My Christmas

John is a good shopper. Especially when he goes to Nordstrom's to do the shopping. He really went above and beyond this Christmas. We both got guns earlier this month and it was assumed that this was our Christmas presents. Imagine my surprise when there were not 1, not 2 but 3 gifts under the tree for me!?! I took a while to open them, but was quite surprised that he got me such cool things. The first thing I opened was 'SOLID PERFUME'. This is a little necklace with a daisy that you can keep in your purse to 'freshen' up with throughout the day. It was "Daisy/Marc Jacobs". He also also got the velvet body butter and a bottle of the real perfume for me. John does not get me Eau de Toilette, ever. He always gets me the real stuff. I like that. Plus, he gets me what he likes. Which is why I am wearing good-smelling stuff, for him, right?

The next box held multiple items. First thing I saw were 2 UnderArmour shirts to workout it. Yea! I will be so glad when I CAN workout again!Right now I cannot even get out of bed to quick, lest I reinjure one of the incision sites. Next in the box were some really cool Nike Yoga pants, that I happen to be wearing RIGHT NOW. They are black and I LOVE them! And under the pants, there was a cool long-sleeved layered shirt that I cannot wait to wear with some jeans! WOW! I love it that John has a good eye for knowing what I like!

The last gift was one I totally was not expecting. He had pointed it out in the Costco ad a few months ago, but I did not think he remembered or that I would be so lucky as to get it. It was a GARMIN. This thing does it all. It tracks your heart rate, speed, distance, time, location in the universe, everything! It will probably take me a few hours to figure it out, but I am so excited! Again, I'll have to wait until I am off the injured reserve list, then I will be good to go.

I had such a nice time Christmas Eve with Mother and Calvin and the wonderful meal that she fixed for all of us last night. This morning was incredibly fun with the kids all going nuts. Once Pa-Pa, Weezie and Autumn got here, then there was even more fun to be had. We had a great time just being together and THEN a delicious lunch that John whipped up in a jiffy for all of us. There is just something about being able to sit around a table and just talk. That is so nice. I think we all enjoyed each other's company. We should do this kind of thing more often than once a year...I'm just saying.

Luke's Not-so-Quiet Christmas

Luke wants what the older kids have. Cooper got a guitar for Christmas. So did Natalie. Luke got a ....drum. He really was not so happy about that. He tried not to throw a fit, but he couldn't help himself. He just want what the older kids have. Well, Pa-Pa and Weezie came over and saved the day. Among all his other gifts, they brought Luke his very own guitar. I have never been so happy for him. The look on his face was priceless. He finally had what the big kids had. Though he did not know how to hold it correctly, that did not stop him from playing until the batteries ran out (just kidding). He LOVES that guitar and I am so happy that he feels like a big kid!

My mom got Luke a ball for Christmas. That may sound trivial and small, but let me tell you, Luke loves anything that is round and that he can throw. And that is exactly what he did as soon as he unwrapped it. I kept saying, Luke let me get a picture of you with your ball, and he would chunk it across the room. Let me tell you, my mom's house is not a house you can throw things in and not hit something. Here is the picture I finally snapped before something got broken...

Luke's other favorite gift was pajamas. I know, it is a little weird that both of my boys love pajamas so much, but that is just how it is. Luke got 2 new pairs of pajamas, one of them INCREDIBLE HULK and one of the Iron Man, similar in color to Cooper's. I love matching stuff for the boys, so they both were wearing matching ones tonight. I can not wait to see Luke in the HULK ones, waiting for him to stand in front of the mirror in our bathroom and say, "BIG MUTH-THULL BOY!"

Cooper's Christmas

When Cooper gets fixated on a certain something, there is not much chance of changing his mind or getting him to focus on something else. He can be very single-minded. Last year he wanted this macaw/parrot from Costco that was $80. I mean he really wanted it. I could not fathom buying it for him. At all. I did not even entertain the idea because it was so much $$ for a toy that I knew he would break pretty quick.

All year he reminded me that I would not get it for him. Sorry, but that is the way it is, Cooper. Then, 3 weeks ago my mom asks me what Cooper would want for Christmas. I happen to look in the Target ad and low and behold, there is that macaw/parrot right there in the ad for $24!! How about that! I told my mom and she got it without having to go to 8 different stores to find it!

Fast forward to Christmas Eve. Cooper opens the present....whoa. You would have thought that he opened the golden ticket. He was so excited. It is like he held on to that desire of wanting that parrot for a year and it all came out when he opened it. He loves that parrot. Though it does not have a name, he loves it all the same. (Yes, that rhymed!) It is actually pretty funny in that it: repeats what you say, says random things at random times and will purr if you pet it. Cooper absolutely adores it.

Amongst other things, he has been wanting a guitar for a while. Not a toy guitar, mommy, a REAL guitar. I had told Grandmother this and sure enough, she sent a real acoustic guitar for him. From the moment that I took it out of the postage box, even Luke knew what it was. That's pretty funny that the 3 year old made the call. Of course this was the first gift that Cooper opened this morning. It did not leave his side too often all day. I would really like him to learn how to play it, because I believe that he does have a gift for playing music.

His other favorite thing that he got were pajamas. This boy loves pajamas. LOVES them. Pa-pa and Weezie are notorious for getting him pajamas. Thank goodness! No matter what pair they get them, they become his favorites. Case in point, the Superman pajamas that they were wearing this morning came from Pa-Pa and Weezie. So tonight he is sporting his new pajamas that look SO CUTE! (And have a new superhero on them!)

A Hello Kitty Christmas

Natalie loves Hello Kitty. I do not mean kind of likes Hello Kitty, I mean she LOVES Hello Kitty. This infatuation has been going on for a year. Over a year. It is nice because when you see something Hello Kitty, you KNOW that she will like it. If someone asks what to get her? Hello Kitty. It is a guaranteed home run EVERY TIME. From Hello Kitty clothes to Hello Kitty stickers, she loves it all. Target has the most Hello Kitty stuff of all the retail stores. Even in the Dollar Spot at Target, they help us out with stocking Hello Kitty.

This Christmas was easy for everyone. Yep, you guessed it. Hello Kitty. Hello Kitty EVERYTHING. She got a HK tent, HK puzzle, HK backpack, HK coloring books, HK color table, HK pajamas, HK sleeping doll, HK shirt, HK sweatsuit, HK ear muffs, HK stickers and so much more HK stuff. It looks like Hello Kitty puked all over our house. I'm glad that I like Hello Kitty stuff or I might be sick of it by now. It is just so cute to see her get SO excited every time she opens something Hello Kitty...

Christmas Eve with Gram and Grandad

After Natalie's appearance in the nativity play at my church, we headed home to wait for the green light to go over to Mother's for Christmas Eve. For as long as I can remember, we have always done the opening of gifts on Christmas Eve. That is the way it has been since I was a little girl. Why break tradition now?

Once Mother and Calvin were out of church, we made our way over to their house. Lucky for us (especially lucky for the kiddos), the food was not ready. Mother said that the corn casserole would not be ready for another 30 minutes, do you want to just open presents now? Are you kidding? The kids were itching inside of their skin waiting to open presents! I am quite sure we would have a much quieter dinner if they opened presents and calmed themselves down before we asked them to sit down in form of china dishes.

We gladly all sat down for the handing out of presents. My mom did the honors. When she said go, the kids went to town. Cooper opened his VERY favorite gift of ALL time, the talking parrot. He has wanted this thing since last year when he spotted it at Costco. Gram was the hero of the day by getting it for him. I do not think he noticed any other gift after he opened that parrot. He was enamored with that thing.

Natalie locked in on the Hello Kitty tent as her FAVORITE thing. She had pointed it out to me in Target one day, IN JULY, telling me she wanted it for Christmas. I said, sure, sure ,sure, I'll remember. Well, thank goodness John remembered. He told Gram, and she made Natalie's day. Once Natalie opened it, she screeched, ran over to Gram, said thank you about 33 times and started asking every adult if they could put it together for her. After the tent, she did not really notice any other gift either.

Luke? It does not take a lot to get Luke excited. He really liked the dump truck that Aunt Autumn got him, but his favorite of all was the royal blue ball that Gram got him. If in doubt on what to get Luke? A ball. It is that simple. Really.

After all the gift-giving and receiving, we sat down to an awesome meal. my mom made this corn casserole that is so good, you almost feel guilty for eating it. It is SO GOOD. It almost tastes like candy, but it is made with corn, so how bad could it be for you?!? We also had ham, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes with brown gravy and roasted sweet potatoes. It was so good, I think I ate a little too much for my gall-bladderless state. Oh well, it was worth it. Great time, great food, great family, great fellowship!

My Nativity Angel

At our church, they have 2 Christmas Eve services. One is the Candlelight service and one is the 'Family Friendly' service, which is a little lighter and forgiving if you have little ones. Typically during the Family Friendly service they have the 4 year olds reenact the nativity scene. I don't know how Cooper missed it when he was 4, but I wanted Natalie to be able to do it. We got the letter a few weeks ago and responded lickety split so she could be in it. She stated up front that she wanted to be an angel. Why not Mary? Because I want to be an angel, mommy. OK. The dress rehearsal was the day after my gall bladder surgery, so Mary was so kind to take her up there for it. Sure enough, they had assigned Natalie to be an 'angel'. How about that!

Today I took her up there early to get her costume, which included a white silk sheet with a hole for her head, some gold wings and a gold headdress/headband. She looked so cute! She was VERY serious about playing this part and would not speak to anyone (besides me) while she was in costume. Once she got up there she played her silent part exceptionally well. Now I know why the short people are not put on the top riser. BECAUSE YOU CANNOT SEE THEM! If it was not for my friend Margi and her wackazuma camera, I would not have had any pictures of her up there. It was a combination of me being too short, my camera not having enough reach and Natalie strategically being right behind a tall girl whose wings completely blocked her. Oh well, my friend Margi ALREADY e-mailed them to me so I can post them on here! Kudos to you MARGI!


I was very proud of my little nativity angel!

A Day to Myself

I am still recuperating from what was supposed to be an easy procedure. I do not know who made this determination, but it definitely was made by someone who has not had their gall bladder out recently. I am still waking up in pain (serious pain), am OK during the day and then in pain again at night.

All this to say, my friend Lahoma volunteered to take the younger kids today. My mom had Cooper, so that left me with a day to myself. What a blessing this day was! I took a 2 hour nap (which does wonders for me), was able to clean various neglected parts of the house, wash 4 loads of laundry and start and finish wrapping gifts. Quite a productive day I must say! I did not feel rushed, I just kept doing what needed to be done. I also made some more Sweet Goodness, which turned out to be the best batch yet.

I'll take a day like today, anyday, without the precursor of surgery...

Dear Santa

Dear Santa,

I've been a good mom all year. I've fed, cleaned and cuddled my children on demand, visited the doctor's office more than my doctor, helped with loads of homework and projects without complaining and sold forty-eight dozen frozen cookie dough boxes for the Jr High Band. I was hoping you could spread my list out over several Christmases, since I had to write this letter with my daughter's red crayon, on the back of a receipt in the laundry room between cycles, and who knows when I'll find anymore free time in the next 18 years. Here are my Christmas wishes: I'd like a pair of feet that don't ache or crack (in any color, except pink and purple which I already have due to being constantly on the go!) and arms that don't hurt or flap in the breeze; but are strong enough to pull my screaming kids out of the car when we get home. I'd also like a waist, since I lost mine somewhere in the last four pregnancies. If you're hauling big ticket items this year I'd like fingerprint resistant windows for my car and my house and a radio that plays anything but The Cheetah Girls and Hannah Montana; a television that broadcasts something other than Dora the Explorer and Blues Clues; and a refrigerator big enough for six gallons of milk and a secret compartment behind the crisper where I can hide to talk on the phone.On the practical side, I could use a talking doll that says, "Yes, Mommy" to boost my parental confidence, along with kids who don't fight and three pairs of Turbo tennis shoes to keep up with them all. I could also use a recording of Tibetan monks chanting "Don't eat in the living room" and "Take your hands off your sister," because my voice seems to be just out of my daughter's hearing range and can only be heard by the dog, who ran away. If it’s too late to find any of these products, I'd settle for enough time to brush my teeth and comb my hair in the same morning, time for breakfast at least once a week or the luxury of eating food warmer than room temperature without it being served through a drive-thru window. If you don't mind, I could also use a few Christmas miracles to brighten the holiday season. Would it be too much trouble to make a magic paint for the walls? You know, one that does not allow any sort of pencil, pen, marker or crayon to be seen on it. It would help immensely in the clean up of the murals my walls currently display! It would also be helpful if you could coerce my children to help around the house without rolling their eyes, deep grunted sighs or demanding payment as if they were the bosses of an organized crime family. Well, Santa, the buzzer on the dryer is ringing and my daughters have seen my feet under the laundry room door. I think they want their crayon back. Have a safe trip and remember to leave your wet boots by the door and come in and dry off so you don't catch cold. Help yourself to cookies on the table but don't eat too many or leave crumbs on the carpet.

Yours Always,

MOM

P.S. One more thing...you can cancel all my requests if you can keep my children young enough to believe in Santa for another year. Many thanks!

(Written last year by my good friend Julie)

A Day with My Mom

Rare is the day that I can spend with my mom, doing nothing in particular, just hang out and do whatever. Today happened to be one of those days. My mom came over to be with me between when John left and when Kayla would be here. (Since I am still recovering from the surgery, John had Kayla come over to babysit during the day.) Once Kayla got here, Mother, Cooper and I left to go to her house. After we had a Subway sandwich, I excused myself to take an hour and half nap. When I woke up , my mom and I got down to business making some jewelry. I have always envied those who can make their own necklaces or bracelets. Well let me tall you, my mom is the queen of making necklaces, bracelets and earrings. She can make anything to match anything! I think she has over 101 bracelets, and I'm not kidding. She has 6 tackle boxes full of beads, so I had a quite a plethora to chose from. I arbitrarily decided on brown, just because I almost always go with black, so I thought I would do something different. I thought these turned out pretty good...
After we made those, we made some Sweet Goodness. I think I need to name her creation Nutty Goodness because she wanted 2 lbs. of peanuts in hers, so that's what we did. It was plenty nutty, that is for sure. Cooper's nose was working, because he came scampering down the stairs from playing with Legos to inquire about the 'chocolate nests' that he could smell. I let him lick the spatula when I was done and he was all to happy to oblige.

A Preschool Christmas Program

A preschool Christmas program. The epitome of cute I must say. The kids all dressed in their Christmas best or in some matching shirts leading you to question your ability as a parent to recognize your kid under any circumstance. The thing is, as Forest Gump says, it is like a box of chocolates. you never know what you are going to get. They practice for months on end, trying to get the kiddos to all sing the songs, stand on stage, do whatever 'special' thing they are supposed to do and hope that the kid DO in the program what they have been practicing all this time. However, you fill the chapel with 100 parents and the kids kind of freak out. They forget that they are supposed to sing, they remember that they want their mommy to hold them NOW, they forget how to hold the tambourine OR they do something really silly that you could never predict.

In our case, Luke was the star singer. In practice, he knew all the words, sang the loudest of all and was the most animated. You might say he was kind of a leader (of the 3 year olds). Well, we were sure in for a surprise when he came out. He decided he would pull his hat down over his head and play peek-a-boo. At first it was funny. Then it was annoying. (Any cute activity that persists more than 3 minutes becomes annoying.) I went from embarrassed to upset. I wanted a picture of him on the stage! No such luck, Luke was too busy trying to be Mr. Funny Guy up there and there was not one split second to catch him without that silly Santa hat over his face. Plus, while he was doing this little shinninigan, he for sure was not singing. Since he was not singing, most of the other little 3 year olds weren't either. I was not happy with his performance, or lack thereof.

Natalie on the other hand did phenomenal. She did so good! I do not know exactly why they put the shortest girls on the top step and the tall girls below them, which makes it VERY difficult to see your vertically challenged daughter. This seems to be a trend that I would like to see changed, because I want to get pictures of my daughter singing!

After all the classes had finished singing, Natalie did the closing prayer. She stood up there all by herself and said the Lord's Prayer. All by herself. I was so proud of her and her big girl voice!