am a nut when it comes to Christmas. From the music... and not that ol stuff they play on lite 98.... no no no, the good stuff from Frank, Dean, Sammy, Harry, THAT stuff... good Christmas music. I tend to play Christmas music all month long. I love the parties, the socializing, the presents and play Christmas movies all month long, usually it is National Lampoons Christmas Vacation. Sadly I know every line in the movie.... ok well the good lines, from either Clark, or Cousin Eddie. And I promise you... Holly, no matter what she says... LOVES IT. And lastly, if you were to drive by my house anytime between know and the first of the year you will see my house lit up like a redneck Vegas on crack. I take pride in how tacky, redneck and undone my house looks for this one month of the year. Each year my family will chip in and buy some new fixture for my house or yard. This year however I have gone and changed it up... I have made my new fixture. I would suggest you ride by and check it out, that is the only way you will get the full effect.


However Christmas is not just for awesome music, lights, eggnog, presents and the drunk uncle at every party. There is so much more to it. Lets be honest, between family, friends, and GOD, we have so much to be thankful for. Whether you are sitting high atop Church Hill in your million dollar mansion or you are sitting low in a bench in a park on a cold night, you have GOD, and what more could you want. I know that is so easy for me to say sitting in my warm house, with 3 wonderful kids and a GORGEOUS (brownie points) wife, but no matter where you are or your circumstances, there is God. And no matter how big the present, how much you drink or how loud you get. THAT is what you need to be thankful for, for without him, we would not have the lights, the music, the eggnog, the drunkel (adj. meaning drunk uncle), or a warm home to sit in with watching that famous, awe inspiring National Lampoons Christmas Vacation Movie.




Enjoy the movie clip and photos from my house......

Things That Are Making Me Smile Right Now

1. Lin put up some of our Christmas lights and yard decorations this weekend and Medium is scared of the blow-up Santa and snowman. Every time I open the front door she says things like, "He not gonna come in here is he Momma??". It's a little sad...but funny too! ;-) I think we might need to call them the chickens instead of the penguins, they are scared of EVERYTHING (that part is not making me smile!!).
2. The BEST day of the year is coming up in just a few days!!!!!!!
3. It's 6:45pm and all the penguins/chickens are in bed.
4. I might have the sweetest. husband. ever. and perhaps the funniest (he has a new boyfriend). If you'd like to read a blog post about that let me know. ;-)
5. Large needs Medium to hold her hand every time I dry her (Large's) hair with the hairdryer. She's afraid of the hair dryer. When I said they are scared of everything, it's no joke; but to see Large turning to Medium for comfort makes my heart happy. From the cradle to the grave, people!!!
6. My small group, I love those cats!
7. Raising Hope. No Lin and I do not have a new baby!!! Raising Hope is a tv show that comes on Fox after Glee. It's funny, you should check it out at 9pm on Tuesdays.
8. Music. All music, any music. The songs on the radio, the Christmas songs I heard in wal-mart yesterday, the songs my kids sing, even the songs on Glee....they all make me smile.
9. My God and all the amazing work that I see He is doing everyday.
10. Sweating two days before Thanksgiving. I know it's unnatural and all that blah blah blah but the bottom line is I like warm weather and being able to let the babies play on the playground for 3 hours in short sleeves is fabulous (even if it is November)!
11. Tomorrow is going to be a good day and I am looking forward to it.

Happy Turkey Day my sweet readers!! Be Thankful!!
~ Holly

Freaky Friday Random Thoughts

It's been a while since I've written a random thoughts post.....they are my favorite posts to write, I think. :-)

1. So remember I got a fancy new phone a while back? Well now I have UNLIMITED texting!! Yes that's right I said unlimited; I am super excited about it. I know that is lame but I don't care.
2. Yes We Have No Bananas! That's because Medium keeps eating them all. When did she become obsessed with bananas? IDK (he he) but she will sneak them anytime you are not paying attention. Now, of all the crazy things that happen here at the Animal House eating 4 bananas in one day is not really that big of a deal....I guess.
3. Had to take sweet Large to the Dr yesterday and this was the report: ear infection, sinus infection, bronchitis and strep throat. DO WHAT? And if you are wondering yes we did bathe her in germs. We like to keep it interesting around here.
4. Would anyone care if I slept for 4 days straight? I am crazy tired today!
5. Small is getting even cuter (is that even possible?). He has started clapping his hands and it is adorable. He can also say 'bye-bye' , 'Large (he says her actual name!)' , 'ma-ma' and 'da-da'. Genius. My other favorite thing he does is scream and cry like crazy and then when you pick him up he stops immediately. Charming. Have you seen the commercial where the baby does that?
6. Any job where I can get paid while writing a blog post is pretty awesome.
7. The BEST day of the year is right around the corner, people!!!! I look forward to black friday all year long. It's my fave. Shopping, time with my girls, good deals....doesn't get much better than that!!
8. Terrible news-- the cookie dough did not come in and it won't be here until after Thanksgiving!! What will I bring to all those family gatherings? Maybe they'll take a penguin instead of cookies. In case you didn't know I have been selling cookie dough as a school fundraiser and even (got) volunteered to help with tallying....12 hours of my life I will never get back!!

Hope you have a great weekend, dear readers!!!!!

FEAR

Holly, myself and our small group and PCC have been talking about the book called "Wild Goose Chase". Wild Goose Chase is a book about the cages we put ourselves in throughout or lives that prevent us from chasing the Holy Spirit. The Celtics referred to the Holy Spirit as the "Wild Goose" thousands of years ago.
So in the last 6 weeks I have come to realize maybe I have more than one cage that I am in, and last night I found out that fear was one of them. I am outa town alot for work, sit in restaurants alone alot. Every so often I will end up sitting next to someone and striking up a conversation on occasion. Last night I met a very intriguing gentleman named Gene. Gene and I talked for about 30 to 40 mins about everything from grand kids (which he has) to sports, business and religion. It was tough to here Gene over the loud music that these places have decided to play blasting your ears out while your trying to eat... sheesh..... but I got alot from the conversation, there was alot of smiling, laughing and some silence. But at the end of the conversation, I paid my bill, turned to Gene, shook his hand, smiled and told him that it has been a pleasure talking with him. And without even thinking, I said something that I never ever thought would come from my mouth in a non church environment. "Gene, before I leave, is there anything that I can pray about for you tonight?" Gene's face lit up, smiled and said "yes, actually there is, My wife had a stroke, before the stroke she was the smarter of the two of us. Now, since the stroke she has a tough time with everyday things, she has a tough time dealing with things when I am out on the road. I am lucky enough that we have neighbors that help alot, but if you could pray for her health and safety that would be great."
Without even thinking, I stepped out of my cage, no fear. At least for that moment in time. And it felt great. I get a rush when I mountain bike race, or when I would score a goal in soccer... but nothing like how I felt as I walked out of that restaurant last night...

Thank you God.....

Better Late Than Never

Is it sad that I feel the need to start every post with "Oh how I have missed you, blog; or Oh how I have missed you dear readers!" ? Why yes it is sad, but here I am! There are a couple of reasons for my long absence.
1. The neighbor that I was 'borrowing' internet from finally wised up and blocked me (actually I believe it is broken or turned off or in transition...). I was tempted to ask him about it when we went by to trick-or-treat with the penguins the other night. But I thought it seemed tacky to say, 'Hey-can we have some candy AND some internet???' Maybe next year.
2. My new (and lovely) job cuts into the amount of time I get to spend lounging around with my cup of coffee strolling all over cyber-space while the penguins play 'tornado' (I named that game according to how my house looks when they are done) or 'give small a bath' or 'tea party'.

It actually works out pretty well since I have no connection at home (for now) anyway. Lin is pleased since it gives me more time to finish the laundry. Ha ha ha ha ha, I just wanted to make my baby laugh, y'all! I had to swim out of the ocean of laundry just to get to work this morning. :-) I know what you are all thinking, ooohh new job? Where is she working? I was lucky enough to land a nanny position for a sweet family with a 10yo and an almost 15yo. It is mostly taxi driving and homework help which is a very nice break since I change 12-15 diapers/pull-ups on an average day. We are SO lucky that our family covers most of our child-care and some days they nap while I am gone all 3 hours. That makes me feel like I am not missing too much. I still struggle, though. Am I doing the right thing? Am I letting them have the chance to bond with someone besides me or abandoning my poor sweet penguins? Well the bill collectors are very happy....so that's good news!

What else is happening around the Animal House? The usual fall stuff: apple festival at graves mountain, trick or treating, Lin and I had a fun little get-away to Lake Anna, Small is sitting up by himself but not crawling ...yet, he is drooling constantly (there is nothing I love more than a bib shaped wet spot on the shirt of a sweet, fat baby), Medium LOVES preschool, Large....well not so much! She is a little resistant to school, to my job, to going to bed, to sharing, to pretty much anything that wasn't her idea or doesn't involve candy. If I was super organized I would throw in some cute fall pictures here- so sorry, I am not! But I do love you dear readers and I'll be back....someday! :-)

You know what they say....babies are so resilient.

Who really says that anyway? I suppose someone does. Well it is true here at the Animal House! Whenever I tell these stories to people invariably what follows is, "Awww poor Small!" Those words have never been truer.



Because of our indecisiveness about the room sharing and his refusal to sleep through the night my dear Small was STILL sleeping in his bassinet. I heard him stirring so I was gathering up a diaper and some clothes to start the day when I heard a THUD and then a sad sad cry. Oh it broke my heart! Hopefully someone out there knows what I mean.... Anyway so I ran into the room and scooped him up in my arms and he immediately stopped crying and looked at me as if to say 'oh hey Mom'. He seemed fine but I kept an eye on him and made sure to give him some extra tlc. The bassinet is now living at Auntie Kristy and Uncle Before you gasp at my parenting skills and run off to look up the number for child protective services listen to this.



A mere 5 days later I was washing up some dishes Small was in his highchair while Large and Medium were playing in the playroom. Medium came in and grabbed the tray of the highchair and lifted up her feet forgetting she was penguin and not a monkey. Of course I said 'Meds please stop! You can't do that, sweetie, you'll break the highchair'. So she moved her party to the side of the highchair. She was standing on a bar that is near the bottom on the side of the highchair. As I am screaming Medium(!!!!) you guessed it, it falls right over. She sort of rolled out of the way so it did not totally fall on top of her. But poor poor Small he was strapped in just hanging kinda sideways going 'what the heck are you letting them do to me Mom???' . So I pick it back up and get him out to inspect the damage. He's screaming, she's screaming, even large joined in on the crying! Why not, right? Oh poor Small, there really isn't anything else to say.



They are all fine....for now! Hopefully they will all make it to their next birthdays in one piece and still be allowed to live with their Mom.

Fun Friday's Random Rants

Well I was going to do something new and exciting since I have not written in so many days but I am too lame and I don't have much time before Small and I have to pic up Medium from school. Soooooo here goes!

1. I LOVE my new job but it is really cutting into my writing time! I used to write during nap-time and now I work during naps. I don't miss my 'lunch break' nearly as much as I thought I would and I am getting along fine without any naps. *gasp* But I am missing writing much more than I anticipated. FYI-- I DO NOT miss all the extra time I had to do laundry! HA!

2. Small has decided he will sleep through the night...most of the time! YAY!!! Now how many months can I tell Lin I am still 'catching up from the trauma' ? I could totally identify with Lexi on Grey's last night.

3. Speaking of sleeping.....we are still working on the 'musical beds/rooms' situation we have here at the Animal House. We think we are back to the idea of letting the girls share a room. Medium has been getting up earlier since moving to her toddler bed. Boo hoo hoo, she was our champion sleeper. Thoughts, anyone? Would especially love to hear from some of you that have 5 kids without a 6 bedroom house.

4. LOVING what God is doing in my life these days.....seeing the results of my obedience is incredible, inspiring, awesome!

5. Need prayers for friends and family that are going through some stuff. <3

6. I said the craziest thing to my lovely preggers SIL the other day. She said, 'I am fallling in love with my new baby (or something like that..)' . And I said, 'Oh my gosh just wait until you smell his/her sweet little fat neck.' HA is that nutty or what? I have issues, bigtime. I don't go a day without sniffing Medium's yummy neck.

7. Would it be so wrong to take a bath in pizza from Frank's and then Krispy Kreme doughnuts?

8. My computer screen is doing some wacky stuff. Bummer.

9. Medium went to school today with an arm full of silly bandz (scented ones btw that are SUPER smelly, NOT in the good way!!!) and I realized when we got home that she did not have them. Hey Mrs. Zambito- thanks for taking the only leverage I have against Med. Yes, I use silly bandz to punish my 2 year old.....I know you are impressed by my stellar parenting. Just kidding Mrs. Z who knows what happened to those stinky things!

10. My sweet darling Large has given up her 'buddies' (aka pacifiers) , friends! Maybe I already mentioned this? Anyway, she is doing great. She seems more confident, not getting up in the night, not napping but having a nice quiet time everyday. It's really cool, we should have done this long ago.

I hope you guys are all doing well! If there is anyway that I can pray for you I would LOVE the chance to do that. You can leave your requests in the comment section or email me here.

Have a GREAT weekend!!!