Christmas 2011

     

 

I love

I love that school is out. LOVE. probably more than they do.

I love listening to Beckham break out into Christmas carols at the most random moments. "rum-pum-pum-pum" is my current favorite.

I love that Seneca is saving the penguins from the avalanche in the family room.

I love that all of my errands are done and I don't have to leave the house until we go to the airport if I don't want to. and right now I don't want to.

I love the obstacle courses that Coop creates that occupy all of them for entire afternoons.

I love that this house does not need to be moving at 6 a.m. tomorrow. See the first item.

I love prison break. I don't know if I love that it creeps into my dreams on a regular basis, but I love my nightly fix.

I love Denten. I will love when he walks in the door.

my life is good.

Seneca and Beckham are in the backyard.  They were swinging on their tummies and singing.  Now they are walking around the yard on the curbing, ducking under and around various actual and invisible obstacles.  They keep cheering for each other at random intervals.  I don't know the details of the game they have concocted, but I'm so so grateful they have each other. 

Cooper and Denten picked pecans off the tree, cleaned the ashes out of the fireplace and have moved on to clean up at the Bloch Road house this afternoon.  I'm glad Cooper is working.  And I'm glad he's with his dad.  I'm also glad his dad is willing to do so many things so I don't have to.

After we got the family room and bedrooms picked up this morning, friends came over to practice our song for tomorrow.  I'm banking on the fact that if there are cute kids on the stand singing a sweet song that it will go over well, regardless of whether they all actually know their words, yes? 

Then I escaped to the mall all. by. myself.  I have my shopping done, which Denten kindly reminded me of this morning when I was on my way out the door, but I was shopping for me.  I know, forbidden this time of year, but it happened and I don't think I regret it.

The plan is to go see temple lights tonight, if not for tradition's sake then for the joy of Seneca running from tree to tree exclaiming how beautiful they are are.  Rain is supposed to roll back in, we'll pray it holds off until we're home. 

Senny and Bex have moved on to the playhouse, fighting off imaginary villains and swinging like trapeze artists.  Heavenly Father totally knew what he was doing sending those two down here for each other.

december 14

gingerbread house is done, and looks fantastic. thank you trader joe's. beckham has consumed enough candy to last until next year. he stood up and it came out the bottom of his jammie pants. seneca is meticulous and coop has very unique ideas that test my creativity to make happen.

christmas is done. well, my preparations for christmas are done. almost. I haven't wrapped a single thing for my family but seeing as we are away for the big day this year, and I can not fly with wrapped gifts, that is waiting for now. let the packing extravaganza begin!

I may or may not have gotten out of my loungies all day. loungies are a step up from jammies, but not quite real clothes. but today they were real enough to get me through the grocery store and multiple kid pick-ups and drop-offs. some women can pull off looking great in loungies. I'm not really one of them, but I pretend sometimes.

I think the last wave of christmas cards are going out tomorrow. if you didn't get one and you want to see my pretty face, you'd better let me know.

I'm grateful my children have figured out how to make chess a three-person game. it eliminates a lot of the someone-left-out situation.

it rained for two days straight. really. today we saw the sun. I liked the rain, but I don't like the leaky roof. for some reason we completely forget about it until it's soggy again. gotta get that taken care of pronto. I bet you northwest people who live with rain all the time have super cute rainboots.

and that's all my rambling brain has for you tonight. I'm off to brush 4 sets of teeth. thankfully, Denten can do his own.

quick escape

D’s firm Christmas party was Saturday in Santa Fe.  We sweet-talked Lindsay into coming down for the weekend and snuck out of town.  It was quick and low-key.  We spent some time upgrading our phone situation, which has potential to be great once I get through my transitional period!  We found a few new places to eat, including a beyond-fabulous french bakery that serves breakfast and was well-worth the wait.  It is on the top of the list to hit next time!  We enjoyed a cozy room at the Bishop’s Lodge again that just asks you to stay in bed by the fireplace for a long time.  Sleeping in and being lazy with our books was so so nice.  We wandered through the square and hit our favorite market vendors, galleries and shops.  I nearly froze, but it was nice, I suppose, to remember what winter really feels like.  It was amazing to have time over every meal and in between to talk to Denten.  Actually talk, without any interruptions.  It was reconnection time that was sorely needed and greatly appreciated.  Thank you Rothstein for the getaway, and thank you Lindsay for assuring my children enjoyed the weekend every bit as much as I did.

more stuff to love.

uggs

seat heaters

scarves

hooded sweatshirts

I have been using all of the above non-stop today and I’m still cold.  How did I ever live in the cold country??  I can not believe my children want to play outside, but more power to them, as long as they Shut the Door!!

Emily.  and Elsie.  What on earth would we do without them??  Bex went to play with Elsie today after school and while I should have been catching up on laundry, mopping the floor or addressing Christmas cards (all of which need to be done before Lindsay shows up), I instead admit to crawling on my bed, grabbing a blanket and going right to sleep.  Bless Emily, it got me through the rest of the day.

Jack.  This little stinker of an elf is actually doing a great job.  He played Connect Four with Dora last night.  He’s also been leaving a little surprise in our advent box each night but last night instead of a toy or treat, he left a little note saying that everybody needed to talk nice.  Oh man, an elf warning.  Serious business.  Two of the three get it.  The little one believes that Santa is bringing him whatever the heck he wants regardless of his behavior.  Hmmm.

Fast airplanes.  and husband texts that make me laugh when I’m missing him most.  Glad he’s on his way home.

Tortellini.  It’s just good.  and the simple act of it sitting in my fridge prompted me to put together a yummy sauce.  (Babe, come home!)

The giggles.  You know, the kind where they just can’t stop?  The kind that could be annoying until you change your mind and decide you’d rather have them happy than any other way?  Seneca starts it and it’s so stinkin’ infectious that the others can’t help but laugh their little heads off.

cookie dough.  chocolate molten cakes from F&E.  treats in general.  don’t worry, I’m being selective.  kind of.

today

Today I stuffed Christmas cards while my little ones tumbled.  Beckham’s cartwheel is now recognizable and Seneca has mastered the backbend.

Today I made pancakes and smoothies for dinner while Cooper taught Seneca how to castle while playing chess on the computer.  It was amusing to listen to.  Beckham was racing laps around the house looking for a high-five every time he made a pass through the kitchen.

Today I watched my husband make a fire while the littles played chutes and ladders in front of the fireplace.

Today I conducted a lot of business on my phone and was grateful it’s location came to me in the night.

Today I bought dark chocolate covered peppermint jo-jos and now Christmas can come.

Today D leaves for Boise.  He won’t be gone long, but It’s a bummer he has to go at all.  He just got home from spending the day in Flagstaff.  I think he’d just like to be home, but we’re both grateful he has work to do.

Today I have colored Christmas lights hanging around my back porch.  It’s festive out my window while I type.  and do dishes.  I’ve never been a fan of colored lights- I’m a traditional, white kind of girl, but the kids really wanted colored lights.  They got their wish in the backyard.  They are kinda fun back there.

today I love:

- my perfect Christmas tree.  real, full, lighted by my husband and decorated by my children.

- seeing my kids on Santa’s lap this morning.

- a Saturday running errands together.

- my amazing husband.

- chances to reevaluate where we’re headed together.

- Christmas miracles.  I’m here to tell you they exist.  Do you want one?  Have you asked?

- answered prayers.

- the magic that fills my house in December.

- the fire in the fireplace.

- my healthy body.

- my happy children.

happenings.

Seneca calls her brothers, “her boys.”  Like this morning when she woke up and asked, “did my boys already eat breakfast?”

Beckham keeps changing his mind about what he wants for Christmas.  It is fair to say at this point that he will probably be surprised.

Senny and Cooper don’t have any particular desires.  It’s all about the magic, which is awesome.

Jack, our little elf, is keeping a close eye on things around here… Cooper goes looking for him first thing in the morning and thank goodness he remembered to put something in the advent box last night because Coop sure didn’t forget it was Dec. 1!

The combination of Netflix and Prison Break is proving to be a mixed blessing.  It’s such a great show, and watching it on demand without commercials is fantastic, but it’s too easy to say, “just one more” and have bedtime be pushed back into delirium.  It reminds me of 24 days when it would end and you just couldn’t let it go without finding out what happened next!  It’s not as fast-paced as 24, but more deliberate and keeps me fully engaged. 

We are having a Christmas tree quandary.  We need a big one.  Like, big.  and we want it to be real, but those are expensive!  However, so are artificial big ones… I’m not ready to bite that bullet yet.  Something needs to happen quick… Beckham keeps laying out the tree skirt and putting presents on it… we really need to get a tree!

We have six stockings.  We hung five and put one back in the box.  Today I heard Beckham tell Elsie that it is for our baby that isn’t here yet.  He said it so matter-of-factly.  Won’t it be fun to hang up six?!  Maybe next year.