A Christmas program for preschool and breakfast with my kids

This morning I did not hear my hubby leave for work. He always bends down to kiss me good bye before he leaves. I do not remember this either. The fact that he showers, dresses, and rumbles around for 45 minutes prior to this tells you just how tired I am!

Anywho, at 8:15am my phone rang. Apparently this was enough to wake me from my drug induced slumber of the night before and make my brain function enough to think
"OMG! It is way late and I have to have 6 kids out of here to go in 2 seperate directions in 15 minutes! Yikes.

8:35am. (okay, 20 minutes but really, who is counting!)We are now traveling out of our neighborhood in one vehicle. The older sons van has no gas, I mean NO gas. We will attempt to drop off 2 jr. hi age children for their Mops babysitting duty early with a cell phone in hand in case something comes up and they are not needed or whatever and then get to the grandsons Christmas program by 9am.

Being the stroller addict I am, I think it will be wise to plop the wee one (who is now just over 20 pounds and not so "wee" any more) into her pink polka dotted umbrella stroller(complemented her outift nicely if I do say so myself) for the "hurry up let's get in there before we miss the opening" wild ride across the street and into a very old church I have no knowledge of floor plans for. . .

Forunately another poor soul was arriving just as late as I but knew the layout and got us in and to a elevator that would put us right outside the sanctuary where said program was beginning!! Unfortuanately, it was right outside of the front of the Sanctuary full of people in very tight pews and all inclined to wondering eyes (what? the live Nativity and beautiful baby couldn't hold their attention?) .

Alas, I am prudent enough to shove the stroller under the coat rack and tromp, ummm, I mean tiptoe in and make my way 3/4 of the way back with my 6'1" son, my loud nearly 4 year old son, my heavy 1 year old daughter and her blanket and bottle. oh my. Fortunately, the hubby was at work and did not have to witness this!

In retrospect, I think we were one of the more quiet parties arriving actually! After three somewhat bland songs, and one Christmas story where we almost got the point, we were dismissed to said grandsons classroom for one egg free, nut free sugar cookie and paper cup of juice. Oh, and communal play dough and other such stuff. I think I homeschool for more than one reason. 'nuff said.

I wouldn't have missed it for the world though, being my grandson was so cute and all and in the very front row!

Haven't mentioned yet that the other cell phone rang 4 times, each with a more dire message than the last, "Mom, no one is here, no one is coming, it is cold, when can you come get us? , they must have cancelled." aaahh, sent older brother in my precious car back out to pick them up (yup, he got turned around and lost!) and they all make it back in time to meet us leaving. Oldest son (Daddy to grandson) gives them each a glittery sugar cookie sans nuts and eggs of course which they all take with trepidation and much thanks!

We decide maybe a late breakfast out might be a good idea.

Off to Bob Evans and the next series of misadventures. . .

Me, my 6 kids, my daughter in law, and my grandson.
(Hubby is still happily at the office having his own Christmas lunch with his department.)

Yup, good times. Merry Christmas.

Here's our Emory (on the right) with his cousin Dusty enjoying the wild ponies on Assateague Island during our family reunion. We drove around a wildlife loop for nearly 45 minutes before we spotted even one pony! Thrills a minute let me tell you but once we found them, the kids did enjoy seeing them.

The kids craft of painting frames for all the pony shots and family pics was just as big a hit!

Movie night was fun. . .

The hike up to the lighthouse, game night, and the family auction were all memorable moments as well.

But the best part? Being together for more than a few hours. What a nice Thanksgiving and no one had to cook. . .(yeah for me!)

My calendar tells me it is December. My clock tells me it is the wee hours of the morning on a Friday. My body tells me it is so out of wack from the tyranny of the urgent that I may never sleep a full 8 hours again.

I am incredibly thankful that November is past. And although December is equally as daunting, at least it has some joyful interludes to be anticipated.

I have spent at least 3 or 4 time slots of 30-60 minutes on this blog in the past few months "posting" interesting and even inovative stories of our life and times only to have them dissappear in heartbeat of unreliable and ornery internet access! bother!

Such good memories lost to my middle age muddle of a brain!

I'm thinking some sort of a list may be a good way to go to try and catch up. . .

1) currently residing under my roof:
one husband which I send off each day to an office to enjoy his work, get a break from the craziness of this home, and bring home a paycheck to keep it all running;
one grown child residing with us trying to balance out being a child in our home, being an adult in our home, being a missionary in our home, being a missionary headed for Cambodia in a few short weeks, being a sibling to his brothers/sisters, and being half a dozen other things to at least a half a hundred other people;
one 14 year old son trying to find his way with his family, his church, his peers, his acquaintences, and a half a dozen other people who would like his company;
one 11 year old daughter trying to be the very best daughter, sibling, follower of Jesus, and friend she can possibly be and learning sometimes, it is enough to just be you if you are thinking of others and following Jesus the best you know how;
one 3yr,11 month old son who one is never quite certain what new insight the day will bring forth from said son's little lips;
and finally one 19 month old daughter who is moving in leaps and bounds toward being a bonified toddler in most every way!
oh yes, and then there is me. what to say about that. one stay at home Mom, trying to keep her sanity in balance with her love for family, love for organizing and planning events, love for shopping and a Christmas budget (okay, so love there may be a stretch) and finally and "firstly" her love for her Savior and King, Jesus Christ.

I'm on overdrive folks and sometimes after a particularly hard run when an engine doesn't get proper care, it just shuts down and needs to idle for a while to cool off and be ready to run at full capacity again. . . oh, and this model is slightly older than she likes to think about and remembering what I used to be able to handle in my 20's comes back to haunt be regularly!

2) currently working on
I think I just decided to post what I have written before my connection is lost and post more seperately.