Wrapping Up Christmas

I'm still getting accustomed to it being just the 5 of us at Christmas time. I'm used to lots of people, lots of activity and lots of food. Well, the food we had. Like I said, I'm used to there being lots of people, so I still bake for lots of people. Other than that, Christmas is pretty much like I remember it from childhood: opening stockings in our jammies...looking for our Christmas orange, even though we have no intention of eating it.




Then it's on to Christmas breakfast, and the previously mentioned copious amounts of baked items. This year, we decided to read the Christmas story before we opened any presents from under the tree. Even though we talked about it all during December (and all year round) Everett and I wanted to remind the kids that Christmas isn't about just getting presents. Still, Christmas does bring presents, and we had a great time seeing each other open and enjoy them.



After all the other presents were opened, Daddy and Braden used Braden's new walkie-talkies to radio an urgent message to Trevor. "Trevor, come out to the garage!"

A Visit

Right before Christmas, we had an extra special treat. My sister, Kristen, came to visit for a long weekend. We had a great time just spending time together. We went to a local tamale festival, and tried all different kinds of tamales.



She's an experienced mom and aunt, and she came prepared with some special fun things to do with the kids. They painted wooden ornaments to hold their pictures, and did a super cute felt ornament craft.

I had decided ahead of time that it would be a good chance for us to decorate our gingerbread houses- since we had an extra pair of adult hands.


We went for walks and did some Christmas baking. She helped with laundry (woohoo!) and gave me some grown-up company and conversation. Most of all, she did a lot of baby cuddling. Miss Fiona was feeling very fussy, and Auntie Kristen patiently held her and soothed her so that I could have my hands free for other things. Thanks for visiting us! We miss you!

silver cup

When my brother was born in...well, we won't say when... my grandparents sent him a silver cup with his monogram on it. As the family grew, they did the same for each of their 11 grandchildren; including me. It was a very special possession to me. Many special occasions were made more special by my fancy cup filled with milk. (Milk was not my favorite thing, but it was much more palatable in my silver cup.) The family stopped growing for a while, while the grandchildren grew up, and then it started growing again. This time, it grew great-grandchildren. Each time a new baby was born, my Grandma went into her local jewelry store to order a special silver cup, engraved with each new baby's monogram; including Trevor & Braden.

Here are a few of us from 2004, showing off our cups at a family Christmas gathering. There are many more great-grandchildren now... a total of 20. Each has a special silver cup; including Fiona.

My grandma passed away in July. I went up for the funeral, as did each one of her grandchildren. At the viewing, a lady stopped to speak with my Aunt and explained that she worked at the local jewelry store. She knew my Grandma from when she used to come in to the shop. She went on to explain that my Grandma had been in to the shop only a few months before. My Grandma proudly told her that she was expecting another great-grandchild, and needed to order another silver cup. That great-grandchild was Fiona. Fiona will never know her Grandma Ring here on earth, but she was loved by her. And I know that Fiona will treasure her cup as an heirloom and as a symbol of a legacy of love.

what to do

What should I do today? Should I...

write thank-you notes or cuddle the baby?

...do dishes or play with my photographs?

feed the baby or relax with my knitting?

Hmmm...if only all my decisions were this obvious.