2008 OVER

2009 is right around the corner. Wow. 2008 seemed to fly by. The older we get, the quicker it seems to pass us by.

Thankfully, Emma and Aidan keep us grounded and I try to view time as they do. It's not easy.

They are still reveling in their Christmas stash. Games, toys, candy, treats galore. What to play with next? The possibilities are endless. To be a kid again, eh?

The new year is upon us tonight. Anything special planned with you all? We're doing Chinese take out. One last treat for '08

Here's to 2009

"I GUESS MY HEAD JUST NEEDED SOME SLEEP"

You gotta love the things 6 year-olds say.

Aidan was a bit under the weather on Monday. He came home from gymnastics complaining of a headache. He bypassed dinner because he was in so much pain. Very un-like Aidan to do that.

So, I give him a dose of Children's Motrin and he proceeds to fall asleep on the couch. This is around 5:45pm.

At 7:30pm, he's still OUT on the couch. Poor little boy...

I bring him upstairs and get him settled into bed. Fortunately, he slept through the night. Whew! (and so did I!)

When I was getting up for work, I went to peek in on him and he was stirring. I asked him how his head felt... "It's all better... I guess my head just needed some sleep."

As I tucked him back in under his covers, I left his room with a smile on my face and a new understanding of how kids view headaches...

Priceless.

WINTRY MIX?

So, we've got 17 days til the Big Man comes. Kids are both stoked! We are knee deep in Christmas specials on TV, as well as listening to songs on the radio with the Christmas theme.

They're calling for a "wintry" mix here tomorrow, which means it will be sunny and in the 60's.... :)

Snow would be nice. We do miss the white stuff. Something about being a kid and having it snow. They go together like PB and J.

We will see.

The kids and I decorated the front of the house yesterday with lights for the bushes, and ornaments for the tree.

Kelly picked up a Santa from Walmart that lights up. Pretty cool looking. We have a long way to go before being mistaken for the Griswalds, but hey, even they had to start somewhere....

FREAKISH HEALING

So, I get home from work last night and Kelly says to me, "Do you want to see what I learned to do at Physical Therapy this morning?" I reply, "Sure," totally expecting to see some trick she has learned that will strengthen her leg further.

To my surprise, Kelly puts her "bad" foot on the ground (still in the boot) and proceeds to WALK ON IT, with the assistance of her crutches.

She PUT HER FOOT DOWN and walked on it!

HOLY !@#$!@#!~!!!

I was flabbergasted and so happy for her. FREEDOM and a return to some sense of MOBILITY. Hooray! Double Hooray!!!

Tomorrow she meets back up with the physical therapist who will most likely let Kelly transfer over from 2 crutches to just 1. Next week: A CANE!!

The Therapist told Kelly she's healing FREAKISHLY FAST!!

All good news in the Flanagan household...

FLEAS ON YOUR DOG...

When did DECEMBER happen? Holy schmolies!

So, Christmas is 3 weeks away. It's a different holiday season this year with Kelly's Achilles injury still in the forefront of everything going on at home. Tonight the kids have CCD and Kelly and I will head over to the local Target near the church to do some shopping. I'm looking forward to the outing, and I know Kelly is as well. Cabin fever is running rampant with Kell these days.

Kelly's healing wonderfully, albeit slowly (by her account.) She has started Physical Therapy (PT) (Torture sessions, as she calls them) and they seem to be going well. Hopefully next Wednesday we'll get the "green light" for Kelly to start the "putting weight on your foot" part of the PT. Hooray!

The kids have been amazing through this whole thing. They really "stepped up" and have continued to do so. It's nice to see them being so thoughtful and helpful.

The weather down here has turned cold. Colder than normal. Brrrrr!!!

Christmas music fills the air with all the local radio stations down here dedicated to nothing but Xmas tunes...

So far, I've escaped this WHOLE season w/o having to hear "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer." Yippee!! If only I could say the same about "Feliz Navidad," or as our friend Melissa calls it, "Fleas On Your Dog."

Hope everyone up North is doing well.