Drafts Folder Sucks!!!!!!

******Before you read this post, make sure you read the last post. This is the horrifying part 2.

I just finished that post on how great the drafts folder was because I found an email I never sent out about Cole crawling and it took me back in time. I closed it by saying I would return to the drafts folder to see what other goodies I could find. Well I did. And I shouldn't have.

I found this in my drafts:

Subject: Birth Announcement - {Insert competing company name here} 

Greetings All,

I just ordered Thomas Cole's birth announcements and I wanted to tell everyone I knew about this cute website. They do personalized photo birth announcements, thank you cards, invitations, christening, holiday cards, etc. You get to design your own cards, you can order from their current designs or you can mix and match designs. You pick your photos and they can adjust them to b&w or crop them. Excellent customer service, they responded to inquiries and changes promptly and they were very courteous. The best thing about them is that you can design and order the cards or you can have the "design only" option for $35 and they will send you the high resolution card so you can print yourself, have it done locally, or email out. Will and I higly recommend them for all your personalized invitation needs. If you're too busy to peruse their website, take a peek at our announcement (since we're dying to show it off) and you'll understand what I mean by cute. Also, their website is:

www.competingcompany.com

Take care and Enjoy!!!

Does anyone see a problem with this? Like a huge major problem!!!!! Um, does that company that made Cole's birth announcement sound a whole lot like my favorite company in the whole wide world? That's right! It does. It sounds like my company. I accidentally sent a draft email that was intended for the recycle bin to EVERYONE. IN. MY. ADDRESS. BOOK!!!!!

Basically, I just sent all of my contacts (from like 3 years ago) an email telling them to go buy from them because they are awesome!!!!! HELLO???? Silver Lining: I have made many many new friends that were not on my old emails contact list so Yay,...I guess.....

So I had to step it in high gear (did I phrase that right?) and send this email out:

Subject: The last email was a mistake!!!!!!

I was looking through my drafts folder and sent that email out in error. Absolute horrid error! As you may or may not know, I am designing cards now! I was supposed to hit delete and I hit send. OH THE HORROR!!!

But I cannot lie, they were fantastic when I had that need but I wasn't intending on sending my business away!!!! OMG I cannot believe I just did that!!!!! I will now go take a cold shower because I am sweating!!!! Who jacked up the heater??? Hyperventilating! Gonna. Get. A Brown. Bag. To. Breathe. In.

And wouldn't you know it! I had to send this out to every single person in my address book!!! I really am gonna be sick.

*Barf*

In the meantime, browse my site. I can design anything!

www.ChicFarm.com

Vannessa Eggleston

Ok. The damage has been done. I am gonna go get drunk. At least then I can blame the alcohol and not nostalgia.

*Sigh*

*Barf {still}*

Drafts Folder

I was looking through my drafts folder and in there I found this written (or drafted) September 26, 2007 :

Cole is now crawling and pulling himself up to a stand, we are absolutely delighted! Just kidding - it's horrifying! He has some bruises and has gotten in a fight or two with the dogs. He now can crawl up to their food bowl and their cage and well-they don't like that very much. Anyone want 2 yappy little chihuahuas?

So that's when Cole started crawling! I should have been blogging all along. I never recorded these things! Thank goodness for never-sent emails! Wonder what other little goodies I might find in my long-lost emails! Gonna go have a look-see...

For me!

January 2, what day was that? I don't even remember. I don't even care. I was sitting there and Cole comes up to me with his hands together in front of his face, in prayer:

"I want you a baby."

What? He was praying to God for me. I just cannot tell you how in love I am with this little man. This little man who has a heart of gold. He didn't pray for cars, or toys, or a brother or sister for him. He prayed for me. For me!

Sometimes Mommy has to lie to get a break

Alright, so I did it. I lied. Not just about a little something. But about a big something. A big something to one particular almost 3 year old.

Cole has been obsessed with birthdays. His birthday lately. So we just had one very special birthday come and go; the birth of Jesus. And I promised him as I was trying to console a very sad forgotten little boy that his birthday would come after Jesus' birthday passed. His birthday is February the 8th. These days, Cole has been reminding us that Christmas and Jesus' birthday have passed. Like if to say, "let's get my birthday on".

But in all my mommy-ness, I completely forgot that before Cole's birthday, and after Jesus' birthday, are my birthday and my mom's birthday. I thought that maybe it would not be such a big deal to kinda spring it on him on the day and not have gifts but just do a cake. Or not say or do anything at all. But....right. That's not gonna happen. I like cake and gifts and attention so on to Plan C.

Well, you see, thing is, there was no Plan C. We went over to Mimi's this afternoon for lunch and she announces to Will and I that she has some late Christmas gifts for Cole. I see opportunity. I take it.

I announce, "Happy Birthday Cole!" "You have birthday presents." Everyone plays along. He opens his gifts and throughout the day I have casually mentioned that now his birthday has passed. I don't think he bought it. And I don't even feel terrible about it. I am justifying it in my head. He's 2. He doesn't understand time. Next year he will, or might, or not. But I think I bought (rather Mimi did) ourselves some time. But right now, I probably should go back into his room and remind him that he got presents, his birthday has come and gone. So that in a few short days, mom and I can enjoy our own special day.

The Big Reveal - Our Holiday Card

So I am pretty sure that all of our friends and family have received their Christmas cards from us so I can now share it with the world:

It is a folded 5x5 (square) card....

The Front:

The Inside:

The Back:

Next Year

Isn't it the funniest thing how we hype up this miraculous holiday and then when the time finally comes for the whole production to come together, we're so tuckered out we're like, ... "totally next year".

Oh the hope we carry into the New Year.

Case in point:

Last year, after many many years of wishing and wanting lights outside, we finally plunged down mucho dinero to buy those outdoor lights and the clips. We were all so eager to get them up. Light them. And....well, I'm not sure what we expected to happen after that. It may have actually happened had we finished the job. But seriously, who knew the peaks of our roof were that steep? Who knew???? Had we known we may have not have attempted to get up there and try to hang them. So we smarted up. We decided to leave the peaks for last. Then guess what happened, we were tuckered out about trying to figure out how to survive the peaks we decided to put it off for tomorrow. But tomorrow became next week and then next week somehow became next Christmas. But we all know hat happened to the lights right? Well, they came down in June after never have been lit because we found the amusement of our friends was not at all amusing to us. So they went down. Maybe next Christmas. Because life will get easier. Or we'll be rich that we can hire someone to do our dirty work. Then afford to pay them off after they sue us because they fell off our roof.

Well, this year, I found this little book called What God Wants for Christmas.

It is an interactive book that is a word for word narration of the story of the birth of Christ by the angel David. You read the story and as you read you unwrap 7 tiny gifts. It is a hands on way for children to learn about Christams. The resaon for the season, if you will.

Well, things were crazy with the white elephant and family that the wrapped book couldn't be found until the very end, and by that point, Cole was all like, "open my car!"

"OPEN MY CARS!"

So I obliged my little man because his joy was just so beautiful. So pure.

 

That I decided that maybe next Christmas would be a better time to introduce the book to him. Besides, Christmas has passed right? I realize what a lame excuse that is. But it is my excuse, and I am comfortable with that. But why in the world did I ever think he would want to sit and open this book after having tasted that sweet metal Hot Wheels scent? What was I thinking? I was setting myself up for disaster. Anyway, I am sitting here, looking at that book, and kinda sad about that. Because in my quest to be closer to Him I'm kinda feeling like I am pushing Him away. So maybe tomorrow, I'll open it up, even if it is late, and read him the book. Let him unwrap those tiny little presents because I just think that a year is waaay too long to have to wait to hear such a beautiful story. So that's tomorrow's plan. Besides, next year is only like 2 days away. I'd probably better get a head start on that. Which reminds me, I also have to make White Trash/Puppy Chow that also got lost in all the Christmas cheer;)

"What about my bithday?"

Cole's social calendar has been in undated with birthday parties. So with those parties come birthdays. And gifts. So I was relieved by the slow down in parties in recent weeks. And then Christmas happened. And Christmas parties. So when I tried to explain to Cole that those parties were a celebration of Jesus I thought it would be easier to just say it was Jesus' birthday. Because it is. That is what we should really be celebrating after all.

His cousin came over Monday afternoon to play. They started talkng about birthday. They each thought it should be their birthday. So then they started arguing over whose birthday it was. Kani had a birthday in November. Cole's isn't until February. So I reminded them that it was neither of their birthdays, it was Jesus' birthday.

Cole came up to me with the saddest look on his face, and tears started to fill his eyes.

"Mommy, what about my birthday?"

And my heart broke. It just shattered to a million pieces because in his little world, he had felt forgotten. And I knew that feeling all too well. And there was nothing I could do. Because to throw him a party so that his heart would not hurt, and so that my heart would not hurt, would not teach him anything.

Oh, the irony of it all.