Dec 26

.......no more counting down. Unless we start all the way at 365..... 


As expected:


Dallin and Porter loved Christmas. (skateboard, shoes, jacket, umbrella)
Deeter took one look at the present Santa left him (a train track already set up) and never looked back, not even  to come open more presents.
Kaia slept through it all. (cabbage patch doll)


Not expected:


I learned this year to throw perceived notions out the window: I'll take sunny and 75 over a white Christmas. Every year.


I conceded to go to church on Christmas- should be an obvious, unfortunately it wasn't. Guess what? Loved it. Wish every Christmas would fall on Sunday. Felt good to eat my words.


Santa pulled through and brought magic.... magic eight balls. Magic worked in my favor. Dallin ended Christmas night very tired and......in tears. He had asked for an Ipod and headphones (???) and didn't get any. We sat cuddled on the couch and I was just letting him cry it out. He suddenly popped up. He grabbed his magic. "I'm going to ask my eight ball if I can have an Ipod and headphones." I let out a long breath, feeling pretty defeated, preparing for the next round of sobs. He gave a shake shake as he asked the question. An answer popped up: outlook is not good. "Well...I'm asking again. " So....he gave a shake shake as he asked the question. And an answer popped up: Definitely not. We both sat there bewildered, Dallin tensing up, me slowly relaxing. "I'm asking ONE MORE TIME." Shake shake. Question. Reply: I doubt it. 
And just like that the problem was resolved. Without me saying A SINGLE WORD.


And now.....the real vacation begins. No obligations, no mile-long to-do list, no school. Fingers crossed for no rain, no snotty attitudes, no sickness, and no whining.  Oh yeah, and lots of eating out, and going out with friends, and laughing, and........stairs. 

Remembering

Spontaneity always seems to be the secret ingredient that elevates normalacy to the higher level. The addition of this guest was definitely a sponataneous decision.

It's been a long time since I've spent Thanksgiving with Grandma Alby. Circumstances were such this year that last minute, she rode up from New Mexico with my mom to pass this Holiday with our family- such a special gift for all her grandchildren. And I don't think she quite realizes that.

Last night as I went to help Alby inside the house, I looked at her face, trying to read her thoughts.  But as I opened her door, she eased any worry with what has become her signature greeting..."Well, gabey, this old gray mare isn't what it used to be." She followed that with her classic head-shaking laugh before she embraced me with a hug. She has just come off a super hard week- maybe one of the most emotionally-draining ones to date- and has been consumed with sadness. Yet once again, my grandma reminded me of an important principle of life- happiness is a choice. Something I've always admired in her as I've watched her face the lemons life has thrown at her. She has chosen happiness.

I want to be like her.

 I'm so thankful for the relationships I have in my life and the examples they serve to me.

Yosh, at some point your boys are going to not only want to be like you, but want to know how to become like you. And your little baby girl- she's going to wonder who this man was as her young dad and want to know why she needed to steal your heart and keep it clutched in the palm of her hand. And I don't want to deprive these kids of those treasures. So today I'm going to write about you. Because recently YOU are who I have really been thankful for.


I've been thankful:
~As you have stopped at the grocery store to pick up 'a few things' because you noticed we were running low.
~As you've pro-actively jumped in to help get the kids ready to go out the door or go down for bed.
~As you've made a concerted effort to tell me how beautiful I am- and then told me again until I listened.
~As you've turned everything with an on/off button to off, to spend time with me- whether playing Boggle {and getting your booty kicked. Well at least sometimes!}, helping on a project, or- probably a personal favorite- just talking. You're showing me I'm more interesting than anything else for a few minutes.
~As you've wrapped your arms around me more and paused- really paused- to give me a genuine kiss. Making me realize that I more often push away than let that little extra love in my life. You're teaching me to slow down for moments that count.


Boys, here's a secret about us ladies...it's the small things that make us happy. Why? Well, because you can gift us these small things every single day. The big things are great, too. But those only come every now and then. We want to remember to fall in love with you more often than just every now and then. And your dad is giving you more and more of an example of what the small things are.


And baby girl, I owe you a lot. Your dad is without question the main male influence in your life. And not just because he is your dad- it's because you have appointed him as such. Every time he walks in the room, you twist your sweet little head with a smile in place until your eyes connect with his. And if needs be, you scoot your little self over to him until you find his feet and can force that same smile on him. He is your role model because you want him- and no one else- to fill that role. And you know what? Because you have stretched his heart more than he thought possible, he in turn is loving me more, so that you have the example of what it means to really be loved. He loves you that much. And I love being loved!
Thankful for the man in my life.



Happy Thanksgiving.

more food, less cold

Well somehow posting about returns was all I needed to kick me in gear, make a list and check it off. I got two big boxes out of the house on Friday, one out the door this morning, and am almost on my way to Gap and Nordstrom for the last of them. {Well except one from like 2 months ago...} Done and almost done. Welcome home, clear conscience.


Glad that's off my list because Thanksgiving week has begun. And don't for a second discount how important this Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday are in getting prepared for the big day. It's time to start steadily increasing your food intake, stretching that  tummy little by little so that by Thursday... it is ready to be filled to capacity- a new and improved MAX capacity.


Now as a side note I'd suggest also upping your cardio during these days. If for nothing else, do it to help your bowel system out, making sure it stays nice and regular. There could be nothing worse than a bloated stomach to frustrate your Thanksgiving indulging. A friendly piece of advice. 

This fattening up comes at a perfect time anyway. I'm feeling like I'm going to need a couple extra pounds for winter insulation. Can I confess I'm a bit nervous for our upcoming travels to confront my 5 days of REAL winter for the year? I've called my sister with questions about how to dress a baby in cold weather, I'm stressing out on packing all this winter clothing {the little we have} into suitcases, I'm wondering if I'll venture out of the house at all or simply hibernate. I am a wuss and still haven't detailed my plan of attack about overcoming cold weather. But it will be good times. Family and food always pull through as the compensating factor.

{our last get together. Port Orchard 2010. photo by cassi pope}