Monday, January 2, 2017

Finding Joy in the After Christmas Mess

 
12 things to remember from Christmas 2016
1. Papa bought a new massage chair. The Green family was extra rubbed down this year at the Long Grove Christmas.
2. Eric surprised everyone with a Wii. Wii love it!
3. Sam got his super fun "narvel" run that he was asking for.
4. We visited the Boyds on Christmas afternoon. Their basement reminded me of the game room at Happy Joes off Brady Street. Very fun and interactive!
5. We went to the Schulzes on December 26th. Grandma was housesitting for a friend and watching over their cat named Nicholas aka Nick. We couldn't find the beloved cat anywhere in the house and finally found him under a bed. Sam reached for Nick and he hissed at him. Sam said, "He sneezed at me. He's a little bit sick."
6. Laura got a Barbie Dreamhouse with a working elevator. I think I was around her age when I got my Barbie Dreamhouse with an elevator. :-)
7. We woke up to Laura barfing in the hallway  at Grandma's house. I think it's always interesting to see how others clean up barf and the containers others use for barf receptacles. Laura was a trooper!
8. Laura and Grandma worked on constructing the Dreamhouse while the engineers, Sam, Aunt Liz & I went ice skating. 
9. Laura was 24 hours vomit free so we went to Chicago's Science & Industry Museum. We packed a kitchen bowl and towel (just in case). Although Laura wasn't 100% she did really well and we had a great time. Sam got to go inside of a tornado, Laura wanted me to read all of the information next to the exhibits (she's just like her grandpa), & we got to witness a chick hatching from an egg. We love science!
10. We were discussing memorable Christmas cookies which spurred me to look up their recipes. I found a common theme in Grandma Claussen's cookies. They typically had 3-4 ingredients which included peanuts, melted chocolate, milk, & occasionally marshmallows.
11. On the last day of being in Illinois we went skating again so Laura and Grandma could join us. Laura wasn't "feeling it", but Sam sure was. He said, "Just bend your knees, Laura. It's easy." I'm sure that was exactly the encouragement she needed to hear from her little brother.
12. I got a Ninja blender and I've been blending up a storm. Last night I made Dirty Bananas to take us back to Jamaica. Although they were delicious, drinking a frozen beverage in sweatpants next to a fire didn't quite get me out of Iowa.

Tomorrow I head back to work and I still need to take down the Christmas tree, secretly throw away the gingerbread house, and find "homes" for all the new Christmas gifts. Christmas is a wonderful time which is full of anticipation and excitement that symbolizes the anticipation and excitement felt at the birth of Jesus Christ. We often talk about that wonderful night Jesus was born, but what about Jesus as an infant?  What about the cluster feedings, sleepless nights, and cloth diapers Mary and Joseph had to deal with when Jesus was an infant? Is that the after Christmas mess for us? Despite the mess, I'm trying really hard to find the joy in the mess even if I have Lego pieces stuck to the bottoms of my feet.  











 




1 comment:

  1. Awesome post girlfriend! I love the sledding photo. That Asian in the front looks way more excited than those white boys in the back ;)

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