after thanksgiving

Hello friends – I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving break!  It’s the Sunday after Thanksgiving and you’re getting a little download on our nutty day.

Even though I had to work some, I woke up this morning, the last of FIVE mornings in a row, sipping coffee on the back porch overlooking the bayou with my hubby (and kids) down at the farm.  This was our final view this morning before we headed back to the frenzied city pace (the only morning it fogged over – I love foggy mornings so much):

We made it back without any major traffic snafus (wahoo) and then the hilarity ensued.  The entire reason I felt compelled to write a post, instead of just making a little side note on Facebook, is because of this episode.  Apologies in advance to anyone who lives north of I-20 and is in the middle of a deep freeze.

We all five unloaded the pickup truck, the trio doing the bare minimum to lug their suitcases to the bedrooms, while Bray and I did the rest of the heavy lifting.  On my third trip into the house I hear yelping.  Excited high-pitched shrieking of my name.  (I can’t stand the word mommy when I’ve been away from work five days.  It’s just the truth.)  I rush over the back door where they’re jumping up and down and pointing to the backyard.  “Look,” she says breathlessly, “It’s a Christmas miracle!”  Her brother nods his head in agreement while the third comes running to see.

“What?,” I ask, genuinely curious, since all I see is our regular old backyard, under gray clouds, with a pool needing some leaves cleaned out.  “The trees!  The trees! Look at the leaves.”

Yes, sure enough, our Christmas miracle was that two small trees in our backyard had begun their journey to fall foliage.  It’s like we had a little taste of New England just in time for Christmas.  They begged to go out in the cold (it was in the low 50s, don’t judge) and pick the leaves and the, gasp, red berries in order to develop an art project.  They wanted to design gingerbread men out of construction paper and fall leaves and berries.

And that folks, is how we ring in the Christmas holidays down here in Texas.

Mercy.

They are never going to grasp what seasons are or which holidays they are “supposed to” coincide with… sigh.

Then we actually did do what people outside of south Texas do the Sunday after Thanksgiving which is pick out the family Christmas tree.   I still have Hallmark fantasies about going to a tree farm one day, but in lieu of that, we braved the crowds at our local garden store and picked out one that was fluffy and still in budget.

After little bit was finished with church choir, we rushed through dinner so we could get to decorating.  We had already tackled the front yard before we left town and at least four of the five of us were itching to pull all the inside decorations out of the attic.

We turned on the Christmas tunes and off we went.  I tried letting them help with the lights but the OCD part of me was flipping out.  We only lost one ornament this trimming time which is remarkable given the number which actually got knocked off the tree.  The leftover ornaments went on the kids tiny fake bedroom trees we’ve had for a couple of years (they make for the most festive night light!).  I lost my temper a couple of times because even at six, which is crazy improved from the twos and threes and fours, they make me insane.  Pulling everything out because they’re too excited to wait and all my order and attempt at structure goes flying out the window.  I wouldn’t trade this bedlam and lopsided tree for my days of quiet color-coordinated (very symmetrical) decorating, but I still lose my cool when it reaches fever pitch.

The highlights of the evening were the eldest asking to remove the cross ornament from our family tree and put it on his bedroom tree because he wanted something about Jesus on his tree (sigh, he has such a deep faith already, it makes me want to explode, and buy a dozen crosses for his tree…), and when All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth started playing and the baby smiled from ear to ear showing his big wide bottom gap.

{As a total aside, the eldest lost his FIRST tooth, a bottom one, the day before Thanksgiving.  Not to be outdone, the baby had his cousin pull his bottom tooth that night so he would get Tooth Fairy money too (it was very loose, but still, the competition is insane).  Then, while eating a S’more last night, the baby’s second bottom tooth just fell out.  That’s right.  we are down three teeth from the Thanksgiving weekend people. }

So that was our day.  How was yours?  Do you love this season as much as I do??