.
One week to go. The girls are beside themselves.
And not only about the presents. They always want to have a birthday
party for baby Jesus. I like to think Dennis and I have a part, along
with April and Steve, in making them think of others and not themselves
all the time.
.
This weekend we made tarts. They were "lovely" ... at
least to look at. When it came time to eat them none of us could
get to the trash can fast enough. But the fun they had and the memories
we made. Flour from the tops of their t-shirts to their toes.
Cherry, blueberry and apple everywhere. "Grandma, I’m glad we don’t
have to put so much in the tarts. Can I finish the rest of the [pie]
filling?" "Grandpa, we made tarts, you want one?"
.
Two weekends in a row of going shopping with
the girls and going out to lunch. "Grandma, I had the bestest day
of my life today!" Luckily she’s only six, and will have many more
"bestest days of her life".
.
"How come we have to stay home with Papa today?"
"Gee, let’s see ... how about because I’m going to pick up some of your Christmas
presents." "We won’t look." Ummmm huh.
.
"Grandma, can we have the wrapping paper you
aren’t using?" "Sure." "Grandma, look what we made you.
Where do you want us to hang it?" Two priceless pieces of art taped
to the inside of my front door.
.
"Grandma, we’re going to do a project for the
science fair. Daddy is going to help us." Piggy wants to do
lightning. Chickie wants to build an atom smasher. Dad sadly
informs her he doesn’t know where to get the parts to build it. "But
Dad, you can see the smallest particles with it." Now settling
for stars and black holes.
.
Going to the toy aisle in Wal Mart ... "I want this,
and this, and this, and this, and this, and this. But you don’t have
to buy them all Grandma." Good thing because Grandma wouldn’t be
able to buy Christmas dinner at that rate.
.
"Grandma, we’re cleaning out our toy boxes to
give the toys to kids who don’t have a lot of toys. Can we go through
our toy box here?"
.
Dennis asking me for a list of what I want for
Christmas. "You mean besides Hot Wheels?" ;-)
.
Going shopping with April and ‘Lil Bubba at Wal
Mart. Carrying him around and refusing to give him to April even
though he is heavy. Sitting him in the basket when we finally find
an empty one and seeing him sit up straight and tall at five moths and
give me the biggest smile ever as he grips the handle and looks around
at everything. Having some of the other customers telling us how
cute Bubba is. (Of course he is, isn’t every grandchild?)
.
The smell of pies, candy and cookies being baked/made
(all of which have to be tested, naturally, by the cook, before being fed
to unsuspecting vict ... I mean to those we love and cherish. Remember
those tarts Grandpa. The Christmas music, the pictures of snow on
the weather channel, the calls to relatives in Michigan to hear that they
are snowed in but that the kids love it. Missing those who are no
longer with us, Merry Christmas Dad and Jon, and being grateful for those
that are. And so this is Christmas. Trish
