Christmas Wrap-Up

Christmas Eve morning, with stockings laid out

Seems like I shouldn't leave the last Christmas memories 'til 2014. I want a clean slate tomorrow = ) Sort of. Not being much a resolution person, I'm working on that one still tonight!

Hey, excuse the early morning faces!

Anyway, we had Christmas at home with the boys on Christmas Eve morning. Simple and fun. We do stockings, and a few presents for the boys (Um, I sewed Matthias' stocking the night before! Nothing like waiting 'til the last minute!) We have big families, so we don't spend a lot on the boys. They will get other presents, AND they don't need super expensive toys. We watch for clearance deals, and bought the boys' their presents in September, when Eli found some great Lego and Nerf clearance at the small Wal-mart here in town.

We woke up and enjoyed our morning, reveling in fun toys and gifts (and a couple surprise gifts between Mommy and Daddy - he got me this year!), and then spent most of the day at home before the Christmas Eve service at church that night. Opa came over to help build Legos and I worked a bit at the gym for those women wanting ONE LAST WORKOUT before Christmas goodies!

Christmas morning we always head to Eli's parents' house. It is super fun! His immediate family loves loves gift giving. You can just see that they really put thought into it, and we have just a great time watching what everyone gets. We're increasing in number by the year, so this year Jonah and Reuben got a bit bored of gift opening (seriously? right?), because we don't rush it ... I'm not sure if next year we'll have to do some version of name-drawing because it's getting a bit crazy!

Ezra and Grandma

Mommy's cinnamon rolls!

Cheesy face!

Beautiful sisters by birth!

Sisters by marriage!

Home for naptime before my extended family Christmas at my aunt and uncle's house. Again, controlled (maybe) chaos, but still a good time to reconnect with some we don't get to see very often.

And now? Today we ended up taking down our Christmas decorations because all of our New Year's Eve plans had to be canceled because of a sick boy. But, trust me, we made do and have ended up with a pretty fun evening that included costumes, games, toasts, and a movie. We wanted the evening to still give the boys some little memories to tuck away.

I won't be up 'til midnight = ) but you know me, and that is quite alright.

Everyday Occurrences ...

I most often just leave the bathroom door open while I shower in the morning. The boys are home with me, and invariably, if I close the door, Matthias stands outside it THE ENTIRE TIME, knocking and crying "Mama Mama" over and over again.

However, if I leave the door open, he trots in and out, sometimes peeks around the shower curtain to make sure I'm in there, and is generally happy.

I prefer this.

A couple weeks ago, he must have decided that Mommy's showers were boring. Because suddenly a rubber ducky was tossed in the side of the curtain. And then a floating chipmunk. And a little cup. Oh, and a rubber bath ball. All the while, a very pleased one year old, grinned at me each time, saying "Thank You" as little bath toys are tossed around my feet.

But really? This is still much better than a screaming child outside the door, so what do you do?

But last time this was going on ... a toy comes in. "Thank you, Matthias", I dutifully responded while washing my hair. A few more follow in its wake. A happy little boy "helping" Mommy. And then? THEN?

A plunger.

Yup, toys just weren't enough. Over the side of the tub he hauls over the toilet plunger.

People! Not in my shower!

After yelping at him that "No No! That is NOT for the bath!" I finished up as fast as I could to put it back somewhere in which his little hands could not grab = )

These truly are the strange occurrences in my house - e.v.e.r.y.d.a.y.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from our family to yours

Willems-y Christmas

Jonah, Ben, and Reuben

Because of some of the family having to work yesterday and today, and because my parents are amazingly awesome about being flexible for when we celebrate Christmas, we celebrated with my parents, siblings, kids, etc., on Sunday afternoon.

My dad and the littliest, Ellia

It was great! We woke up that morning to some amazing snow that fell all night, dug ourselves out to go to church (well, Eli dug us out), after church, Matthias got a good nap, Eli and I finished wrapping some presents, and once everyone had some down time at home, we headed over to my parents' house!

Mataya in her new hat

Isaac with Selah

We operate in the same style as I remember from being little: one person opens at a time (theoretically), from youngest to oldest, and we repeat, opening one present at a time until we're done. Seems like that could take all day with such a big family, but it really doesn't. Starts out very fairly organized, and gets a little chaotic by the end, but we're all having a good time! And really, considering the amount of children until the age of 2, very few meltdowns.

We had lots of good food to snack on, and it was nice to spend a few hours with just our family, holed up together in a warm house. We re-lived a few funny family memories, and created some new ones.

The most beloved Elmo

Snuggling

I enjoy spreading Christmas out. If every single family event was crammed into one single day, not only would it be exhausting, but it wouldn't nearly be so enjoyable as Christmas is for us! One Christmas on Sunday, one today, and two tomorrow. I think it works out just perfectly.

Eli and I, my brother J.J. and his girlfriend, Olivia

Grace, Selah, Adrienne, Dad, and Hannah

Unexpected Gift

This is one Eli said, "We have to write down to remember" ...

Friday morning the boys and I got home from the gym. The boys had gone up to FitKids that morning, and come back down sweaty and exhilarated from games and work and all kinds of fun. And kept telling me how they had taken their shoes off and were "sliding all over the floor!" Didn't think much of it ... and didn't make any connection as the day wore on, and Reuben complained several times of one of his legs aching and hurting.

I assumed 4 year old growth pains - or imagined pains. Either one quite possible, right? I asked him where it hurt, and he pointed towards his hip joint, and down the front of his leg (I'll refrain from getting super technical with muscle names here!).  I told him to relax and it would feel better. And, sadly to say, I kind of put it out of my mind. We were headed to a Christmas party, I had an hour at work before heading straight to that party, and we were getting things ready all afternoon.

Saturday morning, though, Eli lifted him out of bed, and we were greeted with cries of pain and immediate tears streaming down that little boy's face. "My leg! my leg!" It was a total shocker. We literally had 20 minutes before I had to load the boys up in the van to head to the gym, and he was obviously in real pain. Again, pointing to those same areas when asked where it hurt. We had to dress him, because he wasn't wanting to walk on it. Finally, I think something of the tightness began to wear off, and he was limping along. My best guess was a pulled muscle from sliding all over a floor, having too much fun.

Limped alongside of me as I carried Matthias from the van to the gym front door. A member, whose face I recognized, but I didn't know her name, came up beside me and looked at him. "I think he might have pulled a muscle" I offered. She looked right at me and said, "Well, I'm a pediatric physical therapist; would you like me to take a look at him after class?"

HECK, YES!!!! Pediatric Physical Therapist? I didn't even know there were people like that in Lawrence! I taught class: she took it, and afterwards, she went into the kids' center with me and looked him over. Worked with him. And bless that woman's heart. It was the Saturday before Christmas! Eli and I would have spend the weekend worrying what to do and what might be wrong!

Ends up her best diagnosis was either something overstretched or slightly torn in the hip. A ligament or tendon. That's where the pain originated when we moved his leg at all. But, she offered advice and methods to help over the weekend, and if the pain was still there Tuesday, to call the doctor then.

I can't call this a coincidence as some might. I truly believe that it was just a heaven-sent gift to Eli, Reuben, and I to have this wonderful woman, Karen, walk up beside me at 8am Saturday morning, so that our weekend would be worry-free.

Amazingly, today he woke up and it is almost completely pain-free ... another miracle. And he enjoyed playing in the snow, Christmas with family, and church - running around just like a 4 year old should.

Ganache Brownies

A week ago, we had the baby shower for my sweet nephew, Azariah. Can't believe that he is already almost four weeks old! I got to snuggle him today while my sister-in-law and I baked a few Christmas cookies together. I think we're going on almost nine years on our tradition of taking a morning (it used to be almost a day!) together at my mother-in-law's house, and working on some goodies to give to families and friends. Our list of "to be made" has gotten smaller, as we have both added kiddos to the mix! But, it's always a good morning.

For the shower, we most definitely did not want cake, but some yummy brownie bites, veggies, and nuts. It was in the middle of the afternoon, so most ladies had eaten lunch not that long ago, so we didn't want to overdo the food portion. I totally brought my camera to the shower, and never took any pictures! Major fail. Ah well, I did get a picture of the brownies BEFORE I left for the shower that day.

Yum yum yum. They were so.good. And I got lots of rave reviews on them. This will definitely be a recipe that I repeat. Simple in that the directions were clear, and I followed them! The only thing I might do next time is put a little less coffee in them. It was very distinct. I doubled this recipe and baked mine in a 9x13, but then cut them into almost 1x1 inch bites, because they are obviously a rich little treat!

Christmastime

It doesn't seem like it was already weeks ago that we were doing this:

Putting up the tree.

And now? Now it is less than one week until we celebrate Christmas with my immediate family, and only days after that it will be Christmas DAY. Yup. We're there. Totally there!

The boys are counting down ... Reuben tells me everyday "You're going to love my present, Mom". = ) He can hardly keep the secret - but so far, no details have emerged. Jonah looks at his calendar each day: "Mom, it's only ___ more days until Christmas at Opa and Oma's house!" And Matthias, well, he is just quite thrilled with himself that he can say "cold", "snow", "Mama Bye-bye", "Dada Bye-bye" and a few other new words that have popped out of his mouth. And of course, "TREE!!!!" with excitement, nearly every morning, when he comes out of his room and sees the tree lit in the morning dark.

I'm working on projects and the very last few presents - thank goodness there aren't that many of them! I will be baking some at my mother-in-law's house tomorrow morning, and today I made these snowballs for my clients at the gym. A little healthier treat. Although I love to make over-the-top treats as well, handing them out to clients who are putting in their hours to stay in shape right now doesn't work! But, these are pretty tasty! (I do have one such indulgence to share tomorrow as a post)

We have had a Christmas program, decorated Christmas cookies with the boys' little buddy, and taken care of a sick Matthias. He had a hand/foot/mouth mimicking virus last week, and decided that he wasn't going to sleep on top of being miserable. So, the nap times that normally give me time to clean, organize and homeschool were woefully short, and both Eli and I had four nights of minimal sleep being up with him. Thank goodness it wasn't long-lived, and my ornery little boy is back in action.

I hope the next few days are filled with just as much crafting, caroling, baking, and Christmas-y things!

Candy Cane Face

As part of our countdown to Christmas, Eli has a little advent calendar that he bought me years ago. It has little doors for each day, and he writes a clue that leads to a "treasure" for each day. The boys go CRAZY over this tradition in our home, and each day has its moments of "Is the treasure hunt ready????" It is usually a little candy - something small, but something they don't normally get. A treat. And helps them understand the countdown until Christmas day.

Last week, I walked in the door from work, and was greeted with this gorgeous face:

I know! The treasure of the day was a candy cane - Life Saver flavored, of course. Eli said he gave Matthias his in his booster seat at the table, turned to wash a couple dishes, and that was literally a minute before I walked in the door. And the candy cane was GONE.

Seriously. That kid can put away his food. I would have been nervous to give him a candy cane in the first place (choking!), but he proved that his little chompers were up for the challenge. At first glance, I thought it was markers on his face, and I thought Eli had lost his brains.

Nope, just an innocent little candy cane.

Thanksgiving

Playing with Oma's necklaces ...

Our Thanksgiving this year was full full full, but good! I know, belated memories being written here, but at least I'm getting them down for us to have! = ) This week itself has been very full, and I have a list of projects to finish today still. Eli has been prepping for a big Holiday Shop which several churches collaborate on, and running it today, so his schedule has been slightly all over the map. I've had a crisis with a teen that I was handling, plus prepping for my sister-in-law's baby shower tomorrow afternoon ... AND normal busy schedule of work, homeschool, keepthehouseclean, etc.

Aunt Didi and Mataya!

Littliest Ellia and I

But, we were so blessed to have my grandma, and my mom's two brothers and their families come here for Thanksgiving! I think it might have been three years???? since I have seen my cousins and my aunts, so the reunion was long overdue. Two of my cousins are teenage boys - and Jonah and Reuben have been long awaiting time with Pierce and Paxton, because this meant help with DS games. They trailed those two big boys around for three days - and when we weren't over at my parents' house, they were talking about those two big cousins. Thankfully, Pierce and Paxton are AMAZING teenage boys, and were so so sweet to Jonah and Reuben.

Paxton surrounded by all the kiddos

Wrestling

Reuben keeps asking me when we can "invite them over to play" ... and no matter how hard I try to convey that it would be a 9 hour drive for them to get here, he still asks nearly every day since then! "I know Mom, but can't you just call them? Please???" Poor little boy - he had the best time with them!

Uncle Micah and Jonah

So blessed by cousins!

All of us did. I am so thankful for family and for the opportunity to see my grandma and have her see the little ones in our family (because there are a lot of them!). I think she had six great-grandchildren there, and one other one who was traveling with my brother. So special.

My Bushel: Giving Thanks

As we close out November, I am giving thanks for my bushel of boys. We had a wonderful week, and I will share memories later on, but here are some "boy" stories that just made our week more full of laughter and smiles ...

Jonah:

The first thing out of his mouth when I suggested we say things that we are thankful for were "I am thankful for God's Creation." And that truly speaks of Jonah. A boy who studies wildlife magazines, relishes his hunting trip with Uncle Micah in which a deer was had, and still will happily play zoo with his little brother with Beanie Babies. He loves his animals, bug, and all those things. I'm so grateful for classes for homeschoolers at the Prairie Park Nature Center.

Another story that also tells how his brain works was a couple weeks ago when he was pretty sick. High fever and laying on the couch for about three days. But, at one point, that little pale face looked up at me: "Mom, did you know that when you add two even numbers together, you get an even number. And when you add two odd numbers together, you get an even number. But, when you add an odd number and an even number together, you get an odd number!" My math brained child = )

Reuben:

This kid either completely drives me up the wall, or has me melted into snuggles ... or dying laughing at his ridiculousness. He was thrilled to run into the room and announce: "I KNOW MY MEMORY VERSE! IT IS 'Trust in the Lord with all your heart, Proper Noun 3:5a'". Yes, the verse is right, the reference needs a little help = ) Guess who has been listening hard as his 1st grade older brother is drilled about nouns?

Tonight, I suggested that each night as we put the boys to bed, instead of singing the SAME TWO SONGS every night, Eli and I would sing a different Christmas Carol to them. Reuben nods his head. "So, instead of O Holy Night, you'll sing 'Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum, 15 miles on the Erie Canal!!!'" Ummmmmm, that wasn't quite the Christmas Carol I was thinking of ... = )

Matthias:

I still rock and sing him a good night song before laying him to bed. He relaxes during the song, but then when I say a prayer over him, nods his head in agreement - continuously nodding until I say Amen. And he was quite thrilled to wiggle out of Daddy's arms at Thanksgiving when we circled 'round Grandma's island for a big prayer and get between two adults and hold hands. He then tucked his chin low and looked quite proud of himself.

He mimics me, Eli and the boys. Today it was wagging his finger at me, talking in gibberish and then running into another room for about 30 seconds. And then repeating several times. I think it was an imitation of Mommy saying: "Be back in just a minute!" like I often do before running downstairs to grab laundry, or closing the bathroom door when I dry my hair. And looking around during the day: "Dada Bye-Bye." And waiting for my confirmation that, indeed, Daddy is bye-bye at work.

So, we will count down to Christmas, and I hope enjoy each day. So glad I have them. And so grateful for my husband, who walks each day with me, and who is there is to laugh with me.

Baking Buddies

I give up ... these two CANNOT give normal smiles to the camera anymore!

I promised the boys that today, once school was finished, they could help me make chocolate chip cookies (which means they also get to conduct a taste test on the dough ...). My grandma, uncle, aunt, and cousins are flying in this evening for Thanksgiving, so I'm in charge of getting some desserts done to have around for lunch/dinner tomorrow, when we're doing "easier" meals as we hang out together. And who can argue with homemade chocolate chip cookies? Exactly. Enough said.

Ready ... Set ...

POUR!!!

Most of my aprons are packed, so I just deal with getting flour on us. It happens. Although today, we actually came out from everyone pretty darn clean - and the kitchen as well!

We pulled the stool into the corner by the KitchenAid, and worked away together. Worked on getting the ingredients into the bowl and not onto the counter, and on taking turns nicely. = )

Measured. Poured. Mixed. Tasted. Yum yum. I love those moments when I get to do this with the bigger boys. Matthias was napping, and that is the best time for cooking and baking in my house right now, because that little boy wants to help with ALL THINGS that go on in the kitchen. So, we mixed up cookies, baked away, and then prepped them to take to share with family. I just love this season!

Workload

When we bought our house, we were told there "had been some water" coming at one point in the basement, but it was a gutter issue and was fixed. Eight years later, we finally fixed what was really a crack in the foundation - NOT a gutter issue. I grew up in a house with a basement, and I know, living in Kansas, the issue with basements/dirt that is more like mud/water and all it entails. It means that close to 60% of houses with basements in this town have had to have some type of foundation work. Ours not excluded.

We originally thought the crack was small, and did a smaller "job" to fix it in the spring. Found out a couple months later that the crack was in fact larger. And a bigger job (which equals bigger cost) needed to be done to completely fix the problem.

Enter this:

Yup. The front of our house was dug out last weekend, that wall was patched with three different types of patching and there is NO WAY water can come through that wall anymore! It was a big job, one that been weighing on Eli's shoulders especially in the last few months. Once we realized the job was so big, we took the For Sale sign out of the front yard and made the hard decision to take the house off the market until next spring.

That means that for four days, the little boys thought climbing around on a huge dirt pile was tons of fun: "Mommy, can we keep this dirt mountain until Christmas???" And I watched my front yard become a mound of dirt, and now a flat yard of dirt. When we get home from anywhere, Matthias still points his little fingers around and shakes his head: "Yes, Bubbs," I have to respond to his concern. "It's a big mess".

The outside job in done, big sigh of relief. We have work to finish inside as we had ripped out sheetrock on that wall and that all has to be re-done ... but if we can keep our hands to the plow, then the house will once again be for sale in the spring.

Some moments feel exhausting. Why why why???? I think I have asked God a millions times "why" on this one ... why not sold last spring? Why the big job on the basement? It could go on forever. But, I have had to lay my "whys" to rest. And come to peace that I may never really understand the "Why" ... that my imperfect understanding only sees such a short moment in time, when He sees the entire picture. And find trust in my heart and contentment in my home. A home where little heads sleep in peace and we are warm and safe. And why should I ask for more?

May I be thankful. Thankful that the work could be done, the problem fixed. Thankful we have a home. Thankful as I look towards of week of busyness that my family will be around, my sister and I will cook and get messy together, little cousins will laugh and play together, and that even when circumstances are soooooo not perfect, I can say that my heart is full.