2010 December

Eleven

December 28, 2010 By Lisa Leave a Comment

Originally, we’d planned to leave somewhat early today to visit my in-laws and celebrate his eleventh birthday at his grandparents house in Dallas. Instead, we decided to keep it low key, stay home at least another day, and celebrate by hanging out and playing with our Christmas presents some more. He didn’t mind this idea at all.

He woke up this morning and came downstairs to be greeted by most of us, already awake, wishing him a “Happy Birthday!” This made his newly eleven-year-old heart very happy and satisfied. He spent the day playing with friends, outside, using his new Nerf guns, playing football with his new football gloves, wearing his new clothes from Christmas, laughing, living, happy.

He asked if he could run with me today. For his birthday. Just like we always run, he rides his bike alongside me, but he specifically asked to do it today, with me, for his birthday.

As we ran, he told me how this was his “best birthday ever.” How everyone has said “Happy Birthday” to him, and how special it is, even if we didn’t do anything out of the ordinary.

He’s that type of kid, the one that finds the beautiful in everything, even the little, “insignificant” things. He’s the child that appreciates the thought, and not just the gift. The one who loves actions more than words, and one who makes me very proud to be his mother.

Today, he’s celebrating eleven years on this Earth.

As his dad is in the kitchen, proudly preparing from-scratch cake with which I will hand-decorate a Pittsburgh Steelers symbol on later, I am here, reminiscing looking at his pictures, prouder than I’ve ever been at the young man he’s becoming.

Happy Birthday, my beautiful boy.

Never miss a thing! Subscribe today for all kinds of crazy parenting fun!

A Christmas Wish

December 25, 2010 By Lisa Leave a Comment

He’s bowling the several barrels of wrapping paper down around him, banging them together, giggling as he whacks things to and fro. I watch, fixated by his playfulness. He has no idea what these rolls of decorated paper are for, what will be beneath them tomorrow as he shreds his way to find fortunes and unending smiles. How lucky he is, how lucky we are to have him, sitting here, healthy, happy. Blessed.

I’m peeking from behind the corner of a basket that sits up high on my desk, looking at my toddler eating her “skettis” like a big girl, except she wipes her mouth on her pink Dora sweatshirt as she chews and chews and chews as she draws at the table. The tears undulate in my eyes, trickling across my cheeks as I heave and sob silently, thanking God and fate that we are so very blessed, and that my almost-four-year-old (along with her siblings) are fed well, clothed warmly, and aren’t without anything they need.

I often think of those who aren’t as fortunate, aren’t as lucky as we are, and my heart aches and bleeds for them every night, but especially tonight, Christmas Eve, as they prepare for an empty holiday tomorrow. I wish I could help them ALL, if only I had eleventy-kajillion arms to cook and wrap and sweep them under my hugs to help ease their pain and suffering, if not for good, only for a day, or two. I wish I could adopt each family, bring them all holiday treats and wrapped packages and some comfort, something, anything.

I will never forget how blessed we are, and never forget to give to those who aren’t as fortunate. They are and continue to be in my thoughts and prayers. And until then, until a day I can magically help them all, I will continue to help those I can help, those within my grasp, and encourage my children to always do the same.

Tomorrow, as we wipe the slumber from our weary eyes to attempt to awaken enough to match our children’s celebratory calls to meet them downstairs, and as they feast their eyes on the treasures beneath our tree and treasures upon our dinner table, I will count my many blessings, celebrate with my children, but silently wish everyone could do the same.

Never miss a thing! Subscribe today for all kinds of crazy parenting fun!

Our Homemade Christmas Tree

December 22, 2010 By Lisa Leave a Comment

Over the years, we’ve accumulated many of our children’s crafts, as well as made it a family tradition to get each family member a commemorative ornament for that year. For example, it’s my son’s first year in band? His ornament is a musical note this year.

On top of what the children make at school with their school pictures and teachers, or pine cones from our yard we sprinkled glittery on, clothespin and Popsicle-stick reindeer, coffee-filter angels, whether they are crafts made with grandma or with us at home, we’ve collected quite an eclectic collection of homemade ornaments for our tree, that each year spent putting them on our tree makes me happier than the last. We relive each year, each memory, as we place these cherished ornaments on our tree.

“Look! It’s your baby picture!”
“Look! This is your ornament from that vacation three years ago!”
“Look at how much you’ve changed from kindergarten to now!”

Our tree twinkles differently with these homemade ornaments on them, and not because we now have LED lights on it, but because the tree, I feel, is as proud of the memories that sit upon its branches as we are in putting them on it.

I recall first buying my very own Christmas tree. When you first start out and are single, there are no children, no crafts, no memories made just yet. It’s store-bought balls and matchy-matchy decorative ornaments and a tree that resembles a department store’s display, too new and shiny and with no individuality.

There is nothing store-display-esque about ours today. It is magnificently hand-crafted with all of our family’s adventures, one-hundred and fifty percent us, topped with a bow on top to represent the present this tree, our memories, and this holiday is to us. A gift in it’s own right.

And other than having to constantly watch my youngest like a hawk to ensure they all remain on the tree unscathed? I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Never miss a thing! Subscribe today for all kinds of crazy parenting fun!