She got it
Helena: Open!
Veronica: What do you want to open?
Helena (In a whisper:) Presents.
We attended our first Christmas Eve mass at our new parish this evening. (We made the change back in July and have gradually been experiencing several “firsts.”) My parents joined us again this year. We have been able to attend mass with them on Christmas Eve for at least the last 3 years. It’s a tradition I hope we’re able to continue.
After mass, we attempted to get group shots of everyone in their Christmas attire. We gave it our best shot!
While I went for a much needed haircut (I chopped off 7 1/2 inches!) apparently the kids were busy at home wrapping presents and making gift tags with Aunt Larissa.
After wrapping, the boys got their snow gear together and Larissa took them to meet up with Aunt Kari to do some snow tubing. They said they had a blast! (Not surprisingly, Shecklet #1 selected a red tube and Shecklet #2 selected a green tube.)
Shecklet #1 was sick last week, but recovered in time to go to school on Friday & this past Monday. On Tuesday morning, I received a call about 1 1/2 hours after dropping him and Shecklet #2 off at school, that he had a fever of 101. We picked him up and I called our clinic to see if I could be doing something at home to help him get better. Because of the duration of his illness and crummy cough, they recommended I bring him in to be seen by the doctor. I’m glad we did. The poor kid was diagnosed with pneumonia. The doctor said we caught it in the early stages, but that it was important we monitor him closely. Now he is on antibiotics and seems to be improving. We’ve been trying to keep up with school work (math and reading) as best we can – in between naps and rest periods. Today was supposed to be his class hot cocoa party (a fun celebration before the Christmas break) but we felt it was best to just keep him home so he can rest and get better. As a pick-me-up, I told him he could pick out a movie to watch at home and we would have hot cocoa, too. His little sister camped out next to him while they watched Cars.
After Shecklet #2 lost his tooth, we loaded up into the suburban and headed for Grandma & Grandpa’s house. We gathered early this year since Jason and Bri were in town from out west. Great Grandma Lois and Papa Dale also joined us for the evening’s festivities. (Unfortunately, Stacie couldn’t make it home to be with us.) We had a delicious ham dinner with tasty side dishes and wine – just the adults 😉 After dining, we gathered in the family room to open presents. This year, Shecklet #4 had a much better idea as to what was going on. She was more than willing to help everyone with their gift opening! Once the kids had a chance to check out/play with their new things, we had desert – peppermint ice cream pie – delish!