Letting Go of Christmas

I always have a hard time letting go of Christmas.  Not just because I’m a poor transitioner, but also because I love the season.  For some people this time of year isn’t filled with love, laughter, joy and hope, but the Lord has greatly blessed me and my cup overflows with those things at Christmas.  The birth of my Savior, the beautiful music that goes with the season and the matchless Nativity Story.  Christmas cookies.  Lots of them.  Parties.  Family gatherings.  Christmas lights on the house and the tree, memories that flood when I hang ornaments and place the Spode china in the cabinet and put out the Christmas shelf decorations, in the past for my children now for the grandchildren.  I love it all.

This morning I sat with my granddaughters on a generations old cedar chest in my bedroom.  Emily read aloud a book she made for me when she was 5 and played the recording of her sweet voice saying, “I made this just for you Grandma because I love you so much.”  Molly stood on my other side and with my arms wrapped around them both as we talked and laughed all I could think of was that my heart was smiling.  These wonderful moments – why would anyone ever want to let them go?!

Their annual weeklong visit just ended but the glow that is in the house when my daughter and her family are here stays with us for weeks.  Our traditions are simple and not unique – early morning day after Christmas shopping just my daughter and me, Emily and Molly out in our front yard selling my homemade Christmas cookies (some years are better than others), watching a Christmas movie as a family, playing games (Clue and Monopoly are the current favorites), a big Christmas feast on the Christmas china with all my children and theirs (Lena we missed y’all this year, only illness could have kept you away!) and my baby sister, lots of visits from my son and his, building villages and cities and compounds with my serious collection of Legos kept from when my two were little, hot chocolate with tons of tiny marshmallows, Christmas cookies, lots and lots of stories, and time to just visit.  Heaven.

Now the house is quiet, not in a lonely sort of way but in a soft lingering way that is peaceful and hopeful, mitigating the underlying emptiness of already missing these loved ones.  I am grateful that we had this time, for we have other kids and grands that live so far away we don’t see them nearly as often.   That distance has taught me that real family love isn’t hampered by miles when hearts are aligned.  

Over the next few days I’ll pack up the Christmas china, the shelf decorations and the tree ornaments and store them away until next November.  The few remaining Christmas cookies will be eaten at home and shared at work.  I will once again get used to the grandkids room as my prayer room and the guest room will be freshened to stand ready and waiting for its next occupants.  But for now I’m going to savor the moments and memories, sitting in the soft glow of the tree lights sipping from a Christmas cup and thanking God with all my heart for my blessings who have been living among us this past week.  I’ll let go on another day.

Grandkid Palooza

I have this saying:  “I’m not going to let your lack of preparedness stress me out.”  I developed that for the times when my dear, wonderful husband let’s his enthusiasm for an event outpace his preparation.  Let me explain.

This weekend we are at Grandkids Palooza, babysitting one set of grandchildren at their house while their parents are out of the country.  Two other sets of grands also came join in the fun, bringing their parents with them.  We’ve been going nonstop since we arrived.  I don’t know since I was never the popular one in school, but maybe this is what it feels like to those celebrities who never have a moment without someone wanting something from them.    After story time then bedtime – which took some time because there is a lot of excitement in this house – things finally settled down to a sense of quiet that made me believe I could go to bed.  Then the storm broke.

I attempted to sit quietly in the kitchen reading for a while, trying to be quickly available if the storm wok one of the children.  But Nelson, the dog who lives here, started whimpering and scratching the glass every time he saw me, no matter where in the house I moved to.  Grandpa brought his big lab Duke (because one big dog isn’t enough for this kind of weekend) who is well-behaved; the other one not so much.   By the time I got to bed Grandpa was sawing z’s, the rain was down to a nice steady flow and I think it took me until the count of 2 to fall asleep.

Two of the cousins were up at 5:30.   A.M.   I woke to the sound of their playing in the kitchen and got up to find all the lights on, one of the dogs let in and ½ a gallon of milk poured into 2 cereal bowls, still floating a few stray cheerios.  I went back to the bedroom.  “Grandpa, you HAVE to get up now – it’s almost time to take Tyler to his swim meet.”  Grandpa can get ready for the day in 2 minutes so I'd let him sleep as long as I could.  We would both need our energy for this day.  

Feeling very organized and on top of it, I reminded Grandpa to get the keys to the car he would use to take Tyler to his swim meet, handed him his map along with the required paperwork and went upstairs to get the girls ready for Reagan’s dance class.  My phone was downstairs in the bedroom charging, which was unfortunate because Grandpa really needed to get a hold of me.  After only a couple of minutes he drove back and leaned on the front door bell.  Which of course works best when you simultaneously bang on the door loudly.  

I ran down to unlock the door and breathlessly asked, “What is it?” 

“This is the wrong map.  Tyler says it’s the map for where they practice but not for where the meet is.  You gave me the wrong map.”

Me:  It’s the only map that said “swim” on it.  The other ones say “school”, and “dance”.   

Grandpa grabbed the map with “dance” on it and studied it, certain that it must be the map he needed.  I grab it back.  “You can’t have my map!”    Grandpa:  “Great.  You have a map and I don’t.”     Me:  “Well, you at least have an address and I don’t.”  

We sound like 2^nd  graders.  I had located my map and confirmed the address as soon as we arrived at their house.  It annoyed me that he had waited until he was on the road – tires were actually moving on the pavement – to see if he had either an address of the correct map.  He ran out the door, Tyler patiently waiting in the truck, probably wondering if he would ever get to the meet.

Half an hour later the girls and I went out to the car to leave for dance.  Reagan ran back in to get something, and fortunately I followed her , or tried to.  When the door from the garage into the house closed behind her it was locked.   I turned the handle but the door wouldn’t budge.  I had just seen her go inside so for a minute it didn’t compute.  Now I was the one loudly banging on the door.  Reagan appeared to let me in and I turned the knob, testing it several times to make sure we could get back in later.  So glad I discovered that before we left …..

After swim meet and dance class and trips to the grocery store we stayed home for the rest of the day.  Snacks and smooches, running and jumping (the kids, not us), playing school, coloring pictures, building with Legos, and using every inch of the large playroom upstairs we passed the afternoon, snagging adult visits between tending and supervising.  Amazingly there were few spats and hardly any tattle-telling – these cousins get along.

Molly was dying to get into the pool.  It was in the 50’s and chilly but she doesn’t care if it’s 95° or 59° she just wants to be in the water.  She started in the “hot” pool then went to the “cold pool”, and swam in one or the other for the next 2 ½ hours.  It wasn’t long after she jumped in that the others put on suits and joined her.  They spent more time in the hot pool, getting out for short float rides in the big pool and then back in to warm up.

There were only two injuries during our stay, and one of those was Grandpa.  The cut on his hand required only a bandaid; Molly’s head bonk from a sharp cornered table was much more dramatic.  Her dad calmed her tears and fears, gave her an ice pack to hold on the quickly-forming green and purple bruise at the edge of her eye.  Before long she was dancing in the show with the rest of them like nothing had happened.

Breakfast the next morning was served on the patio, for those who didn’t mind eating outside in the cold.  The kids ate their homemade breakfast tacos out on the patio and we adults had ours with coffee inside, watching them as we ate.

Grandpa had dressed in swim trunks and a t-shirt, determined to get some hot tub time before we had to leave.  After breakfast he got in, the two dogs close beside him to keep him company.  He enjoyed approximately 28 seconds of peaceful hottubbing when the kids came out and jumped in.  Immediately he egged them on to splash each other, him and the dogs.  I could hear their voices outside amidst the splashing water, the sound of joyful carefree abandon.  

One last review of all the rooms to make sure we don’t leave anything behind.  Molly’s stuffed “wolfie” is out on the front porch, patiently waiting for his owner to come retrieve him.  I have my children’s books, complete with the stuffed Mouse from If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, Spot from the Spot children’s board books, and baby Clifford, the last two returned after being on loan to Lily.  Just about ready for the drive home.  Where we will promptly collapse and rest for 3 days to get our energy back.

Grandkid Palooza.  

Molly summed it up last night when, ice pack clamped to the left side of her head, she announced, “I love y’all guys!”

Party Dresses and Cowboy Boots

The first thing I noticed when I picked up Emily and Molly this year for their annual week at Grandpa & Grandma’s was that neither girl travels light (which they get naturally from me) except for shoes (which they do not get from me).

Molly always wears a party dress to every event – preschool, birthday parties, jumping on the trampoline at home and camping in a tent – so it shouldn’t have surprised me to see her pull out an entire china tea set.  You never know when you may need to set up a tea party on short notice, right?  Emily always wears her cowboy boots; in Texas of course that is perfectly stylish and appropriate for everything from shorts to swimsuits to your party dress.  Her bag included a doll-sized wooden chair.  I suppose if you are going to have a tea party you need the perfect chair for your doll.

Emily’s vocabulary belies the fact that she is not yet in second grade.  She and Great Gran had a brief conversation about her horse riding lessons, whether she rides Western or English saddle, and how she has learned to walk, trot and canter the horse.  Molly does her best to keep up, mostly be starting every sentence with “actually….”

The second half of the girls’ drive that day was in the back seat of Grandma’s car with no electronics and only conversation or music to pass the time.  Which works just fine, for all of you parents out there who think games on a phone or an ipad are required to make a car trip with kids.  Of course, by the end of the week I had changed my tune on that, but that’s another blog.

At home Grandpa weathered the flurry of hugs, kisses and “Where’s Duke?”, telling us he had supper ready.  Hot dogs and macaroni & cheese, what more could little girls want?  Except that you have to watch Grandpa, whose definition of those basic foods is broader than most.  Emily immediately rejected the hot dog, not fooled by buffalo meat in the shape of a wiener.  Molly was fine with the meat, but the mac & cheese had different noodles than she was used to so it didn’t get much attention. 

After supper they ran through the house checking to make sure all the things they remembered were still there.  Then it was bath time.  We love bubbles at bath time.  The girls made the traditional bubble-beards and bubble hair followed by diving for sea creatures, the unique assortment of … well, plastic sea creatures I have for them.  Everything from a miniature scuba diver to various whales, dolphins, turtles, squid, octopus, angel fish, and a tiny ship to sink.

Ah, bed time.  At least for me and Grandpa - for some reason the girls couldn’t sleep.  Excited and in a bedroom not their own, they spent some sleepless hours until eventually, the house was quiet.  As I drifted off to sleep I did what I always do when they visit, count my blessings and make no attempt to wipe the happy smile off my face.  Life is good.

Monday with the Mays

So I just got back from spending Monday evening with the Mays.  It was Magical.   I arrived with supper, including Mac & cheese and a Medley of vegetables with a side of baked chicken.  Molly and eMily both said beautiful prayers over the Meal.  For dessert eMily made homeMade snowcones – mmmm delicious.  

After supper in eMily’s room there was a book fair.  I purchased three books for the bargain price of $3.  

We Managed to play Most of a game of Mousetrap before discovering one of the pieces was Missing.  Molly is even learning to wait her turn and count her spaces to Move, but her idea of rolling the dice is throwing it across the floor.

Then eMily found a Miniature bag of M&M Minis in My purse.  I had her distribute them evenly aMongst the three of us but I’m pretty sure I didn’t get to eat all of Mine.

Their Mom was busy Making lunches for tomorrow while their aMazing Dad cleaned up the kitchen, including eMily’s snow cone Machine.  Most parents of young children are this kind of busy.

Music was the next order of entertainment.  eMily asked her dad to put on the Music; he cued up Hall of the Mountain King, then pressed play.  eMily proceeded to perform a graceful and well-choreographed dance, with fluid and graceful Movements using arms, legs and head.  Her timing was perfect as the Music picked up speed, and her exquisitely timed finish to the sudden ending was Majestic.

I am humbled and pleased that my presence is still Motivating for them to get PJs on, teeth brushed and clothes picked out for tomorrow so we can have a little More time together saying goodbye.  With the two pajaMa’ed girls in my lap, we quieted down as I recalled special Memories of each of them.  First eMily and the Rollaway cart Memory from when she was 4.  For Molly, it was a More recent recollection of My driving her to her new school.  I used My navigation system, or “navigator” as eMily calls it, and after Making a couple of wrong turns assured her we would get there and she would know it when the checkered flag appeared on my nav screen.  Finally we arrived at Molly’s school.  From her carseat in the back, Molly said with relief as we pulled into a parking spot, “Oh, the beautiful checkered flag.”

A Monday with the Mays.  Most excellent.