Happy Thanksgiving all!
Edited: (This was written and not sent on Sat. Since then we lost Lucy, our dog of 16 and 1/2 years. She died early Sunday morning in her sleep. I do not wish to take away from Thanksiving or her memory so I will write about her at a later time, but I did want to mark the day and let you know.)
Although this year has been a wild year, we are very thankful for many, many things. We had the boys home for a turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potato pie, green bean casserole, corn, gravy, bisquts, and a stuffing meal. Little homemade cheescakes, cookies and assorted not-so-good from a box desserts. I took shortcuts this year, no one seemed to mind that I didn’t make everything from scratch, it was a sanity move. The girls were delighted that their brothers were home and we all got to relax. And be.
Chris is back at school. The girls and I picked up Thursday and dropped him off yesterday, to the viewing of Christmas movies. We picked out a tree. This is the earliest we have ever chosen and gotten one. It seems like a good idea to get the tree and the decorations and start the season of joy and hope earlier this year. We seemed to need a little inspiration. :-) The boys didn’t balk at going so early, they just piled in and helped us chose one. Sadly, none of our usual haunts were open yet so we had to get our tree at Home Depot. It is a pretty little tree that fits nicely in our dining room area. I decided I wanted it here so we could truly enjoy it for the next month, where we could all see and make it part of our thoughts each day. When it is in the playroom we seem to only enjoy it when we purposefully sit in there and on Christmas. So . . . we have begun.
Alex is thrilled. She shows her baby dolls it—reaching up high so they can see it. Kath plays with some of the decorations that have begun to come up the stairs and she calls Santa “Ho-Ho.” Nick picked out the tree because it has blue tinted branches—it is our first of this kind and it is beautiful with a very perfect shape. Aunt Eileen sent us up with some presents so we have a few presents already under it.
Yesterday, Alex started to open one of her presents. I should have known something was up when she kept asking me which one was hers. She must have had some kind of idea that what she was doing was not exactly right because she didn’t just tear the paper off-she peaked in and said, “It has something to do with princesses!” I looked over and said, “Al . . .we don’t open those until Christmas.” She burst out in tears saying, “I keep forgetting!” Then she sobbed for 5 minutes. I passed her over to Chris and she cried on him too. Poor kid. So much to learn when you are 4.
The girls also played with the manger. Sorry to anyone who feels this was disrespectful. I kind of figured that Jesus would rather kids play with him than approach him with a hands off, eyes only type philosophy. There were Little People in the manger taking roles in the nativity scene. It was cute.
Anyway, we are starting to decorate and make our home and our lives a bit more peaceful and thoughtful. As with most everybody, this year we are unsure how many gifts will be under the tree, but we will not allow this season to pass without reflecting on what it truly means to be in the moment, to be at peace with how one is living one’s life (regardless of religion or beliefs).
This is the time of the year that we will have the first annual evaluation of Katharina’s Early Intervention team. I think we have begun to find our way through this and we seem to have found a little trail to follow. It isn’t as scary as it was (Lord, knows I am not trying to ask for further tests or anything!) a year ago. It is in a different realm now. Things are starting to make a bit more sense with how Kath learns and participates in life and how we can help her. How we can encourage what she knows and does. God, I hope I didn't just jinx myself!
She is playing by herself now. She loves the Little People that she got for her birthday and that Alex’s speech therapist gave her. She likes to put bags—pocket books or apple bags—on her arms and walk around the house saying “Goodbye.” She loves to empty out containers—food, magnets, anything. She loves books; she sits quietly and reads them, turning the pages and absorbing the pictures. She loves anything to do with Alex. And now Chris and Nick. And of course poor Bucca and us. “Poor” Bucca went through a box of dog treats in a couple of days—usually takes two weeks, because little Miss Kath kept feeding her. They are best of pals now. She also likes to do the little air pump that blows up balloons—a couple of weeks ago she couldn’t hold one end and pump with the other, but she is continually building up muscles.
So, Chris is busy working in his thesis and preparing for his girlfriend to come home from Scotland. We are very glad that she is no longer planning on going to India (our thoughts and prayers go to the people of Mumbia). Nick is getting ready to return back to school tomorrow; hoping he misses the snow. Alex will go through brother withdrawal—just as we will. I did get to watch a couple of movies with Chris (Pirates III and Elizabethtown).
Back to out decorating. Going to put on Otmar Leibert 'Poets and Angels' and enjoy the non-monetary aspect of the holiday while the getting is good.
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