Twas the Week Before Christmas

At work, my smallest friends were completely out of their minds. I finally asked one little guy on Tuesday if he had sugar for breakfast and he doubled over laughing at my ridiculous question. And then he answered, "of course not, Miss Sherri! I didn't have sugar for breakfast. I had cookies." Two more friends exclaimed they had cookies for breakfast too. I think parents hate us.

Edited to eliminate cold sores as promised to capture a Christmas image this year

Ty woke with one of his nastier cold sores early Sunday morning and his anxiety about facing new friends with his chin coated in painful blisters created some unpleasant mornings around here. He worked through it but it wasn't comfortable. He spoke highly of his favorite teacher one morning, stating he may be a teacher when he grows up because he doesn't like school so he can make it better for other kids. I complimented his thought process believing he would make an excellent teacher and then asked what he liked about his favorite, Ms. Cox. "She noticed when people were sick or sad or just needed a hug. She noticed me." Heartbreaking and beautiful simultaneously, I fought tears. And when I was composed, I text her a thank you. Both of my children knew they were loved in her classroom but for a child to articulate the simplicity of what kids needs, she noticed him. I made a point of sharing with our principals and left both of them wiping a tear. For a boy who usually shrugs when asked about feelings, he expressed himself beautifully.

We held our third annual Christmas light scavenger hunt and all three families located every item on our list within the one hour time limit so we will be making it more challenging next year. It has become a highlight for all of us. I used to take my kids out multiple times to complete a list as a way to pass time while Greg worked long hours for UPS but it evolved into a competition three years ago to include hot cocoa in travel cups and facetime with friends who moved to Texas as well as our local friends. We all look forward to this every year so I don't see the tradition dying off any time soon.

Kate's physical therapy is going well. Her therapist is amazing and spending a lot of quality time working with her one-on-one. She still hasn't made it through a complete school day but she kept up with the classes she did attend. Other than the choir director who is beside himself with concern over how to grade her this quarter (insert eye roll here), all of her teachers are working with her. She had a CT scan this week and we will get that result when we see her neurologist on Christmas Eve.

We learned Layla's cancer is slightly different from the initial diagnosis and this one has a 38% chance of recurring. This isn't the best news as we were told we would be facing more aggressive treatment choices if it does come back including amputation of the leg and radiation therapy. How we will navigate that remains to be seen as it was just too much to absorb Friday afternoon.

Greg's severance package was supposed to include paychecks and health insurance for the next three months; however, he wasn't paid last week as expected. It took three days to get an answer to his inquiries. There was a processing period that delayed payment and they won't be able to pay him until January. We are fine thanks to some savings but this is another example of why I like to be finished Christmas shopping long before the holiday and it just makes me wonder about the families who didn't have a little nest egg sitting in savings this most wonderful time of the year. For a widespread layoff, the company dropped the ball on a lot of families this Christmas.

Ty's school had a holiday performance and Greg was able to attend Wednesday. The highlight for Ty was the early dismissal afterward but Greg said it was pretty cute despite our son's lack of enthusiasm. And then Thursday night, another stomach bug hit Ty so he missed his party day on Friday. He was rather disappointed, to say the least.

Our grandson saw Santa on Friday and when asked what he wanted for Christmas,  he answered "a neigh". This is what he calls horses. If only Mimi had the budget, Lauren and Taylor would need a larger yard!

I was gifted with the sweetest packages and handwritten notes from my tiniest friends on Friday. I was pretty shocked by the gestures, including used glitter chapstick from a feisty kindergartner who wanted to give. I love my job. I suspect I will miss those little stinkers these next two weeks.