Merry Christmas

I'm sitting here, perhaps as some of you are, amidst the Detritus of Christmas Crap. I don't mean that the presents were crap or that the intentions behind them were, either. I just mean I'm sitting amidst the physical mess left behind: two tables heaped with boxes which are themselves filled with bubble wrap, tissue paper, hoping-to-be-reused wrapping paper, new socks, empty glasses, books, Christmas cards, candy wrappers and writing implements. In short, in the Mess of Christmas Aftermath. 

A grandfather is here, outside with the grandsons, partaking in a Nerf war. His dog and our dog are outside as well. Ours is barking madly (the neighbors must hate us), desperately wanting to be part of the running, shooting, laughing and mayhem. His penchant for eating Nerf ammunition has him clipped to his tie-out, far away (hopefully) from any stray bullets. We're all witness to his displeasure. 

Dada is downstairs, testing out new video games with the Care Bear, who got both her highly desired ukulele and her cell phone, given before Christmas. 

We are surrounded by Stuff. Good stuff. Stuff to read, stuff to snuggle into, stuff to eat, stuff to wear, stuff to play with. We are thankful for the Stuff. 

But I suppose this is a post where I should talk about the Stuff that made this Christmas special for me. I finished with radiation last Thursday, which will be another post, and today was Day 5 of Tamoxifen, which is a medicine I could be on for the next 5-10 years as part of my maintenance regimen. It's all good; thankfully they're not huge. I'm thankful the medical community has the knowledge and that we have the insurance which will help take care of me for years to come, God willing. It's been a year of medical magic for sure. 

This is the only Christmas where Damon will be 8, Liam will be 13, and Carrie will be 15. Getting them the perhaps ridiculous things their hearts desired at each of these ages made us happy. When I finish my potential decade of medicine, Damon might not still want Nerf guns and bullets. Well, okay, he might, since he's a b-o-y, but you never know. My point is that I don't want anyone to miss out on what matters most at Christmas. Hug those in your life hard. Tight. Tighter! Nothing lasts forever (and yes, those of you who are trying to get little ones to sleep through the night- even that stage doesn't last forever and you ARE allowed to say hallelujah that it doesn't!)  and tomorrow isn't promised. Say thank you for those little things and the people doing them. From me: thank you to every single one of you for reading, praying, sending cards, sending food, transporting my kids, coming to visit, texting, calling, dreaming up fun gifts, and being your wonderful selves. Thank you for being part of my Christmas and everyday magic. 

For those of you still searching for a little bit more, who are maybe missing some of that magic because you thought the hole you're trying to fill might have been filled by some of the Stuff, try checking out Cedarcreek.tv on the odd hours each day. They are rebroadcasting their services all week long, and Ben has a good reminder about making room for Christmas itself, not the Crap or the Stuff. Listening to it in the background of your Aftermath might help as you get through the rest of the Christmas Crazy. 

Be careful traveling and eating and shopping and recovering and eating and napping and sampling Christmas cookies... you know how it is. Remember that you are loved lots, not just by those around you, but by a Savior who was born at Christmas. Thanks again for being part of my tribe. May your Christmas be merry and bright!

Birthday girl

Yes, this is really old news. The Evil Overlord (or so she might like to think of herself) turned 15 a month and a half ago. Today I have the relative peace, quiet, and brain function to post about it...

She's such a nut. 

Contrary to being a certified karate black belt, little kids tend to orbit her anyway, including in restrooms. She looked up through a crack in the stall once to discover she was being ogled by a small girl whose caregiver quickly went into Admonishment Mode. The funniest part was that she had unknowingly found said small girl's name tag at church previously. To hear "So and So Such and Such, how would you like it if someone was peeking at you while you were using the restroom!?" just about sent her into a fit of giggles. She recounted the story with great glee. There's always a spot on her albeit still bony lap for a small child:

She loves the water and is such a fish. She loves making people laugh, most recently by employing that double edged sword that is sarcasm. It's been really fun to be able to joke around with her and have her get what slips over the boys' heads. "I can't wait until you're old enough to tell you what I really think of you" has been uttered on more than one occasion around here if I am being honest, usually followed by the Toy Story quote, "but there are preschool toys present." Most often, it's followed by snickers from most parties, the moment is diffused and life goes on. 

She decorated her own cake this year. I thought I had pictures of it, but apparently I have this BosleyBomb one. I mixed the colors for her and she went to town. Grandmama was in town to help celebrate. Fifteen! We've had that kid forever! She's quick to delightedly point out that soon she'll be able to drive me for my maintenance meds. Talk about being glad all my hair is already gone, because boy, oh boy, would that be an occasion for pulling it out! Yikes. We are so not ready for this...

She claims to be anti-physical touch, but as you can see there is still plenty of personal space invasion going on. I'm honestly not sure how many of her friends hug her as she also claims several of them are afraid of her. She's crafting a quiet, witty, but watch out when I let loose kind of persona. 

And she also runs on ice cream. 

I never dreamed my daughter would be a black belt or ride skateboards or want to play the ukulele (that's on her Christmas list) but here she is in all her glory. She's at her grandparents' this week and I really miss her and her hugs. And not only because the new dishwasher still hasn't arrived and she'd been doing the dishes...

Happy belated birthday, Carrie. Thanks for being so patient with us this summer when things are seven kinds of crazy. We are blessed to have you, kiddo. Love you bunches.