A Quick Backtrack

Quickly, before I continue with the Christmas festivities, I give you some highlights of our Thanksgiving week.
Here is Isabelle's 3rd grade class play, "The Ugly Turkey," about a different-looking turkey who taught all the other turkeys that you judge a turkey by her character and not by her appearance. Notice that Isabelle is a head taller than most of her classmates. Do you think the other turkeys will be judgemental to the tall turkey?

On Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving, we road-tripped to Idaho Falls for a feast hosted by Sky & Heidi--my brother & his wife--whom we just blend into "Skeidi." [Mike remained home to work. I allowed his mom to have custody for Thanksgiving.]

The above photo is the baby pestering Max on our 4-hour drive. It was hilarious! He spent a half hour stretching his foot wa-a-a-a-y over, as far as he could reach, to tap on Max's leg. Max didn't even notice the antics, immersed as he was in making a BB gun from a pen (don't ask). I happened to glance back and saw this little blue jammie foot stretched out so it could bother Max. We spent the next half hour laughing at the baby-pestering.

We arrived safe & sound Wednesday evening, and by 10pm that night it was clear that I had a very sick baby. A screaming, in-pain, inconsolable baby. I walked the floor with him that night from 1-5am. Every night thereafter, for the entire holiday, was spent in a similar manner.

It was a delirious Thanksgiving.

Thank GOODNESS for a mom & dad who helped out when it became too much--like when Baby woke up for the morning at 7am, after being up crying ALL NIGHT. My mom & dad took over so I could squeeze in a few hours of survival sleep.

Or like when, another morning, he decided to get up from 4am-7am after--yes--crying off and on from 1-3am. On that morning, I just started to cry along with him. My dad got up at 4am that day and played with Jack, allowing me to zonk for a few hours.

Thanksgiving recap: The food and company were great. The rest of it was nightmarish.

The baby did sleep quite well each night from 9pm-midnight. Foolishly, I spent that time socializing and playing games. Then I'd fall into bed, only to be awakened an hour later by a screaming baby in pain. (He ended up having two ear infections, the poor brave sweetie.)

I had big plans to document the fun and the food. Didn't happen. A sick, non-sleeping baby by night and a hyper, mischievous baby by day meant no photos. None. I did take a second to snap a photo of their amazing bar stools, which came with their new house.

And on the way home, we saw this beauty. A bubblegum-pink truck. We stared. We laughed. Don't you think my minivan would look great in this color?

(please tell me you caught the tongue-in-cheek tone there.)

Thanksgiving 2009

This year I am thankful for:

Being alive.
The End.
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This is one of those years that is just totally working me over. I feel like a ripe, juicy apple that went into the dryer and came out a craisin.

As with all tough times in life, the things that don't matter have just...fallen away. My list of gratitudes has been pared down to the basics:

I am thankful for a warm place to shelter my babies and for being able to put food in their tummies.

I am thankful for my parents. I've been feeling their unconditional love hitting me in waves across the miles. Time and again this year I've been so grateful for their help just when I need it most, in ways little and big. My day-to-day rollercoaster of emotional survival has caused all the irrelevancies of life just fall away. Some days I feel like the only people in this world who are by my side are the Savior and my parents.

And that has reminded me lately of another time 20 years ago when I felt the same way. I never thought I would get through that year and some nights I would be curled into a ball, crying my eyes out in bed, hoping life would be okay--and yet there was a strange combination of darkness and light in my heart. I think that if you hold fast to the Savior during the dark times, there is a corresponding light which comes to comfort. Sometimes peaceful and glowing, sometimes burning and bittersweet.

Because my parents helped me fight and claw my way out of that year, I emerged a different and better girl. I think I will have another phoenix-from-the-fire ending this time around, too. No matter how hopeless the outlook that defining year 20 years ago, I felt the rock-steady foundation of my parents' presence. And twenty years later I feel the same.

I am thankful to be a parent, myself, and be able to give that foundation to my own children.

I am thankful for healthy children.

I am thankful for my beater van which keeps on running and has no car payment.

I am thankful for my faith in a Savior whose presence I feel, like that other dark time, almost tangibly. Sometimes I feel Him in the room with me, just there to love me even though I am failing miserably at being brave and strong and good. Or even just nice.

And I have been crying as I write this. My eyes are puffy and red. And so I guess I'm not a craisin after all--more a huge pomegranate.

In the Spirit of Thanksgiving

This is a bright, sparkly video. I love the optimism. I love the simplicity of their words. And I love watching how everyone's beauty is so different and real.

Happy Thanksgiving this week!

I am thankful for my children.

Adventures at Grannie's House

I am sitting here with my Cafe Rio tortilla in one hand, trying to figure out how to type one-handed as I scarf (yes, scarf!) my tortilla-dipped-in-house-dressing.

Today was a pretty typical day for me: I gathered up my 60 library books (voracious readers at my house), drove to the library with Mimi & returned them, then drove far out of my way to accommodate Mimi's craving for Cafe Rio rice. At first I was grouchily doing this, and then I began to crave tortillas. We returned home just in time to greet my friend's two kids, whom I watch every Wednesday as part of a mom-switch; she watches Mimi every Monday. We do this to enable each other to volunteer in the 1st grade classroom. (Just typing that out loud increases my volunteerism-satisfaction level...) I called Max's teacher & got myself on the schedule for his classroom, also. So I'll be at school every Monday from 12:30-2:30 and then back again every Thursday from 9:30-11:30 to help with the Take Home Reading program. (volunteerism satisfaction thermometer rising as I type...) I am a big believer in being a part of my kids' classrooms; I like having my finger on the dynamic, both of the teacher with my child and of my child's social interaction.

At 3:30 I met Wendi to get our nails done together, which was a treat. I am usually ready to expire from boredom when I get out of there, but today I was having fun friend time! I was forced to practice my Stuart Smalley Daily Affirmations, though, because Wendi has perfect willowy hands and I have....Man Hands. *sigh* (see bottom clip: 1st 1:45)

I do like my non-dangly earlobes, though. See! Affirmation!

Then I came home and made a delicious dinner for my family, showing my love and devotion via culinary affection. Yep, Ramen. I was tired! It was 5:50pm! Enough said. Tomorrow is another day (Scarlett O'Hara-style).

Here are some more pictures from the Thanksgiving holiday at my parents' house. Below, Max is exhibiting his Rubiks Cube prowess! The kid can solve the cube (with a cheat sheet that gives him a few moves of guidance).

My mom set up her tree and had the kids put on the ornaments, which I considered to be an act of love and patience. Thanks, Mom! They are still talking about it.

Mimi, of course, got to put up all the Barbie ornaments. She kept trying to take them off again and play with them. Again, patience and love.....!


This is official documentation of Sky's inheriting the gene for "Chair Time," my Dad's favorite form of relaxation.
Max conquered the tree! And spent time spying on the neighbor's backyard activities and also fighting the resident squirrel for Tree Time.

The van is loaded and ready to pull out for the drive home. You keep smilin', buddy.

Sis has emotional trauma every time she has to say goodbye to Grannie. It's heart-wrenching to watch and causes ME emotional trauma! There I am, saying goodbye & trying to be a big girl, and then Sis' wails of distress cause me to unravel.

She actually said a well-adjusted farewell this time, but has been crying herself to sleep for three straight nights. Tonight seems to be a bit better; I snuggled in bed with her for a while and we made an agenda of Christmas activities for Grannie's December visit. That seemed to bring her emotions into check. (crossing my fingers)





***HEY!*** I forgot to add that I got up at 6:30am to haul my tired self to the gym! After a night of revelry at Chili's until 12:00am the night before! (exercise satisfaction increasing as I type...)

Thanksgiving Feast

"Oh, there’s no place like home for the holidays,
‘Cause no matter how far away you roam,
When you pine for the sunshine of a friendly gaze,
For the holidays, you can’t beat home, sweet home."
- "Home For the Holidays".....(imagine it sung in Perry Como's voice)

We travelled to my parents' house for Thanksgiving and oh, what a feast we had! Of course the kids could not settle down the night of arrival; I caught Max reading at 11pm with Gramps while Gramps had "chair time."

And Sis was allowed (by her pushover dad) to snuggle on the downstairs couch "until she got sleepy." Hah! Like, in 2 more hours.

Wednesday was filled with pre-feast prep, and here I present to you the legendary red jello. My brother makes all sorts of pretenses that he is not a jello salad fan, that he's above a good jello-y dish, but I have proof (later) that this is not so. I myself ADORE the red jello. We made two dishes of it so that we'd have enough to dive into for leftovers.

Here is table #2, set for the big day. Look at our turkey, covered with a beach towel (over foil) to keep it warm. Spoiled bird.

Surprisingly, most of the fruit got eaten. I myself was wise enough not to waste good stomach space on healthy food.

Here is Sky, my brother, making the traditional Thanksgiving Punch, which I could down by the keg. But all we had on hand was a huge stainless bowl. I told him he looked like he was stirring Witches Brew....

....so he obliged me with a Witches Brew pose and cackle.

Let the feast begin! We had fun with my aunt Kathy & her family (Dennis, Kaylee, Cody, Kim) as guests and afterward played a rousing game of Scattergories, at which I am abysmally bad.

Is that Red Jello you are taking a huge bite of, Sky?....

...why yes, it is! I snapped a clandestine photo of your plate to prove it!

Mike seated himSELF at Mimi's kid table. I promise! I did not relegate him to the mini-chair; I am stating this for the record because years from now I will look at this photo and wonder to myself, "Why would I make him sit there?..."

So Future Crystal, you tried to change him with Isabelle and don't let him guilt trip you!
My plate of Nirvana On a Platter.

Thanks, Mom, for such an outstanding feast and jolly week! It was my best Thanksgiving in a long while, including the one spent at Disneyland!