A Delightful Day

After recovering from our Thanksgiving Meltdown, the Mohs family enjoyed two fun-filled days. On Friday, we headed to a birthday party in Eagan where Hunter bounced and bounced and bounced in the bouncy house and then shared gifts (Hunter announced to Kyle, prior to Kyle's opening the gifts, that he had given him a "racecar" and "Olivia book") and ate pizza and cake. Mason toddled around and waved at anyone who looked his way. Today, I bundled the two little boys up for a trip to Edinborough Park, where we spent two hours of fun. Again, Hunter bounced to his hearts content in the bouncy house and then shot baskets (he's a talent where basketball is concerned) and climbed and played in the Peak. When Mitch returned home from a few hours at work, we decorated our home for Christmas. For the first time in eight-and-a-half years of marriage, Mitch and I did not get into a fight while putting up the tree. I really think we've both learned our lessons. Mitch put up the tree by himself and then I strung the lights by myself. We busied ourselves with other things while we completed our self-selected jobs. Hunter was soooooo excited by the decorations, especially our singing snowman and electric train. Mason was excited as well, but I do suspect that this Christmas will be a challenging one where the decorations and Mason are concerned. He has already pulled ornaments off the tree and knocked over the train. Tonight we briefly drove around and looked at Christmas lights. Right now, Mason is in bed and Hunter is jumping off the couch, wearing his new "Incredible Hulk" jammies.

A Graceful Exit

Happy Thanksgiving! Happy shopping!

Mitch and I, along with Hunter and Mason, celebrated Thanksgiving in Elk River at Mitch's sister Missi's house along with his brother Mike and brother Dennis and their kids and wives. Hunter learned a new game- Wii Bowling- which he loved so much he threw the worst tantrum we've seen in a long time when we had to leave in the evening (hence the title of this entry). I think he screamed for about thirty minutes straight! I will say that Hunter was extremely worn out from an intense day of sharing and playing and eating, etc. Mason was extremely quiet through the storm, which in retrospect, is something I was very thankful for :).

I did get out of the house for about an hour and a half this morning with the boys for a little crazy shopping. Target actually wasn't so bad. I was able to snag two DVDs for a total of ten dollars and purchased my nephew Hudson's Christmas gift and my friend Jodi's son's birthday gift. It was fun to be a part of the biggest shopping day of the year, though I doubt I'll head out again today with the boys even though all of my shopping instincts are working in full force. We have a birthday party this afternoon and plan to put up our Christmas decorations tomorrow. I also bought some hanging snowflakes that I attempted to untangle from the box when we returned home. I am going to let Mitch figure that out. Wouldn't want to fly into a rage myself. I tend to overreact sometimes :) ! I'll keep everyone updated regarding our holiday decorating party. While in my mind I envision a cozy experience of putting up the tree and stringing lights, etc. Mitch and I usually end up fighting. We don't always see eye to eye regarding how things should be done.

A Little Gentleman

Hunter surprises me sometimes. His tantrums can leave me speechless but sometimes he reveals his "inner gentleman." Yesterday after battling over what to buy at Rainbow Foods and how many "special prizes" should really be a part of our purchase, Hunter, as I was paying for our cart of groceries, started bagging the food with no prompting from me. The store clerk actually commented on "my little helper." To add to the charm of the situation, Hunter did not even realize his degree of cuteness. A colleague recently shared with me the following. She said that little girls are cute but oftentimes know (are fully aware of) how cute they are. What's so amazing about boys is that they are desperately adorable and do not really know it. For example, his new saying is "oh, nevermind." Now, you would probably have to be there but to hear that little voice declare "oh, nevermind" makes my heart melt. Also, Hunter wrote his first letter to Santa Claus yesterday. He would like the following, according to his letter, which I wrote following his direction: a fourwheeler, a snowmobile, Incredible Hulk gloves, Heroes (Mitch and I had to guess regarding that one while we were shopping recently), and, in Hunter's words, "that monster thing." He signed his name to it and we set it outside for Santa. Santa is already off to a good start for this Christmas season!

"Santa" is struggling regarding Mason, however. What do you buy for a baby who has so many toys at his fingertips and who wouldn't know either way if he got one present or one hundred? Because bathtime is a favorite time of day for our little Mason Man, we have purchased a number of bath toys that can entertain between the hours of 5:30 and 6:00 p.m. Also, I do see "new pants" in Mason's future. The child is growing so fast, we can hardly keep up in the clothing department.

Some new news in the Mason department- THE KID CAN WALK! Mitch does a great impression of Mason's walking skills. It's hilarious! Mason has also mastered the following words: "NO NO NO NO NO." He can also say "Bruiser" "ball" "Mama" adn "Dada."

"Twilight" Fan

Okay, so to avoid embarrassment, my friend Jodi and I purchased VIP tickets for a late showing of "Twilight." VIP really was for those 21-and-overs who wanted to avoid the teeny-bopper crowd and also drink adult beverages while watching a film meant more for screaming, swooning "Edward Cullen" loving girls! Well, I freely admit, I'm an "Edward" loving 31-year-old. The film, while cheesy in its special effects, was everything I hoped it would be. The film only added to my obsession with Edward (I am exaggerating somewhat). I don't think I'll be buying and wearing an "I love Edward" t-shirt any time soon, but I might be tempted to purchase and hang an Edward poster somewhere in my home :) !

Holding my Breath and Running

It has been one of "those" days and I suspect that tomorrow will be one of "those" days as well- I have Parent-Teacher conferences tomorrow night and I feel more anxious than I have in the past few years. Last year I was on maternity leave during conference time so never really had the opportunity to converse with parents about their teenage children. While I've been doing this teaching thing (nine years actually) long enough to know that conferences usually go off without a hitch, there's always one conference that blind sides a teacher. For example, one year a mother sent me a scathing e-mail after I was unable to meet with her after the "conferences are now over" announcement was made over the intercom (Hunter was nine-months-old and still at daycare- 8:00 p.m.- I was already in a panic). In the e-mail she demanded that I send her my credentials and discuss my vision for AP American Literature. Yikes! Another year a father told me he'd be "watching" my absences. I pleasantly informed him that if my children needed me at home, I would use my sick time. Seriously! During my first year teaching (which began with a long-term sub position in Rochester), I noticed that one of the fathers was unable to make eye contact with me. After the conference, I looked down and realized that two buttons on my shirt were unhitched- Awesome! Why am I thinking about this you might ask? I guess I don't really know. I wonder what the unanticipated conference will be about this year....

Today is one of those days where I feel like I've been holding my breath and running, running, running. When I return home with the boys in the afternoon, I feel like I'm running circles around the boys and dealing with their every demand. Tonight Mason screamed and screamed- high pitched and constant "ah ah ah ah ah"- as I made dinner. As I was making dinner, Hunter repeatedly interrupted with "Mo-oooooo-m, get me this" and "Mo-oooooo-m, get me that." I was literally eating off their plates and trays as I traveled between them--- I was starving...hand't eaten really all day!

That's all for now. Hunter is asking me where his Buzz Lightyear is and where Woody's other hat is...