The Week Before Christmas

We came home from Orlando on December 20th.  When I told my mom we were heading down to Orlando she inquired if I had finished my wrapping or cooking.  The answer to both of these questions was: No.  However, I had plenty of time...except I was not counting on a horrible stomach bug hitting everyone the last few days prior to Christmas.  Funny how quickly priorities change.

 The night of Wednesday, December 21st, Dom started to get sick and proceeded to be sick all night.  I have never experienced anything like it.  I felt horrible for him...but, I was exhausted.  And Eric was up even more than I was taking care of him.  Fortunately, Eric was able to take the next day off of work.

 I am lucky to have a husband who appreciates all of the traditions of the holiday season that we have.  When I started to lose it a little, he sent me to the bedroom to wrap presents and he took over the candy preparation and the hershey kiss cookie assembly line.

 He had a little help.  And it was wonderful.  It is nice to know you can delegate and have the same excellent results.

 Though, with Will on the case, I knew it would be just about perfect.

 Plus, he took these pictures.  I doubt I would have captured the moments as well.  So thank you, Eric, for being Super Dad!

 Luckily, by the afternoon of Thursday, Dom was feeling a bit better.  Just pretty run down after not sleeping much the night before.  We were hoping that maybe this was just a one-off and the rest of the kids would be spared.  Friday morning, he was feeling much better and we proceeded to make sugar cookies.  Again, I had a little help. 

 By that evening, William informed me that his stomach was not feeling well.  Eric also started to get sick...Both Will and Eric were up a couple of times that night passing one another on their way to the bathroom.  Molly also found me the next morning and told me she had been sick.  The difference between Molly and the boys is that she just goes into the bathroom and doesn't really bother me with the details until afterwards.  At any rate, it was abundantly clear that we would not be having the same Christmas Eve that we normally have.  That didn't stop me from making our usual dinner or the egg casserole for the next morning.  The house was just a bit quieter.  When no one had been sick for several hours, we elected to attend Christmas Eve Mass.  We sat in the back row and John took a nap in the confessional.  No one looked particularly well...so we did not take pictures.  Just let everyone get into their pajamas as soon as we got home.

The kids watched The Charlie Brown Christmas Special as Eric and I put the finishing touches on our meal (rouladen, spaetzle, salad, and rolls).  That only he and I would eat. Though, Dom did enjoy his lipton soup.  I think Will felt up for a roll or two.  Granted, even at peak health, Will would have only been up for a roll or two. 

After dinner, we all sat and watched the Jim Carrey "Christmas Carol", which turned into a nice way to end the day.  We normally do not watch anything Christmas Eve night, but this may be a new tradition.  And, of course, Eric read "The Night Before Christmas."

The next morning came a little earlier, but not too early.  John was the last to crawl out of bed.  We spent the better part of the day opening presents until there were just too many Lego Sets and the kids just wanted to start working on them.  We saved the remainder for the 2nd Day of Christmas and had a pretty laid back afternoon and evening. 

 John's new ride. Which was completely awesome until he spotted his neighbor friend's automatic ride...though, he will roll down the hill in it and push it back up and ride it down over and over again.  Also, Will and Molly have taken turns pushing him around. 

 Dom gave Will a Magic 8 ball and I'm not sure who was more excited about it. Maybe I should ask it.

And this will go down as the year of the legos.  Molly and John both received Duplo sets that entertained them up until the X-Wing and Tie Fighter were built. 

Another gift highlight was receiving a Harry Potter themed Clue game.  We've played several times and I have yet to win.  But, it is pretty fun and the twists they added to make it more 'magical' are nice additions.

One last picture and story.  This year, we attempted to do a family activity every evening.  Whether it was a game, a movie, reading a book, or making cookies.  Once or twice a week, we also sang carols.  We have done this before, but John was really into it this year.  He loves "O Christmas Tree" and belts out the opening lines perched on the back of the couch. 

So there you go.  Our Christmas.  We celebrated the full 12 days of Christmas which is something that I love.  Heck...I think in many ways we are still celebrating.  Especially as I just found a bag of Christmas Candy yesterday. 

Next:  Give Me Liberty!