Memoirs of Christmas

Ah, dear friend...it's the end of a looooong day. In the sphere of 'everyday/ordinary stress', this was one for the books. Two with colds, one of them with an ear infection, but both miserable. Three crying all at the same time, several times today, with me divided between wanting to yell "Shut up!!!" and gently apologize "I'm so sorry I don't have an extra two sets of arms". The last two nights I have been up for the most part, and thus my already low tolerance level for crying was at an all-time low. Because I grew up with a 'buck up and bear it' attitude towards common infirmities, a call to the Pediatrician is not one I am quick to make. A cold is a cold and with a little chicken broth, TLC and a lot of Tylenol, it should pass. However, my son's ears were bright red and he tugged at them in pain every time he coughed (which was often), I made it and took him (and all the rest) in. Gratefully, Curt came home from work early enough to go along. Walking down the corridor in the Doctor's building, we passed a young mom, struggling to wipe her little boy's nose, as he was hooked up to oxygen. His bald little head lay against her sleeve as she tried to maneuver herself and him to do that simple task.

One does not have look far to see how good things actually are.

So....sitting here on my little brown couch, I thank God that my children only have a little common cold and a very treatable ear infection. In twenty years-probably not even 20 weeks-I will not be able recall that I lost 11.5 hours of sleep on December 29th, 2008!

As for our Christmas, it was an extended strand of sparkling little events. If you would like, and have a minute, I'll share a sampling of some of the highlights...

Anticipation! Did Santa stop by our house???

And indeed he did! (and thanks to his handsome "helper", this vintage-style kitchen was assembled and ready to open by 2:30am Christmas morning). The shine still hasn't worn off! (My husband says I bought this more for me than the children. I can't imagine what he's talking about!!!).

Oranges in their stocking were the second biggest hit of Christmas morning. Due to the mess, it is a fruit rarely found on their plate and these particular oranges were extra sweet and juicy. Initially, Christopher took the first few 'sucks' and after all the juice was removed, he would kindly give Annie the wilted remains. We do this in honor and memory of Curt's Pop (dad) who would only receive an orange for Christmas many years, and what a treat it was to him.

A quick picture of our special crew before going to Grandmom Miller's for Christmas dinner....

Remembering Pop Miller...somehow I like to think they can see our happy celebrations....

Fun time opening gifts! One of my favorites from my sister in law was a year-long family memberships to a local "hands on" educational museum that the children will LOVE!An invitation to my lovely little cousin Lauren's wedding allowed us a DATE NIGHT! My dear husband showed his love to me by making a truly speedy pit stop at CVS so that I could pick up a "French Manicure" in a box. I knew no one would look at my hands or care that my nails looked ragged and rigid...but it was a rare night out, I was mostly dressed up and I guess it was important to me to complete it. He gave me the gift of kindness and no making fun of in that CVS stop! Thank you, dearest (if you are reading this!).

Our God-sent and ever capable 'babysitters', these beautiful Southern women (and their daughters) delighted our children and made their (and thus our!) evening so much fun. THANK YOU DEVA & DIONA. The gift of loving on our children in our absence is priceless.

My mom on our extended Christmas on Sunday. Ever since I've been a little girl, she and dad have made Christmas so special...and this year was no exception!Time spent with my Texas Rose....my sister & her hubby were up for a quick (way, way too quick) weekend and I absorbed every moment in her presence. It never is or has been, enough.

These cowboy boots, given by his auntie and uncle, were not an initial favorite, until his beloved "Pawpaw" retreived his own boots and put them on. Immediately they became his favorites.Still are. It just goes to show the tremendous influence of a man on a little boy's life. I'm so thankful for my dad and the way he embraces that influence he has.

My sweet girl with the Harley bib she was given by her PawPaw.

I apologize for the long length of this post! I hope were able to enjoy your Christmas....maybe in a new way too. I'd love to hear about it, but for this moment, I'm shutting down this computer and heading up to bed. I thank God for it...I really, actually do! A roof over our heads, food in our stomachs, medicine in our fridge, freedom to say we serve God and a soft place to lay our heads at the end of a long day...

These are gifts that are year-round...and we thank the Hand from which they come!