Christmas

Just like it does every year, Christmas morning came. Michael and I were laying in bed, trying to see if the children would still come in and wake us at 8:00, and wondering when Ethan and Bailey would be getting there. At 7:59 we heard everyone get up and start moving around. Soon there were a plethora of people in our bedroom, telling us it was time to get up. One of those people was Ethan. I expressed my dismay that he had come through the living room and seen the presents and stocking already. He was outraged. He would never do such a thing.

Instead, he and Bailey opted to climb in Grace's bedroom window. Therefore, they could avoid the living room and terrorize Grace all in one fell swoop. It worked like a charm.

The kids quickly posed for a picture, despite Sam protesting we should line up by height, not age. He was vetoed and the picture was quickly taken.

There were a lot of second hand presents this year, as the children has requested a more mindful Christmas. Everyone was incredibly pleased with their presents, including some older model iPads that Michael had lucked his way into. The next 48 hours found our kids glued to their iPads, acting like little iPad kids, and enjoying every minute of it. 

After presents and stockings, we headed over to have breakfast with the Hobson clan. We had a fun gift exchange, delicious food, and we even managed to get a few pictures taken.

Grandma and Grandpa were excited to have a picture with all of their grandkids. This is the first time all the grandkids were in the same room for about two years. Photographic evidence was needed.

While the camera was out, Grandpa insisted on getting lots of family shots. Bailey is not pictured, as she wasn't feeling great and had opted to go home and take a nap. 

In the evening all of my family came over and we had another gift exchange and ate lots of food. There wasn't room for everyone, but it was so nice to have everyone together so we didn't mind that much.

We just ate and visited and the kids proved they were never too old to just play with the box instead of the gift. All of the littler ones had a great time seeing if they could fit in this box. I was impressed that the ten year old was able to get himself small enough. 

By the time everyone went home, we all just crashed on the couch, while the kids played on their iPads. It was a pretty wonderful day.

Birthday

Ummm...So Ethan turned 22. He is now legally, morally, and physically an adult. He has a job, he has rent payments, he's engaged to be married. I still think of him as my little boy, but he has a whole big seperate life, and I'm just a cheerleader and occasional money lender. 

I'm glad he still wants to come over for a birthday dinner and dessert to celebrate his birthday. 

I wonder how many more years we have celebrating his birthday all together in my living room. One day he's going to decide that he has other plans, and I will be happy. But also a little sad.

Being a parent to adult children is the best and worst thing that has ever happened in my life.

Happy Birthday, kid!!

Christmas Prep

We started December with free tickets to Winter Garden Aglow. Once again all my kids were busy, so Michael and I went by ourselves. It used to be such a novelty for us to get to spend time together, without the kids. Now it's a novelty for the kids to come on outings with us. Sometimes it's really nice, and sometimes it's really sad. Families growing up is a complicated experience.

With that being said, Michael and I had a fun time. We started the night with some silent disco and hula hooping and ended the night with cookies and cocoa. It was a nice way to start a busy month.

The week before Christmas, Libby came home for a three week visit. All of the traditions then got crammed into one very busy week.

It was Ethan's turn to put the topper on the tree, and despite being taller than Michael, a boost was still deemed necessary. 

The angel that has topped the tree for 25 years did not come out of storage well this year. Her wings were broken, her head falling off, and her metal gown smashed. She could not be repaired, so she was retired. Everyone had very strong opinions on what the next tree topper should be. Despite all our shopping, we never found one that more than one person liked. Finally, with only one day left until we were supposed to top the tree, I crafted one out of desperation. It is made from craft paper that I still have from Heidi's vast collection. Nobody was incredibly in love with the star I made, but no one hated it. That is as close to agreement as we were going to come, so it was deemed good. 

The decoration was added, and no one was injured. I will deem this a rousing success. 

After the tree was topped, it was time to make gingerbread houses.

Every year we make these, and every year someone is left feeling sad. I'm not sure why the kids all insist on this every year. The joy and tears are just part of the tradition at this point.

Traditions are important.

P.S. Children, when you check the blog next year to see who's turn it is the put the topper on, it is Sam's turn. Just so there is no debate. It is Sam's turn. It will be Grace's turn in 2027. 


 

Winter Zoo Trip

In early December, the boys came over on a beautiful Saturday. The sun was shining, the world was temperate, both of my kids still at home were at work, and I had free zoo passes. So Michael and I took the little boys to spend the day at Zoo Boise. It was one of the best days I've ever spent there. All the animals were out, there were hardly any people, the boys were entranced by all the creatures. We spent a couple happy hours just wandering around.

My favorite stop of the zoo was this little treehouse. The boys started swinging like monkeys from the frame, just like my kids used to do. It is an ideal swinging spot.

My favorite animal was this chunky squirrel. I can't believe how round he is. The boys wanted to pet him, but I squashed that idea. They still walked towards the squirrel and got within a few feet before the squirrel sighed deeply and meandered off. His survival extinct is not strong. 

I'm happy I still have people around who want to go to the zoo with me. I love my big children, but I also love spending time little people who are experiencing things for the first time.

Thanksgiving

 For Thanksgiving day, we celebrated with my family at my brother's house in Emmett. Thanksgiving this year was the definition of bittersweet. It was our first Thanksgiving without Mom and our fifth without Heidi. Two of my adult children weren't there, and three of Becca's. We still had a great time, ate a lot of food, and played a few card games, and were loud and chaotic. Just not as chaotic as usual. There was a little too much room to move, too many leftovers, and occasional lulls in the conversation. It was beautiful, and also a little empty feeling. It's hard to see our family changing, and also amazing. Bittersweet.

The highlight of the night was when Grace taught everyone how to play B.S. (or Bullshit, when the littles aren't around): a fast paced card game, lots of people lying, and lots of people accusing other people of lying. Many, many rounds were played. Attempts were made to keep the language less salty around the kids, with varied levels of success.

I, of course, did not manage to grab a single picture. In lieu, here are a few pictures of things I am grateful for.

Selfies from out of state.

Dog piles.

Sleepy teens.

Winter walks.

And wrestling matches that don't end in tears.