Christmas 2008

It took me until the next year to post last year's Christmas pictures! We had a wild night here with steak and a movie--ha! They were good steaks and "Catch and Release" was good too--good storyline, kept me interested. We had a wonderful Christmas and had so much fun watching the kids enjoy all the family events we had. I particularly love all the pictures showing Makenna in ready-to-sleep mode: thumb in mouth, hand in hair. They are at every gift-opening session! We were in awe on Christmas morning when Kyle and Makenna each were playing with their 'unwrapped' Santa gift, quietly enjoying their new toys--it was the quietest the house has ever been with both of them awake. It was really sweet. No wrapping paper flying over here, just two happy kids playing. As Kyle draws near to age 4 and Makenna is now 18 months old, they really enjoy playing together and seem to be finding their 'mojo' as playmates. Notice also the kids enjoyed the tupperware at Nana's as much as their new toys. Kyle and Makenna looked cute too in Granddaddy's new wheel barrow. I think the last picture of Makenna says what we all felt after all the events--and all the eating!

Feeding French Fries to the Reindeer

Well, I forgot to ask Granddaddy to bring me chicken feed today, so we had food for Santa's reindeer. While at McDonald's after church, Mima had a BRILLIANT idea to feed the reindeer french fries! So that's just what we did! Kyle was insistent that we leave teddy grahams for Santa too, alone with our homemade cookies, and three candy canes. He was headed to the pantry for more food when I explained that Santa eats all night long and this was enough. So he said, 'yeah, I think this is enough.'

Twinkies?

How to clone a Twinkie - with Todd Wilbur @ Yahoo! Video

Okay, so this is kinda random--this is so interesting though! Haven't you always wondered what a twinkie is made of??? Watch this guy!

Making Christmas Cookies

I'm no Paula Deen, but I am trying to teach Kyle the basics of baking and cooking. He loves making cookies, so we had quite the day yesterday. I enjoy making my own icing too. Last year, I used ziplock bags and created my own pastry bags--not ideal. I also used regular food coloring--not ideal either. This year, I stood in the baking aisle at Michael's and spent some time studying. I used pastry bags this year and gizmos I had never heard of like couplers and coupler rings! And I used food coloring glaze which doesn't thin the icing. It's way cool! I felt so professional! Ha! One thing I picked up from my Mom is doing a few things from scratch like your own pie crusts and your own icing. So that's what I do too. This is no bragging-session, but more a display of my crazy perfectionism (ask me about the mistake I made TWICE with the icing) What's tubed icing? Well, David likes the stuff in the tub, so yeah, it has its purpose--or when you're short on time, but there's something satisfying about making your own icing. Kyle LOVES that process and enjoys mixing the colors and creating new colors. For that reason alone, I'll continue to make my own Christmas cookie icing. But after hours in the kitchen, I'm glad we're done! Now all we have left to do is eat them! Not a problem here with four cookie monsters.

Makenna enjoyed helping me with laundry and ate the raw cookie dough--she wasn't so interested in rolling it out on her own--way better to just eat the stuff. I'll get some pictures of the finished cookies up later.

Kyle's First Children's Christmas Program

Kyle was part of the flock at church on Sunday for our Christmas program. I was thrilled he stood with the group! He appears not too sure of the whole thing while on stage! While he loves to sing and be silly, that stage must've caused him to go into a deep contemplative state. We'll just assume he was in deep meditation about Jesus. Perhaps he was. The first set without the ears is from practice on Saturday night. The sheep ear pictures are from the actual program. I love how the one little gal is lying down--they were kinda all over the place, just like sheep--how fitting since we are just like these sheep and how blessed we are to have a Shepherd.

Kyle's Versions of the Nativity

Kyle has enjoyed rearranging the small ceramic nativity set on my credenza table by the front door. Of course I let him play with a breakable nativity! I don't want to make it hands-off, especially when I see his version of things. The first time he rearranged it, I didn't witness him in action. I just happened upon it. He had moved all the figures in a circle surrounding Jesus, even with their backs to 'us.' When I asked him about it, he told me, "They all have to come in because they want to see baby Jesus." It didn't make sense to him for them to be spread out, not really looking closely at him. The Holy Spirit again has given me a message through Kyle. Jesus wants us looking closely at him, drawing in to him, not at a distance where we can't see him. And he is wanting us close to him so he can really see us, see our heart. My sister has a sign from Canton that is a 'play' on the song "Jesus loves me, this I know." Her sign instead says, "Jesus knows me, this I love." He wants us as close as possible, taking all his wonder and majesty in. Kyle told me that Jesus is a king. I love that.

I then discovered it rearranged with Mary's back facing the entire group. I questioned this and explained that this is Jesus' mommy and she should be looking at her baby. He argued and told me she was looking at pictures of him and Makenna and Mommy and Daddy. There are pictures of us on that wall and even next to the nativity, so I suppose that is what he saw Mary doing at that point. I then asked him why the big wiseman wasn't with the group. He told me he's a bad man. I explained that he was a king too and was bringing Jesus a gift, but he's picking up on something in the facial features of the wiseman that he doesn't like. He's wide and mysterious and I suppose Kyle is skeptical of that. He also had it arranged where Joseph and Jesus were off to the side alone. Was that his understanding of a father's unique love for a child, as it should be, focused love from a father?

I stayed out of the way and let Kyle interpret the nativity on his own. He is fascinated by all nativities. I realized that no other event in our culture has Jesus as such a focus. Even with all the commercialism of Christmas, God works through that because you can't find one store that doesn't have a nativity for sale and it's amazing to be in just about any store and hear a Jesus-centered Christmas song at some point. You can't say the same for Easter. I see more eggs and bunnies at Easter than risen Saviors and empty tomb scenes. But at Christmas, the nativity is everywhere, in yards across our nation, on tables and lit-up fences, and in our hearts. And so our children get the message of the manger everywhere they go. How wonderful that we live in a country where we are free to worship our Maker.

In the midst of much controversy about our nation's leaders, let us all remember that we have the freedom to worship Jesus, the freedom to proclaim our faith. I realize that we are persecuted even here in the U.S., but let's get serious--there are Christians killed every day for their faith and Christians worshipping in hiding today and every day of the year. I think we should all be thankful that we are where we are and with optimism, should embrace our country and not live in fear, but live in joy, knowing God is still sovereign and still trustworthy.

As Promised

As 'promised,' I was going to get more pictures out--so here they come! These are pictures of the kids decorating and having fun digging through the ornaments and yes, I was letting them handle the breakables! I think it has kept Makenna from messing with the tree since she's already 'played' with them and inspected them! Some pictures are from Chuy's for my birthday (I can't believe I'm 33--EEK!) and some are on my actual birthday when Kyle and Makenna sang to me. Kyle was adamanet that we sing "God's Blessings to You" also--I love his heart for Jesus.

I Now Totally Get That Phrase

**I'm WAY behind in blogging and have written about six blogs in my head over the last month, so hopefully I can start posting them now and get them out of my head!

As the saying goes, 'it's the thought that counts.' We all use that as an after-thought statement, either to excuse ourselves when we don't follow through on something or when something doesn't go exactly right. Yesterday, Kyle showed me the true joy behind that phrase.

We prepped Kyle for days about seeing Santa so he would hopefully not fear him this year. He wasn't keen on sitting on his knee (who can blame him?), so I said he could stand next to him. He was excited about that and I realized how backwards it is if parents force their child to sit on ANYone's lap, especially a stranger. He was excited and knew he was going to ask for "20 Passengers" a.k.a. 'anything train.' Mima and Santa have a direct line so he's getting Thomas and his coaches, Annie & Clarabel, which will probably mystify his belief in Santa for a good number of years--to be young and sweet and excited about the mystery of Santa coming to your house on a sleigh.

Kyle's first trip to Santa was at 9 months and he was unphased. The next year he was terrified (of the Easter bunny too, and now Chuck E. Cheese), so when we took his picture, he sat on Santa's chair alone with his Cheerios and when the photographer took the photo, Santa popped up behind Kyle, who never knew he was even there! Last year, we didn't even bother and it was just Makenna and Santa. But this year, our little guy was a big boy and ready to go.

We took some pictures at home first for our Christmas card and Kyle wanted to use candy canes in the picture. He then said, 'let's take the candy canes to Santa. I want to give them to him. Is that a good idea?' I was thrilled and he just tugged at my heartstrings and when he saw what a great idea it was, he was thrilled with himself. It was too cute to see how proud he was of his idea! We thought it was precious and such a sweet display of generosity. So we praied him up and down the sleigh, er, wall.

We had all good intentions with the candy canes. Kyle broke several at the house so we decided to hold them for Santa for him, candy canes intact. David slipped them into my purse. When we drove off, I pulled them out, and set them in the bucket on the floorboard where I stash everything from empty soda cans to CDs. I didn't want them breaking in my purse of course! Kyle was excited the whole way to the mall and kept asking where Santa was and was he coming to our house that night. We unloaded and hurried in to get in line and saw that Santa was on a break, but due back any moment. Makenna and I did a return at the Children's Place while the boys waited and when I came back, I realized we had left the candy canes in the car! I wanted to go back, but David said we were nearly up and there was no time! I felt like we were in that scene from A Christmas Story and my poor Ralphie, er, Kyle, was going to be wisked down a chute after seeing Santa. No time for the candy canes!

I lamented our forgetfulness to David and he said that Kyle didn't even remember and had moved on. And I said, I suppose it was the thought that counted. And I understood that phrase for the first time. Kyle's act of kindness and show of Jesus' love in that one idea to give the candy canes to Santa was the best gift I could receive this Christmas. And we should have let Kyle hold the candy canes and let them break. Kyle wouldn't have thought any different and would have been okay with his broken gift. He would have been proud of his broken gift. But the controlling parents here had to keep them intact and as a result, they ended up being left in the car.

There are times when raising children is so hard, so frustrating, and you feel so helpless. And I all I can do is ask Jesus to just grow in Kyle. And then I see it happening and it's just breathtaking. Kyle's broken candy canes, in total humility, would have been a perfect gift for Santa because it was all from his heart. Those wisemen who sought Jesus and offered gifts to the new King came in humility, giving whatever they had. Nobody carried them for them. They brought what they had and for all we know, they were in chipped bottles and dusty bags. I again think of Jesus saying we should come to him like little children, humble, honest, all-heart, no facade of perfection. May Kyle's broken candy canes remind you of the babe in the manger, who wants you, just as you are.

You May Be Right--I May Be Crazy--But I Saved Like 200%!

I decided this year to start my Christmas shopping early...as in middle-of-the-night early, day after Thanksgiving. David thought I was nuts. My Mom thought I was nuts for asking her to go with me (she had Megan as her 'out' since she had Megan-care-duty). Anyone that knew me in my more youthful years would think it was completely crazy that I was out of bed before 9 am. But I've become quite the morning person and actually feel like a zombie when I sleep more than 7 hours. But I digress.

My goals for shopping were a little selfish. I wasn't planning on shopping for anyone else but Makenna and me. I heard two sentences out of David's mouth last Wednesday night which are probably a glitch in the Matrix as I will most certainly never hear them again: "Michelle, Makenna needs clothes. She doesn't have anything that 'goes.'" Oh, alas...sweet bliss every Mommy-of-a-little-girl wants to hear. Um, you're asking me to shop? You want me to get her outfits? By all means, I'm ready to go! Yee haw! (Um, that yee-haw is intended to give you a picture of me on a horse, spurring it as I race down Hwy 79 on the shoulder, because seriously, why fight the traffic when you can ride a horse to the Outlet Mall?"

I was a little dissapointed when I turned onto Hwy 79 in Hutto and saw no other cars on the road. Where is everybody? Don't they know it's Black Friday and Carter's has everything 50% off AND with my coupon and their extra %10, I was going to get 30% off on top of everything???!!! I mean, that's like 80% off everything right? Haha...no calculator needed here! And didn't they know you have to line up at Kohl's to get the best deals and like the sales clerk told me a week ago, I needed to be there early because I'd not be able to get into a dressing room? By the way, I had already decided to pack spandex and change in the aisles if necessary. Seriously, I had my spandex workout shorts in my bag. I was ready. For anything.

So with no cars in sight, I wondered as I drove in if the economy had made everyone sleep in. And then I began approaching Round Rock. I wasn't able to get a clear view of Wal-Mart but I'm sure it was a steady stream of little ants, swarming all over for their Hannah Montana barbie doll or the latest annoying Elmo doll that reminds us all of a possessed Sesame street character (am I the only one who thinks that? maybe it's because Kyle's Elmo's eyes flash--a little too Poltergeistish for me). And then I passed HEB Plus and had to take a doublelook.

It was everything I had heard about and more. I had only heard of such sightings and seen footage on TV. There was a mass of people (I think that's what it was, but they were so packed in, it looked more like a blob of coats). They stretched from one end of HEB Plus to the other, all facing the doors, at attention, waiting for the glass to spread open so they could make a mad-dash for discounted Easy Mac. I immediately thought of what cattle look like, gathered at a gate waiting for it to open. Dumb, submissive to the dollar, witless. It was then that I realized I was one of them now. And I was okay with that because I was getting everything 80% off at Carter's! (Well, not exactly, but "my math" makes the savings sound even better...maybe I should be in sales).

When I arrived at the outlet mall, I saw a sea of cars and thought, this is it, brace yourself, stand at the glass and wait. Oh, but no waiting. They opened at midnight! So I prepared for takeoff. I had my Southern Living At HOME bag alone since I was running a Black Friday sale and it had started at 4 AM and it was now 4:30 AM. I lugged around ten pounds of catalogs thinking people would see my bag and ask for a catalog. But I wasn't having an 80% off sale so why choose me over Adidas or that little kiosk dude with the smoked sausage and cheese?

I was a happy lark at the Children's Place and Carter's. I blazed a trail. And there were so few people! I couldn't believe it! The girl at Carter's, who I was Chatty-Cathy with, told me that it was a zoo from 12-3 AM and then everyone heads to Kohl's to stand like cattle in front of the glass, waiting for it to seperate...well, she didn't exactly say that, but you get the idea. So I came at just the right time! Things got even better at Adidas and by the time I found myself at Starbuck's for my caffeine jolt and massive 'reduced-fat blueberry coffee cake' (who are we kidding???), I felt like I was on an ever-increasing euphoria. Nobody could stop me now. I mean, with 80% off at Carter's and 20% off here and there, I was getting everything for like 200% off! The stores were literally lining up to pay ME to come in. The Carter's girl was amazed as I wisked out my calculator and called me a 'serious shopper.' Uh, of course I'm serious! I crawled out of bed and rode my horse from Hutto at 3:45 AM--of course I'm a serious shopper. The not-so-serious shoppers didn't even get to IHOP until 10 and THEN thought they'd hit the sales after they were bloated with the rooty-tooty-fresh-and-fruity. I shopped on a near-empty stomach, stopping only for quick slurps from my camel-pack filled with pure caffeine. I thougth of really making it a party and filling it with mimosas, but then I'd not be as accurate on my calculator and we all know serious shoppers only hit the hard liquor AFTER they've reviewed their receipts hours later.

Once I had my Starbuck's and headed for Kohl's, I was prepared for anything. I had heard rumors of long lines for the dressing room. But I was prepared to change into my spandex shorts and try clothes on in the middle of the aisles if I had to. I can easily hide behind a clothes rack and what man-fool is wandering through the Misses anyway? None--they're all at IHOP getting their rooty-tooty and reading the sports page. Depending upon what side they're on, they're weeping into their pancakes.

But there were no lines at Kohl's! Woohoo! The first wave of shoppers must've already gone to IHOP to join their weeping counterparts! My euphoria really went through the roof. You might say I reached zen..."Everything Zen" by Bush races through my mind. I might really be teetering on the edge of being politically incorrect, but this apex of zen is what some religions strive to reach through false gods...they need to quit trying and just hit a Black Friday sale! Hopefully I don't offend you, just some of my not-to-be-taken-so-seriously humor.

I galloped out of Kohl's on my horse at 9:15 to meet my parents and niece at IHOP. The pancake gobblers had already left to hit the Academy sales (or go back to bed), and I was ready for my stack of pancakes. I went back to Kohl's at 10:30 with my Mom, only to leave rejoicing that I had shopped at 7 AM, leaving the 10:30 AM, 30-deep lines behind. All I could think was "Shop at 10:30 AM? That's for amateurs!"

And so I am already preparing for Black Friday 2009, shopping earlier in the morning next year so I can see the mad-rush that I 'missed' somehow. And shopping alone, in the dark, no one else around...it was just relaxing. Maybe there should be a Black Friday every few months for Moms like me that just want some time alone, other than in a locked bathroom.

p.s. for those of you worried about my math skills, I'm uh, kidding