Holiday Fun

Do you remember that Christmas song? I forget who sings it, but it says "If we make it through December, everything's gonna be alright I know..." It's not a very holiday-ish happy song, but I couldn't help but relate to it for a couple of weeks there. Johnny's courses have taken so much of our time and energy that it really was a struggle just to decorate for Christmas, not to mention shop for gifts. But, I am happy to report that his efforts paid off. He earned "A's" in BOTH 8 week courses!! Cue applause- no wait- I think this calls for a standing ovation! Seriously- the hardest earned "A" in one of the classes, which made for the worst 8 weeks ever.

The semester (for Johnny and the kids) ended December 16 and we have been partying ever since. I can't say enough about how nice it is to have this brea.

Here's a little timeline of what we've been up to:

Sunday, December 18- Johnny was scheduled to work, but because of a low census & nice coworkers, he was put on call. After church, his family drove all the way up here & we celebrated Christmas with them. We had such a good time. After the party, Johnny's brother & sister-in-law were gracious (or crazy) enough to drive our car and all of our kids 1 1/2 hours to their house for 2 nights. Oh- and did I mention they have 5 kids of their own? Yeah- you did the math right- that makes 11 kids! (Ages 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 5, 5, 4, 14 months and 13 months.) Why would they do this? Because Johnny had PALS (Pediatric Advanced Life Support) training in Houston the next 2 days & I was going with him. AND our kids love their cousins! It was a win-win!
Monday, December 19- Wake up at 4:30 AM, get dressed, packed and leave for Houston. We find the location of the class early, so we do a little shopping. Finally its time for Johnny to go to his class, so I drop him off, finish shopping for Christmas and check-in to the hotel (which we booked on Priceline and saved 55%, thank you very much! The hospital will be reimbursing us, but still! Crazy good deal.) Johnny finishes his class, I pick him up, we eat and head back to the hotel to study PALS. Fun.
Tuesday, December 20- Johnny gets to his class and I go by myself (first time) to the temple. It was really nice & I got to see several friends/family members there. I picked Johnny up & after lunch, went back to the temple together. It was a lovely day and we were happy to pick our kids up on our way home. They had a blast!
Friday, December 23- Christmas Eve Eve. We drove down to be with my family. We got there early so we could visit and it was lots of fun. We loved the company, the food and the gifts. In that order.
Saturday, December 24- Christmas Eve! It was cold and rainy but we made the most of every minute. I finished up some shopping, the kids & Johnny had a mini Harry Potter marathon. ?? We cooked 2 chickens (to freeze for meals & to use in our dressing) and smoked a turkey. We enjoyed a Christmas dinner that night- smoked turkey, our favorite dressing (mother-in-law's recipe. Mmm!), and cranberry sauce. Then, the moment the kids waited all day/year for- opening presents! After reading the birth of the Savior in Luke, we sang Christmas songs and, one at a time, opened our gifts. I wanted it to last as long as possible. Then, of course, we read The Night Before Christmas, or rather, Bryn's bear read it to us while I turned the pages. Tucking them in was so sweet. This was our first Christmas in the new house.
Sunday, December 25- Christmas Day and Johnny had to work. (Not that I'm counting, but this was the 3rd year in a row that he had to work on Christmas Day. At least it's a day shift now.) We woke the kids up extra early do they could see what Santa brought before Johnny left for work. Even if you're sleep deprived, that is the most magical moment and really is priceless! The kids got to play a while before we rushed out the door for Sacrament meeting. After church, I dressed back into my pajamas, put Samuel to bed and accidentally slipped into a coma. The kids were oblivious for the most part. Once I came to my senses, Katherine & I made a few pies and reheated our Christmas dinner. It was fun and relaxing. Oh! And Santa was so nice and brought the kids a swingset!!
Monday, December 26- Johnny was put on-call. Yay!
Tuesday, December 27- Johnny on-call AGAIN & HAPPY 6th BIRTHDAY to Ella! We celebrated her and worked in the yard. The kids loved playing on the swingset in the beautiful weather. That evening, we had dinner with our friends & watched 17 Miracles. Have you seen it? So amazing!!
Wednesday, December 28- relaxed at home!
Thursday, December 29- Johnny borrowed the neighbors lawn mower - we hasn't mowed since this summer & the grass needed it! Then we took down the tree & put our house back together. It was kind of sad, but it was the only day we had to do it. Then, our friends came over (same ones from Tuesday) and watched The Count of Monte Cristo. Good movie and great company.
Today- We happened to have the same plans as our friends and met up at the zoo. It was so fun to see them and enjoy the amazing animals. We took lots of pictures. Then we had lunch and took the kids to the mall. It was rather boring because everything was so expensive, but we liked looking. We promised to take the kids to Toys R Us, since most of them had never been. They knew they weren't getting anything, unless they had money to spend, but they couldn't wait to see it! Almost immediately, it was a let-down. Yes it's a huge toy store, but they have all of the same toys as Walmart and Target, with a few exceptions. Pretty disappointing.

It's been a great month and we've enjoyed spending time together. Christmas really is the most wonderful time of the year.

We have so much to look forward to this coming year. Johnny starts classes again January 17- we'll be more prepared this time. We plan on paying off our car, possibly both cars- that's gonna feel so good! I love having solid/productive plans. It gives me a lot to look forward to and makes me feel like I'm on the right track.