On to the real topic tonight...
THANKSGIVING
So it is Thanksgiving day. It also happens to be our oldest daughter's birthday. Who could imagine that our little wall flower Madie would turn into the confident out going girl she has become.
And can she only be 8? And at the same time, 8 all ready??
How in the world does this happen? How can you struggle day to day with just life in general and miss that your kids are growing at alarming rates? Mystifing...
So we had Madie's birthday breakfast first and foremost when we awakened on Thursday. She got to open all her gifts, minus Nana's which hasn't made it as of yet. But seriously she had a ton of gifts to open.
She got a great haul. Alan and I went with the Baker theme..A Girl Gourmet cake decorating kit, cook books and a mom and me matching apron set that I whipped together Wed night.
We ate German Pancakes and sausage and had a good old time talking about the day Moo was born. We do this every year for each child. Tell them all about their birth and how we were beside our selves with joy at their coming.
Then it was clean up time.
The kids ran and cleaned their rooms and mom cooked. However, I was still reeling from my disasterous fall on Wed night. So my right knee had to take breaks every now and then for some ice and elevation. But in between the whinning about my knee I managed to cook a huge feast.
We had a 25lbs turkey, homemade stuffing ( complete with spinach mom), green bean casserole, broccoli rice caserole, yeast rolls, cranberry salad, mashed potatoes and roasted sweet taters. Oh and for Adam chicken nuggets and french fries. I was a cooking all day long, but I did get a nap in of course, and it was so much fun cooking for people I had no clue what they would like. Our guests arrived promptly at 6pm bearing gifts. One of Alan's collegues hunts for bottles. Apparently there are a ton on old glass bottles here on base and they are all Cuban made, a huge market is out there for Cuban collectibles. Not something I knew about. I have just wanted a bottle that has Cuba stamped on the bottom just because we live here. Not for any other reason. Anyway, Alan's collegue, Tony, collects them. He is the preemmenitt bottle collector here and he brought me a beautiful Cuban Coke bottle. He also came bearing a gift from another of our friends who was suffering pregnancy sickness. She painted her bottle with a cute scene of a Cuban couple dancing. Just wonderful gifts. But I digress..
So our guests came, we talked, we learned tons about each other and we celebrated Thanksgiving the best we could without our families. Four of our guests have spouses living back in the states so having a family even for one night was great. Then we played Apples to Apples and I discovered a handfull of people who are closet game lovers. So come the new year we will be having game night once a month at our house, as we are the only ones with a house. That and the kids can sleep while we play it up.
YIPPEE.
That was Thanksgiving..
FRIDAY, SATURDAY &
THE TREE LIGHTING CEREMONY
So Firday comes bright and early and we have decided to decorate for Christmas. Side story here, when we asked our sponsors about the holidays here they down played it saying that it isn't done very big here. So Alan and I decided with the kids to leave our ornaments in storage to bring just a few things. Yea..we screwed up. We brought almost nothing. We sent almost all of our Christmas decorations on to storage. What were we thinking? I have not a clue. All I can say is that we did manage to bring both our trees, the large family one and the small one the kids decorate and the lights for the large family tree. We also managed to bring one tote full of decorations. Esentially a Christmas bowl and an angel. That is it. So...come Friday all ready seeing that we didn't bring much we started to decorate. Madie and I made a run to the NEX for some lights for the kids tree and some stockings. Yep we left those too.
Can I just say, I was a Scrooge. I was cranky that we had nothing to decorate with, I was cranky because my knee hurt and dang it all I was missing my family. Can I just say, I am tired of having the holidays thousands of miles away from my family.
Anyway, that was Friday. Madie had a long cheer practice again Friday night and the rest of us just chilled. Then came Saturday. Madie had practice once again at in the afternoon for the tree lighting ceremony. And I did the grocery shopping. Then back home to shove some food in her face and get her all dressed up in her cheer uniform complete with a high pony tail. Had to get Adam to change his clothes three times because he really didn't want to have to wear his dark pants to the ceremony, and off we went.
The Tree Lighting Ceremony was slated to begin at 6pm, but we had to be there at 5pm for cheer pictures. What time did the coaches show to take said pictures, 5:30. In the mean time I am getting Madie and Maegan food from Subway and telling Adam he can eat at McDonald's once everything was over. Little did I know that it wouldn't be over until 7:30pm and by then he would be ready to eat me. .
So we are sitting in the NEX parking lot in front of the stage that both our children will be preforming on, did I mention the elementary school had a concert to give as well? And what should happen? It begins to sprinkle. Then it begins to rain a bit and before we know it, it is pouring. So...we moved the whole ceremony into the atrium. Not a huge space and we had to leave enough room for people to come in and out of the store. Imagine if you will, sitting in front of a grocery store in the parking lot, the "stage" on one side of the doors, and your seating area across the lot on the other side of the doors. And to top it off, people coming in and out with their groceries. Comical to say the least.
It could have been worse, we could have been some of the poor smucks who had to stand in the back. Us, well of course I have learned from the greatest seat saver in the world. I got us front and center. Adam, Maegan and I grabbed four folding chairs from out in the rain and brought them into the atrium. We listened to what the dude said about where to sit and plopped our butts down. People tried sitting in front of us, they got moved. It was terrific. I tell you. It felt like I was at Pioneer Runion....Thanks mom!!
So the kids started. Adam's class was third in line and unfortuntely I missed the whole darn thing trying to get a good picture to post. So, needless to say when Madie came on with her class next to sing, I put down our pathetic camera and listened. It was horrible. We couldn't hear the kids at all. All we heard was the music. And all we saw was the music teacher's derrier. He stood in front of the kids almost the entire time. It was so silly. But we clapped through all the preformances and I am sure he will hear all about his nether region being in front of all of it, and how not a single parent could hear their kids because the music was so loud. Me, I'll just wait for next year and hope for the best.
Then came Madie's cheer squad. Can I just say...
I may be at the end of my rope with all the practices and all the cheering going on in my house, but these girls were rocking. They were the best part of the evening. Everyone yelled and cheered and it was absolutely wonderful. The highlight. Then came a mom and her six year old daughter. They did a baton rutine. It was so freakin' sweet. She had a flaming baton that just wouldn't light and her daughter tried so hard. They wore matching outfits and everything. It was so heart warming.
The night helped thaw my heart a bit.
The big tree lighting itself was cancelled due to the amount of rain. We have the trees in the atrium of the NEX, there is one large on and about a dozen smaller ones that different groups decorated. So we lit those and then the big BIG tree up on Holiday Hill was lit but not in a huge ceremony. Just a flip the switch kinda thing. But it was still a success.
After all that fun, we headed to McDonald's got the boy and dad some dinner and went to the theater. They showed "Planet 51" last night. The kids loved it and I, well by that time my knee was throbbing so bad, and it had sprinkled thoughout the entire movie and I was cold and basically I was just ready to get home.
So today, Sunday, the first day of Advent, I have spent the day with my leg propped up and taking the ever lacking in strength Tylenol. I can't take Ibprofen ever again since the surgery so my hardest hitting pain killer is Tylenol. It usually works but we are talking serious amounts of pain. My knee is hurting now when even touched slightly. I know, I know..time to see a doctor, which is on the list for tomorrow.
But for tonight I have printed off some Advent prayers and off to say them before the kids fall asleep. I wish you all good sleep and I promise pictures by Tuesday. I send you all my love
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