It’s About TIME!

It's about time I get back to this blog of mine. I hope you have the time to read this long blog. I promise I won’t let 2 months pass before writing  again. Now that things are settling down, it’s about time, is all I can say!

These last few months I felt like time was against us. Every time I had a good day, 4 or 5 miserable ones would show their face. I refused to write on my blog because all I would probably write about would be about that and honestly, living it is enough. The last thing I needs is to write it also. Though during this time, which seems to have just flown by, I was able to make some wonderful memories through it.

It’s about time I share our Thanksgiving…

Just before Thanksgiving  our police son and his family decided to move to Denver area.  His love and the kids headed there first to get a jump on things and our son will follow once all things were buttoned up here. Our fireman son was not able to make it over for the holiday so it was was us, our daughter and her family and our police son for dinner.
I love how our Grand Button wants to help with all the preparations.

She helped make the pumpkin pie…


She helped make the stuffing…


She helped set the table and even helped in washing the dishes…
All in all it was a very nice day to give Thanks for all that God has provided and blessed us with through out the year.
What has become a custom, Gramps, Dad and Grand Bug began putting up the outside decorations the next day.



I was in no way able to participate in the Black Friday mayhem which was just fine with me.  
The next weekend we went and got our tree and Bella just had to be a right in there checking out what dad was doing.



We only had one ornament stolen from the tree. Unfortunately it was one of the old glass ones from my hubbies grandmother collection. Fortunately is was just a round one and not one of the old shaped ones like this…



I think she thought it was a ball and I was shocked the glass didn’t cut her mouth. 
Between NASCAR, , the good-bye’s to a our son’s family, Thanksgiving, getting our decorations out and some of them up, that pretty much covers November.
Our December was full of many wonderful and memorable activities. The month began with the Children’s Musical at Church…each kid was dressed like a doll or action figure. It was like Toy Story where the toys came to life and they learned the real reason for the season.

        Buttons

Bug

For weeks the kids prepared for this special Sunday Service. They did an awesome job!
The Grand’s, Bug and Buttons, and I spent an afternoon at the Christmas Village here in town. We had the best time! I really wanted to add picture, I took a lot of them and there were some really cute ones but I used my daughters camera and have yet gotten my copies. Ok, don’t worry I won’t tar and feather her since she has pregnancy brain right now. LOL! I called her about them and she said she will take care of it but I really want to get this post done. With that said, once she has sent them to me I will just do a separate post with them.

With two grand’s leaving to spend Christmas with their dad, and our fireman son having his kids for the week before Christmas, and our police son being packed up and ready to head to Colorado, we had our Christmas with the family on the 18th.

It began actually on the 17th with the kids making cookies and decorating them for Santa.

                  

They each picked their favorites for Santa and even included a carrot for Rudolph.



When they all woke up the next morning Santa had made a special visit just for them.

 
They all dug into their stockings and then onto what Santa had left for the….

 

I think the best part of the morning was when at one time or another each of them would say, “That is just what I was wishing for!”  “I am so happy I got my…” I think one of my favorite things is seeing or hearing their joy over a gift they had gotten.

Instead of a Christmas dinner, we had a breakfast and before we knew it it was time for our police son to get on the road. Saying good-bye definitely casted a cloud over my heart. I constantly remind myself of how fortunate and blessed I have been to have had all of them so close for the time we did. I believe God has plans for them and they must follow his direction. So we all went out to see him off.

His brother and him first checked out and fitted the chains to the BIG truck!



Then the good-byes began. (insert tears here)

 

(NOTE: there will be no picture of me posted. Feeling awful, one looks awful, so any pictures we have of me with my son or my 'Grand's' will only be seen by us, sorry.)

As if the day wasn’t full enough, Buttons had her performance in the Christmas Program at church. It was her first year auditioning for a part and she got one of the main characters.



She did an awesome job and her cousins and uncles (Uncle Policeman had gone to it the first night since he was leaving) got to see her perform. After her performance it was time for her and Bug to leave with their dad. I can’t express how much we miss them when they are gone, especially during the holidays.

For the next few days we did more activities with our son and the ‘Grand’s’. Auntie came over and helped them construct a Gingerbread house. This was the first time we had fresh gingerbread and not the ready made bought in a box kind. After this I will never use those box kits again. By the time they left on Christmas Eve, the house was devoured.



Grandpa had bought one of those kits already that had 5 houses in to build a village so we gave them each one to decorate as well.

   

One of the nights we took the gang to the Christmas Village also. They were all excited to go ice skating until we found out they didn’t have skates small enough for all them. So a compromise was made and they were happy with what we worked out and continued having fun at the village.

            

We enjoyed dinner out and the kids had a blast at Lute’s Casino. (it is not really a casino now but use to be in the old west days.



Usually on Christmas Eve we take the time to drive around and look at Christmas lights. This year we did it a couple days early but the kids still had a great time.

   

We also did the street where each house has a page of the book The Night Before Christmas. Giggles did a great job reading each page for us. Sorry to not add the pictures, maybe I wil do a separate post with them.

Once again it was time to say good-bye as they head to their mom’s for their holiday with her. They were really excited to help me pack a bag for them to take home that had the houses they made, some of the treats they received, a gift they picked out for their mom, along with oranges and grapefruit Bug had picked off the tress for them. Their departure marked the end of our holiday.



I hope you enjoyed reading how we spent our holiday.