Another Christmas Gone By...

Christmas this year held a little more magic for us. Knowing that the economy is headed in a downward spiral, we decided to prepare the kids by telling them that they would be receiving 6 gifts on Christmas morning; one from each family member and one from Santa. At first, (clear back in September when we started putting this idea in the kids' heads) Tarryn and Makade were very unhappy with the idea. They had been used to Christmases in abundance, the ones that put Mom, Dad, and Santa in the red. But Brandon and I were determined to start bringing their Christmas list down to realistic sizes so that if the time comes that we can only afford home made gifts, they wont be in shock or worse, feel ungrateful.

The kids woke up to see a Christmas wonderland filled with bikes from Santa, presents, and an abundance of snow outside.

Brandon's and my morning unofficially started at 2:50am when we were wakened by Corban who was having a mighty difficult time sleeping due to his persistent croup cough. I took the first shift and stayed up with him nearly an hour (which is difficult when you went to bed at 2am). Then, after Corban's cough medicine started kicking in, Brandon decided to sleep with him which benefited us all. (Okay, that may be a stretch for Brandon, but he got to rest his eyes.)

Smart Santa left Kellan a wagon instead of a bike

Our official morning started somewhere around 6:30am when Tarryn and Makade came in to wake me up. They went back into Tarryn's room to play while we waited for the Corban and Kellan (who both had croup) to stir. It didn't take long for Kellan, but because of Corban's rough night, he had to have a little nudging. We went down to find what joys Christmas had brought around 7:20am and found so much snow (and snow drifts) that you couldn't tell where the sidewalk met the road. Oh....and presents filled the room by a lit Christmas tree.

Makade showing us the new 'ride'

As we have done the last 2 years, we invited the kids' aunt Brittany and uncle Zane over to watch the kids open gifts in the early morning (and to take pictures since both Brandon and I are needed for other things). This always adds to the excitement and 'show' of the morning.

Tarryn patiently waiting her turn of opening her next gift (a Leapfrog Didj system). And pleased as punch that Corban liked her Hungry Hippos game that dad had already been asked to put together.

Corban would head back to Kellan's wagon filled with balls after opening each one of his own gifts.

Even though we had a 6 gift limit, I don't think the kids felt deprived in any way come Christmas morning. In fact, Corban got tired of opening presents, so he saved one until the next day to open. The hands-down winning gift of the morning in Corban and Kellan's eyes was Kellan's Ball Pit. *We've been cleaning up balls multiple times of the day since.* Tarryn, Makade, and Brandon are thrilled with the family gift we broke down and purchased; a Wii.

Corban, the wonderful doctor he is, was listening to dad's ear with his new stethoscope.

As for me? I'm very pleased with the gifts I received, but I truly had no want for gifts this year. It surprised me when I realised this early December, and surprised me even more when I found the reason why is because I'm perfectly content with where I am in life. What could be a better gift than that? What more magic could Christmas bring than a house filled with lasting happiness...with or without gifts?

Tarryn 'snows' how to have fun!

If you know Tarryn well, you know that she is mighty creative. She can take an old trick and put a new twist on it. For her, there is no limit on what her mind can see. Her's her new take on playing in the snow....I was upstairs working on the mundane (folding laundry), when I thought I saw someone in our backyard. When I walked over to the window, there was my *angel* wrapped in a heart made with footprints for heaven to see and be reminded that she's down here.

Who needs mud?! I'd rather eat 'snow cakes' over 'mud pies' anyday! Tarryn and her friend were hard to miss with their giggles and fun as I passed the window seeing them starting their own bakery. *Honestly, when I heard the banging and laughing, I thought they were trying to build a snow-man on my front porch. (My lips are zipped as I don't want to place THAT idea in their head.)

M.I.A.

Ya know, that darn 52 week project causes me such frustration! When I don't have a new photo to add, then I find that I don't even want to post anything! This is the reason I've been MIA. I'm going to play "catch-up" with the next couple of days and give you all the good stuff. I still have Halloween photos to place on this blog before the year ends. (I will be putting things in chronological order so don't expect to find Halloween pics in the December posts.)Please be patient. Don't expect pictures of me and my Project 52. I'm not ready and I'll explain that in another post. ***Here's hoping my major posting frenzy wont cause another alert for spam.***

The Family Parrot

I am starting to see that as much as children hate to turn into their parents, parents cringe when they start to see some of their behaviors showing up in their offspring. Perhaps it has more to do with realizing you, yourself have behaviors that you wish were a little more friendly. Have you ever noticed your actions change slightly when your stuck in front of a mirror? Not sure what I'm talking about? Let me give you an example...

While I'm in here checking emails and reading friends' blogs, my son Corban just yelled, "Mom! You get back in here and clean this up!" A saying that is surely one of mine. What mess he thinks is mine, I still haven't gone to check.

Or how 'bout the time I had some neighbors visiting and Corban grabs me by the chin to turn my head to look at him and says, "Look at my eye. I'm serious, okay! I. Am. Hungry!" ...So, I guess when I'm serious I must feel like I need their undivided attention. (I have to admit, it was a little hard to not giggle when he told me to look at his eye.)

The worst is when your three year old reveals your ways of discipline. In front of friends. You know; the things you say when you're trying to stop a fight, or trying to make sure they understand that their behavior is out of line? The key phrases that Corban so willingly uses on his own siblings, OR Brandon and me are, "You want me do dat t'you?" "D'you like it?" and to always make sure things are clear, "D'you unnerstand?!?"

Our family parrot is working diligently to keep me in check. Not only for sparing unkind things said to my kids, but also for my own security of less public humiliation.

Mental Mix-ups

My brain hasn't been in full function since early last week. We're not talking simply mixing up one child's name for another. I'm doing outright crazy things lately! I have found Corban's shoes in Kellan's cubby along with other misplaced things like cereal in the fridge. I've made wrong turns to destinations I could normally drive to with my eyes closed (not that I really drive while closing my eyes), I put eyeshadow on as if it were blush, and I say nonsensical things constantly. Here's an example:

Corban: Mom, can I have a drink?

Me: Only if you start eating your noodles.

Makade: Mom, can I have a drink?

Me: Only if you eat your noodles.

Makade: But mom, I don't have noodles.

Me: Makade. If you don't eat your noodles, you can't have a drink. That's only fair to treat you the same as Corban.

Makade: Getting upset... Mom! How can I eat my noodles if I don't have any?

Me: Coming out of Absent Minded Land... Oh. Well, I guess you can have a drink.


See! I'm loosing it! If you have some suggestions for help, I'd appreciate it!

A thought...

If you only travel on sunny days,

you will never reach your destination.

*Buddhist quote

What a great reminder that life goes on and we should too.

Aunt Gayla, you and your wonderful outlook on life will be missed.

12/52

Really, I've got 2 weeks of catching up to do, but this is MY project, so instead of getting 2 pitiful photos that mean nothing to me, I'd rather accept my behindedness (nice word!) and start movin' on from here. Here is my official picture of week 12/52 with the newest member of our family, Canon.