December Days 21 & 22

Tuesday morning was slow. Around ten I had the brilliant idea to take the kids with me to the mall, something I only do about once a year. Usually it's dreadful, especially when it's just four days before Christmas. To my delight, it wasn't dreadful. My four kids were behaving well, stayed together, did not ask for anything, and had patience with me as I searched for a few things for Tony. Of course they were goofing off a little bit while waiting for me to shop, but it was totally manageable and I even enjoyed being there with them! We did have one episode in Macy's with the escalator but what else would I expect when they only get to play on it once or twice a year! Overall, great mall experience [as I type it, still considering if that possibility really exists] for all of us.

The mall is very different as a stroller free family. The mobility and the freedom make it all so much more efficient, as long as the little one isn't distracted enough to wander too far in any direction. I must look as if someone is stalking me the way I have to glance back every few seconds to make sure my little people are directly behind me. In the mall as we are making our way some distance, we don't usually walk side by side, not that I purposely want to walk that way but if I don't keep moving forward it's harder to get where I'm going! I'd rather let them follow me than try to herd them. Eva has an keen awareness of my proximity and when she gets too far from me, I see the terror in her eyes and hear the little squeak she makes when she knows she needs to catch up!

We made it home from the mall without losing anybody and I congratulated my kids for behaving so well, except for the escalator part. That night we spent the evening with Tony's family to celebrate the birthday of my mother-in-law.

Wednesday the 22nd was another rainy morning and we all got up early to make it over to the rotary breakfast for yet another opportunity to sit on santa's lap. What made it fun was that several of our friends and their kids were there also. We ate, we chatted and then the kids who wanted to got one more chance to tell the man in the santa suit what kind of present they were hoping for. We took Wyatt's friend Jake home with us for the morning and they played to their little hearts content. We [mostly me] roasted almonds and baked cookies. Me and Eva worked on our laptops together.



Later in the afternoon, I took the kids over to the church to rehearse for the Christmas eve mass. Sarah wanted to be Mary this year but so did two sisters and one of the sisters got picked, which upset the unpicked sister horribly and she spent the next hour crying in the bathroom, poor kid. It was quite the family drama, the sister that got the part felt bad and wanted to give it up. I wanted to tell the mother to just let my kid do it and save her kids the grief! But I kept my big mouth shut and let her handle it. Sarah was a good sport about it and her second choice was to be a shepherd. Eva wanted to be an Angel. Wyatt wanted to be one of the three kings/wise men but we didn't have enough kids to have kings this year so he settled for a shepherd as well. Though after some thought, he decided that he would not be a shepherd if Sarah was also a shepherd. I had to bribe him a little bit to get him over that hurdle and pretty soon everybody was happy. Everybody except the little girl in the bathroom.



After dinner, we had a family ping-pong tournament in the garage and guess who was the undefeated champion of the family? Me! There will come a day, very soon I'm sure, when I won't be able to win any of my kids, so for now I can claim victory and always remind them that I held the title first! Hopefully though, I will always be able to beat Tony!