A Very Merry Christmas

We have unpacked and have designated places for most items in our new house. We have located most everything of importance and unimportance, and are caught up on laundry and dishes. So far, I've avoided getting sick this season despite most of Texas catching the crud. I'm ready to dive in and get organized, hang pictures and land some seating and rugs for the house. The back fence should be completed last week, and I just emailed an inquiry for a baby beagle. It is all coming together! I've especially enjoyed being able to watch the sunsets from our living room and dining room. Pretty, pretty.

After a week of decongestants and Starbucks, Van drove himself to a clinic on Saturday to get two liters of fluid. His mom's crew watched the kids, welcomed all the family (cousin time!) and started Christmas dinner while I went to retrieve my pale husband and poke fun at him during his first IV of his life. We still were able to have a nice visit and watch the kids open their presents. Van was still weak on Sunday, and I am scared of germs, so we went ahead and skipped celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior and got on the road. Van felt better yesterday, so we celebrated in Utopia at the Methodist Church Christmas Eve service whispering to our kids, "and that is your cousin, and that is your cousin, and that is your cousin....." I think it was the first time that we trusted them to hold a candle, and they did very well. No one managed to burn themselves or their neighbor, and the fire department did not have to be summoned. The service was beautiful, and it was a great worship time. The little white church with stained glass windows is special to me because that is where many of our family attend, where my parents got married and where I ate many Oreos and drank red Kool-Aid at VBS. I even remember the nursery toy that could either be a rocking boat or be turned over to be a bridge. It is also where my sweet late grandmother took me to "prayer meetings" where we recited the Lord's prayer. Last night we came home and heated up steaks and tamales (my mom has great leftovers--the pinto beans were just right) before opening presents with the kids. The children had wonderful presents. Avi received a Radio Flyer All Terrain Wheels wagon, Cade got a bike, and Zane got a Nintendo DSi handheld game from us. Avi also got a "Baby Walk" as she calls it. That girl loves baby dolls, and it and some other toys have gotten rides in her new wagon and have been really loved on. Cousin time has been especially sweet, but there is a virus a-brewin'. My health is holding pretty well, but I've been a little sluggish. Ew. Slugs.

Van is headed to Fort Davis this afternoon for some quiet time. It is about five hours from here. He's planning on staying in my parent's rustic, high-altitude cabin with the toilet that ignites waste and hiking and biking around. I'm not sure what I'll do in the meantime. I might stay here in Utopia or I might get Mom to drive us back to Waco after my sister's crew and my uncles head out. I might steal any of my sister's kids that escape the crud. I'm itching to get organized in the new house, but at the same time, I have realistic expectations about how much can be accomplished with my three children and neighborhood friends. The priority needs to be doling out pickles and crackers and not sorting paper stacks. Those can wait. I hope to settle on a plan for some seating and rugs while Van is off from work to get comfy in the new place. That way, his muscles and his truck can be utilized! I found some great deals on craigslist but he has his doubts and wants to buy new. We have been debating the same thing but different items for 13 years now! December 18 was our anniversary. We'll carve out some special time soon. Van was volunteering at Mission Waco that night, and we want to celebrate when we have a slower pace. Ha!