Merry Christmas!

In spite of the sleepless nights and impossible-to-assemble toys, Christmas turned out pretty good after all. There were some hitches: Pook saw her "big" present on Christmas Eve (Santa had to deliver it early, when help was available, because it was so heavy) and became hysterical, partly because she thought it meant she wouldn't get any other presents, but mostly because she disobeyed her Momma; Uncle Brian, Aunt Cheryl and Jagger weren't able to be at Gramma and Grampa's for our Christmas with them; and I got really lonely for the kiddos during the week they stayed in Oklahoma. But all in all, considering that Daddy is far, far away, it went over pretty well. Most importantly, we spent time with people we love and we took time to do some good deeds and share some love out into the world. And that is, after all, the true meaning of Christmas. Happy Holidays!

Christmas in OK

The kids were really spoiled this year, with four different occasions of gift-giving! Here are some pictures of Christmas morning in OK, and our visit with Baby Jagger that evening.

Bitty was very excited about his tricycle. He stuffed Eve and Wall-e in the back and that is where they stayed!

Pookie was thrilled to get some "real" art supplies this year. She is quite the artist!

Beanie's most favorite gift of all may well be "Big Pig", the Princess. She loves her piggies!

Here is Grampa, getting some Christmas love from the boy in the silk pajamas.

Here's Pook and Gramma with Baby J.

Beanie with Baby J.

Poor baby, he really got passed around. Even Bitty got a turn!

Christmas Morning

This morning started way too early for me...or the night was too short!

I had barely finished putting the last screw (of SIXTY!) in Bitty's three-story parking garage when I heard the prancing and pawing of...not reindeer...whew, not kids either, just Dexter, wanting to go out. I did hear the kids shortly thereafter though. I was still taking pictures of my beautifully staged "Christmas morning" tableau when I heard giggling and footsteps overhead. The kids were all snuggled in our bed, waiting for me to discover them!

Waiting on the stairs...

They all loved their Santa presents - Pook's kitchen, Beanie's stroller, and Bitty's "mote control" dinosaur. They especially loved the instruments that Daddy got them, and we spent the day playing with all the other new toys. I was completely shocked to have received some fabulous presents from Uncle Marco and Darrell...thanks guys! We watched all of our new movies, and Bitty finally crashed while admiring his new solar system wall art. What a great day!

Quick pic before the unwrapping frenzy!

Pookie made Christmas "soup" in her new kitchen.

Beanie making Christmas pancakes. Yum!

Christmas crash!

Christmas Eve

This year, we spent Christmas Eve with Granna, Granny, Aunt Robynn and Jacie, decorating cookies. We had a wonderful time! Robynn really had things figured out: she had measured the dough into little balls and gave each kid some wax paper with the dough inside. This means rolling dough is not messy! They all made sugar cookie and gingerbread people to bake. We also had some cookies already made, and spent a lot of time decorating those. There were piles and piles of sprinkles and sugar! It was awesome.

By the time we left, Pook, Bean and Bitty were completely worn out. The excitement of Christmas kept them awake on the way home though. Shortly after we got home, we heard some bells jingling outside and they all ran up the stairs and dove into bed! With the exception of Pook, who crept silently down the stairs to find out whether Santa had actually come or not, that was the end of the day for three kiddos. Sweet dreams!

Happy Dogs

Dogs love the holidays - more time with their people and extra treats!

Sisters

Here is a pic of the girls enjoying some mild weather before Christmas and one of Bitty in front of the fireplace. I loved the mantel this year; it was covered with lights and greenery and cards and tons of kid-made decorations. It was so festive!

New Army

For a while after arriving in theater, Tracy and his team enjoyed relaxed grooming standards. The CO of the infantry unit he is supporting put an end to it, but it appears that it was fun while it lasted. I'm fond of the scruffy look, but I suspect APD will disapprove as well. Party poopers!

I should be sleeping...or wrapping presents...

I'm starting to feel a little bit like Bad Santa. I mean, let's be honest here. I've had a potty mouth since junior high, when Tina Casey and I made up a cheer entirely of swear words and walked all over the Pernell School campus yelling it at the top of our lungs. I still remember it, actually, and yes, it even rhymed. Time in the Army certainly didn't hurt either. During my last (ever) stint on active duty, a soldier walked into my office and cursed about something. Then he apologized to me, mostly because I was a woman, but also because I scared him a little (I kind of miss that). I calmly responded, "No f'ing problem", and moved on to the next thing.

Anyhoo, I've noticed, over the last week, that I don't really think of Christmas anymore without cursing, as in, "Sweet jesus, it's only six days away! When am I going to get this f'ing kitchen put together, and where the hell am I going to hide it then?"

Don't get me wrong. I LOVE Christmas. I embrace the secular, sacred, and pagan aspects of this holiday in all their commercial, inaccurate, bigoted, misguided glory. Given the time, I would develop a multicultural Christmas experience diverse enough to earn me a minor in world studies. And the fun of Christmas morning, when three kiddos will wake me before dawn and beg me to let them "just look" at the presents for at least an hour before I am able to struggle to consciousness, well, that kind of innocent joy and excitement is hard to match.

Between now and then, however, I have to construct a (big, bright) kitchen, a toy car parking garage (with helipad and car wash), and a three-way convertible baby carriage. And the list of items to be wrapped is longer, somehow, than the shopping list I started out with a few weeks back.

On the bright side, it's Christmas in Austin, and we are guaran-damn-teed to have weather warm enough to make the all-nighter in the garage bearable. If I can just remember to buy the f'ing batteries for the "commote control dinosaur", things will work out fine.

Army Wife Crap

I assume that all “active duty family members”, or ADFMs, as we are known, think about this in passing. I mean, it has to at least cross the minds of girl/boyfriends, spouses, parents, whomever. I certainly don’t consider myself to be unique in this regard. Don’t get me wrong, I am not a pessimist. I fully expect my warrior husband to return triumphantly in due time, battered duffel in hand, appropriately sheepish grin in place (“Sorry I had to do this babe. But glad I did, all the same.”). But at the same time, I feel certain that I need to be prepared for any eventuality.

In my mind, this story is always about The Car. It catches me unexpectedly, in quiet, normal moments; takes my breath and the normalcy away. I am chopping carrots in the kitchen and the dogs bark at a noise from the street. Is The Car out front? We are walking home from the park down the street. As the front yard comes in view, my breath catches in my throat and I wonder if I will see The Car in our driveway when I round the corner.

The story almost always includes a flag, too: “As they ease the sedan to the curb, he notices the flag pole in the front yard, and the flower bed planted with yellow and pink rosebushes. The flag snaps in the breeze, its pop catching him by surprise as he steps out of the passenger side and adjusts his coat. He flinches involuntarily, squinting at it against the late afternoon sun. He takes a deep breath, sets his hat straight, and strides toward the front door.”

Tracy has always wanted a flag in the front yard (“a federal area”) and I intend to create one for him while he is away. But somehow I suspect that I may wait until he returns to run up the Colors.