On the Fourth Day of Christmas

Tonight we will celebrate our third (and final!) Christmas.

Whew!

It seems like the older I get, the longer the celebrations last.

And the older I get? The more it wears me out.

I'm exhausted!

So, what about you? How many times did you celebrate Christmas this year?

On the Second Day of Christmas

On the second day of Christmas, we're celebrating Christmas.

Yet again.

The End.

The Right Thing To Do

After decorating the house...

after finishing the shopping...

after wrapping all the presents...

after shopping for the Christmas dinner...

after coordinating the Christmas clothing...

after planning for a small, intimate, family-of-five Christmastime...

we headed home for Christmas.

It was the right thing to do.

We didn't want to go. We didn't want to drive four hours. We didn't want to see lots of people. We didn't want to hear lots of loud voices.

But we did. And, in a way, we wanted to.

Because it was the right thing to do.

Mr. Einstein's beloved grandfather has lung cancer.

The same kind of lung cancer his other grandfather died from years ago.

Treatments aren't going well. He's in constant, terrible pain.

So, we went home for Christmas.

It was the right thing to do.

We made peace with the decision. We postponed our small, intimate, family-of-five Christmastime until the 26th. We will still do things the way we originally wanted to, just a little later than planned.

But first, we saw family. We finally got to meet our four month-old niece for the first time.

We got to take the (hopefully, first of many) opportunities to say goodbye.

Because it was the right thing to do.

**********

Merry Christmas, everyone! I hope you have a blessed time with friends and loved ones.

"For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given...And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

In the Land of Runny Noses and Poopy Diapers

In the Land of Runny Noses and Poopy Diapers live three children.

E, the oldest, has a runny nose.

C, the middle child, has a runny nose.

M, the baby, has a runny nose.

Their mother is so proud.

Now, E, being the oldest, doesn't wear diapers anymore, but she spends her days fetching tissues for her mother and overseeing diaper changes.

C, the middle child, is 2 1/2. She still wears diapers, and, consequently, still poops in them. C shows no signs of potty training, wanting to potty train, or interest in potty training. Her mother would desperately like her potty trained.

M, the baby, wears diapers, of course. He is expected to poop in them; his mother wouldn't have it any other way. Although, she does wish that she didn't have to monitor his poopy diapers so closely, due to his wheat problems (not allergies, problems).

In this Land of Runny Noses and Poopy Diapers, the mother wipes noses at least eight times an hour. It's a wonder she herself isn't sick. No worries, though; she's confident she'll have her own runny nose to take of by Monday. She is so looking forward to this.

The mother also changes, on average, four poopy diapers by nap time. She thinks her children may have issues.

The father is, of course, at work during most of the day in the Land of Runny Noses and Poopy Diapers. He is blissfully unaware of the nose-wiping and bum-wiping that go on while he is away. The mother, though, makes sure he does his fair share when he returns home each evening. She is good at sharing like that.

Fortunately, in the Land of Runny Noses and Poopy Diapers there is nap time (which is a whole different Land to explore at another time) which begins soon. For this, the mother is grateful.

When Worlds Collide

Hi, Mrs. Einstein, meet Krista.

Yep. I actually got to meet another blogger! For the first. time. ever.

And you know what? It actually wasn't weird at all. (Okay, well, the part where I had to leave her five minutes after she arrived to go pick up E from school was a bit weird, but, whatever.)

Meeting Krista in person, a blogger whom I've "known" for almost 2 years, was like meeting up with a friend that I see all the time. There didn't seem to be any awkward moments, any embarrassed moments, any oh-my-goodness-I-can't-think-of-a-single-thing-to-say moments, any ack!-what-must-she-think-of-my-kid(s)? moments.

Instead, we were comfortable, companionable, relaxed.

We were friends.

I don't know about Krista, but my head was spinning for just a little bit, trying to figure out where this meeting fit in, since my worlds had just collided. But you know what? I'm so glad they did!

Thanks, Krista, for such a wonderful day! I can't wait to get together with you again!