The kids’ Christmas shopping trip might
have been one of the highlights of the season for the kids and teens around
here, but the Moms’ trip to the city today very likely has more of an impact on
us – if our parents are prepared to help Santa out with making our Christmas
wishes come true.
Mom and Aunt Leanne were in charge of
setting up this trip too, as usual; so they were up early and off to the Inn
for another breakfast buffet before heading out of town for the day – along with
forty-six other mothers and grandmothers.
They both drove too; with Mom taking Dad’s truck while Aunt Leanne drove
a group in her minivan. Since they were
heading out early, we skipped Tai Chi today – and Michael was helping his
father out at the Inn anyway; so he couldn’t exercise with us either. Mom was at the Inn before seven o’clock, and
while she was gone; I helped with getting Ethan and Ehlana ready for a day with
their friends at KidZone. Dad took us
out for breakfast at the Inn too, so we were able to see Mom, Aunt Leanne, and
the rest of our favorite shoppers on their way before getting to enjoy another
breakfast buffet that Uncle Adam, Zack, and Brianna joined us for before
Grandma Carrington took custody of her grandkids for the morning. Zack and Brianna spent the afternoon at
KidZone too; but Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne didn’t want Brianna spending the
entire day there – and Grandma Christine was happy to get some time with them
while Uncle Adam was busy at the med center and lab.
That made for a fun start to my day, and
while I didn’t have shopping-in-the-city fun at school; Michael and I did have
two Christmas concert practices with the kids that offset the two tests we had
to write today – a theme that will continue this week so that we get that out
of the way ahead of our last week of school for the year that will be all about
Christmas fun next week. Babysitting and
fun were the words of the afternoon for Michael and me once we were set free
from last class; and we went over to KidZone to pick up Ethan, Ehlana, Zack,
and Brianna. Uncle Adam was hosting the
family dinner today so that the men could team up to take care of all of the
kids – with the bonus help from some grandparents, Michael, and me.
We didn’t go straight there, since Uncle
Adam was still working, but we stopped in at our house to drop off bags and
check on the crock pot lasagna that was our contribution to the pot-luck dinner
effort that Mom put together last night and we only needed to turn on this
morning to cook it. That plan, by the
way, was apparently popular with some of my aunts; since more than half of our
dinner options tonight were of the crock pot variety. There was some collusion involved too; since
every dish was also different. The main
exceptions were the smiley fries and chicken nuggets that Uncle Adam cooked up
in the oven after getting home; and that was specifically to appease the
younger boys – not that Michael and the Dads turned down having at least a few
smiley fries too. ;^)
I’ve gotten a bit ahead of the story, since
we went out to play after the stop at my house.
The temperature was in the mid-fifties this afternoon, so we had fun at
the playground; did some biking on the trails because Michael and I took Zack
and Brianna in the bike trailer while Ethan and Ehlana rode their own bikes;
and then we headed over to the Carrington house after a stop for treats at the
Emporium. Grandma Christine was heading
there by then, so we met her there; and then Michael and I helped out with both
kid control and getting dinner ready while we waited for the rest of my
cousins, uncles, Grandma Ayres, and Dad to join us. Uncle Adam came home a bit early while Uncle
Mark wrapped things up at the med center; which is why he was able to cook for
the kids and be there to welcome everyone else.
While the grandfathers needed to work because most stores are open late
every day between now and Christmas; we had bonus guests – including Naomi,
Eli, and their Dad; Aiden; and Jessica, Ryan, and Sophia. Michael’s cousins were added to the group
because their Dad and Uncle couldn’t get away from the gas station or grocery
store; so Michael was asked to help out when his Dad ended up helping out at
the Inn for dinner too despite it being his day off.
Our dinner was a blast of too-busy fun; the
clean-up that followed took quite a while; and then Michael and I were set free
to come back to my house so that we could get started on our homework and the
music practice we needed to have to get ready for all of the Christmas
entertainment we’re booked to help out with at school and church. That was fun for us, and while we didn’t get
any time while we were there alone for a major make-out session; we did make a
bit of time for that later before he went home for the night. Dad brought Ethan and Ehlana home by a bit
after eight o’clock; they all worked in the office until Mom got home; and then
Michael and Dad helped Mom with unloading the truck while I took care of the
bath side of the full bedtime routine for Ethan and Ehlana. We followed that up with a group bedtime
snack; Mom and Dad went to bed when Ethan and Ehlana did; and Michael and I had
that alone time fun in the lounge until he went home at a bit after eleven o’clock.
Mom skipped my Magi lesson because she was
too tired by then; so I also didn’t have an archive assignment. Thanks to a time-phase; I’ve also done all of
my family business work and most of my language studies for the night without
staying up until three or four, and if I wrap this up now; I’ll even be
sleeping by shortly after midnight – if I can make it over to dreamland without
needing any major wind-down time. This
really has been a crazy-busy day, but I’ve also covered the highlights; so let’s
pick our Christmas song of the day and then I’ll get to that nap time.
While the Jordans aren’t actually a group, ‘Not
That Far From Bethlehem’ is still one of my all-time favorite Christmas songs;
and always will be after singing it with Michael. This version by the three Jordan sisters is
also the one Michael and I based our own version of the song on; which is why I
love it even more than the Point of Grace version. I hope you enjoy it as much as I always do!
Not That Far From Bethlehem – The Jordans
Until next time...
...May the Magi Force be with you!
