JT

This morning? I showed the picture below to Julia and said, "Who's this?"

She said, "It's Daddy!"

She's not the first person to think that he looks like Justin Timberlake. When we were at the Middleboro Christmas Parade, a woman on the side of the street watching the parade actually stopped Ryun to tell him he looked like Justin. Ryun's cousin also said the same thing. I guess I can sort of see the resemblance. Here are some more pictures for comparison:

What do you think?

My Mantra For The New Year

"I'm going to love myself
More than anyone else
Believe in me even if someone cannot see
There's a stronger woman in me
I'm going to be my own best friend
Stay with me till the end
Won't lose myself again, never, no
'Cause there's a stronger woman
A stronger woman
There's a stronger woman,
A stronger woman in me."

Lyrics by Jewel.

I love this song, and, even though the rest of the verses don't apply, the chorus really does.

Nothing Says Christmas To Me Like...

...Karen Carpenter.

...snow!

...homemade gifts from the girls.

...handmade ornaments on the tree.

...sugar cookies!

Motivation

I am desperately trying to find the motivations somewhere...anywhere...to wrap presents. I managed to get a few smaller items that were "gift bagable" done but, that only made a very small dent in the amount I have left to do. I am going to try and get some done today, despite my lack of wanting to. I really would like, for once, not to be rushed to finish on December 23rd. We'll see if my wish translates to "real life."

Other than that, I have a very busy week ahead. Today is the only day in which I have no place to be while Julia is at school. I have a meeting with the principal of the elementary school tomorrow to discuss PTA stuff. On Wednesday, I will actually be at school with Julia helping to construct her gingerbread house. Thursday I have an appointment at 1 and am hoping to food shop afterward, before needing to be back for Julia to get off the bus. It looks like, with an exception of today, whatever wrapping I do manage to get done will be done at night, as I obviously can't wrap in the mornings while Julia is here (not because she wouldn't let me but because she can't see half of the stuff I am wrapping).

So, as if I haven't been neglecting this blog enough of late, I am not expecting t the next week to be any different.

True love is...

...chasing your husband down the highway, finally getting him to pull over, then standing on the side of the highway in your Santa Claus Christmas pajamas, hair uncombed to hand off...his cell phones.

Yes, that really happened.

Emily got up a little earlier than normal today to finish up a homework assignment that she didn't want to do last night. When she went over to the counter to get her breakfast, she saw both Ryun's work and personal cell phones still plugged in to the charger. Ryun had left about five minutes before. She ran in to my room and told me. I, knowing that he stops at the Dunkin Donuts just about a mile up the road every morning, went from barely awake, to flying out the door and into the car, driving at high speeds to try and catch him before he left. I missed him by a second, and saw him pulling out of the parking lot as I was about to drive in. There was one car in front of us, so I flicked the high beams a couple of times in hopes that he might notice me. He didn't and proceeded to get on to 495 North. I was directly behind him at this point, and was flashing my high beams at him like crazy. He made no indication that he saw me at all, so I switched in to the left lane, gunned it so I could get my car level with his, rolled the window down, held the cell phone up and screamed on the top of my lungs, "RYUN PULL OVER." He says he didn't hear me but happened to glance over and saw that it was me. I moved over in front of him, and we both pulled into the breakdown lane.

So, if you were driving between exits 3 and 4 this morning and thought you saw some crazy lady in Santa Claus pajamas and untamed red(ish) hair on the side of the road? No, you weren't hallucinating.

The lengths I'll go to sometimes are indescribable, but as Ryun put it, "Hey, at least you'll have something to blog about today."

Just Because

Your Thinking is Abstract and Random

You are flexible, adaptable, and creative. There's many ways that you can learn - and you're up for any of them. You relate well to other people, and you do well working in groups. You can help people communicate together and work with each other's strengths. You don't work well with people who are competitive or adversarial. You prefer to work toward a common goal... not toward conflicting goals.

What Kind of Thinker Are You?

You Are Checkers

You are very logical and rational. You are able to understand what is and isn't a factor. You're able to compartmentalize and focus on the essentials. You appreciate simplicity. You can see the layers of complexity and beauty in anything. You are also playful and good natured. You don't take life too seriously!

What Board Game Are You?

You Would Be Voted Most Shy

You're not exactly known for being a social butterfly. At school, you were content to be an observer. And while you are shy, going to school simply made you shyer. Your friends don't probably think of you as shy. You're happy to talk around the right people!

What Superlative Are You?

Julia's Appointment Etc.

It occurred to me that I never updated with the details of Julia's appointment with the developmental pediatrician. It was basically all that I thought it would be, with the exception of the doctor stopping short of making a formal diagnosis, due mainly to Julia's age and developmental history. The truth of the matter is? Julia has always been below or on the lower end of what would be considered normal developmentally, and the acquisition of her social skills might be the same. The doctor did have me fill out a rating scale to get sort of a feel of where she might be on the spectrum (we both lean toward Asperger's) but wanted to wait a little longer before recommending formal testing, due to these skills still being in the developing stage. We have an appointment scheduled in April to follow up and we'll go from there.

On a separate, but sort of related note, today was "parent observation" day at dance. It was the first time I have had the chance to watch because Julia was out sick the last time. She really seems to enjoy it and although it is apparent that she is having a little more difficulty with the coordination and balance part than the others, she is participating and seems to be enjoying herself. I wonder if this will all translate on stage at the end of the year when it comes to recital time. She definitely isn't interacting with the other kids much if at all, but, like the difficulty with the coordination and balance, I sort of expected this. All that really matters is that she is having fun, and that definitely seems to be true.

Weekend In Review

It was a busy one for sure! Thursday we spent Thanksgiving in Haverhill at Suzanne and Jack's house. It was fun and as usual, there was way too much food! I made my usual...potatoes and fudge. We got home around 9. The kids went right to bed, which I should have done too, seeing as I was meeting Kelly to shop at the crack o' dawn Friday. I didn't get to bed until after 11 and spent the 4 1/2 hours until the alarm went off tossing and turning. I still managed to drag my but out of bed and get to Kelly's on time, coffee in hand. We had a lot of success shopping, but more fun than that was the people watching. I was beyond shocked at the craziness of it all, and while I had been shopping on Black Friday before, I had never gotten to the stores that early. It was interesting, annoying and funny at the same time. Ryun handled the kids for the afternoon after I got back, and I managed to take a 4 hour nap. I still went to bed early (for me anyway) and woke up Saturday feeling mostly like myself, with an exception of a head cold that I still have.

Saturday was the Annual Middleboro Christmas Parade which both Emily and Katherine were in. It was a great parade and they really had fun. Julia enjoyed watching from the sidelines but did say it was "too loud" a couple of times. She made out well on the candy front, so much so that I gave a small handful away to Jay who brought the kids and watched the parade with us.

On Sunday, we decorated the house. Julia was absolutely mystified by the tree. She loved the whole process from the set up to the hanging of lights to the ornaments. It was fun to watch her. It really made me look forward to Christmas with her this year.

I took pictures.

Stringing up the lights...

The finished product.

Julia had a blast playing with the newspaper we had the ornaments wrapped in,.

She's been paying a little too much attention to her sisters, I think.

She really got in to the whole thing this year, including the silliness.

Julia started this by laying under the tress herself. I thought it would be a cute picture so Emily and Katherine joined in.

Three happy kids!