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MCS

dpal — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 14:57:40 +0000

Otherwise known as Middle Child Syndrome, is regarded a myth by some, but I actually know it to be true. I am a middle child – as is my oldest son, Brian. I feel bad for him sometimes. He could possibly be the most well-behaved, considerate, thoughtful, tender-hearted 7-year-old boy I have ever encountered. Unfortunately, all of that is lost behind an extremely vocal and needy younger brother, and a soon-to-be-graduating-but-still-learning-life teenage sister. I think Brian gets taken for granted too often. He is intelligent, clever, and extremely creative. He has improved greatly on his personality quirks and has blossomed socially. In fact, he now has girls calling him at the house… Seven years old, and he’s already got girls chasing him!!!

This weekend, he made it quite clear that maybe he was lacking some quality time with his parents. He basically spent the whole weekend under Amy’s elbow, or cuddled with her in the chair. I wish I could have spent some time with him, but I had to work again this weekend. I can’t begin to tell you the guilt that washes over me when I peek into his bedroom at night and check on him. I plan to make it up to him on Saturday. I think he and I will go on one of our “man trips.” The only problem is that it won’t last as long as our usual trips, because I have to work again this Sunday.

Hey, Dad? If you’re reading this… I just wanted to tell you that I’m sorry. Until now, I never really understood.

Holiday Overload

dpal — Mon, 26 Dec 2005 19:37:08 +0000

Sorry I didn’t post on Christmas, but it was such a busy day. I honestly don’t know which is busier, Christmas day or the day after. All the kids need help playing with their new toys, cleanup is a big job, many people have visitos that are leaving, all that food needs to be stored and put away… or eaten.

The kids seem to be happy with their presents this Christmas. Victoria got a lot of new clothes and some perfume, Brian got his GameBoy and some games, and Will got a Leapster with a couple of games as well. Amy got some jewelry and a Food Saver, and I scored a couple of really nice sweaters and a shirt. It was nice having James and Ann come down to spend Christmas and the kids loved having them here. My sister, Mel called me from Jen and Terry’s house and proceeded to pass me along to everyone that was over there. It was a great conversation, and I have to say that I do miss them all.

Tomorrow night is Christmas at Ruby and LD’s, which is always a good time. I’m sure their house will be packed full with relatives and food will be just as plentiful. Wednesday evening will be dinner at my Mom and Dad’s as they will have returned from Knoxville by then and will be eager to see the kids. Thursday, the boys will be heading up to Raleigh to spend a few days with James and Ann and will be back with us on Saturday. Whew… I hope I got everything

Hectic day

dpal — Sat, 24 Dec 2005 04:06:55 +0000

What a busy day, today! I had to take Amy to the ER around 6AM. She had been fighting a bad cold for the past few days and couldn’t seem to kick it. This morning came the stomach queasiness and the inability to keep food down. Soo, off we went! Turns out that Amy has a bad case of strep. They gave her a shot of antibiotics, made us sit around for a couple hours, and sent us home. Amy got back in bed, and I was preparing to go out and get my final gift, when work called me. I spent the next few hours trying to resolve those problems (which, turns out, won’t be resolved until Wednesday). This delayed my final minute of “last-minute-shopping” even longer.

Sometime while I was on the phone with work, my parents called to tell me they were on their way to Knoxville(Jen and Terry’s home)… I really hated missing that call. I really wanted to tell them good-bye, and wish them a Merry Xmas. James and Ann called and told me they were on their way here from Raleigh, so I delayed my shopping excursion by another 2 or 3 hours. I had planned on taking the boys with me, but figured I’d wait until James and Ann got here since it had been so long since they got to really sit back and enjoy the grandkids. Of course, once they arrived, the boys didn’t want to go anymore, but since I HAD to get this last gift, I set off to the beach alone.

Traffic wasn’t too bad and the mall wasn’t overly crowded, so I was able to find a gift, make the purchase, and get back fairly quickly. It’s just that a trip I had planned to take and be back before 1PM became a bunch of changed plans and coming back around 6:30 PM instead. I really should never plan anything, my life seems to go much smoother when I don’t.

And you know what’s really twisted? My throat is feeling kinda scratchy right now…