Stockings are hung, presents are wrapped, cookies are baked, floor is - well, passably clean. All is in readiness for the big day, or days in our case. The Barrow family is ready for Christmas.
Last week was a flurry of insanity, but since I was fueled by daily doses of a steroid to help me feel better - I literally took on the role of Energizer Bunny. Riley helped me mix up, roll out and shape dough for almost every cookie I baked. He was also a trooper helping me do mom's grocery shopping for our massive cookie party and switching out laundry and making beds. In the evenings when his patience had come to an end and he had some cranky or stubborn moments, I urged Scott to give him some leeway. He had earned leniency as far as I was concerned.
In the midst of our last week of school there was a holiday orchestra concert, basketball practice, two last swim lessons for the fall session and Scooter's Winter Party to attend. Teacher gifts started leaving our house on Tuesday for Tyler's REACH class and wrapped up on Friday with Tyler having to haul 4 gifts with him to school. The homemade options were a big hit with all the teachers, especially his male instructor. That had been a hard choice for us since we had never sent a teacher gift for a guy before, but I think we hit a home run. More on what we gave will come after Christmas - there are still aunts and uncles who haven't opened their precious homemade presents yet.
On Friday night, I left all my boys at home and drove to mom's house for party prep. Asheley and Perry had arrived from Austin with their dog, Kozmo, and my niece, Jocelyn, in tow. I hadn't seen Perry and Kozmo in almost 2 years except for an occasional glimpse on Asheley and my video chats. Kozmo attacked me immediately in all his small but furious furriness and then I got to hug Perry which was long overdue! We ordered pizza and chatted and laughed and prepped food, tables and dessert platters for the next morning. I called it quits sometime before ten and headed home to my sleeping family.
Scott had to work on Saturday so I was on my own with all 3 boys for the cookie party, but we managed to get up and ready and out the door on time. We swooped in and started setting up the rest of the decorating tables and putting out the food that was baking for our guests. The cookie party keeps growing and at one point that day I looked up and realized there was more than one person this year that I didn't know in attendance. That's fine - the more the merrier. It was a little tight for walking around this year, prompting a friend to recommend renting a hall for the gig next year. Santa made a second appearance this year and all the kids took a break from slathering cookies with frosting and sprinkles to sit on his lap and get a goodie bag. Last year Scooter sat and Riley wouldn't, this year it was reversed. Tyler spent the entire party playing with one of my friend's sons (the family we got Brewer from), Jacob, and asked for a goodie bag later.
Conveniently, I took my last steroid Saturday morning which got me through the chaos of the party and the major clean up we were left with, but once it was all over and I didn't have another boost to keep me going I started to experience the very expected crash. All the prep and work caught up with me. Mom and I found spots in recliners and put on a favorite movie, 'Little Women', to chill out to and sob to because, as mom said, 'we deserve it'. Tyler kept popping in and wondering why in the world we would want to watch a movie just to cry to it, but dad and Perry just told him it was a girl thing and to go with it. Scott arrived after work to find me laying in a chair under a blanket with Jocelyn snoozing in my lap and me crying happily to a sappy chick flick.
After dinner, we had a small Christmas with Perry, Asheley and Tara. The boys were excited about opening a few gifts from Austin and a couple from Grandma and Grandpa. The early gifting worked out so well and has kept the kids from going too crazy this week. Grandma and Grandpa gave all my kids the Star Wars full series on Blue Ray so Riley has watched a minimum of one Star Wars movie per day since then. Not like we didn't have the movies, but the DVD's were in rough shape and I have to admit the quality viewed on my big tv is pretty impressive. The boys are also enjoying their new spy gear binoculars and walkie-talkies. Tyler got his own cribbage board and is learning to play with all of us. Tyler spent the night at Grandma's house and laughed so hard he cried at his Uncle Perry's jokes. It was so nice they got a good chunk of time to reconnect. Scott and I took the little ones home to crash and get ready for church the next morning.
Sunday afternoon found me napping on the couch. This was a welcome respite since I had barely slept the week before, finding myself writing the PTA newsletter at 3 a.m. or washing dishes at the witching hour. Crazy Prednisone. Late in the afternoon we piled in the van and headed to Rowlett to spend some time with Uncle Greg & his family. We had a really fun evening eating pizza and cookies and playing a new movie trivia game that Greg had bought. Tyler and Valya wanted to keep playing, but after 3 rounds (a win each by mom, Greg & I) it was time to move on. We exchanged a few small gifts and really just enjoyed being together. I told Greg we would have to have another game night soon, but even he said we might have to work on how competitive we can be (Greg & I, that is!).
I was extremely surprised on Monday morning when my husband took a sick day from work. In six years of marriage, I think he has only taken one other day off because he wasn't feeling well. He had a stomach bug and I kept him isolated from everyone else while he healed and then disinfected the whole house. The last thing I need is everyone else sick this week, but so far we seem to have escaped the bug. Monday afternoon I attacked the play room with a vengeance. I cleaned, purged, organized and scrubbed. I was not only looking to have things neat and trimmed down before Santa arrives, but also to prepare for the eventual work that will be done in this room. After the holidays I will be back to work on the house and once my mantle is painted and base boards are in the living room I will begin the process of turning the play room into a pre-teen/teen room for Tyler. He has been very patient, sharing the massive front room with his brothers this year, but it is time for him to have his own special space - hopefully in time for him to start Junior High next fall.
Our Austin visitors headed back home on Sunday, but they left our precious Jocelyn here for a visit. How fun has it been to have her to ourselves! She stayed with Grandma and Grandpa, totally wearing them out, but I went out to help dad with her care on Tuesday and Wednesday. She is so sweet! She takes time to warm up, like my Scooter, but this week I really got to bond with her more. It's kind of freaky to me sometimes when she gives me a look just like her daddy, but I totally love it. Every once in a while she will run into your arms and when you pick her up she will snuggle into your neck and reach around to pat your shoulder. Her parents got in from Austin last night and Tyler chose to spend the night at Grandma's again - this time to have alone time with Uncle Matthew.
This week has been busy, but much more subdued than last week. I am thoroughly enjoying sleeping through the night again and I really love not having an alarm clock waking me up. Scott is off today since he worked on Saturday and as of now is still asleep, but that will change as soon as I finish writing. I have to do the regular grocery shopping today as well as grabbing the things we need to contribute to meals and get-togethers for the weekend. Then, we'll head to Rowlett on the just-opened-yesterday Tollway! I think this is going to cut a good ten minutes from my commute to mom's house and I am super pumped up about it! We'll hang out with family today and then Scott has to work again tomorrow.
The Christmas plan for us is chaotic as usual, but I think it should work out okay. We are attending Christmas Eve candle light services a night early at our church so as to leave room in the sanctuary for visitors on the actual day and also to give us more room for our schedule on Saturday. Scott's sister will drive in from Austin on Friday as well and I am sure we will see her that night at some point. On Christmas Eve we will have Christmas at my mom's house mid day with Matthew, Tara and the baby and then in the evening we will head to Scott's aunt's house for the annual Hensel party. On Sunday, we will send Tyler off mid-day to his dad and his other family for their Christmas together and a full week with his little brother and sister. Brian has the whole week off and is looking forward to time with all 3 kids together. We will spend the afternoon and evening with Scott's family for dinner and gifts and just plain fun.
One of my bestest friends is due to have her baby soon and if she doesn't deliver by next Thursday, she will be induced. Can't wait to hold the new little one. Another dear friend is coming in on Wednesday from New Mexico to spend a day with me. I haven't seen her since she moved in June and I can't wait to hug her neck and spend a day just loving on her. A third friend just returned from a 2 week Hawaii vacation that included the Pearl Harbor anniversary celebrations and we'll have lunch one day so I can hear all about it. And all the while there will be no alarm clock! Woohoo!
Technically, I still have to prep my stocking stuffers for something close to 30 kids at Scott's family's massive Christmas Eve celebration and there is another tin of cookies to frost, but the cookies can be done next week - we have plenty to eat for now. Still, we are ready. The kids are playing well together this week and they aren't driving us too crazy waiting for gifts. They are enjoying the culmination of our Jesse tree stories as we move into the Nativity stories and now will happily announce Jesus' birthday as the reason for Christmas.
All this chaos is so worth it. I am so grateful for the season and for it's reason - Jesus. I hope you are all ready to enjoy your families and your Christmas celebrations, whatever they are.
God Bless you all and Merry Christmas!
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
A little Christmas Joy . . .
I haven't been feeling very well since Thanksgiving so it's been tough for me to keep up the Christmas-hectic pace that I am used to. I am having to let a lot of stuff go, but it hasn't bothered me too much as it just means the season is more simple.
In the midst of sinus headaches and a Texas Trash mini-disaster when I started my baking, I have had a lot of moments of pure joy with my kids. They are warming to the Jesse tree and our short devotional time together. We have to double up a lot when our schedules get the best of us, but the whole experience is making me want to find some other family devotional guide to do throughout the year. It's too much to think about an every night kind of a thing, but maybe we could commit to three times per week. It's something to consider.
Last week, I noticed that Scooter had suddenly stopped asking me to sing certain Christmas carols over and over and was singing them himself. I love listening to him and I finally got him to stand still so I could record this:
It's kind of repetitive and he misses a bunch of words, but I love it. After I stopped taping he said 'wait, I forgot a part' and had me record this:
Okay, the embed didn't work so try this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ERlZRPiS4A&feature=g-upl
It's basically just him adding the 'making a list' part for 11 seconds then he's done.
Is there anything sweeter than that? By the way, the red blob on his face is a 'bear' that he got at school. I was kind of confused when he came out the door with red all over him, especially when I didn't see anyone else with a painted face in his class. Turns out it was a reward and he received the privilege of getting his face painted in the cafeteria by some high school kids with other children throughout the school who had been on their best behavior that day. 'I got to go do it because I was quiet and was working hard.' He told me they wanted to make his whole face a bear, but he only wanted one side done. I was shocked that he let a stranger into his personal space and a brush with paint near his face. That certainly has never happened before. I told him I was super proud of his effort to be more brave. He said it just tickled, it didn't hurt.
Since I haven't been feeling good, my sweet Tyler has stepped up quite a bit to help me. He keeps telling me to lay down and get some rest and he'll watch 'the kids'. It's so sweet, but it's usually around the time I need to be doing something for dinner. On Sunday afternoon, he saved me by manning the cookie press machine and squirting out the dough shapes for our favorite spritz cookies. Scooter did the sprinkles and I only had to rotate pans in and out of the oven and cookies to the cooling racks. Last night he offered to make me tea and brought me a steaming cup while I chilled out on the couch. He can be so thoughtful, and I am so grateful for his big, gentle heart. We are enjoying listening to him practice Christmas songs on his violin also in preparation for the winter concert this week. Aunt Asheley got to hear him through the phone the other night and was overwhelmed with his progress. She's anxious to hear it in person this week.
Riley surprised me today too. I sneezed on our way to MC and I suddenly heard 'Bless You Mama' from the backseat. I am pretty sure that was the first time he exhibited that kind of spontaneous concern despite being pretty good about pleases and thank you's on a normal basis. He is super loving and caring, but this is the first real evidence of a thoughtfulness without prompting, at least that I can think of. Anyway, it made me feel warm and fuzzy inside. He's very pleased that his daddy finally figured out our tree topper issue last night and there is a lighted star on the tree. He had asked me about it every single day. And now that cookies are in the house, he has been asking me for a 'cookie break'.
Each boy (including Daddy) received a personalized video message from Santa on Friday. They were so cute to watch as they were surprised by Santa's knowledge of their lives. Riley nodded along with everything Santa said and even Tyler's eyes lit up at some of the details Santa knew. That was a fun day! Luckily, everyone was on the 'nice' list so far. Shew! What a relief!
I sure love these guys. I finally got our Christmas card together and printed yesterday so hopefully most of you will get to see their smiling faces in your mailboxes pretty soon and if you don't it's because I don't have your address. We are looking forward to our big annual cookie decorating party this weekend and thanks to some powerful meds, I might just find some energy and get the cookies made in time. I might even be done with everything but wrapping by the time the kids are out of school for their break next week, or at least by Monday or Tuesday. I hope so. I would love to just have a few days to lay around and watch movies with them and play some games. You know, while we munch on cookies and trash!
Hope your holiday preparations are going well and that you are finding time to enjoy those that are most precious in your life!
God Bless!
In the midst of sinus headaches and a Texas Trash mini-disaster when I started my baking, I have had a lot of moments of pure joy with my kids. They are warming to the Jesse tree and our short devotional time together. We have to double up a lot when our schedules get the best of us, but the whole experience is making me want to find some other family devotional guide to do throughout the year. It's too much to think about an every night kind of a thing, but maybe we could commit to three times per week. It's something to consider.
Last week, I noticed that Scooter had suddenly stopped asking me to sing certain Christmas carols over and over and was singing them himself. I love listening to him and I finally got him to stand still so I could record this:
It's kind of repetitive and he misses a bunch of words, but I love it. After I stopped taping he said 'wait, I forgot a part' and had me record this:
Okay, the embed didn't work so try this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ERlZRPiS4A&feature=g-upl
It's basically just him adding the 'making a list' part for 11 seconds then he's done.
Is there anything sweeter than that? By the way, the red blob on his face is a 'bear' that he got at school. I was kind of confused when he came out the door with red all over him, especially when I didn't see anyone else with a painted face in his class. Turns out it was a reward and he received the privilege of getting his face painted in the cafeteria by some high school kids with other children throughout the school who had been on their best behavior that day. 'I got to go do it because I was quiet and was working hard.' He told me they wanted to make his whole face a bear, but he only wanted one side done. I was shocked that he let a stranger into his personal space and a brush with paint near his face. That certainly has never happened before. I told him I was super proud of his effort to be more brave. He said it just tickled, it didn't hurt.
Since I haven't been feeling good, my sweet Tyler has stepped up quite a bit to help me. He keeps telling me to lay down and get some rest and he'll watch 'the kids'. It's so sweet, but it's usually around the time I need to be doing something for dinner. On Sunday afternoon, he saved me by manning the cookie press machine and squirting out the dough shapes for our favorite spritz cookies. Scooter did the sprinkles and I only had to rotate pans in and out of the oven and cookies to the cooling racks. Last night he offered to make me tea and brought me a steaming cup while I chilled out on the couch. He can be so thoughtful, and I am so grateful for his big, gentle heart. We are enjoying listening to him practice Christmas songs on his violin also in preparation for the winter concert this week. Aunt Asheley got to hear him through the phone the other night and was overwhelmed with his progress. She's anxious to hear it in person this week.
Riley surprised me today too. I sneezed on our way to MC and I suddenly heard 'Bless You Mama' from the backseat. I am pretty sure that was the first time he exhibited that kind of spontaneous concern despite being pretty good about pleases and thank you's on a normal basis. He is super loving and caring, but this is the first real evidence of a thoughtfulness without prompting, at least that I can think of. Anyway, it made me feel warm and fuzzy inside. He's very pleased that his daddy finally figured out our tree topper issue last night and there is a lighted star on the tree. He had asked me about it every single day. And now that cookies are in the house, he has been asking me for a 'cookie break'.
Each boy (including Daddy) received a personalized video message from Santa on Friday. They were so cute to watch as they were surprised by Santa's knowledge of their lives. Riley nodded along with everything Santa said and even Tyler's eyes lit up at some of the details Santa knew. That was a fun day! Luckily, everyone was on the 'nice' list so far. Shew! What a relief!
I sure love these guys. I finally got our Christmas card together and printed yesterday so hopefully most of you will get to see their smiling faces in your mailboxes pretty soon and if you don't it's because I don't have your address. We are looking forward to our big annual cookie decorating party this weekend and thanks to some powerful meds, I might just find some energy and get the cookies made in time. I might even be done with everything but wrapping by the time the kids are out of school for their break next week, or at least by Monday or Tuesday. I hope so. I would love to just have a few days to lay around and watch movies with them and play some games. You know, while we munch on cookies and trash!
Hope your holiday preparations are going well and that you are finding time to enjoy those that are most precious in your life!
God Bless!
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
A few random funnies . . .
After MOPS and work yesterday, Riley cheerfully informed me on the way home that 'Jesus was a Baby'. Two seconds later he asked me WHY Jesus was a baby. I briefly explained in a simple way why Jesus had to be born like everyone else. Riley kept talking and doing quite a bit of free association. Basically he came up with the firm facts that even though his dad and I had been a baby once, we weren't babies when he was a baby because someone had to take care of him and that was our job. That's when the conversation took a turn to the hysterical.
It went something like this:
Riley - Momma, I was borned in your tummy.
Me - Yeah, you grew in my tummy and then you were born.
Riley - I grew in your tummy?
Me - Yes, and you didn't have much room so you kicked me a lot.
Riley - I did??
Me - Yep
Riley - Then I came out. That's becuzzzz I made a hole in your tummy and got out.
Me - Silence, because what exactly do you say to that?
Riley - I made a hole in your tummy to get out and then God fixed it.
Me - Okay
Riley - That's becuzzzzz God can do that.
Me - Yep, God can do just about anything
Riley - Yeah, I made a hole and God fixed it becuzzz he really, really can do that.
Me - Pause to order our lunch
Riley - Momma - I didn't make a whole in your tummy. I really didn't.
Me - No?
Riley - No, that's becuzzz I got out of your tummy from the door.
Me - The door? There's a door to my tummy?
Riley - Yesssss, that's becuzzz all tummies have a door.
Me - And that's how you got out? Through the door?
Riley - Yeah, cuz all tummies have a door, but I had to follow the path.
Me - The path? There was a path? (pause to keep myself from laughing too hard)
Riley - Momma, I follow the path to get out the door.
Me - Were you worried about taking a wrong turn? (Don't think he got that I was smiling and trying not to laugh here)
Riley - Yessss, that's becuzzz I saw all the signs that said Riley and I went that way on the path. The food doesn't go that way.
Me - It doesn't?
Riley - No, the food has a path and I saw all the Riley stuff to go on the path and get out the door.
Me - Ooooohhhhh, so that's how it works.
Riley - Yes. Momma, were you in my tummy too?
Me - No, I was in Grandma's tummy.
Riley - Oh, so you went out Grandma's door.
Me - Uh, yeah.
Riley - That's becuzzzz all the people are babies and go through the door.
Me - Yes, everyone starts out as a baby.
Riley - Like Jesus. He was a baby too. And SANTA!!!! Santa was a baby. (he's watched 'Santa Claus is coming to Town' about 20 times already) And Jesus was a baby.
Me - Everyone was once a baby.
Riley - Yes. That's becuzzzz Jesus is my friend. MOMMA - Jesus is my BEST FRIEND!
Me - That's wonderful Riley, he's my best friend too.
Last night, at bedtime, Scooter decided that playing the 'copy' game was the funniest thing ever. Especially because Riley kept telling him to be quiet and saying 'it's not me, it's him!' which made it sound like Scooter was saying those same things to Riley. The copy game is one of my least favorite and I don't know where Scooter learned it from. I keep trying to explain to Riley that the only way he can stop it is to not say anything at all, but Riley doesn't know how to do that. Scooter tried again this morning on the way to school and the 'Scooter stop saying what I'm saying!' and 'Stop That' comments were escalating pretty quickly. I am kinda hoping that ignoring Scooter will make this go away, but it's doubtful.
We are currently having 2 swim lessons per week to make up for some sick days and we had a lesson yesterday afternoon. The teacher, Ms. Paige, didn't let my kids even think about trying goggles for a long time since they were so apprehensive about going under. She wants to get them over that and also wants them to know that they can swim without in case they were to fall in somewhere. The last two weeks she has let Riley try goggles and even though he often opens his eyes without under water, he kept clenching his eyes closed with the goggles on. He finally got it and thought it was totally 'AWESUMMMMM!' that he could see the ring on the step he was going under to find. We tried with Scooter, but he was apprehensive about something new on his face. Ms. Paige asked for my permission to push him and after I said yes, she calmly worked with him for a while, insisting he look at her eyes while she soothed his fears and stayed firm. She kept telling him that she knew new things made him nervous but they were going to work through it. Five minutes later he wore the goggles a few times, but didn't open his eyes with them. He did seem to like not wiping his eyes off, but would immediately pull the goggles off of his face. He'll get it eventually, he now thinks it's fun to go under whenever he wants, without being prompted. I love Ms. Paige and how much she loves my kids, especially Scooter. Last week she had a young helper who Scooter wouldn't even look at (since he had never seen her before). When she tried to take Scooter for a dip, he refused and Ms. Paige came and got him. She told the assistant 'Scooter is just Scooter, it'll take him a few times before he will want to go to you.' I love that she gets him like so many people don't. When he gets stressed because she pushes him, she then lets him ride on her back through the pool while she works with the other kids and she keeps up a steady calm conversation with him the whole time. He doesn't have time to get shy with her or clam up because she totally gets what makes him tick and keeps working with him.
St. Nick visited our house in the night and Riley and Scooter were pretty excited to find stockings full of candy and 2 toys each this morning. Tyler knew the day was coming and was slightly disappointed with his toy items. I pulled him aside and let him know that St. Nick was having a hard time finding small, inexpensive items for an almost 12 year old that would fit in a stocking. Could he please show some enthusiasm for his brothers sake and remember that this particular event is more about the little kids than pre-teens? He agreed and then actually got super motivated when he opened his CARS themed Pez machine and discovered that the car actually worked. He then helped Scooter and Riley break into theirs and have a couple races to the Christmas tree before we piled into the car for school. I guess there's still a little bit of little boy hiding in there after all.
Riley watches Scooter struggle to go in the door for school every morning. He often asks me about it and says 'Well, I'm not gonna do that. I'm gonna go in!' This morning when we made the last turn onto the street for school, I heard something wonderful. Riley said 'Scooter, you just gotta say 'I CAN DO IT!' At first I thought they were still talking about the cars on their Pez dispensers, but then he said 'You just gotta walk right in.' How awesome is that? My littlest guy learning how to encourage his brother? Scooter tried to change the subject or didn't hear him and I said, 'Scooter - Riley is trying to encourage you.' Riley said 'Yes! You just say 'I CAN DO IT' like Miss Paige says.' It didn't actually work and I had to push him through the door like usual, but maybe it'll sink in eventually.
Decorating is done, except there is still no topper on the tree and I have to glue-gun some stuff back on to two of my wreaths. All the groceries are bought for baking and projects. Dad lent me 3 of my favorite Christmas albums so that I can sing through all my prep. The Jesse tree is going smoothly and we are starting to get pretty pumped about the holiday. It is just going so fast already. I wanted to sit and think for a second about my kids and who they are before I get bogged down with the rest of this month again!
Hope your holiday prep is moving along smoothly!
Thanks and God Bless!
It went something like this:
Riley - Momma, I was borned in your tummy.
Me - Yeah, you grew in my tummy and then you were born.
Riley - I grew in your tummy?
Me - Yes, and you didn't have much room so you kicked me a lot.
Riley - I did??
Me - Yep
Riley - Then I came out. That's becuzzzz I made a hole in your tummy and got out.
Me - Silence, because what exactly do you say to that?
Riley - I made a hole in your tummy to get out and then God fixed it.
Me - Okay
Riley - That's becuzzzzz God can do that.
Me - Yep, God can do just about anything
Riley - Yeah, I made a hole and God fixed it becuzzz he really, really can do that.
Me - Pause to order our lunch
Riley - Momma - I didn't make a whole in your tummy. I really didn't.
Me - No?
Riley - No, that's becuzzz I got out of your tummy from the door.
Me - The door? There's a door to my tummy?
Riley - Yesssss, that's becuzzz all tummies have a door.
Me - And that's how you got out? Through the door?
Riley - Yeah, cuz all tummies have a door, but I had to follow the path.
Me - The path? There was a path? (pause to keep myself from laughing too hard)
Riley - Momma, I follow the path to get out the door.
Me - Were you worried about taking a wrong turn? (Don't think he got that I was smiling and trying not to laugh here)
Riley - Yessss, that's becuzzz I saw all the signs that said Riley and I went that way on the path. The food doesn't go that way.
Me - It doesn't?
Riley - No, the food has a path and I saw all the Riley stuff to go on the path and get out the door.
Me - Ooooohhhhh, so that's how it works.
Riley - Yes. Momma, were you in my tummy too?
Me - No, I was in Grandma's tummy.
Riley - Oh, so you went out Grandma's door.
Me - Uh, yeah.
Riley - That's becuzzzz all the people are babies and go through the door.
Me - Yes, everyone starts out as a baby.
Riley - Like Jesus. He was a baby too. And SANTA!!!! Santa was a baby. (he's watched 'Santa Claus is coming to Town' about 20 times already) And Jesus was a baby.
Me - Everyone was once a baby.
Riley - Yes. That's becuzzzz Jesus is my friend. MOMMA - Jesus is my BEST FRIEND!
Me - That's wonderful Riley, he's my best friend too.
Last night, at bedtime, Scooter decided that playing the 'copy' game was the funniest thing ever. Especially because Riley kept telling him to be quiet and saying 'it's not me, it's him!' which made it sound like Scooter was saying those same things to Riley. The copy game is one of my least favorite and I don't know where Scooter learned it from. I keep trying to explain to Riley that the only way he can stop it is to not say anything at all, but Riley doesn't know how to do that. Scooter tried again this morning on the way to school and the 'Scooter stop saying what I'm saying!' and 'Stop That' comments were escalating pretty quickly. I am kinda hoping that ignoring Scooter will make this go away, but it's doubtful.
We are currently having 2 swim lessons per week to make up for some sick days and we had a lesson yesterday afternoon. The teacher, Ms. Paige, didn't let my kids even think about trying goggles for a long time since they were so apprehensive about going under. She wants to get them over that and also wants them to know that they can swim without in case they were to fall in somewhere. The last two weeks she has let Riley try goggles and even though he often opens his eyes without under water, he kept clenching his eyes closed with the goggles on. He finally got it and thought it was totally 'AWESUMMMMM!' that he could see the ring on the step he was going under to find. We tried with Scooter, but he was apprehensive about something new on his face. Ms. Paige asked for my permission to push him and after I said yes, she calmly worked with him for a while, insisting he look at her eyes while she soothed his fears and stayed firm. She kept telling him that she knew new things made him nervous but they were going to work through it. Five minutes later he wore the goggles a few times, but didn't open his eyes with them. He did seem to like not wiping his eyes off, but would immediately pull the goggles off of his face. He'll get it eventually, he now thinks it's fun to go under whenever he wants, without being prompted. I love Ms. Paige and how much she loves my kids, especially Scooter. Last week she had a young helper who Scooter wouldn't even look at (since he had never seen her before). When she tried to take Scooter for a dip, he refused and Ms. Paige came and got him. She told the assistant 'Scooter is just Scooter, it'll take him a few times before he will want to go to you.' I love that she gets him like so many people don't. When he gets stressed because she pushes him, she then lets him ride on her back through the pool while she works with the other kids and she keeps up a steady calm conversation with him the whole time. He doesn't have time to get shy with her or clam up because she totally gets what makes him tick and keeps working with him.
St. Nick visited our house in the night and Riley and Scooter were pretty excited to find stockings full of candy and 2 toys each this morning. Tyler knew the day was coming and was slightly disappointed with his toy items. I pulled him aside and let him know that St. Nick was having a hard time finding small, inexpensive items for an almost 12 year old that would fit in a stocking. Could he please show some enthusiasm for his brothers sake and remember that this particular event is more about the little kids than pre-teens? He agreed and then actually got super motivated when he opened his CARS themed Pez machine and discovered that the car actually worked. He then helped Scooter and Riley break into theirs and have a couple races to the Christmas tree before we piled into the car for school. I guess there's still a little bit of little boy hiding in there after all.
Riley watches Scooter struggle to go in the door for school every morning. He often asks me about it and says 'Well, I'm not gonna do that. I'm gonna go in!' This morning when we made the last turn onto the street for school, I heard something wonderful. Riley said 'Scooter, you just gotta say 'I CAN DO IT!' At first I thought they were still talking about the cars on their Pez dispensers, but then he said 'You just gotta walk right in.' How awesome is that? My littlest guy learning how to encourage his brother? Scooter tried to change the subject or didn't hear him and I said, 'Scooter - Riley is trying to encourage you.' Riley said 'Yes! You just say 'I CAN DO IT' like Miss Paige says.' It didn't actually work and I had to push him through the door like usual, but maybe it'll sink in eventually.
Decorating is done, except there is still no topper on the tree and I have to glue-gun some stuff back on to two of my wreaths. All the groceries are bought for baking and projects. Dad lent me 3 of my favorite Christmas albums so that I can sing through all my prep. The Jesse tree is going smoothly and we are starting to get pretty pumped about the holiday. It is just going so fast already. I wanted to sit and think for a second about my kids and who they are before I get bogged down with the rest of this month again!
Hope your holiday prep is moving along smoothly!
Thanks and God Bless!
Friday, December 2, 2011
Where are you Christmas?
Have you seen the new Target commercial? The one where this nice couple is saying goodbye to her parents after Thanksgiving dinner with pumpkin pie still out on the table and then the woman turns around and her entire house is suddenly decorated for Christmas? The lights are on the house before her parents drive off and her husband is offering her some eggnog. That's how the chaos feels, that's how I feel, but I am not managing it well so far this year.
I was sick most of Thanksgiving week and weekend which made it hard to get started on Christmas. I wasn't really ready to start thinking about it, but I immediately had to start planning for how we are going to make all the family gatherings work with Tyler's schedule so we can figure out all the logistics and see everyone. We somehow got all the kids and their cousins in coordinating outfits and my sister-in-law took pictures in front of a tree. They weren't perfect, but they are so cute. Everyone was looking at the camera at the same time more than once which was pretty darn good. Once I get my disc of the sitting I can start doing Cards and get them out. The turkey leftovers were barely in the fridge before we shifted to Christmas preparations.
It's already chaotic. Normally, I thrive on the chaos. Usually I am more than ready to take it all on and get it all done and make Christmas happen. It takes the whole month, but the celebration for us goes on for days and it's so worth it. So what's wrong with me this year?
We did somehow get the tree up and decorated on Sunday, which is the only part of decorating I really get (or want) help with, but until last night that is as far as I got. After cleaning up my living areas again yesterday, I figured it was time to start doing the rest of it. I didn't get very far because of some decoration malfunctions.
The tree topper we used for years (and I never really LOVED) had to be replaced last year, but Garden Ridge had been so picked over I settled on a star that was okay, but not fabulous. The stand it props on the tree with was kind of short and the star wobbled and never really stood up straight all last season. However, I was prepared to use it for a couple years until I found just the right topper. I dug it out last night - no stand. I'm sure I will find it at the bottom of all my other decorations, but right now it's MIA.
As I started pulling out other decorations I realized that I wasn't going to be happy putting nails into my recently painted walls and I drove to CVS while dinner was in the oven to get those removable hangers. While there I saw an Angel tree topper that looked pretty cool and it was on sale so I picked it up too. When I got home I tried to put it on the tree and feed the cord through the center of the already decorated branches (yes, I know we did it backwards but it's been kind of weird so far this year). I ran into a couple of problems.
First, the stand thingy is way too long to make the Angel stable so if I use it, the topper falls over even worse than the star did last year. Second, the cord is too short to reach the plug beneath it. My tree has the outlet between top and middle layers firmly attached to the core and it isn't movable. I tried propping the Angel without using the stand which is possible, but strange looking and the cord isn't long enough anyway. When three ornaments fell off one after another I called it quits and served dinner.
Still no topper. I do have an angel one that doesn't light up, but it's really too big for our tree and I just place it somewhere on it's own for a decoration. I pulled it out to see if it would work anyway and the wings fell off of the back. As I started getting pretty Christmas things out of boxes I found that this was a familiar theme. Evidently, my boxes of decorations did not fare well in the 70+ days of over 100 degree heat this summer. Almost every single thing I got out had one or more pieces fall off. I am really dreading getting out my pretty wreaths and finding out that I am going to have to buy a hot-glue gun to salvage everything.
Determined, I started lining my counter tops with knick-knacks and attacked them with the only glue I had on hand - wood glue. I figured it wouldn't work, but I wasn't driving to CVS for super glue again that evening and it was worth a shot. So far, everything is holding which is a good thing for my sanity because the other problem I am running into is that half of the things that are supposed to light up aren't lighting up.
Every year there are one or two things that just don't make it to the next year and every year I try to add to our family decorations with one or two items, hoping to build our collection to something sustainable for future years. I just can never seem to really get 'ahead' and this year it looks like I am going to fall way behind. I don't want to spend a fortune on decorations in any one year, but my slow and steady building plan isn't working either. I might have to attack the after Christmas sales with a vengeance this year to try and prepare for next year.
Funny thing, some of my favorite and charming decorations are having problems. Do you know what isn't having a problem? The singing Frosty the Snowman. I talked my mom into buying this over 10 years ago at Walmart because it made me giggle. You press his hand and his head starts bobbing and he sings a couple lines of Frosty. It's really cute, until it's not. I love to see Frosty come out of the box every year and I am still happy to see him sing and bob, for the first 10 or 15 times. Then it starts to get annoying. The kids love him and I have only had to replace his batteries once in the last decade. I wouldn't cry to never hear him sing again, but the bobbing head is pretty cool. If he dies someday, it will be okay but he sure is withstanding the test of time. I wish my fiber optic Christmas trains that cost 3 times as much were that hardy!
Ironically, one of my problems has resulted by solving an older problem. I haven't had a mantle to decorate in 3 years which has kept one of my favorite nativity scenes in it's box so that no small child would harm it when it was on too low of a shelf. Their stockings have hung on my sofa table instead of the fireplace. Now, my kids are older and won't break everything in their path and, miracle of miracles, Dad and I got a mantle built!!!! We worked for a couple of days and created this:
(Sorry the pics are kinda blurry) I had wanted to sand and paint this before we decorated, but I have let go of that project for the time being. I am just so grateful that I have a mantle to decorate and will leave it as rough pine until the new year. I want to put my nativity up there and hang the stockings, but my stocking 'hangers' are kind of big and decorative because of what we've done the last couple of years. I am going to have to invest in some low profile stocking hooks so that you can still see Baby Jesus behind them.
There have been a few other road blocks to getting me in the swing of things. Namely, I can't seem to be home long enough to keep everything picked up and I cannot find my Christmas CD's. This is crucial. I really love putting on my favorite CD's and singing through decorating, wrapping and baking. I truly love Amy Grant's first 2 Christmas albums and I will play them over and over, belting out 'Grown Up Christmas Wish' and 'Emmanuel' like I am in concert with her to my children's dismay. I get super emotional and almost cry through the song about Mary because every time I hear it I am overwhelmed with her plight and her strength and how she carried through with what God asked of her. I am sure that all the CD's are together in one place so that I could find them easily this year, but I haven't remembered where that place is yet. The only CD I found was a kids Christmas CD I used as room parent for a gift exchange game when Tyler was in 3rd grade. It's 'jolly', but not really inspiring. I either need to find those CD's or break down and buy them on iTunes for Tyler's iPod and figure out how I can blare that through the house while I am working.
I have to get the decorating done or I am never going to get anything else done. When my house looks like Christmas, I can prepare for Christmas. It makes my whole outlook on the serious amount of shopping and baking I need to do better. How can I roll out 4 batches of cookies if my house doesn't look like the holiday is approaching? For that matter, why do I want to spend money on 6 lbs of sugar and 10 lbs of flour and all the different types of chex cereal for Texas Trash if I can't see the holiday in front of me?
My Black Friday shopping was okay this year, but as far as the kids presents go it wasn't overwhelmingly successful. I had picked up a few things this summer and once I inventory what I actually have for them, the little ones are probably close to being 'done' already. Tyler is a whole other story, but it's really hard to buy for an almost 12 year old. He's not little, but he's also not big and figuring out what he might like is virtually impossible. He's no help either, he keeps looking through catalogs and saying he can't really think of anything.
I know I will feel better about everything if I can complete my shopping and start wrapping presents, but I just don't feel like shopping this year. I am caught between a place of wanting to see the joy on their faces with a mound of gifts to open and knowing that they already have so much and they don't really need a lot. I don't want them to lose sight of what's important about the season and I seem to be more excited about those aspects. That's all good for our souls, but my 4 & 5 year old are still little and are dreaming of what Santa will bring for them underneath the tree.
We are going to be making a lot of gifts ourselves this year so that my kids can participate more and truly get the feeling of GIVING from their hearts with presents that they made with their own little hands. Instead of some of the other charitable things we usually do, we are going to fill 3 shoe boxes with presents to go to needy children in Mexico. They are excited about all of the projects and I hope that everything goes well so they can really experience the joy of giving.
I stretched my creative skills last week and did something that was out of my normal baliwick also. I cut out 28 card stock circles and coordinating symbols that I printed out and even drew and cut out a poster board Christmas tree to hang on my wall. This non-Heather crafting event was an effort for our family to do a 'Jesse Tree' advent calendar this year. So far, we are enjoying it. Each night I read a scheduled verse and tell my kids in a '4-5 year old' version the corresponding Bible story. Each night we talk about how God always had a plan and how each of these stories was part of His plan to bring Jesus to us which is why we celebrate Christmas.
Every night, I get Riley's attention for a whopping 10 seconds unless it's his turn to tape the ornament on the tree. Every night, Scooter asks when we are getting to Jesus. Every night, Tyler either tries to get more from the story or says 'I know how this one ends' and tunes out a little. It's a toss up! The kids take turns taping that night's 'symbol' ornament on the tree. I am not really worried about how much they are absorbing, I just make the effort and hope a teeny bit is seeping in.
We had to double up on stories last night since I had been gone Wednesday evening. Both stories happened to be about Abraham. The first was when God told him to look at the stars and know that his descendents would be just as numerous, the second was when God asked him to sacrifice his son and then stayed his hand after his willingness to obey. Tyler was very interested and so was Scooter, until he heard the name Abraham. When I read the verses, Abram was still used, but when I told the stories I said Abraham. Scooter could not get passed the 'ham' part and had a serious case of the giggles because someone was named 'ham'. It drove Tyler crazy, but it really was silly. I don't think he got the gist of both stories, but he probably will never forget the name Abraham.
I have been really good about setting the DVR to record all of the kids Christmas shows and then sit and watch them with them so far. My favorite one was on last night, 'Santa Claus is coming to Town'. Technology might be awesome, but I still like listening to Fred Astaire narrate that story and Burl Ives narrate Rudolph. My kids don't seem to mind the less than spectacular animation either. I will be watching 'It's A Wonderful Life' and 'The Bishop's Wife' soon too, even if I have to go plant myself at my mom's for an evening to do it. I still love Jimmy Stewart and Cary Grant and they just 'speak' Christmas to me in these two old favorites.
I really, really love Christmas and if I could just have my sister here for one night to watch 'White Christmas' with me I would be set. There is nothing like Bing Crosby singing White Christmas to you in that low, sultry voice. There is also nothing like dancing around with the best sister in the world while you both sing 'Sister's' to each other and wish you had those matching blue dresses and fans yourself. I'm so glad she'll be here this year to celebrate with us - we'll definitely have to find time to watch the movie together before she heads back to Austin. It's tradition and we haven't been able to do it together in a few years.
It's all going to work out. I'll get the house decorated somehow and in some way. I'll definitely get some baking done by Christmas. I know if I can find my Christmas music, all will be good. I need to be singing 'Tender Tennessee Christmas' and secretly replace the word Tennessee with 'Texas-y' while I make the Texas Trash. Then I will have something to snack on while I get the rest done, singing all the way. I know that if I can get started, momentum will kick in and I will actually get a lot done in a short time because that's what always happens. Christmas will happen one way or another, even if I have to cut out some of my projects and limit the baking. Christmas will arrive and be celebrated over several days with lots of joy and family and celebration. I know you are out there Christmas - I can't see you clearly yet, but you are in my heart and I know I'll see you soon!
God Bless!
I was sick most of Thanksgiving week and weekend which made it hard to get started on Christmas. I wasn't really ready to start thinking about it, but I immediately had to start planning for how we are going to make all the family gatherings work with Tyler's schedule so we can figure out all the logistics and see everyone. We somehow got all the kids and their cousins in coordinating outfits and my sister-in-law took pictures in front of a tree. They weren't perfect, but they are so cute. Everyone was looking at the camera at the same time more than once which was pretty darn good. Once I get my disc of the sitting I can start doing Cards and get them out. The turkey leftovers were barely in the fridge before we shifted to Christmas preparations.
It's already chaotic. Normally, I thrive on the chaos. Usually I am more than ready to take it all on and get it all done and make Christmas happen. It takes the whole month, but the celebration for us goes on for days and it's so worth it. So what's wrong with me this year?
We did somehow get the tree up and decorated on Sunday, which is the only part of decorating I really get (or want) help with, but until last night that is as far as I got. After cleaning up my living areas again yesterday, I figured it was time to start doing the rest of it. I didn't get very far because of some decoration malfunctions.
The tree topper we used for years (and I never really LOVED) had to be replaced last year, but Garden Ridge had been so picked over I settled on a star that was okay, but not fabulous. The stand it props on the tree with was kind of short and the star wobbled and never really stood up straight all last season. However, I was prepared to use it for a couple years until I found just the right topper. I dug it out last night - no stand. I'm sure I will find it at the bottom of all my other decorations, but right now it's MIA.
As I started pulling out other decorations I realized that I wasn't going to be happy putting nails into my recently painted walls and I drove to CVS while dinner was in the oven to get those removable hangers. While there I saw an Angel tree topper that looked pretty cool and it was on sale so I picked it up too. When I got home I tried to put it on the tree and feed the cord through the center of the already decorated branches (yes, I know we did it backwards but it's been kind of weird so far this year). I ran into a couple of problems.
First, the stand thingy is way too long to make the Angel stable so if I use it, the topper falls over even worse than the star did last year. Second, the cord is too short to reach the plug beneath it. My tree has the outlet between top and middle layers firmly attached to the core and it isn't movable. I tried propping the Angel without using the stand which is possible, but strange looking and the cord isn't long enough anyway. When three ornaments fell off one after another I called it quits and served dinner.
Still no topper. I do have an angel one that doesn't light up, but it's really too big for our tree and I just place it somewhere on it's own for a decoration. I pulled it out to see if it would work anyway and the wings fell off of the back. As I started getting pretty Christmas things out of boxes I found that this was a familiar theme. Evidently, my boxes of decorations did not fare well in the 70+ days of over 100 degree heat this summer. Almost every single thing I got out had one or more pieces fall off. I am really dreading getting out my pretty wreaths and finding out that I am going to have to buy a hot-glue gun to salvage everything.
Determined, I started lining my counter tops with knick-knacks and attacked them with the only glue I had on hand - wood glue. I figured it wouldn't work, but I wasn't driving to CVS for super glue again that evening and it was worth a shot. So far, everything is holding which is a good thing for my sanity because the other problem I am running into is that half of the things that are supposed to light up aren't lighting up.
Every year there are one or two things that just don't make it to the next year and every year I try to add to our family decorations with one or two items, hoping to build our collection to something sustainable for future years. I just can never seem to really get 'ahead' and this year it looks like I am going to fall way behind. I don't want to spend a fortune on decorations in any one year, but my slow and steady building plan isn't working either. I might have to attack the after Christmas sales with a vengeance this year to try and prepare for next year.
Funny thing, some of my favorite and charming decorations are having problems. Do you know what isn't having a problem? The singing Frosty the Snowman. I talked my mom into buying this over 10 years ago at Walmart because it made me giggle. You press his hand and his head starts bobbing and he sings a couple lines of Frosty. It's really cute, until it's not. I love to see Frosty come out of the box every year and I am still happy to see him sing and bob, for the first 10 or 15 times. Then it starts to get annoying. The kids love him and I have only had to replace his batteries once in the last decade. I wouldn't cry to never hear him sing again, but the bobbing head is pretty cool. If he dies someday, it will be okay but he sure is withstanding the test of time. I wish my fiber optic Christmas trains that cost 3 times as much were that hardy!
Ironically, one of my problems has resulted by solving an older problem. I haven't had a mantle to decorate in 3 years which has kept one of my favorite nativity scenes in it's box so that no small child would harm it when it was on too low of a shelf. Their stockings have hung on my sofa table instead of the fireplace. Now, my kids are older and won't break everything in their path and, miracle of miracles, Dad and I got a mantle built!!!! We worked for a couple of days and created this:
(Sorry the pics are kinda blurry) I had wanted to sand and paint this before we decorated, but I have let go of that project for the time being. I am just so grateful that I have a mantle to decorate and will leave it as rough pine until the new year. I want to put my nativity up there and hang the stockings, but my stocking 'hangers' are kind of big and decorative because of what we've done the last couple of years. I am going to have to invest in some low profile stocking hooks so that you can still see Baby Jesus behind them.
There have been a few other road blocks to getting me in the swing of things. Namely, I can't seem to be home long enough to keep everything picked up and I cannot find my Christmas CD's. This is crucial. I really love putting on my favorite CD's and singing through decorating, wrapping and baking. I truly love Amy Grant's first 2 Christmas albums and I will play them over and over, belting out 'Grown Up Christmas Wish' and 'Emmanuel' like I am in concert with her to my children's dismay. I get super emotional and almost cry through the song about Mary because every time I hear it I am overwhelmed with her plight and her strength and how she carried through with what God asked of her. I am sure that all the CD's are together in one place so that I could find them easily this year, but I haven't remembered where that place is yet. The only CD I found was a kids Christmas CD I used as room parent for a gift exchange game when Tyler was in 3rd grade. It's 'jolly', but not really inspiring. I either need to find those CD's or break down and buy them on iTunes for Tyler's iPod and figure out how I can blare that through the house while I am working.
I have to get the decorating done or I am never going to get anything else done. When my house looks like Christmas, I can prepare for Christmas. It makes my whole outlook on the serious amount of shopping and baking I need to do better. How can I roll out 4 batches of cookies if my house doesn't look like the holiday is approaching? For that matter, why do I want to spend money on 6 lbs of sugar and 10 lbs of flour and all the different types of chex cereal for Texas Trash if I can't see the holiday in front of me?
My Black Friday shopping was okay this year, but as far as the kids presents go it wasn't overwhelmingly successful. I had picked up a few things this summer and once I inventory what I actually have for them, the little ones are probably close to being 'done' already. Tyler is a whole other story, but it's really hard to buy for an almost 12 year old. He's not little, but he's also not big and figuring out what he might like is virtually impossible. He's no help either, he keeps looking through catalogs and saying he can't really think of anything.
I know I will feel better about everything if I can complete my shopping and start wrapping presents, but I just don't feel like shopping this year. I am caught between a place of wanting to see the joy on their faces with a mound of gifts to open and knowing that they already have so much and they don't really need a lot. I don't want them to lose sight of what's important about the season and I seem to be more excited about those aspects. That's all good for our souls, but my 4 & 5 year old are still little and are dreaming of what Santa will bring for them underneath the tree.
We are going to be making a lot of gifts ourselves this year so that my kids can participate more and truly get the feeling of GIVING from their hearts with presents that they made with their own little hands. Instead of some of the other charitable things we usually do, we are going to fill 3 shoe boxes with presents to go to needy children in Mexico. They are excited about all of the projects and I hope that everything goes well so they can really experience the joy of giving.
I stretched my creative skills last week and did something that was out of my normal baliwick also. I cut out 28 card stock circles and coordinating symbols that I printed out and even drew and cut out a poster board Christmas tree to hang on my wall. This non-Heather crafting event was an effort for our family to do a 'Jesse Tree' advent calendar this year. So far, we are enjoying it. Each night I read a scheduled verse and tell my kids in a '4-5 year old' version the corresponding Bible story. Each night we talk about how God always had a plan and how each of these stories was part of His plan to bring Jesus to us which is why we celebrate Christmas.
Every night, I get Riley's attention for a whopping 10 seconds unless it's his turn to tape the ornament on the tree. Every night, Scooter asks when we are getting to Jesus. Every night, Tyler either tries to get more from the story or says 'I know how this one ends' and tunes out a little. It's a toss up! The kids take turns taping that night's 'symbol' ornament on the tree. I am not really worried about how much they are absorbing, I just make the effort and hope a teeny bit is seeping in.
We had to double up on stories last night since I had been gone Wednesday evening. Both stories happened to be about Abraham. The first was when God told him to look at the stars and know that his descendents would be just as numerous, the second was when God asked him to sacrifice his son and then stayed his hand after his willingness to obey. Tyler was very interested and so was Scooter, until he heard the name Abraham. When I read the verses, Abram was still used, but when I told the stories I said Abraham. Scooter could not get passed the 'ham' part and had a serious case of the giggles because someone was named 'ham'. It drove Tyler crazy, but it really was silly. I don't think he got the gist of both stories, but he probably will never forget the name Abraham.
I have been really good about setting the DVR to record all of the kids Christmas shows and then sit and watch them with them so far. My favorite one was on last night, 'Santa Claus is coming to Town'. Technology might be awesome, but I still like listening to Fred Astaire narrate that story and Burl Ives narrate Rudolph. My kids don't seem to mind the less than spectacular animation either. I will be watching 'It's A Wonderful Life' and 'The Bishop's Wife' soon too, even if I have to go plant myself at my mom's for an evening to do it. I still love Jimmy Stewart and Cary Grant and they just 'speak' Christmas to me in these two old favorites.
I really, really love Christmas and if I could just have my sister here for one night to watch 'White Christmas' with me I would be set. There is nothing like Bing Crosby singing White Christmas to you in that low, sultry voice. There is also nothing like dancing around with the best sister in the world while you both sing 'Sister's' to each other and wish you had those matching blue dresses and fans yourself. I'm so glad she'll be here this year to celebrate with us - we'll definitely have to find time to watch the movie together before she heads back to Austin. It's tradition and we haven't been able to do it together in a few years.
It's all going to work out. I'll get the house decorated somehow and in some way. I'll definitely get some baking done by Christmas. I know if I can find my Christmas music, all will be good. I need to be singing 'Tender Tennessee Christmas' and secretly replace the word Tennessee with 'Texas-y' while I make the Texas Trash. Then I will have something to snack on while I get the rest done, singing all the way. I know that if I can get started, momentum will kick in and I will actually get a lot done in a short time because that's what always happens. Christmas will happen one way or another, even if I have to cut out some of my projects and limit the baking. Christmas will arrive and be celebrated over several days with lots of joy and family and celebration. I know you are out there Christmas - I can't see you clearly yet, but you are in my heart and I know I'll see you soon!
God Bless!
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