I could write a sappy blog entry about how wonderful our Christmas was, filled with love, laughter, family and friends. While all of that would be true, it wouldn't be very fun. Instead, I'm going to share a few of the thoughts I had over the last few days, along with a bunch of pictures. You can fill in your own happy, lovey insinuations.
The woman who stood next to me at Christmas mass was clearly not blessed with a sense of pitch, but that didn't keep her from belting her little old heart out. She either had amazing self confidence, was in complete denial, or was so filled with the Christmas spirit that she could not be silent. After I got over the initial discord discomfort, I was actually a little envious. Regardless of her reason, she sang without inhibition. Maybe it wasn't traditionally alluring, but I suppose there was something beautiful in it after all.
If you know a 30 year old blind man who hasn't yet been fortunate enough to cop a feel, apparently my sister is happy to be of assistance, but only with one boob. She has to draw the line somewhere.
I have to send a special thanks to my brother-in-law and to my neighbors for helping me with Greg's Christmas gift. Our grill died this summer and we haven't had one for 5 months now. We love to grill, but he hasn't gotten around to getting another one, so I bought him a grill for Christmas. Well, actually, I gave Rob the money and he bought the grill. I knew he was the best person to research and find the best grill in my price range, and I thank him sincerely for his work! I also send thanks to our neighbors who retrieved the grill from Rob's garage, brought it into our house and wrapped it (and even supplied the wrapping paper) while we were at mass on Christmas Eve. I could never have given him this gift on my own. It's so nice to have such great support! Thanks Rob, Kim, Andy, Ben and Sharon! Love to you all!
I have been wondering if Jacob still believes in Santa. The neighbor boys told him that Santa didn't exist and he came to me wanting to know the truth. I really debated just telling him the truth versus letting the magic live another year. I have mixed feelings about it…I don't want him to think I am lying to him, especially when he directly asked me, but I don't want to spoil the Christmas fun either. I ended up asking him what he thought, and he said he thought Santa was real. I told him to follow his own heart. It was kind of a cop out answer, but at least it absolved me from lying and let him take the lead. There have been several times since that conversation when I thought that he was maybe on the fence about the existence of Santa. When I went to check on him in bed on Christmas eve, I found a note beside his bed that said, "Dear Santa, I kept your note from last year. As you see, there is an extra stocking this year [Sam]. Next year, I will share my Christmas list with Sam. Have a Merry Christmas, Jacob Orr." Even if he is questioning, I think he still believes this year. And I also love the love that Jacob has for Sam. He's a pretty serious kid, but I have seen him laugh more often and more wholeheartedly since we got the cat than ever before. He's a wonderful little blessing for our family.
I am really proud of Jacob for his patience and good behavior on Christmas morning. He was the first one up, of course, at 530. He looked at the presents, ooed and awed, but never once complained about waiting until the rest of the crew got up and came to our house. Two hours is a long time for an 8 year old to wait, and he did it with precocious tolerance.
When Andrew came downstairs on Christmas morning, he immediately started going through the gifts, looking for his name. He can't spell it independently yet, but he definitely recognizes it when he sees it. After the third tag that he found with his name on it, he looked at Greg and me and said, literally choking back tears of joy, "It's another one for me! There's so many for me!" The poor kid was so overcome that he started to cry! I think he caught himself off guard, because he started blinking and rubbing his face and trying to compose himself. It was the sweetest thing I have ever seen. It made me cry too!
It's amazing what the Christmas spirit can do to quell sibling rivalry. The boys were amazingly well behaved on Christmas morning. Although we had been up since 530, I didn't yell at all until 930! After a bit of frustration with one toy, I snapped, "Damnit I said stop hitting the button!" It was a quick snap and then it was over. Once I said it, the calm resumed. Again, it's amazing, considering that most days we can't make it 15 minutes without the threat of Armageddon.
If you want some really flattering photos of yourself, give your three year old a camera. You will be guaranteed to see yourself from a whole new angle!
There's no point in asking someone with practically no depth perception to play a game involving aiming. Out of 16 birdies, I only managed to get one in the bucket. Um…There was a real reason the coach pulled me from the racquetball court and told me to run the track instead!
I am certain that the candy cane sucking contest was the quietest 5 minutes ever recorded in the Williams family history.
Minute to win it games are pretty funny. We played several at Greg's family Christmas gathering and I think we all laughed off our Christmas dinner calories! Part of the fun is in the game itself, but another part of the fun is in the commentary it elicits. Among the comments made last night:
"Don't use a wet noodle"
"Get your noodle up!"
"I can't see the damn hole!"
"Your noodle is jamming."
"Your noodle is broken."
"There's nothing wrong with my noodle!"
"I lost my noodle!"
Take them any way you want...We were trying to lace ziti onto a spaghetti noodle in less than a minute. Amazingly, I was the reigning champion, at 22 seconds, until my so-cool sister-in-law, Monique came along and broke my record with a speedy 19 second completion.
All in all, we had a very nice and very busy two days. Today is going to be dedicated to clean up, and I hope to spend some time just recovering during this week, relaxing and catching up with some people too. Merry Christmas everyone! I hope your day was as great as ours!
My aunt and her boys
Our little family and my niece, Ella. I always wanted a girl!
Andrew gets so excited!
"Mom, that seltzer is tart!"
My hand-made gift from Jake
Jake's card for Greg
My parents share a rare moment of affection...along with one very well fed dog!
"I see you!"
Jacob and me
"Whoa, Uncle Patrick! Hold on tighter!"
Reindeer chow can apparently be made with anything you have on hand.
This year we used chocolate chips, Cream of Wheat and red sprinkles.
I love this picture. We had driven through a local light display, and Andrew left his shoes and coat in the car. Instead of getting his coat and shoes, he chose to wear only one rain boot that he found at my mom's house. Ella could also not find her shoes, so she wore my sister's slippers, which make her feet look like boats! They're so funny! They were so cold an unable to walk well, due to their respective footwear issues that they both dumped the entire bowl in one spot.
Jake, on the other hand, took his reindeer feeding seriously, and meticulously sprinkled food throughout the yard.
By the time we put the cookies out, Andrew was exhausted and grumpy...can you tell?!
Santa's work is done.
No, Sam, the beds were not for you!
But the leopard print tent is!
Oh, wait, maybe the tent was for Andrew...
Finding comfort from Dad after getting choked up about the presents under the tree.
Grinch undies, just what every boy wants!
A subscription to Highlights, a gift from Aunt Bev for my avid little reader.
Thanks for the grill! Let's get it set up and get cooking!
Sam had a hard time seeing the allure in this whole "Christmas" thing.
Giant remote controlled spider....fun, but only from a distance!
Jake and Tony, best buds.
The Williams grandchildren
The Williams kids
Andrew was a natural at the birdie toss game!
"Yyyyesss! Slam dunk!"
Greg is a master noodler.
"Oh no! I lost my noodles!"
Fred, on the other hand, had a hard time taking the game seriously.
Ed, has apparently been practicing his noodling.
That's right, I am a super speedy noodler! Who knew?!
Come on, Dale, get it together!
Scott is a very determined noodler.
But Monique was the most serious of all, lacing her noodles in 19 seconds flat!
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