The Last Week of 2011

The week after Christmas was filled with putting things away that we had gotten and tearing down decorations. As I was taking the ornaments off the tree, Caleb's sweet little voice kept asking me "why are you taking that off, Mommy? Where are you going with that?" I felt downright GRINCHY! I told him that Christmas was over so we put everything away until next year. He was sad to see our "pretty" things go away. He asked if he could put his crafts on next year's tree, and I told him yes.

Even when Shawn got home from work, he said "Wow! Our fireplace doesn't look right without all our stockings up there." I couldn't agree more. But, that's part of the specialness of Christmas. And it was time to head into a new year.

I was having some serious issues finding places to put everything, but then I thought of Luke 12:15-21 about the man who wanted to build bigger barns to store his abundance. It made me realize I need to stop all this hoarding I do. We need to get rid of things we no longer use and make room for the new we've been blessed with. It's been difficult having three boys in three different stages of clothing, at three different toy stages. But, really, how much do we use or need? I tend to save things for the "what if" times when we should be giving away, selling for the money that we could use, or simply throwing out some old junk. Here's the story about the rich fool from the Bible:

Luke 12:15-21: ¹⁵Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”

 ¹⁶ And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. ¹⁷ He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’

   ¹⁸ “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. ¹⁹ And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’

   ²⁰ “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’

   ²¹ “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”

I certainly feel like our house is "stuffed full" but maybe I'm really a "stuffed fool."

That week, I called Grandpa Georgia to see if he'd like more leftovers. I told him I'd treat him to breakfast at our house if he'd also bring with him some celery and chicken broth, which I would pay him for. Thankfully, he agreed. And I made homemade chicken corn noodle soup with the leftover turkey we had (is that turkey-corn-noodle soup then?). Either way, it was the best soup I think I've ever made. I gave Dad a big container of it to take home with him, and our family at it for days. Shawn wasn't sure how turkey corn noodle soup would turn out, but he was thrilled with the result as well.

On Friday, the two older boys visited Mamaw's house in the morning so I could do some actual cleaning. I scrubbed and mopped and tried to make everything relatively clean again. Thanks, Mom!


We hadn't realized that trash would go out on the Monday after Christmas and assumed that would be the trash company holiday. We were appalled to see the truck drive by our house and not get rid of all the stuff we had waiting to go! It literally filled our back porch. It went the following week, praise God!

 

 The last week of Christmas was also full of a lot of playing. We played Joshua's new "dice game" and told tons of stories that we make up based on the pictures, we played a TON of Wii particularly with his new Mario game, we did a ton of racing cars on their tracks, we built things with new toys, and we played and played and played. We also read Ry-guy's new books. You can see him holding his new 'Kiss Good Night'
book, and the older boys love the story about 'You Can Do It, Sam!' where they make cakes and deliver them to their neighbors (which I thought one winter morning we may try as well). We also read 'Don't You Feel Well, Sam?' and Joshua has worked on sounding out the words to that book by himself as well. They LOVE it! It was a productive week, but we still had fun together. :) :) :)

The 12th (or 26th?) Day of Christmas

Shawn had off on Monday, December 26, for the actual holiday (since Christmas was on a Sunday this year). We enjoyed getting another day to spend home together as a family. Ryan had been up all night Christmas Eve due to a belly ache (no more garlic potatoes for Mama) so it was nice to just relax. It literally FLEW by! That afternoon after the boys' nap time, we headed north to Berks County to celebrate with Nonie & Poppy and Shawn's extended family on his Dad's side.

We had breakfast for dinner, including scrambled eggs, sausage gravy on biscuits, potatoes,  bacon, waffles, fruit and pastries. It was delicious as usual, even at supper time. After we were done eating, the boys exchanged gifts with our niece and nephews. The boys have highly enjoyed their water bottles that they got, along with the other things. They had fun playing together.

Eventually, we got to the point where I either needed to take Ryan upstairs to nurse him there or take him home. Since Shawn had work the next day, he said it was time to pack up and go home. This was our last Christmas gathering of 2011!

After we got the boys to bed, Shawn surprised me with a movie that I've been wanting to see for a long time. We had talked about seeing it in the theater, but we missed it before it left the regular theaters. It's called "COURAGEOUS" and I would highly recommend it.

In it (and I won't give away the story line), the message was that we get one shot at this life and at parenting our kids. It was SO good! It made me appreciate my courageous husband, who has been an active father and fantastic husband. I also asked him about his upbringing, and he said about how Doug was always very involved in their lives, which I am also thankful for since it gave him a good example. In the movie, a group of men took the following resolution, which I had to get to see again. As my friend said after she saw the movie, "I wanted to stand up and shout ME TOO! even though I'm a woman." She said she was in tears - so was I. If you haven't seen it, you truly must!

THE RESOLUTION

"I do solemnly resolve before God to take full responsibility for myself, my wife, and my children.

I WILL love them, protect them, serve them, and teach them the Word of God as the spiritual leader of my home.

I WILL be faithful to my wife, to love and honor her, and be willing to lay down my life for her as Jesus Christ did for me.

I WILL bless my children and teach them to love God with all of their hearts, all of their minds, and all of their strength.

I WILL train them to honor authority and live responsibly.

I WILL confront evil, pursue justice, and love mercy.

I WILL pray for others and treat them with kindness, respect, and compassion.

I WILL work diligently to provide for the needs of my family.

I WILL forgive those who have wronged me and reconcile with those I have wronged.

I WILL learn from my mistakes, repent of my sins, and walk with integrity as a man answerable to God.

I WILL seek to honor God, be faithful to His church, obey His Word, and do His will.

I WILL courageously work with the strength God provides to fulfill this resolution for the rest of my life and for His glory.

As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. – Joshua 24:15"

It was a GREAT way to end our weekend together. I love my husband, and I am so thankful for him and proud of him for LIVING this - not just saying it. 

Over the River and Through the Woods

We went to Mom's house that evening for dinner, along with my sisters and their families. The first thing we did was go down to the basement to open gifts. This year we opened them in order of age, starting with the youngest first. Taking turns allowed us to see what each person received, which was nice and much less chaotic than last year. Here is Joshua opening his dinosaur - he LOVES it and we've been hearing it roar throughout our house.

Caleb has highly enjoyed his Leapster that he received from Mamaw, along with his Cars2 game.

Ryan has been thrilled with his new little driving toy. We had one like this for Joshua, but it had broken so we tossed it in the trash can. My niece Faith helped him open it and played with it awhile (she had one, too, when she was little). My older boys have enjoyed playing with it as well. I loved this picture of little Ryan in his Christmas outfit!

Here's a picture of the set-up of the room. The McGowan kids all got a battery-operated car to drive at their cabin, which they opened together. Joshua received a "Mario" Wii game that he has been literally addicted to. One evening after we had put the boys to bed, he came downstairs and caught Shawn & me playing it; he was shocked that we would dare play without him. Haaa!!! It is fun. :)

After we were done with the presents, we went upstairs and enjoyed a feast - Christmas ham, pineapple stuffing that we had taken along, baked corn that was awesome, a delicious salad that Becky had brought, dinner rolls, applesauce and dessert that was made by my sister Jen. The chocolate chip cheesecake was amazing, as was everything else! The kids sat at their own table, which was right next to ours. While people talk about having a "kids" table, I think they genuinely enjoyed being with each other and their cousins. We enjoyed the food and the company. It was soon bedtime, so we headed home with a very tired baby Ryan and boys. :) Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

The Sound of Music

One of the gifts we bought for baby Ryan for Christmas was a music cube. Each different side lights up and plays one part of a Mozart song from an orchestra - one is a piano, another a harp, another a violin, another a french horn, etc. Each one plays its own individual melody when you push that side, but there is one side that plays the entire 'orchestra' so you can hear how the entire song sounds together.

In a training session, there was a woman who shared this toy from her grandchildren that she kept even after they were grown. She brought it in and we each had to sing different melodies related to one part in the orchestra (I think my section sang the trumpet part). Her point was that each part is important to making the entire song - each individual part is beautiful on its own, but it sounds the best when the full orchestra is together.

I LOVED the toy! I knew that I wanted it for Ryan some day. To our family, he is the last part in our orchestra (unless we decide to adopt some day). Each child is a beautiful part and has a significant role in our family - and the  family (or orchestra) wasn't complete without the last instrument or child. We are happy to have Ryan in our lives! And he seems to enjoy his new toy. :) :) :)

Merry Christmas!

Here's a picture of our tree Christmas Eve before the boys went to bed and one Christmas morning when they woke up! Looks like someone arrived overnight to deliver wrapped packages!

And what do you know, he ate our cookies and drank our milk?!?! I loved Joshua's smile when he saw that the milk and cookies were gone!

Caleb insisted on wearing his cowboy hat that morning. And since it was Christmas, we let him! :) :) :) He asked us to call him Woody. So, we did.

We tried to get a couple pictures of the boys in their PJs in front of the tree and packages before they were all torn open. I think the suspense was killing the kids!

How I love my little men! How blessed we are to have them in our lives! How special children make Christmas. :) :) :) There is nothing better than waking up in the warmth and comfort of your own home Christmas morning with a healthy family.

Shawn & I were sleepy but in good spirits. For anyone who knows Shawn, you know he is NOT  a morning person. He functions best after lunch time and a lot of caffeine.

We let the boys start opening their gifts, one at a time. Our presents were organized by color, and I even insisted on numbering them so we knew which gift was being opened when (just like my parents did when I was little). Shawn is a meticulous wrapper and wrapped all the gifts except his own, which I did of course. I am so thankful for my husband and his unique talents (and willingness to use them)!

Joshua opened a game for the Wii and then Caleb opened a game for his Leapster that we knew he was getting from Mamaw. He plays Joshua's all the time anyway, so he was excited for the game.

Ryan's first gift was a ball from Santa. All the boys love it! :) Notice my PJs have changed. We opened our gifts from Mamaw & Papaw and found brand new PJs for Shawn & me. They were both perfect! :) We changed immediately.

We got Caleb a Toy Story Operation Game, and Joshua a "Rory's Story Cube" game, which was a huge hit. The boys call it a "dice" game, and you take turns telling stories based on the pictures on the dice you roll. We have played it a ton!

Caleb opened his helicopter and Joshua opened his smaller Francesco car.

The boys also got pencils, orange play-doh (which Joshua had specifically asked for), a tractor trailer truck, and fire rescue vehicles that had stickers and a coloring pad with it. Joshua had another Toy Story Mania Wii game that we gave him.

I loved Caleb's expression as he opened his helicopter. So sweet!

And here's Ryan opening his music cube.

The boys opened their bigger gifts, which was a huge tool set for Caleb (that Daddy has to set up in our garage) and the big race track for Joshua with the shake 'n go Francesco car that he begged for. It has been a big hit. The kids LOVE to race the cars on the track. We set it up immediately. FUN!

This was Ryan's first Christmas. I think he had a good day. :) We took the boys shopping individually to pick out presents for each other, their baby brother, for Mommy and for Daddy. Caleb picked out the stuffed fish (pictured) for Ryan and Joshua picked out a little plastic tiger that Ryan absolutely LOVES to play with (and chew on).

Caleb picked out these "blocks" for Joshua that you can see him playing with - Caleb loved them as well. If you remember the type, as you hold the next block down, it becomes the top block as they shift, etc. They both enjoyed it. Joshua picked out a bag of small sharks for Caleb.

Joshua picked out a marshmallow snowflake for Shawn (similar to the "Peeps" he enjoys at Easter) and Caleb picked him out a bobble-head Frosty the snowman filled with bubblegum. I had also gotten Shawn the Frosty book, socks and underwear from the boys as well. :)

Shawn took the time to say a special thank you to each boy. They were thrilled that we liked the presents they picked! Joshua gave me an entire page of magnets that look like stickers, saying things like "Great Job!" and "Well done!" I love them, and immediately put them on my fridge where I can hang their artwork with these neat-o magnets.

Caleb picked out a snow globe for me. I love how much he loves any type of snow globe, so when I look at it, I will always think of him. :) :) :)

After the kids were done opening their gifts, we opened our gifts to each other. I got Daddy a new pair of khakis, a black sweater, some Glucosomine Conjointin something-or-other that's supposed to work wonders for joint pain (I've heard from several people how amazing it is), Brita bottled water filters, workout gloves, Red Bull, and a few other odds and ends.

He gave me a Keurig he got off Craig's List (awesome!) and some chai k-cups, along with a new Jillian workout DVD I had asked for. I love it! He also got me some Mentadent toothpaste, which I love and the stores have stopped carrying it. He found it online, which I thought was great! :) I'm sure there was more, but my memory is not fantastic. We had decided to go light this year since our gift to each other was our new king-size bed. All in all, it was an excellent morning and the gifts were all wonderful. :) :)

When we were almost finished opening gifts, we got to do some "face time" with Mamaw & Papaw and Aunt Erica from Florida. The boys were literally in the middle of opening their gifts when they "called." I honestly have no idea how to set this up, but Shawn worked it out with Erica the night before so that we could see each other and chat. They sent these cute sweatshirts up for the boys. Caleb got a great helicopter (it's actually better than the one we purchased, so it worked out well!) and Joshua got a laptop computer and all three got new clothes, etc. We were very blessed.

Then my dad called. He was at Jen's and would love to see the boys for a few minutes. I cringed, and Shawn reminded me that it's family. I enjoy having some time with just our family Christmas morning, but I knew Shawn was right. He saw the gifts that the boys had opened as I was taking our cinnamon buns out of the oven. He had already eaten breakfast with Jen, but I was making him a cup of hot tea when I heard a holler and turned around to see my Dad sitting in the chair, falling backward ONTO Joshua.

I SCREAMED! I think we all screamed. It was a surreal moment when we realized we couldn't save either one. Josh had been tickling Grandpa's neck in teasing, who went to reach up behind him to grab the Bean's hand (again teasing). But, when my Dad rocked back on the two legs of the antique chair, the wood part of the back snapped and he went flying backward. Shawn helped get my Dad up, and his glasses were all awry. Then I scooped up Joshua. I was shaking - I feared that he was crushed. He was bawling, but he didn't sound hurt. I was so upset that my knees were knocking, so I took my Bean and sat down on the couch and asked him what hurt. He said "Nothing." He was simply scared. He thought he had hurt Grandpa.

Dad wasn't hurt either, amazingly. God protected them both. Joshua was behind Dad (pinned in by the high chair and the exersaucer we have there) but he was able to straddle him and the chair as it came back. Dad said he wasn't hurt (and for as big he is and as old as he's getting, I wasn't sure he'd be able to walk thereafter). Praise GOD! Our chair is beyond fixing. But, it's a chair. I cried about it later that day, but most of all I am so thankful that God protected our son and my father. Truly, that entire experience could have been fatal for either one. It was horrendous to watch.

Grandpa didn't stay terribly long thereafter - he sat with us while we ate breakfast and then took off when we decided that it was time to get dressed. We played and the boys took a short nap before getting ready for Grandma's house that afternoon. :)

Christmas Eve!

It was finally time! Santa was soon going to arrive in our household. It was the night before Christmas, and as it was dark and chilly outside, we were all cozy and warm inside. We let the boys each open one gift from us before getting ready for bed. And what do you know, it was pajamas!

Afterward they changed into their PJs and I fed the baby. When we were finished getting into a bed-time gear, Daddy read the Christmas story from Luke 2 in the Bible to us. Then the boys asked to read their book from Mamaw & Papaw, as well as the Frosty book that we made for Daddy (after the one we made for Mamaw & Papaw from Florida turned out so cute). :) :) :)

Then we headed downstairs and let the boys open their stockings from us. I have to give my husband props - he always fills them each year. I got them some Buzz Light Year dental flossers and some bouncing balls that lit up all different colors as they bounced, but Daddy filled them with items like gold fish and special holiday candy cane M&M's and other exciting little things. We had bought them "Cars" erasers together on Black Friday. It was fun to watch them open them.

Little Ryan was a little too small to enjoy any real "treats" but he still has a special stocking Mamaw got him. Notice my PJs on Christmas Eve. They changed Christmas morning after I opened a gift from Florida. :) :) :)

After the boys finished opening their stockings, Shawn & I opened our stockings to one another. They were also filled with special treats like peanut M&M's for Shawn along with a big bottle of Advil, and I had things like my favorite shampoo & conditioner, etc. Then Shawn gave me a tin of popcorn (another tradition) that we let the boys help us snack on as we watched a movie together. We showed the boys our fireplace, where we had lit a big vanilla candle. Daddy let them help him remove everything out of the fireplace to make room for Santa to come in.

Joshua was SO excited he was dancing around. I LOVED his expression in the photo below. We cracked up at his dancing. He is SO silly and fun!

 Before tucking the boys in bed, we put out our special plate from Great Grandma Good and filled it with cookies for Santa and a big glass of milk. Each boy put a special cookie to Santa on the plate. Then we tucked them in. They were so excited they could barely stand it. We were so tired, we could barely stand it! We were waiting for them to nod off before getting busy. :) :) :) It had been a fun day together, and I love spending Christmas Eve as a family doing our traditional things. Thank You, God, for this precious family!

Christmas Eve Mornin'

Saturday morning, we slept in (for our family, anyway!). Shawn said he wanted to take us all out to breakfast, which is a rare treat. We headed to a diner in Ephrata, where Santa was handing out little gift bags and reindeer headbands (we had no idea that this would be part of breakfast). Lancaster has overdone Santa a bit - I had to crack up as a little girl asked "Santa, you changed your beard from the last time I saw you. It's much shorter now!" Haaaa!!!

Our service was extraordinarily terrible, but we still left her a tip since it was Christmas Eve. The tip I would have liked to have given her with the money we left is "find a job that you're better suited to." And, I can say that since I was a waitress once and HATED it! :) :) :)

From there we went to Walmart. Did we need to shop on Christmas Eve? NO! So, it was actually semi-relaxing. We did get some baby food and a couple other little things that we wanted, and the boys were especially well-behaved, knowing what special day it was. :) :) :) Joshua tried on this Spider-man mask for my amusement. I love my boys!!!

The boys did their last day of the advent calendar, and Caleb asked about chocolate for days thereafter! :)

When we got home, I asked to get some pictures of the boys in their reindeer headbands. Everyone complied with my request. Are they not the cutest little guys in the Christmas outfits?

Daddy also took a couple of me with the boys. When I asked to take one of him, he said "No thanks!"

 One "funny" from that day was when we were driving, and the boys are now sounding out words. Joshua LOVES to look at road signs and will ask what they say. They will also sound them out "No Left Turn" or "Right Lane Must Turn Right." Caleb saw a "Do Not Pass" sign, and he shouted out "DO NOT PISS!!!!" Shawn & I howled. So innocent! He had no idea he hadn't sounded out the words correctly, and he's doing very well for a 3-year-old. Still, we couldn't even correct him because we were cracking up. No, buddy, that's not the sign OR acceptable behavior right there on the road. Silly goose!

We played together as a family and watched the movie the Elf (or at least part of it) that evening as I recall. I remember it being a relaxing day as a family - castle-building, dinosaur-playing, hanging out and enjoying being together. We have been blessed by our GOOD boys!