Caroling, Caroling, Now We Go

We picked four houses to visit and handed a plate of treats to each one.  We took a family vote to walk or drive.  It was a beautiful night, so we walked.

Visiting a Nursing Home

When we got there, we asked if we could visit 3 or 4 rooms for a little bit, but was lucky enough to get there for activity time.  All the residents there were together in the activity room watching a show and sitting together.  So we got to visit with everyone.

This here’s Maria. 

Jaidyn and I absolutely fell in love with her.  Jaidyn cried after talking with her ‘cause Maria was so helpless and sweet.  We sat with her a bit, and held her shaking hand and looked into her eyes and asked her her name.  All she would say over and over again was MAAARRRIIIIAAAA and anytime you asked her anything else, the answer would be MAAARRRIIIIAAAA.  Maria couldn’t control her movement.  Her hands, arms, and head were shaking the whole time as she said her name to us.  It’s amazing how you start out helpless when you come into this life and then grow old and helpless like a baby when you leave this world.  A lot of them had Alzheimer's Disease. 

The kids each packed a bag full of treats and pictures they colored, to hand out, but they put an apple in there too.   

Note to self:  the residents of nursing homes have no idea what to do with an apple ‘cause most of them have no teeth. 

But Maria had tears in her eyes when Jaidyn handed her an apple and a Christmas scented candle.  We passed a couple Christmas church messages to be read to them later, and a cd full of fun Christmas songs that we played there while we visited.  The kids had a great time.  We sang Christmas songs, danced with them a little, and sang I am a Child of God and Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam, requested by Dagen.  It was the best experience ever.

 

Lona was Mike and Kallie’s favorite.  They spoke with her for a long time and she followed Kallie around everywhere after that. 

We fell in love with a few others…. Herbert, Helen, Lyla, Phillip, and Isaac’s favorite, Leon.  We didn’t want to leave.

ISAAC’S BIG DAY

These are what Kallie’s homemade Christmas cards look like.  So cute.

Isaac turned 9!  His birthday was on a Sunday this year, so we celebrated it on Friday.  He was begging for a new bike, but Mike thought it a waste to wait ‘til his birthday and miss out on 2 months of great riding weather, so he bought it early for him, saying THIS was his gift… early.  So we got him something little.  He and all his friends are really into trading lego guys.  Then we saved his other little gift for his party.

The kids all had their class parties.

This is Kallie’s best friend, Divya.

Cutest craft ever!

Dagen is lucky.  She gets to go to all the her older siblings’ class parties and benefits from each one.  The kids shower her with love and all know her, they give her treats, crafts, and tons of attention.  She decorated this cookie herself, sat down, and then said, “This is the perfect day Mommy.”

This is Jaidyn’s best friend, Brooklyn.

And here is Isaac’s “family” party, later that night.  So fun to have so many cousins nearby.

We got him the Indiana Jones Lego Wii game for his second gift.  This kid is really into Legos right now.

Saturday he went out to IHOP with Grandma and Grandpa and bought lego kits at Toys R Us. 

And this was the morning of his real birthday.  I let the kids eat some of the leftover cake for breakfast.  We woke Isaac up to singing Happy Birthday, balloons, and blowing out a candle.

LOVE YOU, ISAAC!

Who Done It???

I am over this.  Anyone else with me?  They ALL KNOW HOW TO FLUSH! I’m so tired of finding bombs left in the bathroom. 

But not one person will admit to it.  

I’ll call them all in, ask them all who done it.  They all laugh.  I ask again.  They keep laughing.  One tells a joke (Jaidyn), why was Piglet looking in the toilet?  He was looking for Pooh.  Then everyone’s laughs some more.  I try and hide a small smile.  They all laugh even louder.   And then I give them the whole shpeel I’ve given a million times, on how tired I am of this, they better start flushing the toilet, it’s common courtesy, you’re all old enough to remember, etc.  

Bubble Bath Advent

How is a bubble bath done as an advent calendar idea?  Well.  Take a look.  All you need is a bunch of bubbles and not a care in the world about the watery mess they are going to make in your bathroom.  These guys splashed ALL OVER!  Poor Jaidyn had strept throat and was in tons of pain with every swallow.  She had thrown up that morning, and had a constant 102.6 fever, which are both signs of strept, oh and a rash on her stomach (scarlet fever).

We quickly got her on some antibiotics.  But she still wasn’t feeling better for a couple days.  So THIS is what she was doing while the kids were screaming and laughing in the other room.  Poor girl.

Then, it was Jaidyn’s turn.  The kids were getting ready for bed and reading in bed for awhile, while Jaidyn had some peace and quiet in her bubble bath.  I sat and kept her company.  When I drained the tub and told her to get out and get to bed, she laid in the waterless bathtub in the dead pose for a couple minutes, and then finally got out.

And this is what I looked like.  I know.  Scary.

I was overwhelmed, tired, drained, and felt like I had no more to give.  I’ve just given my all to everyone lately and was feeling it hard that night.  I cried.  Got into my robe.  And took some “me time” and went to bed.

Best Meet So Far!

Jaidyn has been progressing every meet and we are so proud of her.  This last one, she scored a 9.2 on bar placing 1st place on her team of 18 girls.  Her other scores:

vault:  8.5

beam:  8.5

floor:  7.0

(she struggled on her floor routine, when she did her backbend and couldn’t flip over to do a back walkover, which she nails most of the time.  She was found crying in the bathroom.  Poor baby.)

This is her best friend, Cortney.