A Requiem for Innocence Lost

My foray into blogging began around Christmas in 2002. That was when Laci Peterson was discovered missing and consequently found murdered and discarded by her husband Scott. She was very pregnant with their first child, a son to be named Connor. Blissfully happy and hopefully oblivious to her husband's double life, she was, by all accounts, a wonderfully vivacious person with a scintillating personality.

The type of girl that we all know - so pretty, yet you can't hate her for it because she is so much fun, so thoughtful and so loving. Her husband was ready to move on and attempted to do so by killing her and throwing her and his unborn son in the bay - fastened to the floor of the ocean by home made concrete anchors. He is now serving time in prison for their deaths.

The story touched me in a way no other true crime story had. I was emotionally involved in this one and searched for every bit of information I could. I found blogs that discussed the case and the people involved and read them every chance I got.

Very few of my friends could understand why I was so addicted to this case. I wasn't sure myself. But I think I could understand Laci - the pure excitement of impending motherhood - especially for the very first time, the fun of preparing the nursery and the love you feel for the baby before you even get to hold him in your arms. All these emotions were still very real to me because Small Pants had just been born at the end of August in 2002. In fact, as we all sat around the den that morning opening presents, the news came on about her "missing" the night before and her smiling face was flashed up on the screen. Along with the immediate her husband did it thoughts, I also felt a huge sense of sadness and loss. I looked at Small Pants, just staring at the blinking tree and smiling - wrapping paper flying by his head flung by his older brother. My family was complete and our home was full of love. This girl's family was forever broken and would never know this happiness.

Every Christmas, I think of Laci and Connor. A mixture of sadness and thankfulness comes over me and I hug my boys even tighter. I think about how my baby is only a little older than hers would have been. If you know nothing about this case, I encourage you to read a little about it. Her smile spoke volumes and her mother, brother and fathers (step and birth) gave such touching stories and memories of a woman we wished we had known under other circumstances. It is hard not to think about Laci and her sweet baby she never was able to hold in her arms and not think about the innocence that was stolen from her. I won't go into details on the case, the circumstances or the truly gory details because it is a disservice to what we should be remembering. We should remember the smile, the hope, the joy and the lives of promise that were taken and not take those we have for granted.

My home is full of laughter, love, a wonderful husband and two beautiful children that I am ever so thankful for. May you all have a very Merry Christmas surrounded by those you love.

You Should Put a Muzzle on Your Pet

Ok - and now the latest on The Labelers.

Mrs. Labeler has made "visits" to our home and The Bubble's home lamenting the mistreatment of her son. She says that our kids are always calling her son stupid, idiot and the like. I will say that I do not think my boys are angels, but I don't think they are doing all they are being accused of.

Many many times, I have seen Spaz fall off his scooter or trip while playing and immediately scream that one of the other boys has pushed him. This is rarely the case as the other boys are 20 yards away and he didn't know I saw the entire thing. Of the millions of times I have seen the boys playing, Spaz has gotten hurt by one of them maybe four times and it is an accident. He likes to try and get the other kids in trouble. Mrs. Bubble and I just ignore it all for the most part - saying the "Either work it out or don't play together" mantra. But Mrs. Labeler rushes out and interrogates the boys about picking on her son and lectures them for about 15 minutes. She is a child therapist after all.....

Her latest claim is that my oldest keeps telling her son that she is fat.

I asked him about it and he said he would never say that. My oldest is a crappy liar. I can always tell when he is not telling the truth and I believe him when he says he has not said that. That is just not a word we use in our house and I try not to comment on people in that manner. I may say they are a lousy driver, but I don't make remarks around my kids about people that are derogatory. Not because I am such a nice person, but because I know my kids would repeat it in front of them and there I would stand - embarassed. "Mom, isn't she the lady you called a lardass and said couldn't keep her man pleaser shut to save her life?" - right in the middle of a dinner party or something. That would be my luck.

I told Mrs. Labeler after she had said her son said my son had called her fat for about the fifteenth time, that I didn't believe that and that I thought many of Spaz's accusations were fabricated. I gave her examples of situations I had witnessed and how I thought he was wise enough to push her buttons. The kid almost failed Kindergarten last year and you think he didn't notice how stressed she was about him being labeled "stupid?" He knows she is sensitive about that, so he uses it, just like the "fat" comments.

Mr. Labeler, dear sweet loving husband that he is, makes remarks about her weight ALL the time. She put on a bit of weight when she was pregnant and has not lost much of it. I am not ridiculing her at all as I could stand to lose some weight myself! But I cannot imagine Pants telling me all the time "I won't have a fat wife." "You need to lose some weight." And so on - Mr. Labeler actually says things like this to her. But I am about to give you the most incredible comment ever made. The one time I have been left speechless (and that never happens, I assure you). This comment is also the reason why I believe that Spaz is pushing Mom's buttons again - the being accused of being fat upsets her. And since it is mentioned in their house daily by her husband, the kid is well aware of the power of that comment. He thinks if he says one of the other kids is saying it, Mama will rush to his rescue and the other boy will get in trouble. Ever see "The Good Son?" Yep, he's a sneaky little worm.

We were all at The Bubble's house cooking out with some friends of theirs from out of town. We had never met their friends before - I tell you this because it makes the comment from Mr. Labeler even more astounding. Everyone was sitting around chatting, all the kids were upstairs except for the baby and Spaz. It was a pleasant time and we were enjoying ourselves. There was a lull in the conversation when we three ladies were talking about needing to get out and exercise some more. Mr. Labeler breaks out with, and I quote. "It's not really that bad having sex with a fat girl. It's different, but not really bad."

The room was silent and we were all quietly thinking "What the hell?" That her husband would even say that out loud - much less in front of people he had met less than 30 minutes before. WOW. We were all in shock. Mrs. Labeler just looked and us and smiled a weak smile but said nothing. I felt so bad for her, but was in shock. I still can't get over it.

And they think our kids are the reason her son keeps saying she is fat. Ummm..... Hello? McFly????


They keep threatening to move. Which on one hand would be a good thing, but on the other... Damn, they are entertaining. Plus, what if a housefull of midgets moved in or something? That would creep me out. Or what if a family that was even weirder moved in? Nah, nevermind. It'd never happen.

Retrospective

It has been a while since I posted. Pants Sr. passed away on November 30th. It was very very sad and we are all still in a fog. He was such a good man and that family is so close, that it has been very hard on everyone.

Pants is doing ok - he has his moments and then he moves on. I know it just takes time and he will be better eventually. The holidays are always such a sad time to lose someone. It taints the Christmas' to come with the memory of sadness. Time makes it more tolerable.

I have so much to write about and I have to gather my thoughts and assemble them in some fashion. That may take me a day or so. There is so much emotion involved right now - I have to get it organized and on paper.

On a lighter note.....
Carri - I have a neighbor post I have to get on here. You will LOVE this one. Seriously, Mr. Labeler has truly outdone himself this time.