Christmas - aka Andres' Birthday

We celebrated Christmas "Vigil-style" this year.  I must say it was lovely to have Christmas on a Tuesday, as Tom and I were both off Monday and Tuesday.  It made for an extra long weekend and extra time together.  We did some work on the house and finished getting in our bathroom windows, which installed differently than the others.  Pop came over and worked with Tom to install a big ol' heavy basement door to the cellar.  It was chilly work, and I appreciate that Tom said we shouldn't take all our vacation at Christmas time, when conditions for working on the house aren't prime.  All the same we got a bunch accomplished.

Then it was time to shower and clean up for Christmas mass (on Christmas Eve).  The family tradition is to get together after mass for snacks and gift-exchange.  10 pm made for a late dinner, and the kids had to wait even longer to open gifts until we all finished.

Tom passed out candy bags to tide these three over until the wrapping paper came off.

I think we left Mom & Pop's just minutes before Christmas.  We were pooped, and I might have had a little too much green and red drink.  Tom and I collapsed at home after we got the fire stoked back up and the food put away.

About 6 in the morning, nature was calling.  I took the opportunity to stoke the fire back up, and to my surprise I saw that we'd be having a WHITE CHRISTMAS!  I felt all the excitement of a six year old on Christmas - not for presents under the tree inside but for the gift of moisture all over the trees outside.

These pictures were requested by my dad who answered the phone singing, "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas" on Christmas morning and then was a wee bit surly when he heard we had in fact received a white Christmas while he was looking out at a wet Christmas.

By mid afternoon we really weren't ready to eat again, but eat we did.  We joined back up at Mom & Pop's to see the kids arrive with new toys and stories of the ones left at home.  Sofia was happy to prance in with a purse on her arms with a doll sticking out of it.  We ate, we talked, we laughed.  We were all tired.  Such a wonderfully prepared meal left us all needing a little time before Andres' birthday dessert and presents.  

Sofia found my slippers and proceeded to wobble across the floor in them - a little too heavy for her little feet.  Monday night she was clomping around in Sara's heels, which were a better fit.

Marie prepared funnel cake for Andres, who is now 14!

The holiday blazed right by as we got back to work.  Our Advent wreath was put away, but the tree still shines on - Christmas isn't over until January 6th.

What a year!

Twenty-twelve...a year of many milestones for Tom & I! 

Most family and friends' first question for us is "how is the house?" - a question that will carry us through 2013, too.  The answer all year has progressed so much, though for some the answers may have repeated themselves, too.  Were we to drop everything and just work on building our home, the house would look very different.  We started the year with a footer and end it with walls and a roof, doors and floors, windows and stairs.  (Truly we went from footer to walls and a roof, floors and stairs in about four months.)

In late April we began laying the first course of ICF blocks on our footer.

Now in late December, the hole, as it was affectionately called for a year, has become a hill with a home on top.

We have quite a lot of work to do in 2013, but we've made great progress: four pours of concrete, plus some small batches; framed three basement walls, the main floor south wall, and the west corner wall; hung floor joists and decked them; hung roof trusses and decked them; prepped and hung the roof panels; filled in walls and gables; installed almost all the windows; built stairs in side and to the cellar; installed front door and cellar door; hung insulation and sheeting for cellar walls; and numerous details in between.  We've worked through the sun and wind and rain and hail and wind and cold and hot and wind.  Plus we've done a lot of other things.

I thought about listing all those other things, but really I already wrote about them, so just use the side bar to scroll through.  We did have such a great year and enjoyed all the visitors who came to help or just to hang out.  We look forward to many more next year, too, I hope. 

And now it is almost Christmas.  For the first time we really did it up because we won't be traveling.  Tom's put up lights before, and he did a great job again this year, but we also have out a Christmas creche we received for our wedding and another I received as a little girl.  Tom chopped our first Christmas tree, which was fun trimming together.  I have been baking a bunch of Christmas goodies to share with friends and co-workers, including three batches of Mom's chocolate noodle-y things.  And as we light our Advent wreath in the evenings, the lights get brighter and the candles get shorter the closer we get.  As magical as Christmas is, I really love these days of preparation and anticipation.  Wishing all a Merry Christmas filled with love, especially my family back in Oregon, who I am missing this first Christmas away from home.  loveyoumeanit

Our first Christmas Tree, laden with ornaments;

a pair of stockings I'd sewn a decade ago,

presents for our family

(and last year's Ford Christmas picture in the top left corner)

Parties...

Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, much partying ensues.  David's birthday came first - and we were all so well behaved.  Someone had the good idea of homemade pizzas, which were really delicious.  The kids were especially amusing (and amused with themselves), as they had wrapped a few packages containing various articles found around the house, including clean laundry.   It was a fun evening together.

And Mom's birthday came next.  We celebrated on Saturday with dinner at Marie's, followed by the annual ornament craft night.  Marie's family had been sick during the week, and evidently Sofia wasn't quite over it.  Hopefully it is not a preview of moody teen years, which won't be as amusing as her dinner "performance" - cheerfully laughing at the table one minute and then pitifully looking from person to person willing the tears to spill over.   

 

future rodeo princess or just princess??

Wow - our guest of honor!

David in the middle of a daughter sandwich

Daniel and Julie presented this year's ornament craft - little sun catchers that you fill with paint.  It was just the right amount of messy, although I can't figure out how I ended up with orange paint streaked through my hair.

the master craftsmen carefully filling in the colors

Still a few parties left - fire hall team building training/party and end of the world party.  Then the real party begins - Andres/Baby Jesus birthday party.

Truly a reason to be thankful

What a blessing to celebrate family in Portland, but this last week we have been celebrating family in Miami. 

Tom's Grandma passed away on Nov 29th - two months shy of her 89th birthday.  Grandma Molly lived next door to Mom & Pop, and we have been blessed to live near by and see so much of her these past couple of years.  She always encouraged me to practice my Spanish and indulged me in stories of her younger days.  She will be missed, but we know she goes to a better place.

The funeral was on Tuesday, and what an honor for Pop to have invited us to be involved.  Monday night most of the family had arrived from out of town, so we enjoyed stories over dinner at Mom & Pop's.  Daniel was full of memories, recalling her first motorcycle ride not more than ten years ago and other images that had us all laughing.  I enjoyed getting to meet many cousins for the first time and even discovered a deacon in Las Vegas that I see frequently at work meetings was Granny's brother's son! 

We pray for our own comfort, but we celebrate what a full life she lived!  May eternal rest, God, grant unto Granny and perpetual light shine upon her.