Obligatory Christmas Wrap Up

Well here goes nothing.

Yummy bottletree

Longest Christmas ever. Like Sandlot "Forever."So general recap. The boys were to be with their father/grandparents over the break and after a bit of high drama this was made to happen. I drove to Oxford, MS to drop them with GrandMommy and then to pick up Felicia's super secret and thoughtful Christmas present. (Just ask me, I am awesome.) After dropping off the boys I went and met Jedi, the IT man for a pastry and coffee at BottleTree Bakery on the square. It was delightful. I miss him more than a person should miss another person. We ran into Holli the candy lady and her new baby who is approximately the same age as Stay Puft. Both were adorable and I realized how much I miss our friends. So pastry in my belly, we started the walk back to his place when we were stopped by the artisan who had made the Russian Super Model's present. Like whipped her car over on the side of the road and jumped out and hugged our necks! Soon there after her husband pulled up in his 1951ish Chevy Truck, swoon. The four of us held court on the sidewalk long enough that two different car loads of people stopped to ask directions and the first car had come back to say thank you. Lazy Saturdays in Oxford are missed. Those of you still living there, appreciate them.

So between that Saturday and the 26th, which is when we picked up the boys, the supermodel and I just tried to keep it together. We hung out with 2Pop and Biggie who were just wonderful to us and tried to keep us busy knowing how hard it would be for Christmas to come and go with no boys. Christmas eve we tried to go to church and ended up late and at the children's pagent service and had to sit in the choir loft, again. Two years in a row makes it a tradition right? Afterwards the plan was Chinese food but our beloved Chop Suey Inn was closed. Heartbroken and not really feeling like it was Christmas we went home and ate leftovers. The next day we went and watched Thunder and Lightning, my twin nieces open christmas presents and we ate decadent food stuffs. If I remember correctly it was french toast with blueberries and pecans and creme cheese and syrup and well it was delicious. Don't judge. 2Pop fixed the supermodels favorite diet friendly meal. A large hunk of meat with no vegetables other than a potato to be seen for miles, red wine, and bread pudding for dessert. That was Christmas night. I cannot tell you how grateful I am that my parents have welcomed the supermodel in and take care of us.

Best present ever!

The 26th we got the boys and pretended it was Christmas Eve. Wake up on the 27th and wait for 2Pop and Biggie to get to the house and open presents. The boys got too much. Why is it that every year our family says, "its going to be a small Christmas this year" and then every year it seems to be bigger? Is this just our family? I got everything I have ever needed. My wife got me an electronic do dad that makes it possible to have the television hooked up in the basement and music in the upstairs part of the house. Very utilitarian and sweet. Music makes our house happier. Dance parties will now resume in the morning. The boys got me a coffee mug to take to work. There is a Keruig? Kuring? Keuringerisimo? whatever. A single serve coffee machine thing at school. They keep hot chocolate cups up there and I am still 8 years old so, before every lecture I go and make a cup of hot chocolate to help me through lectures and to help pace. I had been drinking out of borrowed cups for the last year and a half. Now I don't mind being the worlds best granddad but I have no idea what science experiments were done in that cup. No Longer! I am now... "BIG DADDY" Its no Big Cat but it will do. I love it. We then ate sausage balls and from scratch cinnamon rolls. The supermodel is quite the baker. When she has her psychoanalysis sessions the theme is always, "I just feel more like myself when I am baking." Well that and wearing copious amounts of fur and speaking russian.

a small christmas?

Later the whole dang bunch of us rolled up on Biggie's crib. Big Daddy, Supermodel, Wilson, Senor Fabulous, Stay Puft is my clan. My Sister, her husband, Thunder and Lightning. 2Pop and Biggie. Then my mother's mother, The Queen of Subtle and my mother's little sister, The middle school vice principle (alternative job title, glutton for punishment), Lynne. That makes something like 4 billion of us in the house. Opening the presents took 4 hours I think. Children make Christmas better. There I said it. I could have gotten nothing and been happy. I thought my parents had just been hard to buy for but you really don't need anything but a cup of cider and to watch the kids open. Stay Puft really only wanted to eat everything. Everything. Bless her she is one of us.

A day or two later, more family came through. My father at one point said that Christmas was too long this year and he wanted to get back to normal. He didn't mean it and took it back immediately but I know what he meant. I am looking forward to getting back to work tomorrow myself. Same wrap up everyone writes on blogs, I know. Sorry. Next post will be better