"I will not."

For the parents of every two year old, some phrase like this one has caused great consternation. And it's happening to us now. Lovely.

When Joshua decides that he doesn't like a suggestion or an order I give him, he'll turn to me, defiant as all-get-out and say, "I will not." Then he turns and walks away as though he's made some grand statement of decision that he's going to get away with.

Usually it follows with an, "Oh YES you will" from me. Defining who's boss really doesn't concern me. Both Jason and I are pretty firm with Joshua, and neither of us put up with too much garbage from him, despite the fact that he's constantly testing us on the limits, although not usually in this brazen a manner. We'll work on this and conquer it the same way we did the hitting and the biting (oh the biting). We'll be consistent and firm, and help him to understand that you just can't say things like that to people.

Last evening it ended with a spell on the stairs (our time-out spot) and a talk about him not doing what Mommy and Daddy tell him to do. Mom, you'll like this one... I told him that he can't say "I will not" to me and that nice boys say, "Sure Mommy. I'd be GLAD TO!" (Libby and I still tease mom about her making us say this when we were particularly unhappy with her request of us. Sure Mom, I'd be glad to carry the laundry basket upstairs for you. Sue Mom, I'd be glad to clean my room. I just didn't figure I'd be starting this young to introduce that concept with Joshua. Yikes.)

So...Super Mommies...if you've got a good plan of action or suggestions on this little turn in the road of toddlerhood, I'm listening.

Happy New Year's Eve, everyone! My bets are that I will be pajama-clad, comfortable and snoring on the couch by 10:00 pm. (I know...a wild night for me. I haven't seen 10:00 in about a year.)

I can't wait to see what 2009 has in store for us all. Blessings everywhere, I'm sure!

A message for Nana & Pap and Aunt Libby & Unlce Zig:

Joshua says Happy Anniversary to Aunt Libby and Uncle Zig (yesterday) and Nana and Pap (today)! He had a gourmet breakfast of french toast sticks, a banana, milk and a Flinstone vitamin to celebrate for you.

Short and VERY sweet...

I've been a bit longwinded lately. Imagine that? So if you've stuck with me through my ramblings, thank you my friends.

So...a short and sweet one today. Yesterday was one of those awesome days where I seemed to really sit back and enjoy Joshua. We laughed really hard a few times at the things that he was coming up with. But this little interchange took the cake. I ran to the kitchen and scribbled it down, knowing immediately that it was "bloggable".

Joshua: "So....what can I get for you today?" He was sitting at his aquadoodle pad and drawing whatever I asked him to get me. This is a classic Joshua game.

Me: "How about a cheeseburger." This from the dieter...a cheeseburger sounds unbelievable. But I digress.

Joshua: "Sure." He draws it. "What with?" Because clearly you can't have JUST a cheeseburger. Come on Mommy.

Me: "How about french fries?"

Joshua: "Sure." He draws them. "Anything else?"

Me: "A milkshake please."

Joshua: "Sorry Mommy. I don't have any more milkshakes. I put them away."

Goodness...I sure do love this little boy.

Christmas Traditions

I hope everyone enjoyed the tons of pictures from our holiday celebrations in the days leading up to Christmas. I took some time yesterday after the flurry of activity was over to download pictures from the cameras and even surprised myself at how many pictures we had taken. But as much as everyone teases me for the quantity of pictures that we take, I don't think I've ever regretted having them.

Jason and I spent a while talking about Christmas traditions on our drive back home on Wednesday evening, Joshua fast asleep in the back seat. We both talked about how important those Christmas traditions were and how they really MADE Christmas for both of us. And then we both wondered what we've done or are doing to establish those special family traditions for Joshua. So that got me thinking. And you all know by now that thinking equals blog posting...

Jason fondly remembers their family tradition of getting to open one present on Christmas Eve. He recalls that it kept him busy during the long evening of anticipation, but that he really loved playing with a new toy while waiting to go to dinner and church in the evening. And he remembers the Yule Log being on TV. He said that they would often go out together to look at Christmas lights and would really enjoy that evening as a family. On Christmas Day, there were lots of gifts and lots of travels to visit with other family members and to inspect the gifts under everyone else's tree.

In our family, tradition was never far from discussion. In fact, Richards have been teased for being so stuck in tradition that we can't see the new normal or the fact that things have changed so much that the "traditions" no longer make sense. Our Christmas Eve and Christmas Day traditions were so set in stone that you could almost set your watch to them. Christmas Eve with my dad's family---- much food, much singing, much laughing. And then, my favorite of all, Christmas caroling around whatever neighborhood we were in for the party. The Richard Christmas medley is such a special family tradition, sung by generations. Christmas Eve we would go home, usually late, and get ready with a snack for Santa and get ready for bed. I can distinctly remember my dad bundling up to go out carolling with the quartet- my pap, my great-uncles and my dad- all singing that same Richard medley to unsuspecting (and usually sleeping) people along their path. They were out LATE....REALLY LATE. When Dad was still a police officer, Libby and I both recall having to wait until he could get home after checking in at the police station to see us open our gifts. Mom would generally cave and let us open our stockings before he got there. He wasn't too interested in seeing our gum and pencils and lip balm anyway. After a whirlwind of presents at home, it was time to go across the street to my Gram and Pap's house for mincemeat pie (not for Libby and I...meat and pie do not belong together in my opinion, so Gram always made us scrambled eggs and raisin toast) and more presents before our big turkey dinner.

So that all lends us to thinking about what traditions we've started for Joshua that he'll talk to his wife and children about someday. I wonder what all you guys do with your kids that they'll always remember. I thought I'd share a few of the things that we've begun to do with Joshua or for him...

- On the advice of a client, I've put a photo ornament on our Christmas tree each year since Joshua has been born. It captures the year in a photo and freezes a memory of Joshua. Even with only 3 photo frames on the tree, I cherish them more and more each time I look at them.

- I have written Joshua a Christmas letter each year since he's been born. I love it- it's time that I spend reflecting on the year with him. I take time to write down all of the things that I was proud of him for during the year. Granted, letter number one at 8 weeks old was a little short (and a little sappy due to post-partum hormones!) but it's been fun to record my thoughts and wishes for him each year for him to look back on someday. They're all tucked away safely, but when he can read them, I hope he'll appreciate that his Mom took a little time before the holidays to put my thoughts and prayers for him on paper.

- Joshua came up with his own tradition this year that we thought was really cute. On Christmas Eve, he said he wanted to write Santa a note. It was mostly scribbles, but he talked while he wrote about how he'd been a good boy this year and that he hoped Santa and Rudolph liked his snack. So, we were all thrilled to find a note back to Joshua from Santa on Christmas morning. Both notes are tucked away for safe keeping.

- Another favorite childhood memory of mine has made its way into our Christmas Eve routine too. For the last two years, Joshua has fallen asleep to two Christmas books. The first, "Twas the Night Before Christmas". And the second is a book about Baby Jesus. My Pap used to read Twas the Night Before Christmas at our family Christmas Eve gathering, holding the youngest of us on his lap as the rest of us would sit around wide-eyed, marvelling at the story. Joshua loves it too. And I knew that he was drifting off to dreamland thinking about Santa and Baby Jesus. Pretty cool.

So...enjoy the pictures. Enjoy the Christmas aftermath at your homes. Enjoy this inbetween week when we all say goodbye to 2008 and usher in 2009. More pictures won't be far, I'm sure.

Santa CAME!

I'll post tomorrow about how Christmas went at our house, but I promised Aunt Libby, Nana and Pap that I'd get pictures up right away. Enjoy, you guys! We miss you.

Writing a note to Santa before bed...PRECIOUS!

Preparing a snack for Santa and Rudolph.

Breakfast...after discovering that Santa filled his wish of a green teddy bear!

Opening presents with Grandma

Gotta love a Sit 'n Spin!



Please don't miss the Bear slippers and Bear backpack on his back. He insisted on wearing it to eat lunch.

The tables were turned on me...

Christmas Eve with Pap & Freda and the Gang

Christmas Eve has always been one of the most special days of the entire year. When we were little, we couldn't wait to get to the party with our family, no matter where it was. Christmas Eve is a day to be together with everyone you love, and that's what we've always done as a family. Many of us have said over the years that it just wouldn't be Christmas if we weren't all together...and I truly believe that.

For me, it's all about anticipation. I love being excited about things...and in a strange way, I almost love anticipating things more than I love the thing itself. I fear that doesn't make sense, but I hope you know what I mean. Christmas Eve is all the anticipation you could ask for rolled up into one special day. And now that I'm a mom, and can see the anticipation in the eyes of my son, it's even better. All day long we talked about it being Christmas Eve. We talked about Santa and how he would come to our house. We looked out of Pap and Freda's window to see if we could spot his sleigh or the reindeer. (By the way, I can distinctly remember doing the same thing with all of our cousins when we were little. And I can remember being convinced, just as Joshua was, that I had seen him. Magic!) The anticipation of Christmas is such a blessing. In preparing our hearts and our homes for the blessing of Christmas, we allow the joy of the season to fill our lives. Only our God could have created such an amazement, such a wonder for us to enjoy.

We spent the afternoon at Pap and Freda's house with the whole family again. And we ate....again. Uncle Butch said it best. "Our family gets together to eat. We eat. Then we talk. Then we eat. Then we get ready for church. Then we come back and eat. Then we carol. Then we come back and eat." That's pretty much how it goes.

We left the party just before supper time. The icy roads and thick fog were moving in and we needed to return home so that we were here for Christmas morning. Joshua fell asleep in the car (another Christmas miracle) and awoke when we hit Mifflinburg. We got home, unpacked from the trip and got things situated before the hurricane of Christmas morning hit. I hated to leave my family, and find it more emotional than I thought I would. I missed caroling with them so deeply this year and haven't been able to do that since Joshua has been born. I truly hope everyone knows how much I wish I had been there to share the end of the evening...but little boys need to be at home in their own beds for Santa to find them. And as sad as I was to leave, I was just as happy to walk through our own doors and settle back into home after being gone for almost a week.

Tuesday...

Believe it or not, this is the first time I fed Brooke. Goodness, I love this little girl...

Joshua and Pap getting ready for the Polar Express!

This was the scene during the movie. Complete and total amazement...

Tuesday was another relatively low-key day at home. We didn't have major party plans, so we spent the day together running a few errands and hanging out at the house. The highlight was definitely watching the Polar Express on Pap and Nana's new TV.

I don't know whether I've posted about Joshua's obsession with this movie, but it had gotten a little out of hand in the week leading up to Christmas. He woke up asking to watch it, and continued to ask through the day (and I mean the WHOLE day). We could usually hold him off until evening, and he would spend his last hour and a half leading up to tub and bed time watching the movie. Anyone who knows Joshua or who has ever spent more than 3 seconds in his company knows that he doesn't ever sit still. In fact, he doesn't ever stop moving. Ever. But when the Polar Express is on, he's completely, totally still. He's amazed...and it's so cool to watch.

I know TV and movies aren't great for kids...and honestly, he doesn't watch that much otherwise. But this is really something. I think he's really forming his opinions and expectations about Christmas through this movie, and I suppose it could be a far worse depiction. What's crazy to us is that he totally GETS the plot. He knows why the little boy is sad at the end after losing the bell Santa gave him. He knows that Billy is sad and the other kids help him to be happy for Christmas. He knows about the elves and Santa and all of the preparations involved in getting ready to leave the North Pole on Christmas Eve. It's amazing.

So we settled in together as a family to watch the movie and had a great time. Joshua sat with Pap almost all of the movie, which I think Dad enjoyed. I'm sure he went to bed dreaming of choo-choo trains...

Merry Christmas #2- Nana and Pap!

Look again....it's not Santa...it's Brooke!

My favorite photo subject on Monday seemed to be little Miss Brookie...all dressed up in her Santa suit and (of course) matching Santa bib. After all of the craziness with the party on Saturday, and then a full day with church and the Christmas cantata and a visit with Pappy Ray on Sunday, Monday was a day reserved just for our family. We've really come to enjoy this special day just for us...and it's only getting more and more special now that our family is growing.

Dad and Jason worked on a delicious seafood chowder for us to eat and Dad grilled up some amazing halibut fillets as the main course. Wow....was that ever good. Nothing we ate on our Alaska trip a few years ago could compete with the seafood feast we put together.

After supper, we enjoyed exchanging gifts with each other. Our long awaited surprise of the pictures of Joshua and Brooke was revealed, finally. How Libby and I kept that one quiet is, in fact, a Christmas miracle. I had made at least 3 different trips to Lewistown and managed to avoid being spotted. We had lied and schemed...but it worked out quite well. I think it's safe to say that Mom and Dad loved their photos...we all cried...but what would a gift exchange be with them if we didn't? Libby and Zig gave Joshua a huge easel to do his crafts on, along with a bazillion art supplies (I'm not kidding) to use to create his masterpieces. He loves it. And I do mean LOVES it. Mom and Dad had some wonderful things picked out for him too--- he's especially fond of his boulder builder and firetruck!

One thing was for sure...there was so much to be grateful for after such a wonderful day. We had given each other the most precious thing we could---- our time. And being together for an uninterrupted, quiet day at home was one of my Christmas 2008 highlights for sure. Thanks Mom and Dad...and Libby and Zig for a wonderful Christmas celebration together.

Merry Christmas #1- Saturday with Grandma Shirley & The Gang

Grandma Shirley and our favorite little girl in pink!

"Helping" Cory....really, jumping in when it wasn't his turn, but we'll say "helping" to sound nice.

Like the John Deere tools? Could Grandma Shirley have picked a more perfect gift for Josh?

Panorama....Richards everywhere!

Richard party #1 started off our trip to Lewistown with a bang. Within just a few hours of our arrival at Mom and Dad's, the driveway was packed and there were people everywhere you looked. And all of a sudden, it felt like Christmas. We laughed and talked and oohed and aahed at how precious Brooke is. We ate and ate and ate (so much for the diet....we'll get back to that as soon as I can get away from wonderful tasting food at my Mom's!). We sang. We opened presents. We were holly and jolly and really enjoyed being together. That's what it's all about, right?

It was only the beginning...

It'll be loaded...

Our next post, that is.

The next time you'll probably hear from us is after Christmas, and it'll likely be loaded with stuff. Pictures too, I hope. We're headed to Lewistown this morning to begin the celebrations and I honestly cannot wait. It's such a special tradition that our family (aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.) always makes it a point to be home, together for Christmas. There are usually two parties, and even though we see the exact same people twice, we love being together and get in our share of giggles (that would be me, Lib, Steph and Stacie!) to last into the new year. It's true that all hearts go home for Christmas, and I always look forward to being a Richard girl again for a few days.

Joshua will surely rearrange every inch of Nana and Pap's house while we're there for a few days. Add to it the likelihood that there will be PRESENTS and I have a feeling we're in for it.

Yesterday was a great surprise snow day with Joshua. We had a blast! We did chores together, played games, watched some Imagination Movers and played the day away. It gave me a bit of a head start on getting ready to go away, although this morning there's still quite a bit to do. Packing up gets to be a bit more routine after you do two years worth of it, but it's never easy.

The Dugans wish all of you a very merry Christmas. We'll look forward to sharing our stories after the big day! Thanks to all of you for your friendship and support through all of the ups and downs of parenthood. Somehow it makes it so much better to have all of you along for the ride, giving advice or sympathy or suggestions along the way. So thank you!

Now.......packing. I must pack.

Ho Ho Ho!

Two hour delay...

I have to admit that I have a "love-hate" relationship with the weather this time of the year. I feel like, from about mid-November until the end of March, all plans that you make have to have an "as long as the weather cooperates" disclaimer attached to them. For a Type A personality like me, that's tough. If I make plans, I want them on the calendar in black Sharpie. That's just how I am. So I struggle during these winter months. On the other hand, there's nothing I like more than being stuck at home, spending time with Joshua when I should be working. I feel a sense of relief from work stress since the day off happened because the roads weren't safe enough for Grandma to travel down here. What can you do, right? And usually we just let loose and have a good, surprise day together.

This morning gave us the gift of a few extra hours together until the ice melted a bit in Lycoming County. Joshua and I giggled so much...what a blessing. I'm still hearing that precious giggle running through my mind. As soon as I opened his door this morning, he sat straight up with this ear-to-ear smile and said, "My Mommy!" (as though he couldn't have been happier to see me....simply amazing) and then "Mommy, I slept ALLLLLLLL night!" (He expected applause and accolades, which he did not receive because this is, in fact, a big lie.) But he tried. I have to give him credit. We talked for a while about his night's sleep. He described it as, "Ummmm....pretty good." I, personally, recall a stretch from 2 am until about 3:20 where we met each other 4 different times. But he didn't seem to remember that. But he was so adorable with his hair a mess and clinging to Bear while we chatted that I mostly forgot all about it.

We spent the rest of our morning eating a pancake in his new big boy booster seat. Another "baby phase" has now been passed as we put the high chair down in the basement last evening. Our "high chair parking" was overtaken by the new love seat yesterday, and our experiment at dinner last evening worked much better than anticipated. Joshua loved the booster seat and sat relatively still while he ate. I think he likes being at the table with us.

After the pancake, we played a very ambitious game of "Soooo.....what can I get for you today?" that even included a drawing of each item on his magna doodle before he brought me my pretend goods. Then we played band for a while with his instruments. I had the guitar while he played the keyboards (our coffee table) and we giggled. Oh how we giggled. He was busy making crafts when I left for the office. He had affixed about a million stickers to construction paper and was coloring like a champ. What a sweet boy....I'm so glad he's ours.

I'll leave you with a few pictures. Two of the man himself, wolfing down his pancakes. Aunt Libby, aren't you proud of your partner in pancake loving? Please take notice of the screwdriver and comb sitting next to his Penn State plate. In between bites, he said he had to give his sippy cup a haircut. I didn't ask... The last two are of our little project at the house. I sat this morning on the new loveseat and realized that it was, without a doubt, the longest I'd ever spent in the former dining room. We still have some accentuating to do, but it's come together pretty nicely consdering the fact that discussions began about it the weekend after Thanksgiving. Warp speed is about how things move at our house. Most of the time it's a good thing...and the rest of the time it just makes my head spin.

The Muppets Christmas special is on tonight. We'll see what Siskel and Ebert have to say about that one.

Looking into the front room from the entryway of the house.

Looking out toward the front door.

"Joshua Quotes.....Oh I LOVE Joshua Quotes!"

If you're wondering about this post title, read below. I'm guessing you missed the one from this morning.

Jason called me at lunchtime and made my day. I've been chuckling to myself for a few hours now and have told the story a few times to people in and out of the office. Now it's your turn. He had called home to ask his mom a question and got a chance to talk to the little man for a second. These little phone conversations are becoming legendary in our house, and oh how I wish I could record each of them for the sake of posterity. To freeze Joshua's "two-ness" would be such a gift. I know I'll probably say this more times over the years, but it really can't get much better than this.

Evidently Joshua explained to him that he had eaten lunch and was being a good boy. (My guess is that he's still thinking about my offer of sitting together in our new room and watching Polar Express together tonight if he was a good boy today.) Then, all of a sudden he said (and I quote), "Actually Daddy, I can't talk to you right now. I'm reading a book." And that was it.

"Actually".....really?

God blesses us with these little, awesome moments. I can't wait for the next one.

"_______...Oh I LOVE __________"

Things have returned back to "under control" status at our house after the weekend's excitement. Luckily, there doesn't seem to be any lingering effects from the little peanut debacle. We are now the proud owners of two epi-pens to be kept with us all the time...although we're hoping like heck that we never have to use them. Our doctors were great yesterday and gave us some good advice. But they warned that if this was his first reaction, that we really need to be careful because the next one will be worse. That sufficiently freaks me out. We've begun the "peanut purge" from the house. Jason took the dreaded cookies to the office to pawn them off there. I brought a few jars of peanut butter and peanut butter products to the office to give them away. I also threw away quite a few things that showed peanuts on the labels- some that surprised me (a bag of chocolate chips, granola bars- and not peanut butter ones, etc.) So, we're making progress. It'll take some getting used to to be able to read labels and know what to watch out for, but we'll manage. Certainly, many kids have allergy issues far more severe than Joshua, so I consider us very lucky. But like many things since becoming a mom, I'll add "peanuts" to the long list of things I never dreamed I'd have to worry about.

Joshua was extremely high strung last night. I chalk that one up to the prednisone working its way out of his little system. Needless to say, I did not give him the additional dose last night. Hard to say what he might have been like with MORE of it. I couldn't even get him to sleep last night because he was thrashing around and wouldn't lie still long enough to fall asleep. Everything was fast---- he was talking fast, running fast...it was like baby speed. Amusing and scary all at the same time.

The post title is one of Joshua's latest phrases that cracks me up. Just about anything I mention gets this response. Take, for instance, breakfast this morning. "Joshua, let's make some french toast sticks for breakfast." "French toast sticks...Oh I LOOOOOVE french toast sticks." It happened a lot over the weekend too. We were talking about going to church on Sunday. "Church.....Oh I love church!" "Juice.....Oh I love juice." Insert just about anything you want. What a character.

This is turning into quite a random post, but we have other excitement going on today. The love seat is being delivered this morning to the house to complete the new front room. Yesterday the electrician finished his work in installing a TV cable, fixing a light and reinstalling our satellite box for the room. We've finished finding all of the furniture and have laid the rug in the room. Once the couch is in there, we'll be all set. Then all we need to do is finish with a throw of some sort, and DECORATIONS! Libby and I may have to make a little trip to Yoders when we're in Lewistown next week...LOOK OUT! I've already told Joshua that if he's a good boy today, maybe we'll all sit together in the new room and watch Polar Express tonight. It's his absolute favorite thing right now and the only thing on the planet that can make him sit still for over an hour.

So that's the update from our world here. Have a great day everyone!

"Peanut"....no longer a good choice of nickname.

Making Christmas ornaments on Friday

A better heart-to-heart with Santa on Saturday


Classic grilled cheese face. I'll always remember this moment...just before "the cookie".

I had all sorts of good Joshua stories to share from Friday-Sunday morning of this past weekend. But then Sunday afternoon happened and trumped them all.

Since Joshua has started eating real people food, I've been a bit neurotic (imagine that) about giving him new things to try. I always felt pretty silly about it because he's never had any issues with anything he's eaten. But I've been holding off on peanut butter with this sick feeling in my gut that he would have issues. I know tons of kids his age who enjoy peanut butter and jelly all the time...but I'd never given him any. Until yesterday.

Friday morning, I baked some cookies that had peanut butter in them and I thought that it might be a good way to introduce it to him by letting him have a bite of a cookie. So on Sunday at lunchtime, he asked me for a cookie and I gave him one. As I sat it on his tray, I once again joked to Jason that I was nervous about it, but that we "have to find out sometime". Not funny. Joshua was mostly interested in the M&M's that were in the cookie, so he picked out two of them and ate them. The actual cookie on his M&M's was negligible. Within seconds of putting the second M&M into his mouth he was crying and his face was red, I figured because he was screaming. So we went upstairs to try and settle down and get ready for his nap. But as soon as I got upstairs with him, I noticed that his lips and mouth were all swollen and his face was really splotchy. So I grabbed my shoes and his and downstairs we went.

This is one of those definite moments of panic. We've been through a few scary things that have made me question whether or not we needed to go to the ER, but this was definitely one of those "we have to go" moments. Jason and I didn't talk much about it- we just went. Daddy drove us to the hospital in record time. Within seconds we were out the door, cell phone in one hand calling the pediatrician. (Emily, you were next!) I wasn't happy with the pediatrician's advice to give him some Benadryl and wait to see if it got any worse....you just can't trust a two year old to tell you if they're having trouble breathing. So off to Evan we went.

I'll give them credit at Evan. As soon as they looked at his mouth, we were on to the triage nurse and then right back in the ER with a doctor and nurse waiting for us. They were all geared up to start his IV, but the doctor said that he thought we had time to try giving him the medication orally. Thank goodness. So the nurse came back with his three little cups of medicine (Benadryl, Prednisone and Zantac). I think I rushed it, because after he took the second one, everything came up into our laps---- his whole lunch AND all the medication. They gave us another chance, and that time, we got it all down and kept it down. Phew.

Two green popsicles and 3 hours later, they gave us our walking papers. I guess they were supposed to observe him for 4-6 hours, but realized that he was getting restless and was totally back to normal after 3. Joshua was such a trooper while we were there. He drew pictures for the nurse and the doctor and very proudly handed them to them and said "I made this for you." He kept saying, "The doctor was very very nice to me." He came home in his little yellow hospital gown shirt because of the calamity with the clothes he had on. Even Bear was in the line of fire, but we managed to get him spiffed up when we got home and he's in his arms right now as he sleeps.

I'm not exactly sure what this all means. I suspect we'll begin some allergy testing now (flashing back to my own experience of allergy tests when I was in first grade...where I counted all hundred or so of the skin pricks in German) to see just what we're dealing with. I'm now armed with Benadryl in every travelling bag we have and we're going to have to be extremely careful about no one feeding him anything that we don't know about...especially with holiday parties coming up.

The morals to this story:

1. Don't ignore a mother's (or father's) intuition about something. We really do know what's best for our kids...despite everyone telling you that they know better.

2. Make sure your diaper bag is always packed with enough stuff to occupy your child for 4-6 hours. We ran out after 2 and a half.

3. Keep your little kids the heck away from PEANUTS!

Santa Academy

I've learned something today. I, as a parent, am very ill equipped and poorly trained to handle the job of wrapping children's Christmas presents. Seriously...why is it that toy manufacturers no longer package things in anything square? Or even in anything with four distinct corners? I've spent a bit of time this morning working on assisting Santa with a few packages, and have yet to come across one that isn't crumpled on at least one side.

Those of you who know me well can sense the struggle I'm having. I'm normally one of these people whose presents must be perfect. I've always wondered why I feel so strongly about it considering the fact that my hours of wrapping end up in a garbage bag within about 30 minutes of the beginning of Christmas exchaging. But it is what it is. I'm a little over the top about wrapping...and I'm usually OK with it. I feel like this is a confession, but I'm actually someone who gets really happy when the pattern on the wrapping paper matches up perfectly when I cut it to go around something. Add this to my list of things I have issues about.

But, I've decided there should be some sort of training for this overabundance of non-square toys. Since this is really the first Christmas that we've truly had gifts for Joshua, I feel like I've been bamboozled a bit. So, if any of you experienced moms and dads have tips for a newbie, I'll gladly take them.

In other news, Joshua and Jason had a very special Daddy night last night while I was at Bucknell. I came home to find them snuggled up on Daddy's chair watching the Polar Express. At that point, Jason reported that it had been an hour and 14 minutes of him sitting still, enthralled by the movie. Now THAT'S impressive. We haven't found anything else that makes him sit still that long. I'm glad they had fun, but I was super happy to get home in time for Joshua's bath and stories. We had a chance to catch up on his day and talk a bit before he drifted off to sleep. What a sweet ending to the day for both of us.

In case anyone's concerned about our gingerbread adventures, there are 20 (still standing, solid as a rock) gingerbread houses in my office. 20 more to be completed today by some high school volunteers. I'm a bit concerned about tomorrow's weather, so we have to make a judgment call on this soon...but we're making progress. Much less painful than I would have anticipated. I actually had a BLAST working on them yesterday...I felt like I was a kid again!

So, in the happy column....GINGERBREAD HOUSES. In the not so happy column....unsquare toys. We'll call it better than even. Christmas is still the best.

Great material is TOO easy to come by...

Two Joshua-isms for the day. I was home for a few extra hours while Grandma and I juggled schedules this week. It's not pretty, but we're making it work thanks to her flexibility. This is the one week that I've been half excited about and half dreading because of the amount of juggling I'm doing, but it gave me two precious hours with Joshua this morning that made my day. It may make up for the fact that the next two evenings my time with him will be sparce at best. I hate it...every second of that part of it.

The first classic moment was this morning when we were getting dressed. I picked out a shirt and a pair of jeans for him. When I pulled the shirt out of the closet he shook his head and said, "Mommy, I don't think that's a very good idea." What? Where did he come up with that one? It continued to be his phrase of the day this morning---- about breakfast, about what to play first, about what I decided to wear when I got dressed for work. Cracked me up.

In our extra time this morning we ran two errands. One to Ben Franklin for some tools necessary for the big gingerbread adventure this week (40 houses to be assembled by Thursday.....YIKES!). Then we ran to American Heritage Crafters---- my new "danger" spot for home decor. Good grief...it took all my strength not to buy one of everything. We found a Christmas present for Grandma, which Joshua proudly announced to her (with great detail about what it is and how pretty it is) when we walked into the house and she was there. So much for that surprise. She assures me she'll forget by Christmas. Evidently we need to work on the idea of "it's a surprise".

Joshua is having a special Daddy night this evening while I go to the Bucknell basketball game to be a local "good neighbor" and hand out pizza to those in attendance. Interesting marketing tactics State Farm is undertaking, but I appreciate the creativity. We'll see. I'm decked out in my State Farm red logo sweater and I'm ready to hand out the pizza. Hopefully Jason and Joshua will have a fun evening together.

The sleigh was in the shop...

So Santa rode his John Deere to town on Saturday. Joshua wasn't too impressed.

"Mommy, I'm inside the tractor!"

As you can see, Joshua's visit with Santa was less than "merry". Poor little thing just screamed and screamed at the sight of the man in the red suit. After a while, he finally did give him a high five and requested two teddy bears for Christmas. Needless to say, I'm glad he told Santa, because his elves here had NO earthly clue that he wanted a teddy bear for Christmas. He kept telling us that he wanted trucks....

He definitely enjoyed going outside into the parking lot and seeing the "big big tractors" with Daddy.

It was a whirlwind of a weekend for us....although I feel like I say that every single Monday when I report on our adventures. We ran all over the place on Saturday furniture shopping and exercised our minds more than we usually do on the weekend to try and map out our new little den. We're still not completely sure where this project is going. The search for the right chair continues...

Yesterday was a special day for our family. We headed to Lewistown to be at my home church for Brooke's dedication. I found myself crying...surprise surprise...but it was beautiful. She looked so adorable in her little red dress AND SHOES. Joshua behaved relatively well considering the fact that we had him cooped up in the car for an hour to get there, then he had to sit still for another hour during church, and then had to go back home again after lunch. That's tough when you're 2...but he did surprisingly well. Mom and Dad treated us all to some homemade hot chwicken soup after church that was yummy as always. Joshua particularly enjoyed it and ate a whole bowl. I think he mostly liked the piece of carrot cake that he got to have after lunch. We were just so thankful that we could be there to share the day with Libby and Zig and Brooke. There's no doubt that our family has been blessed by this little girl...we love her so much.

Happy Monday everyone!

Miracle Max...

I've been touched today by yet another family's story that I heard about through the blog network. It's amazing to me how many people have been touched by Stacy and Spencer, and Taylor and now little Max.

My prayers and thoughts are with little Max's family today as they grieve his loss and celebrate his life. Max was diagnosed with Trisomy 18 and his mommy and daddy got to meet him this morning. He was with them for a little less than 2 hours. Sleep in heavenly peace, sweet Max.

I'm not entirely sure why I'm so drawn to these stories, but I think many of us who have heard and read about these precious babies have felt the same way. Many of us have written about them, and I've been so touched to know that for many of us who check up on each other through these sites share our faith in common. I know that our close call with Trisomy 18 at the 19 week point in our pregnancy with Joshua and the 24 hour period that we wondered and hoped and prayed for the health of our baby is still a very raw and real emotion for me. I can remember calling Karen, the one person I knew would have a chance of helping me understand after her losses and her knowledge of genetic troubles. Jason was taking a huge exam that morning when I got the call from our doctor's office, so I couldn't call him. Karen and I cried together and she promised to go to Geisinger with me if they could get me an appointment with the specialists there and Jason wasn't back home yet from Harrisburg. I remember praying, so hard, for wisdom and guidance as everything I could find to read and learn about Trisomy 18 said "a condition incompatible with life". I had so many questions, and so many fears. It was one of only a few times in my life that I can completely understand the quote by Abraham Lincoln that says, "I was driven to my knees by the overwhelming emotion that I had no where else to go." I recall vividly the strength of my husband, who assured me that we'd get through whatever may lie ahead of us together. I recall calling my sister and my mom and getting no further than "They think there's something awfully wrong with the baby." And then breaking down. I remember the genetic counselor, who I wished had been a bit more tactful when she said, "Things don't look good. You should be prepared to make some decisions today." before she sent us back to meet with Dr. Maslow. And I remember the relief when he told us that it all looked to be a false alarm. And then I remember waiting for that ultimate moment on October 25, 2006 when we heard that precious cry and were told that Joshua was 100% perfectly normal and healthy.

Maybe that's why I so appreciate the demonstration of faith that these parents have displayed and continue to share through their blogs. It makes me ever more thankful for our perfect son. And it makes it even more evident to me that God works miracles to bring each precious child into our lives- for however long he entrusts them to us. Someone once told me that the secret to parenting is to understand that we're just along for the ride. That our kids aren't ours, they're just on loan to us from God to help, to keep safe and to teach as much as we can. And while that doesn't make it any easier to think about the hurting hearts of the parents who have to say goodbye to their babies way too soon, it does put things into perspective to know that God's plan is at work, even when we can't possibly understand it.

I hope we don't hear of any more stories like this for a very very long time. Put today I'll pray for Max's family. And I'll pray a prayer of thanksgiving for Joshua and the millions of blessings he's brought to us. If you want to learn about Max, his website is www.ourmiraclemax.blogspot.com.

Dugan Family Teamwork

Thursday nights at our house are always jam packed. It's always my goal to purge my "to do" list of the yucky chores that keep us grounded during the weekend- mostly, the cleaning. I always feel like a million bucks if I can get the housecleaning done on Thursday evening so that Friday can be for grocery shopping and then we have two full days to spend together doing something fun with Joshua. Well, last night, we really did it.

It was 7:00 until we finished dinner, not generally a good sign since the tub time routine begins around 8:00 for our little buddy. He also decided yesterday that he didn't need a nap, so we were dealing with a two year old on crack (or at least it seemed). Instead of the weepy, fussy 2 year old that we usually get without a nap, he was running about all over the place, yelling, getting into everything (more than usual) and making us a little bit nuts. So, we decided to split up.

Joshua and I hit the bathrooms. He helped me scrub toilets, empty garbage cans, clean sinks and counters and scour the tubs. Then we dusted everywhere- Joshua's specialty. He loves dusting so much that he has his own "dusting cloth". While we did that, Jason did the kitchen and cleaned up the supper mess, ran the sweeper and swiffered the wood floors. In 1 hour we were done. House cleaned. Checked off the list. Happy Megan. Occupied Joshua. Hooray!

At the end of it all, Joshua looked at us and said, "GOOD JOB MOVERS!" He is fascinated with the new Disney show called Imagination Movers, and that's what they say to each other when they do a good job working together to solve a problem. I had to chuckle. Even Joshua recognized that we'd displayed pretty good teamwork.

This weekend we're off for a little shopping to move along our brainstorm of transforming our dining room (a total waste of space since we have never once eaten a morsel in that room) into another sitting room. We're going to do some furniture shopping to see what we're dealing with. Then, word has it Santa is making an appearance at the John Deere place on 180, so we're thinking of stopping there. I can only imagine how happy it will make Joshua---- tractors AND Santa? Then Sunday we're headed to Lewistown on a whirlwind trip to be there for Brooke's dedication. We wouldn't miss it for the world. Just pray for no measurable snow or dangerous roads......that's stress we just don't need.

Happy Friday everyone!

Christmas Movie Reviews...and the Truth in a Story

"Now Joshua, this is getting a little ridiculous. A kiss is fine, but leave my nose ON MY FACE!"

I have two relatively disjointed stories to tell you this morning. One funny, and one serious. First to the funny. We have been enjoying some of the Christmas movies that are on TV to kick off the Christmas season. It's even been a reason for early tub time and some cuddle time on the couch...a break from the sacred bedtime routine. So far, no ill effects...for which I'm grateful. So, here are Joshua's holiday show reviews:

- Charlie Brown Thanksgiving: Two thumbs up. He laughed hysterically at Snoopy and Woodstock, which had Jason and I both in stitches right along with him. He's just like his Daddy...finds great humor in animals doing funny things. (One of the qualities that I most enjoy about his Daddy, even though I pick on him about it.)

- Polar Express: Big fan! We watched this one in Club Bob with Pap and Nana on Black Friday. He's still talking about the kids on the train and the man on the roof.

- How the Grinch Stole Christmas: Definite NO on this one. With the way he loves Dr. Seuss, I figured this would be an instant hit. But as soon as the Grinch appeared, he said sheepishly, "Mommy turn something else on instead of this Grinch!" So we went upstairs and read happy books.

- Santa Claus is Coming to Town: Indifferent, except for the cute penguin. See above for silly animal enjoyment. He thought Topper was very funny and laughed himself to tears over him.

Now, on to a serious book review. I picked up new book for Joshua yesterday called "You're Special" by Max Lucado. I didn't look at anything except who wrote it, and knew instantly that we'd love it. I have to tell you- this is an amazing story, and one that we should all read a million times to our kids. Joshua asked for me to repeat it a total of 5 times before he fell asleep last night. Max Lucado has an amazing way of writing things that kids need to hear, and he gives us as parents a way to share important things with our kids when finding the words on our own might be tough. We're big fans of "God Thinks You're Wonderful" and "Just In Case You Ever Wonder", two others he's written. But this one.....this takes the cake. In the story, there is a village of wooden people called the Wemmicks. They run around all day giving stickers to each other--- stars to recognize pretty Wemmicks, or talented Wemmicks, or ones they like. The Wemmicks with chipped paint or cracked wood, or who can't do things as well as the others get dot stickers. All of the Wemmicks are made by the same carver, Eli, who lives on the hill. One little Wemmick is stuck with all kinds of dots because he can't seem to do anything right. And finally, he meets another who has NO stickers...even though other Wemmicks try to give them to her. Lucia tells our little friend that the dots and stars don't stick to her because she goes to visit Eli every day. The rest of the story tells us why. Eli loves each Wemmick just how he is, and he doesn't make mistakes when he carves them. And he tells our little friend that the stickers only stick to you if you let them. But if you believe in Eli's love and perfect plan, no judgment from the people around you (whether good or bad) will matter. Sensing the symbolism? The magnitude of the message is probably one of the most important lessons any of us can ever teach our kids....that God made them perfectly, that He doesn't make mistakes, and that a relationship with him makes any outside judgments a lot easier to shake off. It also teaches them not to judge others and that everyone's special just how they are. It's not just for kids...it jolted my thinking a time or two about thinks I've said or thought, or the way I've reacted to something hurtful that was said to me. This is a great book...I highly recommend it.