Christmas Eve: Let the Celebrations Begin

We had a wonderful Christmas Eve celebrating starting with our worship of the Newborn King and then with our family for a Feliz Natividad Dinner at Nana and Papas.  When the invite arrived a few days before written all in Spanish, I was thankful that Mr C could translate!  At least then, we didn't show up with our jammies expecting a sleepover! 

Before heading to church, we had a few "special" deliveries to make.  This year, we were beyond blessed to be a small part of adopting three families for the 12 Days of Christmas and we always take the last day; you know, the12 Drummers Drumming.  Not only do we love giving on Christmas Eve, it also means that the kids get to be a part of the surprise drop.

At the first house, Miss A and Mr C both decided to drop the "Drum" on the front porch, and because we know the family and they know our car, we tried to "hide" and have the kids run.  The drop went off without a hitch except for when they returned to the car.  Mr C was running in his Ninja Style and Miss A, skipping along ahead of him jumped into the open car door and Dad starting pulling off while Miss M closed the door.  Only problem, Mr C was on the opposite side of the car still running.  We all screamed "we've left C" and Dad halted the car.  It was the funniest thing ever according to Miss A who did not feel it was necessary to get C, but thought we should just let him run home.

Our second"surprise" stop went much smoother.  However when we circled around to make sure that the gift had been picked up, we almost ran over a cat in the middle of the road.  Not exactly stleath in our approach.  I don't think the CIA will be calling us to do undercover work anytime soon!

Thankfully, we didn't need to go undercover to the Christmas Eve Worship Service because Miss A's smile was too big to hide. She loved that our "whole" Omaha Family was sitting in two pews in the same church.  There is just something about Christmas Eve worship that means so much to me and seeing all my children catch that thrill is joy beyond words.

Our Fiesta dinner was topped off with our traditional Norwegian Rice Pudding Dessert so I'd say we are very ethnically diverse. Next year, it looks like Cousin L is in charge of bringing the prize for finding the almond in the pudding even if Miss A was trying with all her might to find it. 

No family gathering would be complete without a few puzzles to complete, some bumper pool competitions, and the traditional Christmas play which this year included the entire crew and was an improvfest.  Dad and Uncle S even got "caught" up in the action when Miss A put a paper bag over their heads.  It was all part of the fun.

It was a fabulous start to our Christmas Celebration, and I heard my husband declare as we drove "out of sight" Merry Christmas to all and to all a Good Night." Later that night, he might have said to our children the same quote with just an added phrase "don't let me see the whites of your eyes until half past eight in the morning."

A man can dream can't he?

Happy 50th Anniversary

My parents celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary on Friday.  It was truly a golden celebration. What a blessing to have such a wonderful example of love, marriage and commitment to watch all these years.  P and I consider it a honor that both sets of parents have been happily married for five decades.  It is a great accomplishment and testament to God's blessings.

It's amazing to think that just the "other day" my parents renewed their vows for their 25th anniversary and I walked down the aisle as my mother's attendant.  I was in college at the time and thought that 25 years was "forever."  At that time, I could hardly imagine being married and not to mention for that long,

In fact, I would walk down that same church aisle on the arm of my father for my own wedding just a few short years later and am now only seven years away from celebrating my own 25th Anniversary. (See honey I do now how long we've been married)

I understand why my Dad said he can hardly believe it's been 50 years and that in his mind he's only in his 60's thus meaning he would have married Mom in his teens!  Time really does fly by too quickly.

Friday night, we celebrated this wonderful milestone with a Family Dinner.  Miss M said it was the nicest restaurant she'd ever been to and probably her best meal ever.  Mr C enjoyed his filet and entertained his cousins with conversations about 401k's and Yacht prices.  Guess you've got to play the part.  Miss A of course was just thrilled to be surrounded by her favorite people, sitting by both cousins L and N, and chatting away.

After dinner and family pictures, we hung out at Nana and Papas and had Wedding Cake.  Sadly, it did not have buttercream frosting on top, but it looked beautiful.  Then of course, there was entertainment which mostly involved the kids doing crazy stunts and making us all smile.  Mr. C unknowingly has mastered the look of a blind man.  Wearing Nana's sunglasses, he strikingly looked the part, and of course being the comedian he is, he quickly grabbed a cup and asked for spare change.

Poor Miss A tried to duplicate the look with some crazy shades, but of course she's too cute and adorable to really pull it off.  Thankfully, cousin A who turned 17 this week, which is even more evidence that time flies, looked fresh in his new Oakley's and showed Mr C how to really look cool!

All in all it was a perfect evening. One of the benefits of surviving 50 years of marriage is getting to have these crazy moments with your children and grandchildren. At least that's what I hope to be reaping when Mr. P and I reach that milestone!

Congrats Mom and Dad on your Golden Anniversary. We love you A & F.

Trip Down Memory Lane

upper left:  My great grandmother, brother and me at cousins wedding.  Middle: Aunt Liz; upper right My Dad, brother and me-love the clothes;  Middle left:  Aunt Liz and Uncle Keith in 1975; Bottom left: My parents and brother; Bottom Right: Uncle Keith and Aunt Liz.

Last week, I made a quick trip to Minnesota for the funeral of my great aunt.  That might seem like a very distant relative, but in many ways my Aunt Liz was more like my mother's sister (Nana is an only child) since there was only twelve years between them.  I joined my parents and my brother for the trip which brought back memories of many trips before.

My Aunt Liz and Uncle Keith lived in a beautiful lake house in a small Minnesota town.  For most of my childhood, my family would spend a week of our summer vacationing at their home. We'd swim, boat and water ski and we became great friends with the neighborhood children.  The memories I hold in my heart from these trips are among my best ever. I'm sure that's why I love passing on my love of the water with my own kids at our family lake house.  It's my way of sharing this wonderful legacy.

Aunt Liz had a fabulous library in her house.  It was filled with books and I loved going into the room just to soak up the smell of books.  I'm sure a part of the reason I love to read so much is because of how cool it was to sit on comfy couch surrounded by Nancy Drew, the Hardy boys, and tons of great books!  It was always so much fun to talk books with Aunt Liz, and she never failed to ask me what I was reading.

Because my cousins were all a few years older than I was, a number of my memories of visits to Minnesota also involve a fun wedding with lots of dancing.  When my family went to a wedding last spring for my cousins' daughter, I was able to share this love of wedding dances with my own kids too.  Miss A still counts that as one of her favorite trips ever.

Aunt Liz was the only person in my life that call me JillBaby and you know I never minded.  It was term of endearment and I knew it.  My brother had a nickname too, but I know better than share it with the general public.  He might kill me.  Coming from a very small family, it's been a great joy to have Uncle Keith and Aunt Liz's family as a part of ours. I'm so happy that my kids have Christmas Stockings made by Liz's hands, that my kids have become friends with Liz's grandchildren and enjoyed hours together at both our lake house and at Mall of America.

My heart is sad that I've said goodbye to a wonderful Aunt and that my mother has lost one of her best friends. But I know with all my heart that this is not the end of the story.  First and foremost, I will see my Aunt and Uncle again in heaven some day. I'm thrilled that they are there walking streets of gold together after almost 12 years apart.  I'm rejoicing that they are seeing my cousin Leigh Ann again who died seven years ago from Breast Cancer. 

I also know that the relationship between the cousins has become even more vital.  My brother and I have the responsibility and the privilege of carrying our family bond into the next generation.  What a blessing that my cousins are such great people, it's not a burden.  This loss also reminds me that life is fragile and that I must take every opportunity to show those I love how much I love them.

I'll miss you so much Aunt Liz, can't wait to see you again!

We Now Have Mountains Here? and other Funny Things We've Seen and Heard this Week.

Winter Break has been filled with some hilarious moments...some a result of the "blizzard" and others because we've been trapped inside so much I've been able to hear my children talking constantly.

Miss A thinks the huge piles of snow in parking lots and at the end of our driveway are beginning to look the Mountains she saw this fall in Colorado. I've pointed out that while they look inviting and "cute" and will be here until Spring, they are far from fun! In fact, if the one at the end of the driveway gets any bigger, we could lose sight of the street for months.

We went to the Indoor Water Park this week. Why oh why do you ask? Because until last week, Miss A could not get her ear wet and we promised we'd go once she got the all clear from her doctor. So along with most of the city, our whole family went to swim, slide and spend one hour in line for lunch. Just kidding on the lunch line at A&W, it was more like 1:10 minutes wait.

The kids had a great time and we all left feeling water logged and chlorinated to the gills. The funniest part, however, (besides the people) was driving to the pool in a winter coat, swimsuit and flip flops. C commented it wasn't really all that different from our summer trips to the pool and lake considering we were wearing sweatshirts on the 4th of July.

Yesterday, the kids went up to the elementary school for some good sledding on giant hills and I sat in the car watching them giggle, laugh, and throw snowballs at each other and their friends. I'd brought along a book knowing it could be awhile. Miss A made it about 45 minutes and then asked to come into my warm car. She was mostly looking for snacks and hot cocoa which is not something in ready supply in a Honda Odyssey. However, she cracked me up when she said why don't you just take me home and then come back for the big kids, later. I said then we'd just have to come back, she told it would be OK to just leave her at home alone since she's old enough to watch herself.

Sadly, she is the most responsible one sometimes and would probably be OK. I said no way; I can't; I'd get in trouble with the law for leaving a 5 year old at home alone. Not to worry was her reply, I'll visit you in jail and bring you diet Pepsi.

Finally, the thing that cracked me up the most this week was our shopping trip on Monday to "buy" a few things with gift cards that would burning holes in our pockets since Christmas.

Miss A and Miss M had gift cards to their favorite Girlie Store and Mr. C had one to the Sporting Goods store. We decided to take care of C's purchase first as he's notoriously quicker and then the girls and then have Hot Cocoa at our favorite Coffee Shop. C covered his two favorite summer sports, fishing and golf, with his gift. The girls, as usual, took "forever" to decide on some new clothes and a new Webkinz for each of them.

M and A both wanted to go to Claire's too just to see what was "new" and C quickly shooed them away saying that they could open their own store with all the "lip stuff" they have at home. Miss A said, "That's OK. I now have Dr. Pepper lip balm too, I just got it." Somehow I think she missed the point.

Over Cafe Mochas (C) kids Hot Cocoa (A) and Carmel Hot Apple Cider (M), we discussed while it is fun to shop together, it is just as fun to be together sitting and visiting. M and A just looked at me like I'd lost my mind and C just shook his head and said, "Mom, they just don't get it do they."

I'm thinking Mr. C is going to have a rude awakening once he hits the College Years (aka the Dating Years) and sees that Girls love to "just shop."