Christmas Day

GG visiting Santa

Santa at the Villa (GG's apartment)

New Leapfrog Book

We spent Christmas Eve making the Jesus cake and watching Christmas movies and finishing up last minute stuff. Dad went to help the SRDA hand out presents and baskets. At night we went to Chris' s house. We had dinner and then opened up the presents from Pat and Jim and the kid's gifts to everybody. Carmen's (Rachel's mom) boyfriend Kurt dressed up like Santa and visited the kids. Brandon almost blew it because he kept saying he knew it was Kurt but I had a little talk with him about playing along and he got better. He still believes in Santa but he doesn't believe he will actually meet the real one so everyone else is fake. I think deep down he is realizing that there isn't really one and he isn't ready to bring up the subject yet. They were on overdrive they were so excited and I didn't get them to bed until 10 pm. Then I still had to do my stuff. I thought they might sleep in but they were up by 6:30. I heard them whispering in the dark living room so I got up before they started opening everything up. Brandon got a new bike and a toy ATV from Santa and Jessie got a sparkly toy horse and a little porceline angel doll and a purple sparkly dreamcatcher. The kids got pretty much everything they wanted so they were very happy. I think we all got what we needed this year too. Everything went smoothly, no tantrums from grownups or kids, so all was good. We managed to stretch Christmas out for most of the day and then Chris and Rachel went to her mom's for dinner and we spent the rest of the evening looking at the gifts and playing with the kids. I couldn't have asked for a better day. Of course the kids had trouble going to sleep that night because they didn't want it to end. I don't blame them, the let down can be intense. You plan so long and then it's over. But they are still having fun playing with their toys and Jessie is already talking about her birthday.

Christmases to remember

They were having a thing in the newspaper where you write in about your most memorable Christmas and it made me think about mine. I have had a lot of memorable Christmases in the past and hopefully many more in the future. Here are some of my more cherished Christmas memories. Brandon and Jessie’s first Christmases are a few of the top choices for obvious reasons. The Christmas I was pregnant with Jessie is one of my favorites because she was so excited even inside me. I remember she was active all day which wasn’t unusual but when Scott gave me the white tiger as a gift for her and I held it to my stomach she settled down like she knew it was for her and was happy to be included. She still loves Christmas with a passion even at her early age. It’s not even the gifts she looks forward to but just the season itself.
Another Christmas close to my heart is when grandpa died. Since we knew it was his last, the season took on new meaning. Everything seemed more special that year. The lights were brighter, and it all just had a special quality. I spent days looking for the right present to give him and finally found it, the music box, I still put it up every year in honor of him. I can still remember the church service only in that it meant so much to grandpa.. My only regret is he didn’t get to see the presents we all got for him. Later that day, Grandma opened Grandpa’s gifts and handed them out to us, giving us back the ones we gave and splitting up the others among us. I am not sure of the right description of emotion for that but even though it would seem morbid, there was a kind of tranquility, maybe it was knowing that he was knowing he was no longer in pain. He even left us the final gift of family since the Cooks came in and we spent the rest of Christmas together.
He loved Christmas so much and it was only fitting that he left us on that day. Grandpa instilled that love of Christmas to mom who in turn passed it on to us kids. Every year Mom tries to make Christmas special. She gets into it and wants everyone to get lots of gifts because she loves giving and never asks for a lot. Every year she is surprised by how much she has because she doesn’t expect anything in return. Even when we were little, we never went without no matter what the circumstances were. We have lots of traditions and some are the same as when I was a kid, some have changed slightly and some are just getting going. I only hope that I can carry on that passion for the true meaning of Christmas to my kids and teach them what I have learned. No matter how much you receive, it means nothing if you don’t have close family to share it with. I hope I can instill that same Christmas passion that Grandpa and Mom have.

addendum to pre christmas

I forgot a few things when I posted earlier. We also went to see Santa at the mall and had dinner there. Brandon told him what he wanted and also told him what Jessie wanted because she couldn't remember. I think she got nervous. Then Brandon told Santa that he knew he was only an assistant to Santa so he wouldn't be seeing him on Christmas Eve. This Santa even has a real beard but we told the kids some Santas are only helpers because he couldn't be everywhere so Brandon figures that they all are the helpers. When Santa said he would see them Christmas Eve, Brandon told him they would be asleep so he wouldn't see them. I think Santa was very glad to move them on. Jessie has been the one questioning Santa more than Brandon so we will be lucky if we get a few more years out of either one of them. At Brandon's Christmas party, there is a boy that is in kindergarten named Daniel whose brother is in Brandon's class, they ride the bus together, and Jessie has a crush on him. She got all giggly when she was talking to him and Scott freaked out because he got a preview of what is coming and wasn't expecting to have to deal with boys already. It was funny. The kids also made gifts for Aunt Pat and Uncle Jim because they felt bad that they were going to be home by themselves for Christmas and wanted to remember them. They also made gifts for some friends of ours that have given the kids stuff over the years. The kids overheard Mom telling me that they weren't giving themselves gifts this year because they are also having financial problems and the kids didn't think that was right for them not to have something to open. Yesterday we went to GG's apartment where they had a Santa, and we made sure they didn't tell anyone they thought he was a helper. Brandon was going to ask if he came by car or sleigh but decided against it. I got a picture of them and I also got a pic of GG sitting next to Santa that I will post later, I haven't downloaded it yet. Then they went up to her apartment and we hung out there for awhile. GG introduced the kids to her friends that hear all about their antics so they were glad to finally get to meet them. I think that is finally all so far.

Christmas so far

I kept meaning to do this earlier and time keeps getting away from me especially now with the kids home. I am trying to stay positive in the face of Christmas so I refuse to write about all the problems and stick with the good so here goes. We went to see the Electricritters at the zoo. That's where the put up a bunch of lights and animated lighted up animal figures. The kids love it including my light freak brother. We dress up like eskimos and drink hot chocolate and walk around the zoo in the dark with all the lights. It's beautiful and fun and when it snows it has a magical quality. Another weekend we walked the riverwalk at night and looked at the lights. They have the boat going with Santa on it, which we did one year, but we waited so long for the boat ride to start we froze and then it is even colder on the water, it is not worth the price, so now we just walk it. We saw the new veteren's bridge and the indian statue. The statue was beautiful and so intricately detailed. The blanket looked real. So we walked the whole riverwalk and drank hot chocolate. It was great. Then last weekend Chris and Rachel had a party at their house for friends and family. They wanted to show off their decorations. You may all remember that Chris is a Christmas decoration freak. I mean that in a loving way. Every room except the bathrooms have decorations. Three big trees and two small, two villages, and lights and lighted figurines everywhere. It could have looked junky but he has a flair for decorating and it looks beautiful. I will try to get some pics of it on Christmas Eve. The kids have had their parties at school, Jessie's in the morning and Brandon's in the afternoon. Oh and the kids did the secret Santa shop at their school which I helped out at. The get to go in and buy their own inexpensive gifts for everyone. The kids all have a good time doing that and it gives them some independence. Since we don't have a lot of money this year, I have been making our gifts to everyone so I have been busy doing that in my spare time. Also making the Christmas cookies, every weekend is a different kind. Today I am making banana bread for gifts and Christmas Eve we make the Jesus birthday cake which has been a tradition since Chris and I were kids to make sure we don't forget who we are really celebrating. I think I got the kids too involved in giving. They donated to the Thanksgiving food drive, money to the school Christmas drive, toys for the toy drive and now they decided they need to make gifts for everyone along with the ones they bought. Which is great except guess who gets to come up with the ideas for the gifts? They are so caught up in the Christmas spirit it is like a constant sugar high. It really makes me grateful to have these loving generous kids to spend Christmas with. And now I have to go because they are trying to make the banana bread without me.

school troubles

usually I don't have time to write on the blog during the day but I have both kids home sick with colds. I was trying so hard to get them through this week without missing because next week they are off for thanksgiving break and Brandon has a field trip to the Nutcracker on Thursday. Instead I kept Jessie home today and then ended up picking Brandon up. Now I can't send them tomorrow either because they are running slight temps and the school policy is no fever for 24 hours. So I go for no miss and end up with two instead. I guess I should have listened to Scott and kept Brandon home also but Brandon wanted to go and since he is already having trouble in school I didn't want him to lose any more than he has to.
He has started title 1 for reading because he is behind. He is having difficulty in almost every subject. When I sit right down with him he does better but he can't have one on one attention all the time. He gets distracted easily and can't finish his work on time. His teacher has begun the process of trying to get him into a funded program for help but by the time he gets through the red tape he will probably be in third grade and even more behind. I have been trying to do my own research to figure out how to help him. The other problem is Jessie is so bright that she is going to quickly out do him if we are not careful. She is always asking to do homework. And when I am working with Brandon on Fridays she is always listening and learning. For example when we were working on adjectives and I was reading sentences and he was supposed to tell me which word was the adjective, Jessie was answering before him and getting them right. Luckily Brandon thought that was cool, but how long before he feels threatened by that? Oh well I guess I will just have to take it a day at a time.

Chris and Rachel’s New Addition

Chris and Rachel got a dog. They didn’t really plan on getting one right now, especially because they are both working extra hours right now so the timing wasn’t great, but a friend of theirs found a Chihuahua mix dog and after lots of searching, couldn’t find his owner. The friend has two pit bulls and the little stinker always got them riled up and he was afraid the little guy would get hurt so he asked Chris if they wanted him. They named him Tiko and are very attached to him. He is a real cutey. They think he is around 4 years old but are taking him to the vet just as soon as they have a chance to be sure. They bought him a coat and a sweater since that breed of dog gets so cold, but the coat is heavy enough that it almost knocks him over. The kids get a real kick out of him since they are used to just having big dogs to play with. He loves to give them kisses. They brought him over for dad’s birthday party so we could see how he gets along with our dogs and cat and it was a wild night. Fearless didn’t pay too much attention to him but Tiko and Shane kept sniffing each other and Shane got so excited at having a new playmate. He didn’t seem to notice the size difference and neither did Tiko. Then Shane decided to give Tiko a bath with his tongue and he was soaked. Tiko really liked Socks the cat though. They are about the same size and they would play tag with each other. By the end of the evening Tiko and Shane were lying side by side exhausted and Socks was just as tired. Chris picked Tiko up and put him in his lap and Tiko’s little head just fell against Chris and he went fast asleep. It was quite lively, but fun.

Halloween

We started the Halloween season with our annual trip to Pantleo Farms. It’s a farm nearby that offers free hayrides pulled by a tractor (Brandon is in heaven) and they always have ponies to ride and an inflated spook house and slide and a bounce house. The kids love going there every year. We grew pumpkins in our garden this year so we had a new pumpkin to carve every week in October, plus Jessie got one when they had a field trip to a pumpkin patch at school.

Jessie had her first school Halloween party and had a good time. They did the traditional costume parade and played games. Jessie was Cinderella again (of course). Then we went back to school in the afternoon for Brandon’s party so Jessie got a bonus of two parties. She walked in his parade too for a short time. Brandon was a wildland firefighter again. Big surprise but he is a cute one. Maybe next year they will decide to be something else. That was on the Thursday before Halloween since they don’t have school on Friday. Then on Halloween day, we went to the mall around 4:00 to trick or treat. The kids got a little bored this year doing that because there were big gaps where stores were out of candy so they were just walking and not trick or treating so we may have to try something different next year, but they still had fun and got a lot of candy. Next, we went to GG’s apartment to trick or treat with her. We visited there for a while and then went to pick up pizzas to take to Chris and Rachel’s house. GG had decided not to go to their house; she didn’t feel like tackling the stairs. So we moved on to their house and had dinner and met their dog for the first time (more on him in the next blog). Rachel’s Aunt and Uncle have a house nearby and always do a spook house for the neighborhood so we all went to that. It was quite spooktacular (get it?). The kids thought it was great, not too scary, and they saw kids trick or treating in the neighborhood and wanted to do that too. It was getting too late to do anymore trick or treating but next year if the weather is nice we might just go around Chris’ neighborhood and Rachel’s Aunt’s neighborhood instead of the mall. We had two very tired but happy kids but I sure wish Halloween could always be on a Friday or Saturday night so there wouldn’t be school the next day. Jessie was over tired and had a melt down and wouldn’t get on the bus the next day so I had to take her to school. Her teacher said that is pretty common for her age group after so much excitement. Brandon was upset because Jessie was upset and didn’t get on the bus and I was worried about how he was doing but he seemed to get by ok, fortunately. We pay the price for having a lot of fun sometimes but it’s worth it.