Christmas 2012
December 27, 2012
4:30pm
We are on the airplane on the way back home to Utah from Washington. We spenta week with my parents for Christmas. We flew in last Thursday (the 20th). The kids have gotten really good on such a short flight. I hate to say it but the ipod/ipads really help!
Our first stop on our way up to Edison was at Beth's Diner by Greenlake just north of Seattle. We always like to find a local "dive" from Man vs Food or Diners, Drive-ins & Dives. Beth's Diner was famous for giant omelettes and huge breakfasts. Our entire family shared one order of 3 pancakes (they were the size of a small pizza) and a 6-egg omelette and we were stuffed! A table next to us had ordered the 12-egg omelette—it was ridiculously HUGE!
We spent the next few days getting ready for Christmas. This year was our homemade Christmas but we decided to make it more like 50-50. Jeff and I did some shopping. The kids spent a ton of time in the shop making little gifts for each other. They used the bandsaw, drill press and sander. My dad set Isaac up in the shop with a big stump of firewood and some nails. He spent over an hour hammering nails into the wood. They he set up some small pieces of wood in the vise grip so Isaac could saw. He was in heaven! Calvin worked on all kinds of projects. He even got to try the lathe! Jason and Papa were out there most of the time but they were busy with their own projects so the kids were a little unsupervised with the power tools. Luckily there were no accidents. I probably should have been out there too but I was busy with projects of my own: quilts, playmats, making jewelry and soap bottles, etc. and wrapping gifts.
A day or two into the trip I came down with a cold. I was pretty miserable so I spent almost an entire day on the couch or in bed. Kind of a bummer! But better me than the kids. At least I was better by Christmas Eve.
Jeff was so funny—he loved doing tons of the chores that nobody else loves to do like digging potatoes out of the garden, bringing in firewood and starting and stoking the fire every day/all day. My mom LOVED him for it! It's possible he didn't absolutely love it, but that he loves my mom and wanted to help her! ;) He also helped my mom a ton in the kitchen. He loves to cook and my mom is an excellent cook. We ate like kings and queens on our vacation. Every night we had a houseful for dinner. Grandma and Grandpa Buck, Grandma Redding and Aunt Jeanne came out for dinner every night. The kids were a little wild at dinner. Mikey and Isaac get each other giggling and laughing and they just can't stop. It's really pretty funny but kind of loud!
We decided that we wanted to try and pull together a last minute sub-for-Santa locally so my mom called the Relief Society president and got some information about a less-active family in the ward that needed some help. The mother was a single mother raising four kids on her own and going back to school to become a dental hygienist. The ward had been able to do some food and commodities but no gifts. She gave us the ages and sizes of the kids and we all set off to Target to do some shopping. Mom wrote each child's name, age, gender and size on separate pieces of paper and we split up to shop for the kids. The girls LOVED picking out clothes and outfits for the little girls and the boys LOVED picking out the toys for the boys. We were able to get 2 outfits and 2 toys for each of the kids and then my mom did a gift card and some thoughtful little gifts like lotions, soaps and an inspirational book for the mother. Then we went home and wrapped everything up with their names on it. It was so much fun. The two little boys weren't that interested in wrapping or delivering and I was still feeling a bit sick so Jeff and my Mom took Jason, Kira, Calvin and Kate out to the home to deliver the gifts. They had to knock, run and circle the block in the car several times before someone finally answered the door to find the surprise left on the porch. They called the Relief Society president to let her know they were able to deliver the gifts and she told them that she had just received the most heartfelt, touching, grateful phone call from this sister who was just sobbing on the phone because she was so grateful that her kids would be able to have a Christmas. It was a touching moment that I think the kids will remember for a long time.
Sunday morning we all sat around the dining table and listened to Christmas music while we made Gingerbread houses and read a few Christmas stories. There are not many times when we have those picture-perfect family moments, but this was definitely one of those moments! Everyone was happy and smiling and enjoying each other and the moment. Jeff and I each read a storing out of Mom's "Keeping Christmas" book (a collection of true stories by well-known LDS authors). We read stories about giving and receiving and finding the true meaning of Christmas. The kids listened while they put candies on their gingerbread houses and spilled half of the candy on the floor, much to Nana's chagrin. We talked and laughed. It was awesome! It was another one of those moments when I just sat back and watched and loved our little family!
On Sunday the 23rd we had a little Christmas with Grandma and Grandpa Buck. They knew we were coming for Christmas and had asked what the kids would like for gifts. I know things have been tight for them since they came back from Fort Bragg, CA. But I also knew they would want to do something. But it was perfect since we were doing the homemade Christmas! Grandpa Buck made Harry Potter wands for each of the kids and a wooden sword for Isaac and a wooden "Peter Pan" knife for Mikey. He also mad a trophy shelf for Calvin out of Redwood. It is really cool! Grandma Buck made adorable angel necklaces for the girls and gave them each one of her music boxes. Grandpa also made Jeff and wooden pen out of Redwood and vase for me out of bark and Redwood. They also gave each of the little boys one of Grandpa's old toy cars. It was a special night and the kids were so good and gracious and truly loved everything! I think that made Grandma and Grandpa feel really good!
On Christmas Eve morning, Calvin went shopping with Jason. Calvin had Kira's name for Christmas and had already made her a really cute pair of shoes (thanks Pinterest)! But he brought his wallet full of money he'd been saving all year and couldn't resist buying a few more gifts. He was at Home Depot and saw a little hammer and saw and used his own money to buy them for his little brothers even though he didn't have their names for Christmas. He just knew they would love them and wanted to give them gifts. He told me, "I saw them and I knew they would love them! I can't wait to see their faces when they open them!" He also went to the See's Candy store with Jason who was buying a pound of See's Candy for Grandma Redding (a Redding family tradition: Grandma R used to always give each family a box of See's Candy for Christmas each year. Christmas and Easter were the only times we ever had See's Candy and it was always from Grandma Redding). Calvin knew how much Jeff and I remember See's Candy fondly from our childhoods (Jeff's Dad used to do the same thing for friends and employees every year so it was a special treat once a year for Jeff too) that he used his own money to buy a one pound box for Jeff and I for Christmas too! They are $16.99/box! When I saw that box under the tree with Calvin's handwritten tag on it to us that night I almost cried. I thought that was so thoughtful and such a sacrifice for my little 10 year old Calvin to remember and know how much we loved those memories and tradition that he would use so much of his own money to buy us that!
On Christmas Eve the kids played so well together! Really they played so well together on the whole trip, but Christmas Eve especially! I watched the three little ones set up a blanket fort and make little campsites/homesteads out of Jason's camping set and Playmobil while the two oldest spent the entire afternoon out in the shop building extra little gifts for the family. It was awesome! It was one of those moments as a mom that you just stop and watch and are so grateful for such good kids! I love those moments!
For the big dinner on Christmas Eve we had the Redding traditional standing rib roast. I don't think I've had that since my Grandpa Redding died. I do remember having it every Christmas and every Easter at my Grandma & Grandpa Redding's house as a little girl and it was never my favorite. But I have to say it was absolutely delicious that night! We ate by candlelight and had sparkling cider in glass goblets. The kids were really well behaved and it was a beautiful dinner.
After dinner and dishes we gathered in the living room for our Christmas program. Grandma & Grandpa Buck weren't there. They had volunteered to help usher at a Christmas Eve program at their new church. My dad read a Christmas story he had found. He used to do that every year growing up. And every year he would get a little choked up or even cry a little. It was almost the only time I ever saw my Dad get emotional. And one of the few times he would read to us. I always loved to hear him read a story. Kira read the Christmas story out of Luke 2 and we watched "Joy To The World" (the church DVD they sent out in the Ensign a few years ago as a missionary tool). Then we talked about our Savior and His birth and life and His gift to us of the atonement. Then we talked about gifts and why we did the homemade Christmas this year. The kids talked about how they liked doing homemade gifts because they think more about each other rather than just going to the store and picking out a gift. It made them spend more time thinking about each other and what they would really like and then time making that gift for someone made it come more from the heart.
Then the kids went to bed and we stayed up to finish our Christmas preparations. When we finally went to bed around midnight we crept into the room with the kids. We all slept in the same room that night. All seven of us! Jeff was so tired that he immediately started snoring SO LOUD! After about an hour of trying to go to sleep I went to find my Mom (who was still awake doing Christmas stuff) and she found me a pair of ear plugs. I was able to sleep better but then the kids all started waking up from the snoring! Even Isaac! They were not happy with Jeff! It was actually pretty funny. After a fitful night sleep, the kids woke up around 6am and we all went downstairs to open stockings and presents. It was a great morning. The kids loved giving their special gifts to each other and loved getting their homemade presents. And they were of course, happily surprised with several store-bought items as well! Jeff had us stop and take a picture of each homemade present which I was grateful for but after about a dozen pictures, the kids were ready for me to put my camera away! The kids spent the rest of the day playing with their new toys. The bows and arrows were a great hit and they played "Hunger Games" all over the yard in the rain. (Not sure how I feel about Hunger Games). But they played together without electronics and were happy so I did not complain!
That night we watched "A Christmas Carol" and I thought again about Ebenezer Scrooge and generosity and kindness. I thought about how sometimes I don't enjoy things because I feel guilty and how that really does limit my happiness. I've struggled at times with the abundance we enjoy. I feel like it's being spoiled to enjoy things. And sometimes I pass that on to my kids. I don't want them to have too much or do too much for fear they will grow up ungrateful and spoiled. But I thought about the lessons from that story and how it is okay to be merry and to try and make others merry as well. I thought about how much Scrooge made himself suffer by not enjoying the fruits of his labors. And how others suffered as well because he was in a position to help others but did not. I realized it's time for me to accept this position that I find myself in. I don't think I'm terribly stingy with others but I sometimes am stingy with my children and myself because I worry if I enjoy things too much or if my children enjoy things too much, we will become materialistic. I think it's time for me to accept and enjoy the abundance we have (with balance of course) and use that abundance to bless the lives of others through generosity and also through being happy and comfortable in my own skin. There is no shame in success or abundance unless you are self-centered, selfish and stingy. And I think my kids can be raised surrounded by abundance and not be spoiled or self-centered as long as we bring in a large measure of generosity and service as part of our family values. And the kids need to experience that too! Sometimes I want to show them poverty and want to help them appreciate what they have. And that is important, but like Jeff said, you don't have to touch the sand at the bottom of the ocean to know what sand feels like. They can still have empathy and compassion even though they have never experienced poverty and want. They can learn to be generous. They can also learn to be frugal, resourceful and thrifty without being cheap or selfish! I think I will watch that show every year because I learn something new each time!
We asked Grandma Redding to make a hearing aid appointment while we were there so Jeff and I could go with her and help her figure out why her hearing aids have been giving her so much trouble. She made the appointment for the 26th at 1pm. We picked her up at her apartment a few minutes before 1pm and headed over to Costco for the appointment. She really cannot hear at all so it's hard for her to do those visits alone. We took over and the lady was really helpful. We had her retest Grandma's hearing since she hadn't had a test in almost 3 years. She had lost nearly 40 decibels of hearing in one of her ears so her hearing aids were really maxed out, that's why they were squealing all of the time. She had said she didn't want to get new hearing aids because she was going to die soon and it wasn't worth it. We told her that was ridiculous! And too bad, we were getting her new hearing aids anyway and that was that! She tried some new behind-the-ear hearing aids that were more powerful and the technician set the settings to her current loss. It was amazing to see her light up! She could hear! She couldn't believe the difference. She started to get choked up and couldn't say much. She told us how grateful she was and couldn't believe that we would do this for her. We told her how much we loved her and how much she had done for our family over the years, this was the least we could do. We were all emotional but so happy! Even the hearing technician was choking back tears. It was so neat to experience that! It made me feel so good to help Grandma hear better. I really think this will make a big difference in her life. I hope it adds years to her life! I can't wait to hear how they work when she gets them on January 8th!
4:30pm
We are on the airplane on the way back home to Utah from Washington. We spenta week with my parents for Christmas. We flew in last Thursday (the 20th). The kids have gotten really good on such a short flight. I hate to say it but the ipod/ipads really help!
Our first stop on our way up to Edison was at Beth's Diner by Greenlake just north of Seattle. We always like to find a local "dive" from Man vs Food or Diners, Drive-ins & Dives. Beth's Diner was famous for giant omelettes and huge breakfasts. Our entire family shared one order of 3 pancakes (they were the size of a small pizza) and a 6-egg omelette and we were stuffed! A table next to us had ordered the 12-egg omelette—it was ridiculously HUGE!
We spent the next few days getting ready for Christmas. This year was our homemade Christmas but we decided to make it more like 50-50. Jeff and I did some shopping. The kids spent a ton of time in the shop making little gifts for each other. They used the bandsaw, drill press and sander. My dad set Isaac up in the shop with a big stump of firewood and some nails. He spent over an hour hammering nails into the wood. They he set up some small pieces of wood in the vise grip so Isaac could saw. He was in heaven! Calvin worked on all kinds of projects. He even got to try the lathe! Jason and Papa were out there most of the time but they were busy with their own projects so the kids were a little unsupervised with the power tools. Luckily there were no accidents. I probably should have been out there too but I was busy with projects of my own: quilts, playmats, making jewelry and soap bottles, etc. and wrapping gifts.
A day or two into the trip I came down with a cold. I was pretty miserable so I spent almost an entire day on the couch or in bed. Kind of a bummer! But better me than the kids. At least I was better by Christmas Eve.
Jeff was so funny—he loved doing tons of the chores that nobody else loves to do like digging potatoes out of the garden, bringing in firewood and starting and stoking the fire every day/all day. My mom LOVED him for it! It's possible he didn't absolutely love it, but that he loves my mom and wanted to help her! ;) He also helped my mom a ton in the kitchen. He loves to cook and my mom is an excellent cook. We ate like kings and queens on our vacation. Every night we had a houseful for dinner. Grandma and Grandpa Buck, Grandma Redding and Aunt Jeanne came out for dinner every night. The kids were a little wild at dinner. Mikey and Isaac get each other giggling and laughing and they just can't stop. It's really pretty funny but kind of loud!
We decided that we wanted to try and pull together a last minute sub-for-Santa locally so my mom called the Relief Society president and got some information about a less-active family in the ward that needed some help. The mother was a single mother raising four kids on her own and going back to school to become a dental hygienist. The ward had been able to do some food and commodities but no gifts. She gave us the ages and sizes of the kids and we all set off to Target to do some shopping. Mom wrote each child's name, age, gender and size on separate pieces of paper and we split up to shop for the kids. The girls LOVED picking out clothes and outfits for the little girls and the boys LOVED picking out the toys for the boys. We were able to get 2 outfits and 2 toys for each of the kids and then my mom did a gift card and some thoughtful little gifts like lotions, soaps and an inspirational book for the mother. Then we went home and wrapped everything up with their names on it. It was so much fun. The two little boys weren't that interested in wrapping or delivering and I was still feeling a bit sick so Jeff and my Mom took Jason, Kira, Calvin and Kate out to the home to deliver the gifts. They had to knock, run and circle the block in the car several times before someone finally answered the door to find the surprise left on the porch. They called the Relief Society president to let her know they were able to deliver the gifts and she told them that she had just received the most heartfelt, touching, grateful phone call from this sister who was just sobbing on the phone because she was so grateful that her kids would be able to have a Christmas. It was a touching moment that I think the kids will remember for a long time.
Sunday morning we all sat around the dining table and listened to Christmas music while we made Gingerbread houses and read a few Christmas stories. There are not many times when we have those picture-perfect family moments, but this was definitely one of those moments! Everyone was happy and smiling and enjoying each other and the moment. Jeff and I each read a storing out of Mom's "Keeping Christmas" book (a collection of true stories by well-known LDS authors). We read stories about giving and receiving and finding the true meaning of Christmas. The kids listened while they put candies on their gingerbread houses and spilled half of the candy on the floor, much to Nana's chagrin. We talked and laughed. It was awesome! It was another one of those moments when I just sat back and watched and loved our little family!
On Sunday the 23rd we had a little Christmas with Grandma and Grandpa Buck. They knew we were coming for Christmas and had asked what the kids would like for gifts. I know things have been tight for them since they came back from Fort Bragg, CA. But I also knew they would want to do something. But it was perfect since we were doing the homemade Christmas! Grandpa Buck made Harry Potter wands for each of the kids and a wooden sword for Isaac and a wooden "Peter Pan" knife for Mikey. He also mad a trophy shelf for Calvin out of Redwood. It is really cool! Grandma Buck made adorable angel necklaces for the girls and gave them each one of her music boxes. Grandpa also made Jeff and wooden pen out of Redwood and vase for me out of bark and Redwood. They also gave each of the little boys one of Grandpa's old toy cars. It was a special night and the kids were so good and gracious and truly loved everything! I think that made Grandma and Grandpa feel really good!
On Christmas Eve morning, Calvin went shopping with Jason. Calvin had Kira's name for Christmas and had already made her a really cute pair of shoes (thanks Pinterest)! But he brought his wallet full of money he'd been saving all year and couldn't resist buying a few more gifts. He was at Home Depot and saw a little hammer and saw and used his own money to buy them for his little brothers even though he didn't have their names for Christmas. He just knew they would love them and wanted to give them gifts. He told me, "I saw them and I knew they would love them! I can't wait to see their faces when they open them!" He also went to the See's Candy store with Jason who was buying a pound of See's Candy for Grandma Redding (a Redding family tradition: Grandma R used to always give each family a box of See's Candy for Christmas each year. Christmas and Easter were the only times we ever had See's Candy and it was always from Grandma Redding). Calvin knew how much Jeff and I remember See's Candy fondly from our childhoods (Jeff's Dad used to do the same thing for friends and employees every year so it was a special treat once a year for Jeff too) that he used his own money to buy a one pound box for Jeff and I for Christmas too! They are $16.99/box! When I saw that box under the tree with Calvin's handwritten tag on it to us that night I almost cried. I thought that was so thoughtful and such a sacrifice for my little 10 year old Calvin to remember and know how much we loved those memories and tradition that he would use so much of his own money to buy us that!
On Christmas Eve the kids played so well together! Really they played so well together on the whole trip, but Christmas Eve especially! I watched the three little ones set up a blanket fort and make little campsites/homesteads out of Jason's camping set and Playmobil while the two oldest spent the entire afternoon out in the shop building extra little gifts for the family. It was awesome! It was one of those moments as a mom that you just stop and watch and are so grateful for such good kids! I love those moments!
For the big dinner on Christmas Eve we had the Redding traditional standing rib roast. I don't think I've had that since my Grandpa Redding died. I do remember having it every Christmas and every Easter at my Grandma & Grandpa Redding's house as a little girl and it was never my favorite. But I have to say it was absolutely delicious that night! We ate by candlelight and had sparkling cider in glass goblets. The kids were really well behaved and it was a beautiful dinner.
After dinner and dishes we gathered in the living room for our Christmas program. Grandma & Grandpa Buck weren't there. They had volunteered to help usher at a Christmas Eve program at their new church. My dad read a Christmas story he had found. He used to do that every year growing up. And every year he would get a little choked up or even cry a little. It was almost the only time I ever saw my Dad get emotional. And one of the few times he would read to us. I always loved to hear him read a story. Kira read the Christmas story out of Luke 2 and we watched "Joy To The World" (the church DVD they sent out in the Ensign a few years ago as a missionary tool). Then we talked about our Savior and His birth and life and His gift to us of the atonement. Then we talked about gifts and why we did the homemade Christmas this year. The kids talked about how they liked doing homemade gifts because they think more about each other rather than just going to the store and picking out a gift. It made them spend more time thinking about each other and what they would really like and then time making that gift for someone made it come more from the heart.
Then the kids went to bed and we stayed up to finish our Christmas preparations. When we finally went to bed around midnight we crept into the room with the kids. We all slept in the same room that night. All seven of us! Jeff was so tired that he immediately started snoring SO LOUD! After about an hour of trying to go to sleep I went to find my Mom (who was still awake doing Christmas stuff) and she found me a pair of ear plugs. I was able to sleep better but then the kids all started waking up from the snoring! Even Isaac! They were not happy with Jeff! It was actually pretty funny. After a fitful night sleep, the kids woke up around 6am and we all went downstairs to open stockings and presents. It was a great morning. The kids loved giving their special gifts to each other and loved getting their homemade presents. And they were of course, happily surprised with several store-bought items as well! Jeff had us stop and take a picture of each homemade present which I was grateful for but after about a dozen pictures, the kids were ready for me to put my camera away! The kids spent the rest of the day playing with their new toys. The bows and arrows were a great hit and they played "Hunger Games" all over the yard in the rain. (Not sure how I feel about Hunger Games). But they played together without electronics and were happy so I did not complain!
That night we watched "A Christmas Carol" and I thought again about Ebenezer Scrooge and generosity and kindness. I thought about how sometimes I don't enjoy things because I feel guilty and how that really does limit my happiness. I've struggled at times with the abundance we enjoy. I feel like it's being spoiled to enjoy things. And sometimes I pass that on to my kids. I don't want them to have too much or do too much for fear they will grow up ungrateful and spoiled. But I thought about the lessons from that story and how it is okay to be merry and to try and make others merry as well. I thought about how much Scrooge made himself suffer by not enjoying the fruits of his labors. And how others suffered as well because he was in a position to help others but did not. I realized it's time for me to accept this position that I find myself in. I don't think I'm terribly stingy with others but I sometimes am stingy with my children and myself because I worry if I enjoy things too much or if my children enjoy things too much, we will become materialistic. I think it's time for me to accept and enjoy the abundance we have (with balance of course) and use that abundance to bless the lives of others through generosity and also through being happy and comfortable in my own skin. There is no shame in success or abundance unless you are self-centered, selfish and stingy. And I think my kids can be raised surrounded by abundance and not be spoiled or self-centered as long as we bring in a large measure of generosity and service as part of our family values. And the kids need to experience that too! Sometimes I want to show them poverty and want to help them appreciate what they have. And that is important, but like Jeff said, you don't have to touch the sand at the bottom of the ocean to know what sand feels like. They can still have empathy and compassion even though they have never experienced poverty and want. They can learn to be generous. They can also learn to be frugal, resourceful and thrifty without being cheap or selfish! I think I will watch that show every year because I learn something new each time!
We asked Grandma Redding to make a hearing aid appointment while we were there so Jeff and I could go with her and help her figure out why her hearing aids have been giving her so much trouble. She made the appointment for the 26th at 1pm. We picked her up at her apartment a few minutes before 1pm and headed over to Costco for the appointment. She really cannot hear at all so it's hard for her to do those visits alone. We took over and the lady was really helpful. We had her retest Grandma's hearing since she hadn't had a test in almost 3 years. She had lost nearly 40 decibels of hearing in one of her ears so her hearing aids were really maxed out, that's why they were squealing all of the time. She had said she didn't want to get new hearing aids because she was going to die soon and it wasn't worth it. We told her that was ridiculous! And too bad, we were getting her new hearing aids anyway and that was that! She tried some new behind-the-ear hearing aids that were more powerful and the technician set the settings to her current loss. It was amazing to see her light up! She could hear! She couldn't believe the difference. She started to get choked up and couldn't say much. She told us how grateful she was and couldn't believe that we would do this for her. We told her how much we loved her and how much she had done for our family over the years, this was the least we could do. We were all emotional but so happy! Even the hearing technician was choking back tears. It was so neat to experience that! It made me feel so good to help Grandma hear better. I really think this will make a big difference in her life. I hope it adds years to her life! I can't wait to hear how they work when she gets them on January 8th!
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