I have decided the reason parents like to give kids new pajamas on Christmas Eve is so the pictures they take Christmas morning shows the kids in crisp (slept-in) clothes. I like the idea of giving my kid the PJs so the pictures I take look nice. And this year was the first year we did it!

I actually never really gave the Christmas morning PJs much thought, except in 2006 when we went to Lake Martin and I forgot to pack Fuller ANY PJs. Damon and I found ourselves at a tiny dollar store trying to cobble together an acceptable pajama ensemble so he looked ok on Christmas morning.

This year I spent quite some time looking for PJs for Fuller because all of his current pajamas are actually on the too small side. While he is quite skinny and can squeeze into them ok, it shows how much height he has gained when his long sleeved pajama tops look like short sleeves and his long pants are all high waters.

Which leads me to my purge point: we have started to purge the house as we ready for the next big renovation. And purging means I will finally go through Fuller’s drawers and remove all items that are too small for him. Which will cut down on the amount of time he spends doing his morning jobs, because I haven’t had to tell him to go change because the shirt he put on is too small for him.

Happy purging! It’s a new year, time to take out the old.

It started with him…

While other children in the house were sniffling, sneezing, and coughing, Fuller was declaring his tummy hurt, taking an uncharacteristic late nap, and then throwing up in my bed.

Poor baby.

He spent the last night of 2009 in a sick stupor, sleeping on the basement floor (until Daddy carried him to bed) and fighting a slight fever.

It took him almost two days (which included the drive back to Chattanooga) to get over it, but he did.

Apparently, he had to share. Tebow, whose previous symptoms were more like a magic trick where he turned his nose into a snot faucet, suddenly threw up on Monday night. Instead of doing in my bed like his brother, he just decided to throw up on me and the kitchen floor. Oh, and Tebow can throw up through his nose. (GROSS!)

Wednesday morning the gift was passed on to Damon. And instead of waiting around, it was given to me on Thursday.

Fortunately for us, it only lasted 24 hours (or less), so now we are back to normal. If we can figure out what normal is. Probably more laundry and less whining.

The end of our year finds us visiting with family in Ohio.

The end of our year brought a Christmas celebration where Fuller received a tricycle and Tebow enjoyed the paper.

The end of our year allowed us to delight in some snow.

The end of our year has brought us sick little boys who break my heart with their coughing, sniffling, fevers, and (only recently) vomiting.

The end of our year has us remembering the addition of a son and seeing a little boy turn into a big brother.

The end of our year lets us reflect on trips taken, family visited, and sights seen.

The end of our year shows us how blessed we are for the gifts God has given us and the multiple ways in which He has provided.

The end of our year has us looking forward to the next year to see exactly what’s in store for our family.

Chattanooga was blanketed with snow this morning. Fuller loved looking at it, but he opted to stay inside this morning.

Today we went to Mainx24, a 24 hour block party for Main Street. We stopped in one of the businesses and Fuller was given a sugar cookie. While he was eating it, he was complaining the cookie was hard and hurting his teeth. We thought it was an odd complaint (the cookie was fine). Later he was still complaining about his teeth. So I took a quick look and noticed one of his front bottom teeth is loose.

I was struck with a pang of “My baaaaaybee!” and wondering how this kid got to be so big and ready to start losing teeth.

I predict in a few days you’ll see a picture of a smiling Fuller with one less tooth.

The rains from Hurricane Ida started last night and have pretty much been pouring down ever since. Tomorrow it should stop, but today I have been thinking about how bummed I was we didn’t make it to the park yesterday. (Confused?)

We have had a very wet Fall and it has been very depressing, with plenty of cabin fever from both Fuller and myself. So, we have been utilizing the Wii more, trying to get the energy out in a controlled manner. At least it keeps Fuller from jumping on the couch (something he attempted this morning, which did not go over well with me).

Tomorrow we have Moms Group, so we will get out of the house for a little while, but my indoor activity reserves are getting low. So, I hope once Ida moves along, we get the sunshine back and can head outside again.

What do you do with your kids when stuck inside?

Back in October, when Fuller’s birthday fell on a school day, I felt badly telling him we had to keep up with our daily activities because I could totally tell he wanted to party and be spoiled. I felt badly because when I was growing up, I wished I could stay home from school on my birthday. I wanted to be spoiled and party all day.

Since I am The Mom and The Teacher, I am declaring today a holiday. It is a day off from school holiday. It is MY BIRTHDAY.

After 32 years, I’m finally getting my wish.

Happy Birthday to ME! No School, just lots of partying and doing what we want. (After I clean the kitchen and unpack from the weekend, of course.)