Christmas

You can't hate me for not writing since Thanksgiving; Christmas may be the most wonderful time of year, but it is also the busiest, most stressful, and most exhausting as well!!

First came Emerald's Christmas party at school: I volunteered early on to help coordinate the event, a little lunch party and book exchange. Emerald brought "The Best Mouse Cookie" by Laura Numeroff (known for "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie"); she received "A Very Crabby Christmas", a tie in to the Cat in the Hat PBS show. When I got to the school, her teacher informed me she was running a little fever of 100; they were letting her stay because it is just heartbreaking at 5 years old to miss a party with your friends at school and the only symptom other than fever she had was being unusually subdued. I brought Cici's Pizza; Rhonda kept Benjamin so I could stay with Emerald (Gabriel was still in school). It was just a nice little party.

Gabe's class didn't have a celebration, understandably, but he took Mario Party dry erase boards and markers for car rides for all his classmates. He got "Chicka Chicka ABC" from his teachers, candy canes, a reindeer hacky sack, and a few more little toys. His class is very small, just six little boys. His teachers are so sweet and really understand and appreciate him; the Risperidone (the medicine to help his moods) is really starting to take a noticeable effect. I was afraid that it was going to stifle and suppress the best parts of him, but it just levels him out--gives him calmer, more focused days. He definitely seems to prefer life this way than those hours between doses when he is out of control.

Friday night before, we had Robert's family Christmas at Steven and Melisa's house. They have such an amazing home; it is so warm and inviting and full of happiness and love and peace. Sometimes it is honestly hard to leave such a positive environment. We had fajitas for dinner; all three of the kids loved that. Gabriel and Benjamin sat next to each other for the first time--it was funny to watch them reach over and exchange food like Amber and I used to! Gabe would steal Ben's cheese and tortillas; Benji would sneak off with Gaby's chicken...it was good to see them sharing and not fighting for once.

As always, please forgive me if I forget to mention any gifts we received--we are so grateful for everything, I just live in a fog comprised of veggie tales and sleepiness, so my mind isn't exactly "sharp".

I know Michael got a pair of warm pajama pants and a lounge shirt that he would wear every day if I let him; he also got a new pair of work shoes and a couple of work shirts.

Gabriel had a very difficult time sitting still or focusing; we strapped him into a booster seat so that he could stay still, but I could not get my phone to stream a show for him, so he mostly squirmed and stripped. He got a Lightening McQueen cars rider, a hopper, some underoos, Batman slippers, and a couple pairs of feetie pajamas.

Benjamin sat with me and did all right, for a 15 month old baby. He got a Fisher Price toy iPhone and a crawling caterpillar/bead track.

I got a giftcard to DSW (a shoe store) that I haven't gotten to use yet, but that I am going to use to buy nice flats or slippers for my cold frosty feet, and a new crockpot! I all ready used it to make a double batch of venison chili; one of my favorites when it is cold :)

Emerald helped pass out gifts and was generally just a delight; she got Abby and Emma magnetic paperdolls from the Melissa and Doug collection and a really cute pizza play set where she can build and deliver her own pretend pizza.

This year, I learned how to crochet so that I could focus my energy on constructive things instead of getting stressed and frustrated. It must have been annoying to be around me for the last few months because I was nearly constantly crocheting to get ready for Christmas--while watching TV or watching the kids play, in the car, during Bible class....the end result was that Melisa, Macy, and Grannymom all got homemade scarves this year (in Ranch Red, Aqua Blue, and Multicolored, respectively) at the Robert's Christmas. Ken and Patrick got ones at the Wearden Christmas, but theirs were some of the first I made--everyone had a good laugh when Ken unfurled his and it wrapped around his neck twice and still reached the floor. (What? I had never made a scarf before!) It was pretty funny.

It was a lovely Christmas, and I was glad we were all able to get together.

Saturday morning, our elf on the shelf friend Chip had to fly back to the North Pole to share his report with Santa, but he left behind some gifts in all of our stockings. Mostly new toothbrushes, body wash, things of that nature; but also some wet kitty and doggie food for the pets, a bath brush for Emerald, snowglobes for the kids, a travel mug for Daddy, and a new book and make-up for Mommy. I also let the kids open one present apiece from Mommy and Daddy--a pair of pajamas to wear to Christmas that night, and an owl beanie that is so cute.

Saturday night was Christmas at Glo and Pawpaws, and I am ashamed to say that I made a bit of a mess of everything. Sunday, we were leaving to go to my grandparent's, Gigi and Papa's, and I didn't know when we would be able to do our private family Christmas. So I shamelessly leapt into their plans, meaning there were entirely too many presents for three energetic and very tired children to sit through. Don't get me wrong, it was still a lovely evening; it was just a bit stressful with so very much going on at once.

Rhonda made a traditional turkey spread; what surprised me is that all three children took surprisingly well to the Waldorf salad--a "salad" of yogurt and mayonnaise on walnuts and apples and raisins and celery and such.

A little back story: for months, every time we visited Walmart, the kids always wanted to go by the pillow pet section. They would each grab the one they liked the best and snuggle it for a few minutes; I would remind them to ask Santa for it, we would put them back and keep shopping.

While we were eating, Santa came and left the very pillow pets they had been asking for! as well as a note that said Santa was bringing their gifts now but would see them on Christmas morning at Gigi and Papa's house. They were so blown away!! Emerald got a hot pink hippo that she named "Pillow Pet"; Gabriel got an neon orange puppy which is the only one that he will sleep with; and Benjamin got a neon green monkey.

The only problem that I didn't foresee is my own confusion: usually, all things Green go to Gabriel; all things Blue go to Benjamin. It is my way of organizing things in my mind, see? Well, this time Gabriel liked the orange puppy, NOT the green monkey; Benjamin of course will snuggle with either one, but Michael and I keep accidentally offering Gabe the Green monkey because that has always been my system...and it makes him so mad!!

Okay, so moving on. Highlights: Gabe got a trampoline and a big Buzz Lightyear; Emerald got a Ariel baby doll, and Cinderella on Blu Ray; Benjamin got a Little People bus and a tool workbench; and they all got a 10-foot roller coaster ride. I got a waffle maker that is pretty darn fantastic and a really cute pair of sparkly boots; Michael got long-sleeved work shirts that he loves and an electric razor and beard trimmer (I may have accidentally used his old one to shave the cat or something, I don't know).

Sunday we load up in the car and start heading for Ponder.

I hate long car rides, and this one was particularly bad because we had the car loaded to the gills with presents and luggage and the dog was coming with us...it was just a mess. I didn't even know how we were going to get back home carrying more stuff!! On the upside, it was a quick five hour drive and before I knew it, we were at Granny's house!!

To avoid any confusion: Granny is my mother's mother, my grandmother. I call her Granny. The kids call her GG because she is a Great Granny to them.

Jarrod and Julia were all ready there; Gabe went right to Jarrod and to Papa and gave them hugs. While Michael carried all our stuff in, I took the kids across to Aunt Alice and Uncle Robbie's--they have a play set in the backyard with swings and a slide and fort, and it gave the kids a chance to run out their energy. Also out there were two of cousin Justin's goats--they had both given birth recently (one that morning) and their tiny babies were there for the kids to pet. Justin had little interest in naming them, so he let me! (Knowing my borderline-obsessive love for names). The mama got Hope had twin girls that I named Faith and Mercy (yes, Emerald helped on that one); the mama Rose Tyler had twin boys named Mickey and Rickey.

If you laughed, that means you are a nerd, too.

The first night was nice and quiet before everyone got there; we had a delicious enchilada casserole that Granny made in the crockpot and I totally need the recipe for. Michael was sick so we gave him some theraflu to help him sleep.Michael went out to the van to get Gaby's medicine before bed...and noticed the lid had come undone and spilled all the Clonidine all over the floor of the van.

Aside: Clonidine, in conjunction with the Melatonin, is what helps Gabriel sleep. Without it, he was averaging an interrupted two hours in a 24-hour period. He needs sleep just like any other child, he just can't calm his body down long enough to get it--this helps.

We only have enough left for the night, which means that I have to call the doctor and have a prescription faxed over on Christmas Eve to a pharmacy in Dallas. Here's the trick: Clonidine is a compound; it has to be mixed because it only comes in pill form and has to dissolve in another solution for three days before it is ready. Which means no major pharmacy company like CVS or Walgreens are able to fill it; it has to be one of the smaller ones. Which tend to not be open the day before Christmas.

The nurse was sweet and faxed in a renewed copy to our pharmacist in Lubbock so they could get it ready by Wednesday when we came back, but outside of that, we were on our own.

The first night went really well. We all slept soundly--Emerald in her own twin sized bed, Gabriel in the pack-n-play (don't even ask me why), and Benjamin between me and Daddy. I could make excuses as to why he was there, but honestly, I just like co-sleeping.

Christmas Eve was mostly waiting around for the rest of the family to arrive. We had bacon and eggs and biscuits for breakfast, then bundled the kids up to the teeth so Jarrod and I could walk them down to see the horses. We stopped on the way down to see the chickens and jakes (that is young male turkeys, I learned), the bunny, and the goats.

Papa has several horses--Pete, Fancy, Tucker, Murray, and Ruby are the ones that I can remember. Pepper followed us down there and made the horses nervous; we were lucky she didn't get smashed.

The kids weren't done walking around, so we lead them down to the back pasture to see the ducks. Unfortunately, that is about the time we noticed it was cold as heck out there; the kids were all freezing, Benjamin (who is not the strongest walker) kept tripping and falling over the uneven ground, noses were running...but not as fast as Gabriel, who saw his chance for freedom and took it--he trucked it as fast as his little legs would carry him all the way to the end of the property, Uncle Jarrod in hot pursuit. Afterwards, we were all ready for some hot cocoa and naps.

For lunch, Uncle Ted and Aunt Cindy, Jessica, Grace, and Grant came over and we had sandwiches. Afterwards, they loaded up to go to the candlelight Christmas Eve service at church. Michael and I didn't want to take Gabriel or Benjamin, especially since there would be no childcare and we hadn't had time to prepare Gaby for, so Aunt Cindy took Emerald and the boys and I stayed at Granny's. Right after they left, Gabriel had one of his few moments of the trip--he was wearing regular clothes instead of backwards pajamas, and he got into his pants and played with his feces. I caught it quickly and Michael was able to clean him up while I sanitized everything he had touched, but it was weird because he hasn't had an accident in so long, clothes or no clothes.

When everyone got back, Mom and Dad and Amber, Jud, and Grayson in tow, we had bbq and all the sides; Gabriel had a major meltdown, one of his worst ever, because everyone coming in at once and all the noise and everything freaked him out. Aunt Alice let us into their house to let him calm down--we stripped him down to his diaper and let him watch Charlie Brown Christmas; he was so physically exhausted, he just crashed. I carried him back and gave him what medicine we had left, and he hid out for the rest of the night.

Granny made a decree that none of the children would be woken for Christmas the next morning; they would all be allowed to sleep until they wake up naturally. Now, this is a pretty big announcement because historically, we would get up around 5 a.m. for Christmas at Granny's house (a fact that has always irked the late-sleeper Michael).

We were all up and downstairs by 7.30, which is still early but I know they all appreciated that extra two and a half hours. Emerald set up camp beside GG, Benjamin was in his play pen next to me, and Michael and Gabriel were opening their presents in the quiet solitude of the computer room off the dining room. It is quiet and peaceful in there and Gabe can go at his own pace.

What I can remember: I got a decorative blanket, new purse, yarn bowl, and lots of new knitting and crocheting stuff; Benjamin got light up duckies for the bath, a froggie book, a trike, a big teddy bear, and a tool box and tools; Gabriel got a sensory box, a bouncy ball, a pair of shoes, and a Spider-Man seek and find that he would not stop looking at; Michael got a Deadpool watch, a wireless roller ball mouse, and a car charger for his phone; and Emerald got a barbie bath toy, a barbie and horse, a little purse, a doll named Olivia, and an easy bake oven.

While we were opening presents, we were chowing down on donuts--I got one with vanilla icing and fruity pebbles on top!

In the middle of Christmas, the downpour of rain stopped and it started snowing, meaning we had a white Christmas after all. Justin ran inside after checking on his other two pregnant goats and said they were both in labor! A total of five were born that day, adding with the four from before to make 9 new baby goats. They were so crazy cute and sweet. Hagar had twin girls named Noelle and Vixen; big mama Bella had triplets--Merry and Holly (girls) and Jingle (boy). I think the new goats were my favorite part of Christmas besides seeing my family.

Okay, wait--there was one other part of Christmas I really loved. Aunt Alice's skinny little mouser kitty got into Granny's house and Papa offered to give $5 to whoever caught him; of course I snatched the little guy right up. He started rumbling from head to foot, being in a nice warm house up against a nice warm body, getting his ears and neck scratched. Michael (of course) wouldn't let me kidnap him and take him back home, but I got to name that guy too--Paul Tobin, after the comic writer. I have got to move to the country--my knowledge of onomastics would not go so wasted!!

My family had to leave Wednesday; we drove through Bowie to see my Aunt Angie and her boys, and Grandma Pat and Pawpaw for lunch on our way back home. I love my Aunt Angie--she is just so cool; growing up we didn't get to see my cousins Sean or Jacob that much, but they are really great kids. I say kids--Sean is 16 and driving; Jacob is 22 and married--yikes!! I'm not ready for them to be all growed up yet.

We had to ride all the way back to Lubbock in a car that was loaded down and reeked of skunk (welcome to the country), on icy, busy roads. We were lucky--barely added any time to our trip.

I am feeling a little blue since being back, because although I am genuinely loving having all three of my little chickies here at home with me, it saddens me to think that it could be months before I get to see my family again. A large part of me wants to move out there so I can be near them all the time; it is just so hard to uproot the life that Michael and I have been building here for the last six years.

This post has gone on much too long, so I shall say: HAPPY HOLIDAYS from Wearden Family News :)