Just under the wire

Here it is, New Year's Eve and I still haven't done my Christmas wrap up post. I figured I better get it done today, or I'd surely decide it was too late once we get into January.

One of the things the kids and I look forward to the most is the PJs and Pancakes breakfast that my friend, Tricia, started hosting three years ago. Sadly, the day before the breakfast, Evan came down with a stomach bug. I was so hoping that he would be better in time for the breakfast, but he was still pretty puny that morning. Luckily, my friend Nicole swept in and became a hero by volunteering to pick Pressley up and take her so she wouldn't have to miss it. I am so grateful to have selfless friends! Here are some photos I got from Tricia of the party fun.


Once Evan got to feeling better, it was time to put up the little cedar tree we brought back from Knoxville for them to decorate in the playroom. They thoroughly enjoyed putting the ornaments on it and fully appreciated the fact that mean old mommy allows this tree to have colored lights. They were SO silly that night. But the silly pictures turned out cuter than the ones I tried to make them pose for. I'm sure there is a lesson in there for me about letting kids be kids, but I'm sure I'm too stubborn to learn it.

Next up was the small family celebration for my side of the family. This is when we get together with my parents, my sister and her family, and my Granny to go out to dinner and exchange gifts before all the craziness fully carries us away. We left mom and dad's house that night thinking that we could call Santa and tell him he could skip us this year because the kids had already gotten everything they wanted and all they could handle. Of course we didn't. Who are we, the Grinch?

My sweet 90-year-old Granny ended the evening by reading the four kids a book. It was so special, and a perfect way to have the kids settle down a tiny bit while the adults were loading all the loot in the cars.

The next day, Corin's family began to arrive. As usual, Kerry and Kate played tirelessly with the kids. There were many rounds of croquet in freezing temps, several spirited games of Jenga, the annual sugar-cookie decorating, and Barbie hairstyling galore.

We also went to see Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer at the puppet center. It was excellent. They should be putting on this production for at least the next four year, and I'll put in a little plug for the center. If you are looking for a new fun Christmas tradition with kiddos, this is an excellent thing to add to your already-busy repertoire. It is one of the best shows we've seen there. And we've seen a lot. But every show was sold out this year, so you'll have to get your tickets early.

Finally, on Christmas Eve, after many tasty meals had been prepared and enjoyed, it was time to put the kids to bed and wait for Santa. Santa thought he had it easy this year because there were no toys that required assembly. What Santa did not realize was that the giant inflatable outdoor ball that Pressley asked for would take an hour and a half to inflate. With an electric pump. (Rumor has it that he originally started the process with a hand-held pump, but was nearly exhausted after inflating only one or two chambers.) Poor Santa. It was a long night.

But Santa's work was well worth the effort, as the kids were thrilled with their new toys. We quickly re-named the Giga Ball the Liability Ball or the Certain-Trip-to-the-Emergency-Room Ball as we discovered all the ways the kids could potentially get hurt in it. Other than a few scratches and bumps, all was well.

After opening more presents than you would think would be humanly possible and having brunch with all the McCarthys plus GranNan and Poppy (my parents), we were off to Lake Hartwell to celebrate some more with my mom's extended family.

There was some narrowly averted drama when Pressley realized that she had already worn all of her festive outfits and was left with some pretty lack-luster wardrobe choices (in her mind) for Christmas day. We had a dress picked out for her to wear. A cute red corduroy number that she wore last year. It was a bit big on her last year, so I was sure it would still fit. But I was wrong. She came down in the dress, which was about two inches too short on the arms and prevented her from moving her arms much at all. We were about to have a full-on melt-down on our hands when I took her upstairs to see what we could come up with. Thanks to the snow in the forecast, I was able to convince her that a brown knit dress with pink snowflakes (also from last year) was the perfect festive option. It was way too short on her this year, but luckily we had some matching leggings we could throw under there and she ended up happy as a clam. Whew! A Christmas miracle.

It was great fun, as always, but was cut a little short this year due to the impending snow and freezing temps, so we wanted to make sure everyone was home safely before the precipitation started to freeze on the roads. It snowed hard on us most of the way home, but the streets were not yet slippery, so we made it home safe and sound with two exhausted young-uns.

And that, my friends, is the Christmas wrap-up 2010. We have, once again, had a year so filled with blessings. We are so grateful for healthy kids and jobs and family time and fun and faith. We wish you all those things going into 2011. Hope it is a great one for you!

See you in the New Year!