Christmas 2008

~Christmas Magic~

Wow! We had such a wonderful Christmas! Who would have thought that we could enjoy the season despite being so far from "home." I guess that's why I decided that rather than pity myself I should buck up and make the most of it. The fun began when we put up our tree. The kids could hardly contain their excitement. The tree was perhaps the most pathetic tree ever to exist. I guess it didn't help that I bought it last year on a Walmart clearance aisle....but it also doesn't help to have a busy two year old pulling off and shattering any glass ball she can get her paws on. Needless to say, there were only about ten ornaments left which all ended up at the very top of the tree in effort to escape extinction. Oh, and I can't forget our sweet little homemade gingerbread ornaments we made each loaded with 1/2 inch of paint and candy. Yes, if you can believe it, I Rebecca Brinkman Curtis, actually hosted a gingerbread making party to try and compensate for not being able to take the kids to Utah. (Does the guilt ever end?) Of course Neal had to work late which meant I had 7 kids all clammering for help at the same time. So if you're asking if I wanted to pull my hair out, the answer is YES! I wish I could say that hosting such events came more naturally to me, but truth be told, I was a stress case. I did however muster up the strength to put my best "June Cleaver" foot forward and pulled it off. In the end it was definitely worth it because the kids had the best time and I am now applying for the "Mother of the Year" award.

The boys had interesting Christmas Wish Lists this year. Britton had high hopes of getting his own mini computer (yeah right), mp3 player, and a dog (no way!) Devin on the other hand wished for "seeds to plant some flowers, paint stuff to paint an elephant, a REAL gingerbread house with a REAL gingerbread man, $200, and a boogar-making machine." Come again? Yes, Devin is a very original child. Unfortunately he is going through the boogar stage and professes proudly that one nostril produces cookie dough boogars and the other produces ice cream boogars. I'm really hoping he grows out of that phase quickly so I can quit dry heaving. Then again, this phase has lasted quite a while so maybe some things never change.

Christmas Eve turned into a rather large gathering. It was originally going to be just us and the Johnson family but ended with 23 wonderful friends crammed into one house. The food was great, the kids made gingerbread houses, the missionaries read a Christmas book and then of course, there was the nativity scene performed by all the kids. Britton was an angel (dressed in Devin's Halloween ghost costume) and Devin was the donkey. How thrilled Devin was to learn he got to enter with Mary(s) riding on his back. Yes, we had 2 Marys since two girls were dying to play the role of Mary. The scene was precious......Devin entered with one Mary and then turned around to fetch the second.

We ended the evening on a spiritual note but couldn't help but laugh as Devin and Britton began screaming outside at the top of their lungs as we loaded the car "Doooooooon't paaaaaaass us by Santaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! We're coming hooooooooooooome! Don't forget about us Santaaaaaaaaaaa! We're on our waaaaaaaaaay Santaaaa! Oh the excitement and wonder of a childhood Christmas! Here are a few of the Christmas highlights:

Devy and his beloved gingerbread house.

Britton enthusiastically portraying an "angel of the Lord."

Devy riding in with Mary who is great with child
(Notice Mary #2 waiting patiently in the wings.)

Olivia preparing to disassemble the Johnson's Christmas tree


Me with my wonderful friend, Flor Treadwell.



Neal with another great friend, Lanice Fronk.



Britton and Devin setting the stage for Santa's arrival complete with cookie doughballs, gingerbread houses, water, Santa doll for Reindeer to play with, oats, sponge and picture.




Britton and Devin tossed oatmeal in the air to attract the hungry Reindeer.

Christmas morning was, shall we say, memorable. The kids went to bed around 10:00 pm. Livy woke up at 12:30 am. with a 104.7 degree fever. I bathed her, gave her medicine and layed her in my bed to sleep. Unable to sleep with Livy trying to sleep on top of my back I put her in her crib only to have Britton wake up with an asthma attack. After giving him his inhaler I tried to finally sleep at 2 am. At 4 am. Britton and Devin came rushing in ready to start tearing open presents. Of course they had already peeked despite our threats and were therefore wired beyond belief. Britton said he had been awake and waiting since 2 am and both boys were in tears pleading with me to let them start the day. "If you were a kid then you would want to get up! You can't do this to us Mom! We've been waiting for TWO hours!" Perhaps I'm mean but I just couldn't start my day in the middle of the night so I dragged my sobbing boys back to their room and locked the door this time. You'd think I'd be able to get some sleep at this point but of course I had to return shortly since Devin was banging on the door because, what else, had to use the bathroom. Naturally both my boys take after their Dad which means going to the bathroom is a process..... things have to "work their way out." What in the heck is that all about anyway??? So there I stood for the next 20 minutes patiently waiting for Devin to finish his business while coaxing him to "Push! Bare down, Devin!" (or as my Mom would say "use the val salva maneuver!") Finally, at 6:00 we got up with the boys and had a wonderful but exhausted Christmas morning.

Well worth the wait! (Notice it's pitch black outside...)

Neal was barely able to contain his glee when he opened his Guitar Hero! Now he won't have to sneak down to BestBuy after work and rock out in front of an audience of kids. (Geek alert!) Bless his heart! I love my Baby!

I am so thankful to have had such a wonderful Christmas this year. Maybe it isn't about where you're celebrating, but who you're celebrating that really matters. When the spirit of Christ is present, you can always feel true joy and happiness. Love to all! Merry Christmas!

Where to Start?

Where to start? That is the overwhelming question. I better just put something down fast because I'm already embarrassed at how long it has taken me to start a blog. I'm almost positive I'm the last one on earth to catch on...or maybe just the last Mormon Mom. And that's okay with me because I am who I am and I have nothing to prove to anyone, right? (I'm sure Neal is rolling his eyes at this exact moment. "Poodah, (he'll say) You really probably shouldn't come across so strongly." At which point I'll retort with something like "I'll be who I want to be and that's that." Neal will then conclude with "Okay, but you might rub people the wrong way." That's a typical exchange when I start talking a little too much (according to Neal.) I'm telling you this because I decided that if I do a blog it's got to be more for me than for anyone else. That means I've got to be brutally honest without exposing too many family secrets. Although, for those of you who know me, you are well aware that there aren't exactly many of those "secrets" left. I will, for Neal's sake, try to be a little discreet. (Emphasis on "little") Love you Neal! Hee!Hee!

Neal is out of town for 8, yes, 8 days. I guess this isn't anything I'm not used to but that doesn't mean I still don't miss him. When he is home he's usually so tired from having started the day at 5 a.m. that he'll talk to me as he sits on the recliner with his eyes closed. That's right, closed. Do you know how frustrating it is to eagerly anticipate Neal's arrival all day long only to have him sit across the room from me and carry on a conversation with his eyes closed? He tries to convince me that he is, in fact, listening but when his responses become delayed I know it's time to hang it up and let the poor man go to sleep. "It's only 8:30 and he barely walked through the door" I tell myself. "I need time to connect with him and unload all of the days events." But, alas, my efforts are futile. Neal is off in a different galaxy and I'll be fighting another inward battle based on whether I should pity him or pity myself. Usually I pity him which doesn't make me a saint because if you saw the poor man you'd have the same compassion. There are, however, dark nights that I get frustrated to the point where I have to call my Mom. She'll answer the phone and I'll say "Hi Mom" with my nose clogged and my voice an octave higher than usual. (Pause) "What's wrong?" she'll ask. And then I'll have my sob session for the next 30 minutes. Nothing about the situation changes but I always feel a million times better when we're done. How exactly does she do that? My Mom always reminds me not to overlook my sacrifices because I put in equally hard days as a (virtual) single Mom. I try to convince myself of that but I've pretty much concluded that Neal definitely has it harder physically but I have it harder emotionally. So I guess that means we're both usually fried by the end of the day. That is precisely why I dread the bedtime routine. Why do the boys think it's time to play chase as soon as you announce it's scripture time? Why do they always seem to get the giggles during family prayer? I swear that 8 out of 10 times Neal or I will have to flick Britton and/or Devin on the head to remind them to be reverent. And WHY is it 10:00 at night right now and Britton is still babbling to me about his book? I have to separate the boys, you see, because they share a room which simply doesn't work at bedtime. As a result, Britton is in my bed now and "reassuring" me that the sound of my typing won't impede his ability to fall asleep because he'll sleep with a pillow on his head. How sweet, I know, but there's ALWAYS something to say. Frequently I announce "It's time to think your thoughts inside of your head." That tactic typically only works for a few minutes but I refuse to stop trying. Those few moments of golden silence are nothing short of blissful. Recently, Neal and I went out of town and had my friend babysit our kids for us. When we got back the first thing Angel said was (referring to Britton) "Man! That kid asks a lot of questions!" Finally, validation. I thought it was just me that was thoroughly worn out from answering questions incessantly every day of my life. "What's the difference between diesel fuel and regular gas? How do they make the gas?" Eyyy! I suppose he gets it from his father who can't simply walk through a Home Depot without picking the brain of an employee. Neal is an actual bonified brain picker if there is such a term. For example: Neal will be meandering through, lets say, the tile section and happen upon an unsuspecting victim...I mean...employee. The next thing I know-- "How do you do this, how do you do that? How do you do this and that with this?" Are we planning on tiling anything? No. Neal simply wants to know EVERYTHING about EVERYTHING. Maybe that's why he can do so much around the house. If that's the case then I suppose it has served me well.

Well, Britton has finally fallen asleep and all is silent which means it's time for me to crack open a book and enjoy myself. Until next time...
(Be sure to view pictures below!)