Merry Christmas!

It's the fifth day of Christmas. Tim is at work, school is on break, and Timmy's at a friend's house from school. A couple of us are still in pajamas. At least once I'm going to order the kids outside for fresh air and exercise, and nag them to read a book. Someone will be taking the dog for a walk (most likely me). I'll be calling Annie back to the kitchen to clean up her baking mess. I've got a to-do list, but it feels like I have all the time in the world to do it. My cleaning schedule has gone by the wayside, but occasionally a dirty toilet or floor will spur me into action. I'm describing the typical day in the life of 2020. But unlike the endless tedium of spring (two weeks, they said!), I can really savor and appreciate this break because I know I only have a week more of it. When things start back up, it's going to get busy around here quick.

Grace told me she thinks Christmas is a good time for me to update my blog. So it is. This one is for you, Grace.

We went to Mass Christmas Eve at 4:00, and then watched A Christmas Story together after dinner. We managed to get all of them to bed at a decent hour, in particular Joey, who had been reminded probably a dozen times by his siblings how important it is to get to sleep so Santa can come.

In the middle of the night I heard Joey climbing into bed with us and telling Tim, "Santa came! And he gave us lots of presents! And he ate the cookies, and the carrots, and drank the milk." I thought, uh-oh, he might not go back to sleep now. But thank goodness he did.

Eight-thirty saw Tim rounding the kids up for the obligatory tree picture, while I got my first cup of coffee. Then I held the phone so Tim Sr and Carolyn could watch them open their presents on FaceTime. It did not even occur to me to take pictures of them opening their presents as I held the phone, sipped my coffee, and watched through bleary eyes. 

Once the kids were done, I opened my presents from Grace. The girls got impatient watching me because I took too much time removing the paper and admiring the boxes they were in. They laughed at me, but hey, I enjoy the packaging too, especially when I can save and reuse it. She gave me some comfy clothes, which I love and can never have too much of. Then--surprise, surprise--a present from Tim. We had agreed not to give each other any. I said, "Oh boy, I thought the new kitchen was my present!"

You guys, it was an electronic fly swatter! When those pesky kitchen flies come back, I'll be ready. And if a fly should happen to land on anyone's head, well, you know I've gotta do what I gotta do! Zap.

But that wasn't all. There was more. Inside another box were ping-pong balls, paddles, and a net. What did I need these for? Tim told me to take it all upstairs, and I did, leading a procession behind me. In front of the window in the FROG was a ping-pong table that Tim and Delaney had made for me after I made a comment some weeks back about how much I used to enjoy playing ping-pong in my grandma's basement. I was delighted. With my comfy clothes and ping-pong, I need never leave the house.

Here are some photos of the rest of our lazy Christmas Day.

Delaney with two of her gifts: a new Patriots shirt and a Child Chia Pet

Annie got a stand mixer from Grandma and a donut pan and sprinkles from Auntie Kathy. She put both to good use.

The day after Christmas, Tim and I headed out to pick up a TV stand for the FROG, that Tim had found on Facebook Marketplace. When we got to the seller's home, she told us she was moving to Washington State and wanting to get rid of all kinds of stuff. She just didn't like posting the ads and having to deal with all the messages. She asked us if we wanted any more furniture for our FROG, and I said I'd take a look while Tim and her son loaded the TV stand into his truck. That furniture wasn't something that would work for us, but when she told me her outdoor furniture was for sale, my eyes lit up. New outdoor furniture had been on my list for some time, but not really a high enough priority. It's always so overpriced. Her stuff was from Lowe's like ours, but it was prettier in my opinion, and two of the chairs rock. We ended up taking the whole set, rug included, for $50. Tim made it all fit in the truck, and I said, "That's why we can never get rid of the truck." What a nice surprise that was! I am spoiled.

This morning, along with some more presents for the kids, some goodies for me arrived from Mom and Anna. Two sets of Trader Joe's white pine hand soap and lotion--one for now and one for next year! The stuff smells divine. Mom gave me this book with a note written inside.

"Dearest, I bought all the copies I could find years ago after I saw one in person. I hope you love it as much as I love you and your family. To your first home with joy. Love, Mom"

"I laughed when I read this again before sending. But hey--you can always dream.💗 P.S. Tim can prepare with grace and you appreciate with gratitude." That is how it goes around here: Tim has much more grace in the kitchen than I do, and I am grateful to eat any meal that I don't prepare.🤣 And I can always dream of the day that the kids will eat our meals with gratitude. Maybe if I wear a flapper dress?

Well, hello there. It's been a minute since I got on here last. I haven't been jumping on here to enumerate my failed resolutions or the times I don't measure up to my own standards, but trust me, there's been a lot of that happening around here. At the same time, I have to look around and see that life has been incredibly good, we have so much to be thankful for, and even that I, personally, am managing to do some things right, even when it feels like I'm just bumbling along. Documenting life here has always helped me focus on that better, but strangely enough, I rarely find myself wanting to do that. This crazy year has had me diving deeper into my faith; and it seems that where I used to find myself with lots to share, now I find myself with almost no words. With whatever time I have free, all I want to do is listen, read, contemplate, and absorb. I'm like a bottomless pit needing to be filled with everything good, beautiful and true in the face of all this uncertainty.

Yesterday was Joey's 5th birthday. After I dropped Timmy off at school, I was sitting at the kitchen table eating breakfast when my bedroom door opened, and he came out (he always winds up in our bed by morning). He stood there all disheveled and sleepy because he gets out of bed before he's actually awake. I looked over and said, "Happy birthday, love!" He gasped and said, "I'm five!" Then he ran to me and launched himself into my arms. After I set him back down he asked me if he'd grown, and I told him he definitely had. The magic of going to bed four years old and waking up the next morning five!

He was fake sleeping because I wanted this picture and he won't nap except in the car or at church; even still I'm amazed at how his face, and all their faces, revert to newborn when they're asleep.

As I always do on their birthdays, I broke out my treasure trove of memories. The night five years ago I went to bed heavily pregnant and exhausted after an emotional day. Feeling the breeze come through my open window, and seeing the branches swaying. Waking up Tim and calling my midwife a few hours later, but trying not to get too excited. My midwife Joanne in her "Midwives help people out" t-shirt. Seeing the kids off at the school bus, frying eggs at the stove, and wondering if, in fact, there would be a baby born that day. Walking into the kitchen triumphantly holding up eight fingers. Laughing with Tim as we walked around our neighborhood, and then getting a couple really good contractions. Pulling the new little one up to my heart, and searching his scrunched-up face for familiar features.

We took the kids to the trampoline park on Sunday, as a special birthday outing. He got to celebrate at school with treats and a new book. Then it was just us later for cake, ice cream, and presents. We got him the next size up bike, and at first he was pretty intimidated by its height, but by the end of the evening he'd taken it for a spin around the driveway. He also got three remote control cars, an assortment of other cars, and some Transformers, all of which have kept him busy playing inside on this cold day. He goes to preschool Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings, and hangs out with us the other two days of the week.

Another thing I've been wanting to share: Tim finished our kitchen transformation right before Thanksgiving. I love how it turned out -- so much lighter and brighter. The cabinets were spray painted professionally, and the old tile was replaced by Brazilian cherry like the other living areas. The backsplash and counters are new, and Tim put in more under-cabinet lighting. He did an amazing job with the pantry too, but I need to clean it up and get it looking good in there again before I take a picture. 

And here are a couple "before" pictures, so you can really see how far we've come. The one change that had the biggest impact -- as in, if we'd done nothing else, we could have gotten by -- was painting the cabinets. Tim keeps finding little nicks in the paint and it's driving him crazy, but I don't look that closely and I still love it. At one point Tim uncovered hunter green paint behind the stove, and it was crazy to imagine the whole room having been hunter green at one point.