Christmas Breakfast, pictures & Nativity

The Sunday before Christmas has come and gone, o'my! I didn't really do Christmas outfits this year, but thanks to Collin's mom, Peiton did have one. I always like to do a group shot before we head to church the Sunday before Christmas. This is how we roll with picture taking....

You have to somehow figure out a way to keep Coop from being a goof ball.

Bode had been crying so his face is covered in tears and snot...like I said, that is how we roll.

Finally Coop isn't so goofy, look how cute he is.

Peiton can't look at the camera, and Bode is doing one of his many facial expression and advertising for Bath and Body Works.

Getting closer.

I think this is as good as we are going to get. Pretty cute.

Collins mom use to make Christmas breakfast every Christmas morning. As our kids got older, we decided it is too hard to make it to Christmas breakfast. We just want to spend the morning, lounging in PJ's and enjoying presents. So she did Christmas breakfast on this Sunday, it is always such a treat.

Bode had fun with the train.

Peiton was off that day, but really when is she not off? I left church with her a fourth of the way through church because she threw a tantrum and would not stop. She spent 1 hour in time out, yes, 1 hour. After timeout she still didn't stop crying, but finally crashed. We got to Collin's parents and had to be held the whole time and whined, and whined some more.

She did have a minute to stop and give cute Lexie kisses...

and pose for a picture. We wanted to do a Nativity, Peiton was suppose to be Mary. I had an outfit already for her, and guess what? She wouldn't wear it, surprised? Not really. I had it though, she was screaming and throwing another tantrum so mom and Peiton went and sat in the car while the Nativity took place. Thanks go Uncle Mat who was able to calm Peiton down and mommy in the car. Thanks Mat!

Bode was a Shepard, wore the custom for let's say, one minute.

Here is the whole Nativity crew. Aunt Emeline ended up being Mary and the one Shepard was missing. Cooper did make a cute Joseph. Notice Cooper is the only Richards kid in the picture. Typical.

The night ended with giggles and ice cream.

and a quesidillia.:)

Bus

Okay, this is story that I have contemplated posting about, it is one that has ripped me apart and made me so frustrated, sad, angry, angry and angry! But, I am hoping one day, it may be a story we will laugh about, probably not for a long time, but hopefully. It happened over 2 months ago and I am finally to the point where I don't start to tear up, or start to shake when telling it. But I need to remember it (not like I am going to forget it, but just in case).

So here it is....

Back in September when Bode started Kindergarten, we were excited for him to start a new adventure. With that excitement came nervousness and everything that comes with your child starting a new school year. Bode does not do well with changes, he actually does awful with changes, so I know this was going to be a BIG adjustment for him. We were excited to know that he would be in a class with a wonderful teacher (she is amazing, he has always had wonderful teachers). That made the transition a little easier. With the classroom being new, there is also a new bus to ride on. The first couple days were very traumatic for Bode. There was a little boy that screamed the whole bus ride that really freaked Bode out, he did not want to get on the bus. And when he got on the bus, he moved himself clear to the back of the bus so he did not have to sit by this little boy. There alone made me feel bad about putting him on the bus, but I had to. Bode will be riding the bus for a LONG time and he needed to get use to it. Well the little boys crying shortened a little more each day. Finally Bode was finally getting use to going on the bus. Relief.

Well, the next week Bode got on the bus at his regular time. Off he went to school. Time passes and passes...the door bell rings, (3 hours after Bode left for school) it was Bode and his bus driver. Hummm...I thought, I asked "Why is Bode home, was it short day, did something happen?" The bus driver responded "No, the school called and wanted me to swing by and bring Bode home." Hummmm...weird, but okay. Bode comes in and of course I call the school to find out what is going on. The school answers, I say, "I am just wondering why Bode is home from school, was it short day, or something happen?" They responded, "Bode? Bode hasn't been to school all day, we have him down as an absent." Me: "What?" tears start coming, I am really freaked out at this point. ME: "Well where has he been?" So at that point the school called transportation trying to figure out what happened. No answer, finally they called me back and we discussed what had happened. I am really not going to go into detail of the conversations we had the next day or so, the transportation ended up working things out with us and there really is no reason to get into that. But to answer a few questions that may arise, here are a few answers.

Where was Bode for the 3 hours that he was on the bus:

Bode got picked up from our house, he is first. The bus driver then made the rounds and picked up all the kids. The driver drives to the school. All the kids get out of the bus. Bode stays on. Bus driver does not walk the bus therefore he does not see Bode on the bus. I am not sure if Bode had fallen asleep or what, but Bode did not get of the bus. The driver then says that he went to the transportation garage, ate lunch and read. The time came for the drivers next pickup and that is when he/she realizes that Bode is still on the bus. The driver freaks out, brings Bode home, makes up a story and leaves.

Was Bode alone on the bus for some of that time?

We are not sure, but we are guaranteeing that he was. Bode probably did fall asleep for the first 45 minutes, but for the next 2 hours 15 minutes he had to have been awake. And if he was awake, the bus driver would have noticed him. But since he was alone on the bus, nobody noticed him. This leads to so many more what if's, that we just can't even go there....we are so glad that he is safe.

Is Bode okay?

Well, besides the traumatizing effect of being on a bus for 3 hours, he is okay. We feel very strong that it was a BIG mistake and the driver did not handle the situation like they should have. Bode seemed fine when he got home, just a little dirty from all of the dust on the bus and everything checked out okay at the doctor. The fact that he did not want to get on that bus for at least 2 weeks was a little difficult. I felt as if I shouldn't be sending him on the bus again. But again, he will be riding the bus for a long time and it is something we have to get use to.

What happened to the driver?

I am not sure, I know that he/she is still driving. I was running about 1 1/2 months ago and there was a bus pulled over to the side of the road (6:15 am) and I looked up and it was the driver. My heart started pounding and I felt all the emotions that I felt on that day. This was the first time I had see the driver since this all happened. So yes, I believe they still have a job, which I am glad for. I don't want anyone loosing their job during these times, but I sure hope that he/she is not driving special needs kids that cannot communicate.

Did he get a new bus driver?

YES! That is the one request we had. We did get a new bus driver and they are amazing! We love them and we love the driver that brings him home. I feel very comfortable putting my son on the bus with them. He is now to the point where he loves (well most of the time) to get on the bus and go to school. Happy times!

So that is my crazy story, not one that I enjoyed one bit! But like I said before, we know Bode was okay and it could have been much worse, so we are grateful for that. The things that Bode puts us through and the experiences we have with him I guess they make us stronger people. The long nights, the early mornings, the making quesadilla after quesadilla, the taking him to the potty, the screaming, the stubbornness, the language barrier, the messes, etc, etc...don't even match to the huge smile, the giggles, the dancing, the loves, the kisses, the snuggling, the "No's", the sweet little hands, the singing, the playing and all the joys he brings to our family. There are days, probably at least one or two a week, that I just say..."Do I have to do it, I can't do it today!" And then he will do that little something that tells me it is all worth it!

December Update

It is the middle of December and I have not posted anything about our fun Christmas Chain activities...reason being...we really have not done any. Ba-Humbug! I was discussing last night with my sister that sometimes we try to fit so much in that it seems to be a bit overwhelming, I have decided that I am overwhelmed and that is why not a lot has gone on here. But a few things have. Kind of. Here is a recap:

First, I thought I would take us back to November for a little Thanksgiving fun. The whole Van Wagoner side gathered at Stacy's for Thanksgiving dinner. We are almost outgrowing Stacy's house, we have become so big! Her and Shawn our fabulous for letting us come and invade her home, paint her bathroom with finger nail polish, get wood stain all over her wood kitchen floors and steal Buzz and Woody while we are at it. :)

The Catmull kids made enough place seating tags for everyone, that is 20 something tags...they were busy.

Stacy and mom had the table set beautifully...

Peiton was in a good mood for most of the time...shocking!

The whole crew

After dinner, laziness and crafts, we decorated the gingerbread houses. Ours did not win, am I surprised? No. But it was really weird, Corey's gingerbread house had like 30 votes, more than what was possible. I would have to say, Casey and Rachelle's was once again the cutest, but then Cru isn't old enough to decorate a tree yet. Just wait. :)

On to December we go...

*We did the Elf on the Shelf, which Peiton is still extremely scared of the Elf. Crazy girl.

*We read The Last Straw. This is a tradition that I had growing up and we have continued to do it in our family. We have been doing it for over a week now, and I think there are 6 pieces of straw in the manger. YES, I know, we are really good at doing things for others. I also decided that we are not going to draw names, just when you do something nice for somebody, put a piece of straw in, this will make my job much easier, since I am doing all the work for Bode and Peiton too.

* We (Coop and I) went to the Neighborhood Christmas Party. It was fun to sit and chat with good neighbors.

*Make Christmas suckers. Didn't happen.

*Read Christmas story. Check!

*Van Wagoner adult outing-Happened, was a lot of fun. We went to dinner at Spaghetti Mama's and went and saw the new Narnia. I have never seen Narnia, although Bode watches it quite often, so I get bits and pieces of it. I am not sure if I am a fan or not, kind of a little weird for me, the talking animals, the mouse that drops some weirdo lines, but it is deep, there is a cool meaning behind it. Maybe I should get it a try from the beginning.

*Johnson Family Christmas party-I heard it was fabulous and lots of fun, but Coop and I didn't make it. Coop woke up with a tummy ache, etc, etc..I spent the day helping him throw up, scratching his back, getting him medicine and 7-up (the cure to any upset stomach ;) and etc, etc...Collin took Bode and Peiton and they had a great time, that is until Santa showed up and believe it or not, Peiton freaked. Since I wasn't there, there aren't any pictures to show. I was bummed that I could make it, and I think Coop was a little more bummed than me.

*Temple Square-That is suppose to happen tonight, not happening. Cooper is still sick so we will not be making our appearance. Dang flu virus!

So that is the excitement of our December thus far...pretty exciting right? I will keep you posted on anything else exciting that has happened.

Let the fun begin!

December is here... crazy I know, but I guess I am going to have to just accept it. Not ready for Christmas, desperately need the Christmas spirit and I am hoping it will start with the traditional Christmas Chain or maybe Britney Spears "All I Want for Christmas" song...can't seem to get sick of that one.

Well we haven't really made the chain yet, that was last nights activity, but still didn't happen. Although we did kick off December 1st by reading "Elf on the Shelf" we brought Flippy back from the dead. He is back roaming our home in the middle of the night, and watching over the children as they do wrong and right...I am so a poet. :) There is just one flaw...we pulled Flippy out of the box and Peiton is extremely scared of him! She screams and I mean screaming and crying. So now Flippy hides in the best places so only Cooper can find him...thanks Coop for being a good sport. :)

Now that you look at the little elf, he can be a little scary...right? Can't wait until it is time for Peiton to sit on Santa's lap. I have a feeling I know how that will turn out. :)