Posted on December 25, 2011, 10:27 PM, by WavGirl, under holidays.
Each Christmas morning, our kids race to the tree before dawn. Amidst a flurry of metallic wrapping paper, we strategically approach each unwrapped box that drifts in our direction. Twists, tiebacks and twine tightly bind each toy to a fortress of cardboard. My wrists become sore. This is our challenge for the next few hours, and even coffee cannot curtail it.
This year was a bit easier. The twins picked up most of the wrapping paper. Barney spent much of the morning under the coffee table, chewing happily on his new bone. Everything seemed perfect, until they all started fighting over a toy. Lily realized that we won’t let her dump a basket of toy food behind the couch. William wouldn’t eat breakfast. Slowly, chaos trickled in, and my parents knocked on the door just in time to witness it all.
Lily isn’t sure what to look at first!
Christmas cards and phone calls are always nice, but making the effort to be there transcends both. My parents are here every year to help open the tricky packages. Mom prepares the roast for Christmas dinner. They are here. Through all the chaos and confusion, this matters more than any present under the tree.
“And he puzzled and puzzed, till his puzzler was sore.
Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before!
‘Maybe Christmas,’ he thought, ‘doesn’t come from a store.
Maybe Christmas… perhaps… means a little bit more.’” – Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
Posted on December 25, 2011, 12:00 AM, by WavGirl, under holidays.
We had a great Christmas Eve, with one exception: Barney was very hyper. We bought him a big squeak toy that snorts like a pig, and he was running around with it all day. It was driving me crazy! We still managed to decorate cookies and get dressed up for mass. I really wanted to get a picture before we left, because this is the only night of the year when the girls have dresses and Will puts on a tie!
Santa arrived right when NORAD said he would. He always has an impressive way of distributing the gifts under the tree (and his taste in wrapping paper isn’t bad, either).
He ate a few cookies and drank the entire mug of milk, but Jingle stayed behind. I’m pretty sure that wasn’t supposed to happen, but Santa explained everything in his letter.
I hope you all have a blessed Christmas surrounded by the people you love most!
Posted on December 23, 2011, 10:08 PM, by WavGirl, under holidays.
I knew this would happen eventually. The kids have always known that I have a website (I’ve been doing this for 15 years, after all). I just didn’t realize that Mia knew how to access it on her own. She loaded the site during an indoor recess at school today. Kids started swarming around her, wondering what it was. The teacher walked over, and another peeked in from the hallway. According to the twins, about 25 people (mostly kids) were here today, reading everything from the adventures of Jingle the Elf on the Shelf to the story of how Micah and I met. I was nervous and embarrassed! Mia walked over, patted me on the back, and said she was proud to show the site to everyone because it’s “awesome”. That made it all seem worthwhile.
We got some unexpected snow tonight, and it’s sticking! I was practically jumping up and down. I hope it sticks around for Christmas. The kids would love that! The lights have a beautiful glow when they’re coated in snow.
We still need to bake cookies tomorrow. We decided to wait so they would be fresh for Santa. The twins will be singing at the Christmas Eve vigil mass, and then we’re going out for dinner. I get to have a night off from cooking and dishes!
Posted on December 21, 2011, 9:58 PM, by WavGirl, under holidays.
I made a Christmas video for the kids today.
OK, so I got a bit sentimental when I saw them watching Christmas movies together last night. Who wouldn’t?
I love to see their happiness and comfort when they are doing anything together. I hope these are the moments they will always cherish as they get older. They are the glue to an unshakable family bond. That is the most important goal that Micah and I have as parents.
Posted on December 17, 2011, 1:20 PM, by WavGirl, under holidays.
We had a great morning! It finally snowed. Molly and Mia had breakfast with the choir before their final rehearsal for the Christmas mass. Will was disappointed that he couldn’t go, but we were able to make it up to him!
Micah gave me a little USB tree. This made my week. As I always say, it doesn’t take much to make me happy! I love it.
Micah has the weekend off, so we are going to relax. I’m so glad I can finally enjoy the season after being sick all month!
