Saturday, December 28, 2013

A Belated Merry Christmas and a TToT

I just spent too much of my life debating whether that should be "Merry Belated Christmas" or "A Belated Merry Christmas".   I'm going with the dictionary and declaring once and for all that Hallmark is wrong when it says "Happy Belated Birthday" on all of its tardy cards.

I'm really on my own this week.  While I was out of town, Lizzi, with some nudging, decided to do a TToT as a year-end roundup.  I already had this planned as a Christmas roundup TToT.  You may do either one or none, seeing as how we are on break and all.  The secret rules say you can be thankful for whatever the heck you want.  However, you do have to go the extra mile and make it twelve.  Thankfully, twelve starts with T just like ten, so we don't have to change the name from TToT.  (That's not even one of my 12!)

1.  I am thankful that Cuckoo is healing nicely.  We were in Kentucky with my family on Saturday, and Cuckoo took a nasty fall out of a toy wagon my niece was pulling.  He landed on the tile kitchen floor.  Both he and I were covered in blood from his split lip.  The next morning, his lip and nose were completely swollen, there was an ugly scab/loose skin on his upper lip, and the bridge of his nose was a horrible shade of black and blue.  Six days out, his lip is back to normal, and there is just a bit of green tinge on his nose.

2.  I am thankful for a manageable amount of water in our basement.  We were delayed in coming home on Saturday because of a major thunderstorm that went through Kentucky and Indiana.  (It actually caused a lot of damage at my brother's farm.)  When we finally got to our street a little after midnight, we found it to be completely under a rushing river of water. We had to back up and take a different route to our driveway.  Our biggest concern was our basement. If the water gets too high, it kills our furnace and water heater.  We found this when we finally got into our house:


A few inches to spare.  We flipped the switch to the sump pump, and all was well.  Still wet, but not dire.

3.  I am thankful that COW came home from work early on Monday and had time to help the kids clean up the basement while I packed.  The floor was covered in craft supplies and dress up clothes and toys.  Between the melting snow and the 5 inches of rain predicted to fall, we knew there was a good possibility of a flooded basement. This would have been a disaster of epic proportions if not for the cleaning.


4.  I am thankful for our kids' naivete.  Every single Christmas since Phoenix was born, Santa has come to our house before Christmas.  There isn't a chance in this world that we are going to drag all of their gifts to Ohio (where we have spent every Christmas) for Christmas morning.  Not once have the kids balked at the idea.  Probably because they get their gifts before all of their friends.  I'm going to deny the probability of them balking if we said Santa came to our house after Christmas.

5.  I am thankful for traditions.  When I was growing up, my dad took a photo of all of us kids on the steps before coming downstairs to open our gifts (or find our Easter baskets).  We have continued the tradition with our own kids.



Ignore the missing piece of wallpaper.   One of the little boys decided he didn't like it one day a couple of years ago.  We'll get to taking the rest down one of these days.  Can you tell Cuckoo looks a little different?  A bit fuller in the face?

6.  I am thankful for our kids' delight in opening the gifts they receive from each other.  Every single year, every single child chooses to open the gifts from their siblings before they open the ones from us.  We never told them to.  They never discussed it.  They know that their big gift is from us, yet they are excited to open the gifts their siblings purchased from the Dollar Store.

I should have made Cuckoo wear the gift he gave to Star.  Star was smiling right before and right after this was taken.  He is merely posing for the camera.

6.  I am thankful that all of the kids were thrilled with the gifts we got them.  I knew Giant would be, as he gave us a specific list.  (Spin toothbrush, gloves he can wear while playing soccer, and an alarm clock to which he can hook up his iPod.  (That's another thankful.  Simple gift requests.)  Mostly, they don't have lists and we have to go in blind.  They were all happy, which makes me happy.

Each kid gets three gifts, and one of the gifts is a book.

You can kinda see the swollen lip in this photo.  He really liked the looks of his gift.
7.  I am thankful my kids don't know the phrase "cock fight" and don't know how to bet on them.   That gift Cuckoo is so excited about is a "jump-o-lene".  It took us two days to blow it up, each of the big kids, COW, and I taking turns with the pump.  As soon as I gave him the green light, Cuckoo was in it trying to jump.  It wasn't all that much fun.  And then Turken got in there with him.  I said, "Well, it's a great place to safely wrestle."  Before the "tle" was out of my mouth, Cuckoo was taking Turken out.  Game on.  The big kids circled them, cheering and talking smack within seconds.  It went on and on and on.  Roosters don't fight each other this much.



8.  I am thankful for the Bejeweled machine COW gave me for Christmas.  OK, he gave me an iPad mini, but so far, it has been used almost exclusively to play Bejeweled.  It's ridiculous, really.  The entire time I've been typing this post, COW has been sitting next to me, making groaning sounds and complaining, "I didn't do anything wrong!  How can I not have any more moves?"  Don't think he's the only one, though.  I spent a good portion of the 6 hour drive to and from Ohio playing, and Giant managed to get the highest score so far.  Turken is actually really good at it.  The only reason Star isn't playing is because he got a Kindle Fire for Christmas and has been playing Candy Crush instead.  Man, these games are addictive!

8b.  I am thankful for a husband who is happy with any gift I get him.  I got an iPad from him.  He got a new Purdue sweatshirt from me.  And I lost the annual funny boxers he always gets in his stocking.  I still haven't found them.

9.  I am thankful for time spent with grandparents.  I always enjoy going home to see my grandma and play cards with her, even if she accuses me of lying when she starts losing too badly.  (That was for you, Dad.  Don't you dare tell her I wrote that!)  The five biggest kids spent lots of time playing cards with COW's mom and going tubing with her the day after Christmas.  (Tubing:  sitting on an inner tube while flying down a mountain of snow).  While they were all tubing, Cuckoo and I got to have a lovely afternoon with my dad.

10.  I am thankful for great museums which both adults and kids can enjoy.  Canton has so many things to do.  Besides being the home of the NFL Football Hall of Fame, it is the birthplace of President McKinley.  There is a huge park and monument where he is buried, as well as a history/science museum.  My dad, Cuckoo, and I spent several hours having a great time at the museum.

A shot of air is coming up through the hole to make the ball hover/dance in midair.  There were so many fun, hands-on activities!

In the history part of the museum, there is an area where they replicated a street in Canton from the early 1900s.  This is in the fire station.  Cuckoo was so pleased to be able to go down the pole all by himself.


11.  I am thankful to have grown up in a historical city with a policeman father who also grew up there and loves history.  After growing up in Canton, and being a policeman for 30 years, my dad knows just about every nook and cranny in the city.  And he has so, so many stories about it.  While going through the replicated city street, he told me things I didn't know.  For example, at the toy store, he told me my great-grandma made tops at that store before marrying my great-grandpa.  There was a handful of tops on display, and it's quite possible she made them.

12.  I am thankful for ice cream, as always, but especially ice cream at a shop from the early 1900s after a mini-tour of Canton with my dad.  Those old shops always have the best tasting ice cream, and lots of it!

This was the child's portion, which was smaller than my "small" dish.

There you have it.  Twelve things of Christmastime Thankful.  I would love to hear about the things for which you are thankful this week.  Tell me in the comments or link up your own post!

Have a lovely day!


Ten Things of Thankful



52 comments:

  1. In my hurry to claim first comment, I failed to write much. Sorry about Cuckoo's mishap, but glad he is healing nicely.

    Sump pumps were a necessity when we lived in Washington. Glad you had one to make short order of the water in your basement.

    Belated merry Christmas to you, too!

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    1. Hahahahaha!!! Good thing you kept it short. Lizzi almost had you! :)

      It was an ugly injury, but he's doing much better. Thanks.

      The first year in the house was a rainy one. The basement was flooding and flooding and flooding. I spent one entire day bailing water in order to keep it from reaching the appliances. As soon as the storm ended, we were on the phone with a plumber to have one installed. I have no idea how the previous owners lived here for 18 years without one!

      Thanks!

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  2. If I can remember who it was, I'll be doing a wrap-up with another link. Forgive me for that, too.
    You would love the entire museum. I'm thinking a larger version of the jump-o-lene would be a good thing for people to make.

    Me, too!

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  3. With my failing short term memory and inability to keep scrolling up and down...I am going to go with OUCH, yes to staircase pics, YES to Bejewelled and Candy Crush (what level is Star on...now that I'm competitive ;P), I want one of those jump-o-lene's; sounds like you had some wonderful family time and glad your basement survived...sorta. How'd I do????? Tee hee!

    All the best for a happy and healthy 2014 my friend!!! DI

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    1. Shoot, I don't even remember what's up there and I wrote it.
      Tell me about it, I know, level 32, an adult version would be great, we did, and me, too! Great!

      Same to you!

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  4. The ice cream was the perfect ending and the cherry on top here! Seriously sounded like a great week and Christmas was had and so thankful that all was well that ended well for you with the water levels in your basement. Want to also wish you a very, Happy New Year, too!! :)

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    1. It always is as far as I'm concerned. It was a great week, despite the water.
      Happy New Year!

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  5. Im glad Cuckoo is healing up, it's horrible when the kids take a fall. Botboy smacked into a wall corner on xmas eve, and had a swollen eye and fat lip all through xmas. He looked like a battered child in every photo!
    The jumpolene looks like a great place to wrestle. I could do with one of those!

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    1. It's awful to see them in pain, isn't it? I cringe, knowing how much it had to hurt.
      Oh, those corners are so mean, jumping out in front of people like that. For the rest of our boys' lives, those photos will remind our boys of the Christmas they broke their faces. Hope Botboy is healing well.
      The jumpolene is plenty of fun for the kids, and no worry about hitting a head on the furniture or wall.

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  6. Glad the water in the basement was manageable. I don't know if I mentioned before that we had water in our former house of epic proportions...18 inches! Needless to day, we had a lot of damage especially since it was a finished basement!

    Books are a part of my kids' gifts as well! They each receive one on Epiphany/Three Kings Day. It's a tradition we started long ago.

    Bejeweled...I've seen it around, but am not exactly sure what it entails. I would wager to say that I stay away from games bc of how addictive they are!

    Also, just noticed I made the blogroll along the side...thanks! If it's been there awhile, I'm sorry I didn't notice sooner. I've read mixed reviews about the blogroll and I can't make up my own mind about including it on my blog. :/

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    1. 18 inches in the basement!?!? Oh, that's horrible! No, I had never heard of that flooding of yours before. What a cleanup nightmare!

      I never heard of an Epiphany gift until recently. What a nice idea! And it would go well with our Wise men activity we've been doing all through Advent and Christmas.

      I have refused to play Candy Crush because I have heard how addictive it is. I'm sure I'll tire of this game in due time. I always do.

      I changed up the blogroll about a month ago. No worries. When I am used to a blog, I don't always notice changes in the sidebars either. I never read a review or even heard about blogroll reviews. I didn't know there was a downside! Ah, do whatever you want. In my early blogging days, I found new blogs to read through the blogrolls of people I enjoyed, so I put one one here.

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  7. You have much to be thankful for. You have a fabulous family and that just shines when you write about them. You are truly blessed.

    Have a fabulous weekend. ☺

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    1. I am blessed to have such a great family. Thanks.

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  8. bejeweled machine... at first I thought why is she so enthralled to bedazzle everything??? duh! Mine is a Candy Crush machine so I guess I got thrown off... Man that little boy is taking a knocking at the end of the year huh? Ya built them tough! Thank God!

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    1. Hahahahaha! Yup, I love me some sparkle. :) (No, I don't.)
      I have refused to play Candy Crush. I'm afraid I would keep buying more of whatever it is you can buy to move forward, just because I'd be so competitive and into the blasted game.
      Yes, thankfully, the kids are strong country kids who can take a licking.

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    2. luckily I am more cheap than competitive!

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    3. With that game, cheap is a good thing!

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  9. (ah! gratitude for the Book of Secret Rules)'… basements with water and walls missing paper'*

    …*always* messin with the Rule Book, eh? Miss Wall?

    (yeah and by my reckoning we have, like a week and a half to mess with this here installment of the TToT here…)


    *to the tune of 'Favorite things from Sound of Music'**
    ** no, I have no idea why that should a) some to mind or 2) seem like the best thing I can come up with in a Comment.

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    1. Always grateful for the secret rule book.
      Ha! That does go with the Sound of Music quite well. I just watched that movie with my daughter last week!

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  10. I think Mom's who can look back on Christmas and count twelve blessings are just amazing, it's a lot of work, but obviously everyone enjoyed it to the max! I love most of all that your children appreciate their gifts, the small ones as well as the bigger ones, and that there is a limit to how much parent give. Books... they were the best gift of all for me too, and still are! We always got a new board game growing up, and that was also a hit! I am thankful for you that the flooded basement wasn't the catastrophe it could have been, I know it wasn't fun, but once again you've shown us that a family works together to get thru the hard stuff, and survive the bumps and falls. Your posts inspire me, always, I look forward to them every time!

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    1. I am glad the kids are so grateful for their gifts each year. It means our plan of depriving them of all things material during the rest of the year is working! :)
      Thank you for all your kind words. I look forward to your comments every time! :)

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  11. Of course the children's portion is the largest, only kids can stomach large amounts of ice cream :-) I'm glad you had such a great holiday, Christine, and the traditions sound beautiful. On to a very happy 2014!!

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    1. My kids got their ability to eat copious amounts of ice cream from me. I can eat a ridiculous amount.
      The entire week was loads of fun, thanks.
      Onward to new happy things!

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  12. Bejeweled is so addictive. I play it on my laptop and on my iPhone. I find it a little hard on the iPhone but when you get that craving to play you'll play on just about anything :)

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    1. Ha! I can't imagine playing it on my phone. It seems the screen would be too small. I'm not going to try, though, as I will never stop playing. :)

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  13. Your #4 reminds me of my own childhood - Santa always came to us just a little early on Christmas Eve since my Mom was the church organist (still is!) and had to be at Mass super early on Christmas Day. It never occurred to us that it wasn't "right" - in fact, we thought we were pretty special! And kudos to Santa for knowing that single working moms needed a little help in the time management department.

    Number 6 is awesome - Kidzilla also had very simple requests and I had to prod her for those. She did no such thing as make a list and I love love love it. Her desires? Red ponytail holders and a toy salad making set she saw in the supermarket. The non-requested thing we tracked down for her was a huge success and she couldn't have been more surprised and grateful.

    I screamed out loud toward the end of your list - I'VE BEEN TO THE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME! In fact, the Hub and I both were there. Small world, right?

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    1. I'm glad to hear of the early Santa perspective from someone who grew up with it! I don't know anyone else who does it.

      That Kidzilla is so sweet. I remember you saying she wanted a toy salad set. That makes me smile every time I hear it!

      WHAT WERE YOU DOING AT THE HALL OF FAME!?!?!? I don't remember you saying you were a football fan! When were you there?

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  14. First, let me say that I am glad that Cuckoo is healing...sounds like quite the spill. By the looks of the action in the Jumpolene, he's just fine! I thought you got a Bedazzler! Bejeweled Machine! I love that....and so my phone must be a Candy Crush machine. I am pathetically addicted to that game. Your Christmas sounds like it was fantastic and I'm happy for you and your family!

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    1. Thanks. Within a day, he was back to normal, never complaining about pain. The scab annoyed him, but more as a "What is this on my lip?" thing and not a thing that made him cry and whine.
      From what I hear, you aren't the only one addicted!
      It was a lot of fun. Thank you!

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  15. Glad your youngest is on the mend. I cringed at your basement flood photos. We had a foundation crack we finally got repaired two summers ago - we had water entry every time there was a flash thaw for about four years until we could afford to fix it. We don't live in a world of sump pumps - so I can't know how serious - or not - that is.

    I love that you carried on the tradition of photos on the stairs. Such a great tradition.

    I smiled at inflatable fight club. And while I can appreciate the fun, am thankful for girls and dollhouses. Is that okay? ;)

    Finally - your Science Museum looks amazing. We live quite close to Canada's National Science and Tech Museum and are planning on bringing the kids again over the holidays. Our main attraction there are trains (which they can crawl all over) and the "Krazy Kitchen" which is a slanted kitchen you walk through to understand how sense of gravity (or something) is easily thrown off. It looks like you had a great visit. So much to be thankful for.

    Best - Louise

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    1. We frequently get a bit of water. One of these days, figuring out the why will make it to the top of the priority list.
      Don't live in a world of sump pumps? I didn't know there was such a world. Many, many people have them in their houses, some need them more desperately than others.
      At this point, I can't imagine NOT taking the stairs photo.
      It is perfectly OK to prefer dollhouses. I am not very good at the dollhouse thing, so it's a blessing to have so many boys and a girl who never got into dolls very much.
      The Canton museum is a great little museum, and especially nice because there is never a big crowd. In Indianapolis, where we actually live, is one of the biggest children's museums in the country. We go there several times a year, as there is always something new to see. The "Krazy Kitchen" in your museum sounds like great fun!

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  16. Not sure if i ever commented. my name is Marisa found you through Tammy ..your thankful list is great...too bad about you sons injury; mouth nose accidents can be quite nasty and serious; glad he is healing quickly. Great picture of your family ... my kids were excited and grateful as well which is very endearing.... my daughter received a Kindle fire this year ( she needs major help in reading ) I set her reading goal at 45 min before she can play any of the games. Happy new year, looking for 2014 TToT

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    1. Welcome Marisa! Thanks for visiting!
      yes, nose and mouth injuries can be quite awful, and always entail plenty of bloodletting. I'm very grateful for the quick healing of little kids.
      Great idea for the Kindle, setting the reading limits first. How old is she? What kinds of things does she read?
      I'm glad you will be joining in on the TToT fun!

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  17. Bummer that after all that pumping the Jumpolene wasn't fun for jumping! At least it has another use. Love that you do the stairway photo like your folks did.

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    1. It was a bit of a let-down when the jumping wasn't so jumpy. They do enjoly the wrestling, though. I"m sure we'll be able to find some more uses for it, too.
      My dad likes that we do the stairway photo, too. I like it, because it's fun to look back through the years and see how they've changed.

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  18. Poo Cuckoo! What a rough month he's having...glad he's just about healed up!

    Looks like a lovely Christmastime...and no worries about not wrapping up your year. You are in good company, I assure you...ok, well, it might just be me, but that's good, right? And I didn't even number my list, so I don't know if I even made it to twleve. I roll like Kari.

    That "wrestling mat" looks awesome...I wish they had one to fit my two...man, it's getting rough over here!

    Glad you are home (I assume you are home?) Have a Happy New Year!

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    1. I know. The kid has had a rough few weeks.

      It's the beautiful thing about this TToT. So few hard and fast rules.

      I can't tell you how much a want a jump-o-lene big enough for the big boys. With a 6 foot boy in on it, things get dangerous!

      Thank you!

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  19. That wrestling arena is AWESOME! You get boys;)
    Sounds like you had a good time celebrating. That stairway picture is sweet--I like the idea of posing kids in the same spot year after year.

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    1. It is a wonderful thing. I always knew I would make a better mom of boys than a mom of girls.
      I'm glad my dad started the tradition. The kids don't even balk at it, knowing they won't get downstairs until the photo is taken.

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  20. Playing Bejeweled (Now moved onto Candy Crush) helps me organize my thoughts. I am so glad you have a new box for it. What a fantastic place to live with so much history. AND ice cream is always the best!!

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    1. It is a good game for clearing out your head. I've managed to tame myself from playing too much, now that the novelty has worn off.
      While COW does call Canton the "armpit of America", there are many, many good things about the place.
      Yay ice cream!

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  21. Your dad was a policeman for 37 years! McKinley wasn't born in Canton but lived here as an adult and ran for president here. Great post!

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    1. Why are you talking about yourself in the third person? :) Thanks for clearing those facts up for me.

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  22. I love your list--I smile all the way through. From the goofy names you give your family to the way you tell your stories. And I love the picture of the kids on the stairs. What a great tradition. I think it is so cool that the kids open their siblings gifts first (and love them to boot!)

    I used to be a property insurance adjuster and had to handle lots of water claims. I cringed when I saw the photo of the water on your basement floor. Glad you were able to arrive home in time to flip the sump pump switch before too much damaged occurred. And last--I'm so grateful to be a part of this thankful hop. This week I had Lindsey make her list and it is quite special. I couldn't (for some very odd reason as the link has worked every other week of this year) get the link to show up in my blog. I've copied and pasted from several sources without success. What's up with that. And now, I think I will go and have ice cream. Thanks to your #12, I can't get that thought out of my head. Fortunately, I have some weight watchers. So I'll probably have two. :-)

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    1. Thank you!

      Oh, a property insurance adjuster? That does not sound like a fun job. Is that why it's a "used to be"?

      Don't worry about the button. Several of us were having trouble with it. I was able to get her to message me the code, so I have it.
      Enjoy the ice cream!

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  23. I adore this, all the way. That each kid gets 3 gifts, and one is a book, to whoever is climbing the pole, to the photo on the stairs. Love, so much. Thankful is. It is. I'm thankful that my family was not jerks, this year... and that Tucker found magic!

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    1. I'm glad! That would be Cuckoo coming DOWN the fire pole. I'd be totally impressed if he could climb up! :)
      Isn't it a relief when relatives don't act like jerks?
      From the looks of your post, Tucker had a wonderful Christmas, surrounded by all sorts of Christmas magic.

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  24. You are the most positive person I know....so many blessings you recognize! I love it! If we could all be so grateful. I hope your New Year is filled with lovely things as well. :-)

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    1. I try to be. It's easier when I'm having a good week. :)
      Here's to a year in which we all try to recognize the good things in our lives.

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  25. Hi Christine! I love your post. Thanks for stopping by. I have been terrible at visiting blogs:) will try to do better at it soon. I miss it. I can related to being with your gma:) love it. we play cards, too...although no one really lies...at least I don think so..:) hope Cuckoo heals quickly!

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    1. I'm glad.
      Don't feel badly about not visiting blogs. However, if you miss it, by all means don't let me stop you! :)
      No one lies at our card games either. My grandma was just irritated and had forgotten she had uncharacteristically cut the deck when my dad dealt.
      He is all healed up, thank you. At least until the next fall. He falls a lot.

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Thank you for taking the time to tell me what you're thinking!