"We wish you a Merry Christmas, we wish you a Merry Christmas, we wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New You."
It was just so cute and made me laugh. Why she broke out in this Christmas carol is not too shocking. We still have our Christmas tree (a real one no less) up and I just put all of our other decorations in the boxes today.
As I reflect back on this holiday season, I smile and I am glad that I have lived to tell about it. We left our glorious little house here in K-town on Christmas eve to join Tim in Nashville (''Mash-a-bill" as Amy calls it). He has been working at the Vanderbilt Children's Hospital for the past two months and so if we were to have any family time, we had to go to him. We went to church that night at a wonderful intimate church that is Pastored by Ray Ortlund, Jr. He was our pastor in Augusta and it was absolutely wonderful to see and hear from him again. We got home to the house we were staying at and 'Santa' came and brought the kids their Christmas presents!!! Then the next day we just played while Daddy worked and after naptime we all went to share a glorious Christmas dinner with Daddy in the ever so beautiful Courtyard Cafe of the Vanderbilt Medical Center. It was your quintessential hospital cafeteria holiday fare and it wasn't all that bad.
Next, I drove with my three young, active, wiggly kids down to Williston, South Carolina for a night.
It took me seven hours to drive what a single guy in a sports car would do in 4 and a half.
After a sweet visit with my cousins we left and finished our journey to Jacksonville, FL.
It was a nicer drive. Only six hours with a nursing baby, wiggly two year old and a four year old whose only words that day were "when will we get there?"
Did I mention that my husband, Tim, flew down to Jax?
So we get to Jax and Tim meets me in the driveway of his grandmother's home with a glass of wine. Hey, I made it and we were all alive.
After a few days of fun together family time I got on a plane with the three offspring of mine and we flew to Phoenix. The flight wasn't that bad except for the part when Eric passed out three minutes before landing and WOULD NOT WAKE up when it was time for us to get off.
Great! How was I supposed to carry my sleeping baby, hold hands with my willful two year old, Amy and carry this four year old lug off of the plane? I was so desperate, I asked the guy sitting across from me just to carry Eric, but luckily, my Eric woke up and with a groggy disposition sauntered off the plane.
Phoenix was great! Warm sunny days and grandparents and my sister who were more than willing to do a LOT of babysitting while I went out.
And got hammered!!!!
JUST KIDDING. I went to Holy Yoga a lot, walked a lot, got a pedi, and hung out with friends!
Then mid visit, we flew over to LA for a few days to visit with Tim's dad and family. He had never met our little Baby Paul and so it was great to visit with them and get reacquainted.
We ended our visit by flying in to 'mash-a-bill' so we could hang out with Daddy for a day before we jumped back into life in Knoxville.
So that's it. NUTTY, huh? You may think I am crazy. I think I am crazy. Nevertheless, my children know their great-grandparents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and some precious friends and to me, it was well worth it.
I do think it will be a while before we go anywhere again, though.
Happy New You, everyone!
