Christmas 2008 started out with me just about having a nervous breakdown. We lost power at 3:45pm Christmas Eve! We had no idea how long it would be out so I started frantically packing the suitcase to take to Grandma's the next day while I still had a tiny bit of light, not knowing whether we were going to have to pack up all of Christmas to take to Grandma's that night also. THANKFULLY the power was only out for an hour but it sure was not the way I wanted to start our Christmas festivities. Since we had no power, we got a late start on our Christmas program that evening. Darcy was in no mood to play baby Jesus laying quietly in a manger, or laundry basket in her case. The other kids weren't real thrilled with their parts either. We got it all on video and I'm sure we will watch it someday and laugh. Not yet though! Mason made sure we left chocolate milk and cookies out for Santa. I made some low-fat spicy-oatmeal-cranberry-chocolate chip cookies that were pretty disgusting but the big guy must have liked them since there were only crumbs left on the napkin in the morning.
Mason woke up at 6am but wasn't very interested in Christmas. He wanted his chocolate milk and to watch a show. I don't think he gets what Christmas is yet! Drew was up about 15 minutes later and then we got started on the gifts. All Drew wanted for Christmas was a Spin Art. And not the Crayola Color Explosion, the old school cheap-o kind. Santa searched far and wide but was finally able to deliver. I need to find refills already! Mason got a train set that he has been playing with nonstop too. Darcy really couldn't have cared less about it all but she got a Curious George Jack-in-the-box that Mason has pretty much adopted as his own. We tried to be a bit more frugal this Christmas with all the economic uncertainty going around, but the kids seemed to be happy with what they received so it turned out to be a good Christmas.
Here we are at my parent's house. We headed south on Christmas morning to spend time with my side of the family. It started to dump snow at 10am so we threw what we had left to pack in the car and headed out so we were sure to get out of our neighborhood. Once we got to highway 30 it was smooth sailing for the most part, but our neighborhood was a mess leaving, and also when we got home on the evening of the 26th. The ruts were so deep and iced over that we got stuck 3 feet from our driveway. Paul had to dig a path through the ice for the car to turn because we could not get through. ARGH!!!!!!! But I digress. . .We had a yummy Christmas dinner and gift exchange with my family and then a night of games and visiting. We stayed the night at my parent's and I got no sleep because each kid took it in turn to screech or cry or sit straight up out of a sound sleep and start talking. Put us all in one room and chaos reigns!
This is kind of funny in that I requested that there not be any computer gaming by the big boys at the Christmas gathering because it turns in to too much of a production and not a lot of visiting gets done, just shooting. But I guess the kids didn't get the same instructions because all the cousins showed up with their little individual hand held games! They all got along great, probably because all their heads were stuck in their own games. Nice family togetherness.
Grandma and Grandpa on the morning of the 26th. Dad makes buttermilk pancakes that his dad taught him how to make and they are the best. "The greatest pancakes in the world," according to Drew. And that is saying a lot since Drew is the pickiest eater I have ever met, when she decides to eat that is. She barely eats anything anyway, but put her in a room full of people and she wont eat a bite. But she did clean her plate of pancakes and layrup (sp), a whipped cream, sugar, and vanilla concoction that has been a staple on my family's breakfast table for generations. Man that stuff is good, and totally good for you too!
On the afternoon of the 26th we spent time with Paul's family and opened even more gifts and ate even more good food! Its nice to have both sides of the family all in one town, but it is also dificult at times to spen time with both sides and feel like enough visiting was done. The annual ornament from Grandma was in honor of Darcy's birth this year. They are beautiful hand carved ornaments of the nativity scene, made of olive wood in Bethlehem. Thanks grandma!
When we got home at 10:30pm on the 26th Paul busted out the fire pit my parents gave us for Christmas. I don't know if he had some sort of breakdown and thought he was back in the warm August evening, camping at the coast, or if he truly enjoys sitting outside in 35 degree weather with shorts and tennis shoes on, watching a fire burn. Maybe he was dreaming of the green grass we encountered as we headed south of Salem. I was so excited when I saw it again I told Paul I wanted to strip down to my skivies and romp around in the beautiful green grass! For some reason he didn't stop the car to let me.
Our final tally on Christmas Eve was 16 inches of standing snow in our back yard. If I never see a snowflake again it will be too soon. There is a reason I live in western Oregon, I love the rain, not the snow. Salvation came for me today when a snow plow actually plowed our street. I was so excited I wanted to run outside and clap and offer the driver some hot chocolate! After 14 days of snow on the road, the city finally felt it was our turn to have our road plowed. I guess I should be thankful it happened at all!
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