Christmas Catch Up

Is it really over?


Seems like we were anticipating the arrival of Christmas just seconds ago and now it's passed. Each year we anxiously await the Christmas festivities and then when they hit, and hit, and hit, and hit, we anxiously await the end. Don't get me wrong.. We do love Christmas, and the time with our families. It's all good. We treasure these moments we spend with these special people because as we all know.. time is fleeting. Our Christmas celebrations are bound to change through out the years as our families change. We will gain tiny new members with open arms and lose the ones we cherish most with heavy hearts. I know this. I've been though the gain and the loss and they both effect families in big ways. Each and every year I try my hardest to live in the moment because really it's all we have. Each moment is the moment, a moment to remember, good or bad.


Christmas Eve into Christmas day was hard. Really hard. Our littlest little was sick. She was up allllllllll night. Come 3am I was sure I wasn't going to be making it to any Christmas celebrations. My eyes were heavy, my heart was heavy, and I knew my body was going to feel just a wee bit too heavy to drag out of bed Christmas day. But, I did it. I rallied. On three and a half hours of sleep. Boy, that Christmas spirit is strong! I don't think I felt tired all day. In fact I even stayed up long enough to catch two episodes of Deadliest Catch when the day was done.


Ell on the other hand was tired. Tired, feverish, grumpy, I felt so bad for her. She wouldn't nap. She'd fall asleep while nursing, I'd lay her down, and within five minutes she's be up again. I'm not sure what was wrong exactly. I know she's got a tooth coming in on the bottom, I can see the little white line under her gums and she's been attacking her fingers. But, I also know Dom had been sick with a fever and a throat thing, so it could have been that too.



Great Grandma's are great at cuddling sick babes.


She's feeling much better now though, and is finally able to enjoy all of her Christmas gifts.



She got so many goodies.

We've got two teething in our tiny house. One gaining baby teeth and one losing. Our biggest little is missing two teeth. One of the front top teeth and one on the bottom. His other front top tooth is hanging by a thread. He could almost sing "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth" but not quite. Ell on the other hand was probably wishing she could have screamed the song out. Two teeth in would equal a pain free, happily chewing baby.




Mr. Toothless.

The boys had an awesome Christmas. They left cookies and apple juice out for Santa. (We didn't have one drop of milk left for the big man.) And in return Santa left them some pretty cool gifts that were on wish list we'd mailed off just days before. They've been busy ever since.

Our midlittle had asked Santa for so many things that I could sense a bit of disappointment after he opened all of his gifts. In fact, I think he even said something along the lines of "Where's the rest of um?" This however is the same kid that did all of my Christmas shopping with me. The one who I spilled a big ole made up Santa fib to just so we could get through the stores a little easier. :: You see, while I love the magic of Mr. Clause I don't enjoy fibbing to my littles. Especially when it's a fib, the same one in fact, that broke my heart as a kid. ::


The fib I told this year though, topped them all. I, after pleading with a stubborn fit throwing in front of all the shoppers boy, told him that if he closed his eyes and lay his hand upon what it is he wants that Santa will see, and quite surely bring him his wish for Christmas. So he walked around all of the toy isles laying his hand on all of the big plastic objects that he wanted. Mostly all objects that this mama wont buy. Not only because our house is small but because I do my best avoid plastics as much as possible. Especially plastics that are four feet tall and three feet wide and my littles hands, and possibly mouths, will be all over. Yucky. But there was my midlittle laying his hand down so softly, closing his eyes, and quietly whispering "Dear Santa please bring me this for Christmas." His mind defenatly wandered to all those big plastics a time or two Christmas morning. Eeeeeeek!



Yo, what's up with that Santy Clause?


This Santa's got big shoes to fill. And big stories to fess up to in the future. Ahhhhh. Today however, this Santa is being extremely lazy. I've been cleaning since we came home two nights ago and there's no end in sight. Art kits put away, art kits back out. Trouble put away, Trouble back out. Memory put away, memory back out. It really is never ending. So, I'm on strike. Luckily we are going to visit family tonight for the Oyster Stew tradition. And while I may never truly like Oyster Stew, I do like not having to cook dinner for my family tonight.

Cheers!