Merry Christmas to all...a little late

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. I meant to post on Christmas Eve but after dinner and presents at the Alcorn's it was getting too late to pen the great American blog post. Then I wanted to post on Christmas but who (besides Faith) gets on the computer on Christmas day, then I meant to post on the 26th, OH but I worked from 11am-11:30pm. The 27th I was practically in a coma recovering from Christmas Eve, Christmas day, and saving lives left and right at work, and the 28th we had brunch at my sister's and dinner at the Stump's with Auntie Jane and Uncle Curtie. (Both boys couldn't get enough of their only close relatives living farther than 10 miles away, hint hint.) Then the 29th we spent at Dan's grandparents house doing a gift exchange, white elephant style but with good gifts (Aunt Joan stole the present I wanted, so I spit in her tea when she wasn't looking, haha who got the last laugh??) Especially since I could feel myself getting sicker and sicker with each passing moment. I took a 2 hour nap when we got home and wanted to die when I woke up. I knew I had a fever, but didn't take my temp until Sunday night when it was 104.3 degrees. Almost seizure worthy, are you impressed? Yesterday I got antibiotics and besides the fact that I'm coughing up lung number two today, I am starting to feel better. And (last excuse, I promise) even earlier this morning as I sat down to blog, Ty opened a bottle of white-out and painted himself and my bedroom floor, and while I was cleaning it up, drank the last 1/4 of my vanilla latte. I'm surprised he's sleeping right now. WOW, did you like those excuses? I'm a little long-winded...my father's daughter, indeed.

Now that I've taken up far too much of your time, I'll hit the holiday highlights. Here's a good story. Christmas eve we were picking up some last minute groceries and I was pushing the car-shaped cart (brilliant) at Fred Meyer with my two little elves reeking havoc left and right. I actually got to the check out counter needing to put 3 different items back because I had no idea they were thrown in my cart. ANYWAY, I'm trying to wheel that beast of a cart around a corner and I almost nail a sweet little elderly couple. I apologized profusely and the husband, a quite portly little gentleman, makes a remark about how it's no problem, and they have made the aisles bigger and so on, and Ty starts saying "Santa, Santa, ho ho ho, Santa" as we're walking away. I'm smiling at the Christmas spirit my son is caught up in when I realize that the old man had a nice white beard to go along with that bowl full of jelly stomach. It was cut short, but it was a beard nonetheless, and Ty couldn't have been more excited that he had just been chatting with St. Nick.

Too long again, sorry. Presents, food, adorable Christmas outfits (pix to come later)reading the Christmas story, stocking stuffers, delightful squeals of joy, more food, lots of family, singing Happy Birthday to Jesus, more food, more family, and disgusted squeals of anger when the toys were put away at bedtime. Speaking of bedtime, rabbit trail with me for a moment. I'll make it quick. Ty got a twin bed for Christmas, so the boys have been sleeping in the same room. We're eventually getting bunkbeds, but we're planning to move pretty soon so the beds are on the floor. Probably a good idea with Ty's history of...being Ty. But it always takes them about 1 1/2 hours to actually fall asleep. I'm not exaggerating. Dan had been scolding them the other night after about an hour, and said if they got out of their beds again, there would be spankings. He heard some noise and opened the door to find Jake standing with a pillow raised over his head, ready to pummel Ty. "But Daddy, I didn't get out of my bed." It always cracks me up to check on them before I go to sleep. This is what I found the other night:I guess if you're going to use anyone's rear end for a pillow, Ty's diaper clad ghetto booty would be a pretty good choice.

So to sum it all up, even with the illnesses and sleepless nights, we loved being with family, we loved seeing the delight on our kids' faces, we loved celebrating the birth of our Savior, and we definitely had ourselves a merry little Christmas. Hope you did too.