Impossible Christmas gifts

"Poinsettia" 6"x6" watercolor on clayboard

I am siting here thinking about Christmas gifts. My kids never want normal easy-to-find Christmas gifts. One of them always asks for something weird or impossible to find. Some of the Christmas gifts my have kids wanted: laundry baskets and tin foil (he wanted to make a space ship), a potty trained talking pony (This was the year after he "found out" about Santa and I think he just wanted to see Santa say no), A million dollars (we told him that even Santa's elves would get thrown into jail for forgery) An actual real-life Pokemon character, (his cousin told him they existed).

This year My 16 year old wants a laptop, Yeah right, like we have that kind of money. My 11 year old wants an actual, real life sword, Santa told him NO. My 14 year old can't think of anything he wants, so we'll just surprise him. My 7 year old wanted a world war II army medic set, army medic bag and a medic helmet (they have to be camouflage with a white circle and red cross on it), I don't think they sell these at Toys-R-us. Good thing I can make these.

What do you need for Christmas

We were asking the kids the other night what they wanted for Christmas and my middle 2 sons could not think of one thing they wanted for Christmas (I usually only let them ask for one thing). My 15 year old said "Mom , but I don't need anything. It's kinda cool that I have everything I need and can't think of anything I really want right now." Actually I'm sure there are lots of things he wants, but I am glad he appreciates what he has.

believeing in Santa

Jimmy has had a crisis of belief, he came home and told me that a girl at school told him there no Santa Claus, that mom and dad got up in the middle of the night and left presents for their kids.

He thought that was pretty ludicrous: Mom and Dad intentionally missing sleep? ha ha!

he told me he set her straight; he said to her "oh yeah, then where do they get the presents? If I wanted an I-pod touch my mom and dad could not make that, but elves can."

What is a Man?

Big as Mothers Love 12x16" Acrylic on canvas

I was talking to my 7 year old telling him we are going to get new family portraits done. My son said "good, I don't like the picture we had done last year because I had a wiggly tooth"
I replied "You can't tell the tooth is wiggly in the picture"
"Mom! it made me look like a little kid and I am a big man now"
"You are?"
"Yes, I even put on deodorant this morning"

I guess he thinks stinky armpits define a man.

more brain tumors.

I have close friend who very courageously battled breast cancer last year. I was amazed how she went through surgeries, many rounds of chemo and hair loss without a whimper, just like it was a minor bump in the road. They found a brain tumor last week when she started having seizures. She is having brain surgery today. I know what a craniotomy is like, I watched my son go through 4 of them. It breaks my heart to see someone else I love go through it.
All I can say is: brain tumors SUCK!