I have decided, after seeing all the pictures that Penny drew over the last few days (and then cut out and stuffed in plastic baggies, grocery bags, and her hand-me-down Spider Man lunch box from Abe – as she does with most of her art work), that I have all the inspiration I need among these drawings to write a very successful children’s book!
I haven’t decided on the exact story line or order in which I will use the pictures, but it will probably start with this very friendly oversized tiger-colored dog
stopping by this house to take this taped together boy on an adventure!
Probably, as they set off, they will come across a family who will invite them in to celebrate Christmas
(or, it might be that the snowman will be the one inviting them to celebrate Christmas).
BUT! That might not happen before or until they have travelled across an ocean, accompanied by a friendly whale (or possibly escaping a terrifying whale).
At some point, the boy will think, sadly, about how it is his birthday and, even though he is off on a grand adventure, he will be a little sad that there has been no mention made of the day being his. At that point, there will be, naturally, a stop for . . . A SURPRISE BIRTHDAY PARTY!
And then, and I haven’t actually worked how I’ll fit this bit in exactly yet, but it will definitely end with this VERY happy ending of a purple and pink dog being taken for a walk by . . . should I give it away? . . . a . . . JACK-O-LANTERN!
It will be good, won’t it!
So, moving on to Christmas preparations: They are pretty much complete!
And that, you will find . . . if indeed you ever do find yourself with six small children needing a good Christmas, is quite a feet! (Or is it a feat? I can’t remember). But, it is a feet/feat particularly when one of those children is a nursing newborn. Can you imagine trying to do all your Christmas shopping in the mad crowds with two toddlers and one baby in a big car seat? I know. I can’t imagine it either because I did pretty nearly none of our Christmas shopping!
Truly, Mike took it upon himself to do every single bit of it, and with no real direction at all from me! That is one extra bonus thing I like about him. He can be in charge of something as big as “our entire Christmas” and pull it off perfectly. He really is much better than I am at thinking of the very best things for any certain individual, and I am unbelievably grateful that I didn’t have to feel any of the stress of shopping in December crowds this year. I have put myself to faithfully wrapping the gifts, and I did put up our decorations (and made Mike spend a crazy wee bit of time with all the kids while I snuck out to get him something), but that is it, and it has been lovely. Lovely. Lovely.
But, speaking of decorations, the tree only got up very very recently (which seems a small shame as it will be coming down fairly soon), but with Mike working his usual late hours and spending other free hours getting gifts, we just didn’t get around to it until last week when Mike took the older five kids to pick one out. Then it sat in the back of our truck for several days getting snowed on, and looking lonely, and causing my friend to tell me that, as she drove by day after day, she would think, “Poor Nancy.” (As in, that poor woman, she has a new baby and Christmas is any day now, and there her Christmas tree sits each and every day I drive past her house).
It is up now though. The kids spent many minutes pounding in to Jesse the idea that the ginger bread ornaments and popcorn strands were “yucky” and not to be eaten (so, he avoided eating them, and , instead, took a hammer and began smashing them), and they also decorated each other and themselves about as much as they decorated the tree (breaking the prized “pickle” ornament in the process):
But, we are all set! Hip hip hooray! And a MERRY CHRISTMAS to you all!
1 comment:
Yes, it's feat :)
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