Hug Your Children

Last night I participated in the Candlelight Walk for Missing Children. It's been over two years since my co-worker's son went missing, and still nobody knows what happened to him.
Even after raising money, attending the walk, and taking part in the candlelight vigil, I can't feel any better. I am someone on the outskirts of this tragedy, yet I feel so devastated for this family that I can't even begin to fathom how they must feel.
Back when we first heard that he had disappeared, I think what horrified me the most was his age. And specifically, that he was 18, and I had assumed there would come a time in my not-so-distant future that I could stop worrying about my boys. This proved to me that you can never stop worrying about your kids.
And so, last night, after witnessing enough raw grief to last a lifetime, I was so happy to find the boys still awake when I got home. Thankfully they are still young enough that I can cuddle them and they don't complain when I won't let go. I don't want to ever let go.
And I want them to read this one day and realize that being a parent is hard on so many levels. I hate being the "brush your teeth, clean your room, get those pj's on and GET TO BED" mom - but what I do is to shape them into awesome human beings. But I do promise (right here, in writing) that I'm going to enjoy my time with them more. And the laundry can wait while I play with my kids. Because what if I don't have all the time in the world?
Excuse me while I go crawl in bed with them again.
But first, look at this face. His name is Bryan Braumberger.

Because someone should tell you before you make the same mistake

So I read this tip in some magazine not too long ago - "If you run out of shaving cream, use conditioner! It will give you a close shave AND moisturize your legs at the same time!"

And it does.

The problem is, hypothetically, that if you shave your legs with your husband's conditioner, and your legs start to tingle fiercely afterwards, again hypothetically of course, that it might already be a TAD too late to rectify the mistake of using a HAIR REGROWTH AND THICKENING FORMULA CONDITIONER. (Hypothetically speaking) ON YOUR LEGS.

Yours truly,
Sasquatch

We're in!

We're not exactly unpacked yet, but we are moved in!

Our boys are over the moon and love the new house. Imagine our joy to discover there are boys next door, they go to the same school AND they enjoy playing hockey and riding bikes! In fact, the older boy remembers playing hockey with Ethan at recess all last year. Ethan just remembers playing hockey with "some big boys". Since we moved in, the boys have had a lot of fun running around the house, playing in the back yard, building tons of Lego, and of course playing with the boys next door.

Meanwhile, I have been attacking the pile of boxes. Our bedroom and the bathrooms are looking pretty good and the kitchen should be done by tomorrow. We are picking up another couple of pieces of furniture this weekend, so by this time next week I hope to feel a little more settled!

As for the boys' rooms, besides getting beds and dressers ready on the first day, I am putting them off. The garage is full of boxes of kids' toys and I don't want to bring them inside! Truthfully, the boys did not miss any of those toys that will have been packed away for close to three months. All we had at our temporary home was Lego and a few outdoor toys. Granted, come winter we will want something to occupy them indoors, but I am SO reluctant to bring all that stuff in. I am going to wait until they're in school and take a whole load to Toy Traders and the Salvation Army. Um, no, the boys don't know that yet!

It's awfully hard to sit here when there are boxes sitting in my line of sight. So... hi ho, hi ho, it's off to work I go!