Isn't Part of the Christmas Celebration for Remembering?

It is.  Definitely.

I've shared a lot of these images before,

but I wanted to do it again,

with a different look.

And there are some others I've added

A Christmas Wish,

to watch my past Christmases on a big screen.

To see Mother moving about her kitchen,

to walk into those adorable small shops with her

that used to be so much a part of downtown Evergreen.

To hear Daddy going into the living room 

to turn on the Christmas lights for us before we went in to see what Santa had brought.

Or, to hear him say, "Okay we can get up now - the house is warm enough".

I think he was really just stalling to let Mother get some more sleep.

And then more of those Christmases 

on Birchwood Drive 

when the girls were all under 10, at least.

Ten and Under - that's when children haven't even thought about leaving the nest,

don't even know they really will.

Gingerbread Village - Christmas 1992

 Ann and Laura Beth - Christmas 1985

All four girls playing on the bed - with Christmas excitement.

Kate with her first tricycle 

Easy Bake Oven Goodies

Sarah singing in a Calvary Christmas Program

Matching Dresses - please - there should have been an intervention

and someone should have told me not to do it.

That dress of mine is still hanging in the back of my closet.

Four more days - until Christmas!

Ghost from Christmas Past

For Christmas I Want

to wiggle my nose or a magic wand

and visit this place again

until I'm as tired as I remember being when these pictures were taken.

I do remember the feeling that I was glad my girls were old enough

to hang the ornaments while I sat there on the couch.

(I also think that I still wear that same navy blue sweatshirt...with a collar under it.

it's my uniform.  Some things never change )

And then there was Friday....

Yesterday's post was about what happened on Thursday.

Ellie ended up spending Thursday night with me.

She and Luke had their checkup and overdue shots scheduled for Friday at 10:30.  Ellie really really wanted me to be there at the checkup and the "shot event" because I'm always at the pediatrician's office with them.  She had a point.  I really usually am - but didn't plan to be this time.

I had my one day of Huntsville  Christmas shopping rescheduled for Friday.  It was originally planned for Wednesday, but we had had our winter freeze on Friday.

Charlie and the Toyota dealership had me planned to come down on Friday and pick out the right color Camry which Charlie and I had decided to purchase for my next new car, since my 1995 Corolla had quit.

As I was getting ready, putting on my makeup, for whatever I would actually be doing on Friday, Sarah called from New Orleans - confused about the pain which was accompanying what she had thought was a bladder infection.  I continued to insist she either go to Urgent Care or find a doctor.  She had her own things that absolutely had to be done on Friday.  Is there ever a good time to be sick??? NO!

Ann and Steve, with Luke and Andrew in the van, came and picked up Ellie.  I told them I'd meet them at the pediatrician.

Charlie and I talked and agreed we'd pick out the color that afternoon.

Ann called back and said she thought Ellie was fine and calm enough for me not to meet them at the doctor's office.

Kate, who had just arrived at home on Thursday afternoon, was just getting up and decided she did want to go with me to Huntsville.  She probably showered and got ready in 10 minutes.  15, max.  Meantime, I hear from Sarah whose pain has increased to Kidney Stone level.  She, and I agreed, thought she probably had Kidney Stones.  She had driven to Urgent Care only to find out they didn't open until 11:00. End of that story?  She couldn't get in touch with whatever friends she had who weren't at work.  She drove herself to the emergency room, after "throwing up" at a red light - opening the door and heaving - soiling the pavement and maybe a little of her car and clothing....while in extreme pain.

I then talked with Ann and yes, Ellie was expecting "Near" (that's me) who had promised to meet her there.  I had.  I had promised her.

Kate and I drove straight to Dr. Powell's office (pediatrician to my 4 girls and now to Ellie, Luke, and Andrew - he even saw John during Thanksgiving holidays - John with all the Pink Eye) I left Kate in the waiting room - and went back to the very small room where I round very tall Steve, Ann, Mike Powell, Ellie and Luke, who were both on the exam table sitting up,  and Andrew in Ann's arms.  It was a tight squeeze to add one more person.  Mike was looking into Luke's eyes and swung around on his swivel chair when I came in.  We were all amused at the idea of adding one more adult body to the mix - (Mike is an old friend - so I was able to do this sort of thing.)

All the while I'm wondering about Sarah who I knew was at the ER in New Orleans with Kidney Stones, looking for relief.  I was also on the phone a lot with Charlie who also wanted reports on Sarah.

Ellie didn't get shots.  She'll get them next visit.  Luke got two shots and did GREAT! Amazing.  We all then went to Chik Fil A and had lunch.  Funny and the usual fast food experience with lots of Christmas Shoppers and lots of moms and kids.

We parted company - with the Barbers - and Kate and I headed off into the Huntsville world to get what we needed to get.  Got a text from Sarah.  She was  being seen by a doctor and tested for whatever.  By the way, her throwing up at that red light had greatly relieved her nausea and her unbearable pain.

End of the day.  Sarah spent ALL OF FRIDAY in the emergency room.  After much waiting mixed with 2 urine specimens and a Cat Scan - she was told she had one stone trying to pass, one still in her kidney, and no bladder infection - but still had the sensation of a bladder infection.  She was sent home with pain medication and a "good luck".

End of our day -  Kate, who had been tremendous help with my thinking through everything, and I came home and were greatly relieved that Charlie said we'd wait until Saturday morning to "pick out the car".

SATURDAY

Sarah called very early - she'd been wakened at 5:45 by the kidney stone trying to get through.  It was all harrowing and the phone calls intensified and Charlie knew she couldn't drive home and he made the decision to go get her.   We were stone faced,  driving to pick out the "dang" car - no conversation - if you could have heard Sarah's voice in distress - as she heaved and agonized with the crazy stone -  the kindest things were, her roommate driving her back to the hospital - and delaying her trip home for Christmas by a day.  Also - that God already knew about this dilemma, therefore,  her roommate  knew of a Urologist in their church who is also in her roommate's community group.  They were able to call his cell and talk directly with him.  It was Saturday and  Sarah wasn't an official patient of his, but he did say she absolutely had to go back to the hospital since she couldn't keep liquids down.

That was incredible relief, knowing she was going back to the hospital.   Laura, her roommate, drove her.

End of the day, once again, Sarah got relief with nausea and pain medication with shots - they kept her for a couple of hours - did another test for any possible infection - still not there - sent her home with nausea and pain medication this time -  Sarah felt good enough for the two of them to get as far as Evergreen where my sister lives.  We had wondered if they would even be home as early as Monday.

Sarah and Charlie came home today.

She has spent the entire day without pain medication so instinctively wonder if the one stone has passed.    All other bladder sensations are also gone - hence - we have hope that the one stone is passed.  Don't know when the other one will decide to travel.

Back to Christmas.

Meanwhile - Children did an adorable Christmas program today at church.

After this long post I'll give just a few pictures of the performance.

5 More Shopping Days!

A LOT has been going on - definitely posting material - but no time to write.

Let me show some pictures from the past.

These are from Christmas Season 1988.  These girls are in my kitchen making Christmas cookies.  Sarah in the background in the yellow was 2 1/2.  Laura Beth with her hands flared was 6.  In the front with her mouth wide open is Joy Baldwin who was 5.  Kate, not shown, was 10 months.

and Joy, again, smiling.

Here is Hope Baldwin who was 8 and Ann who was 7 1/2.

Here they all are working intently on their cookies.

This year, 2010, in the week prior to Thanksgiving week, Joy, who is now Joy Baldwin Finch,

called me from her home in Athens, TN.

She was remembering another Christmas when I had made lots of dough ornaments and given one each to her and Hope.  She thought it would be fun if my girls and she and Hope, with all of their combined total of  9 children could get together at my house this year to make those same dough ornaments.  Also included would be their mom, and my good friend, Beth.  

We all agreed on December 16.  It would just be women and children - no men - and minimal food.

We stuck with none of those prerequisites. 

Much to my delight, Beth surprised me by telling another close friend of ours, Yonea Chunn.  I had no idea.  Yonea showed up at my back door with her 4 girls (she also has 5 boys - but left them at home). Huge and wonderful surprise.  I was in such shock and surprise that I was speechless.  We also had so much food.  We said all along that the lunch would be very snacky and insignificant.  It was very significant and much more than snacky.  Quite a spread and we did have one man - Jamie Baldwin - daddy to Hope and Joy.  Papa (granddaddy) to Joy's two boys and Hope's daughter and son.  He stayed to eat and play with his grandchildren, but left us all to make ornaments.  

It was all loud and wild and fun and worth every mile they travelled and worth every ornament I had prepared for them to paint - it was worth whatever muscle or bone ached that evening from preparing and from cleaning up later.  

Laura Beth was unable to get there, from McDonough, GA, with Ada and John.  As a matter of fact, on that same day, Charlie was traveling to McDonough to pick up Kate from Laura Beth's house.

Kate had flown into Atlanta from New York City the Tuesday before.  

Thank you Laura Beth for freeing up that much space in my kitchen and at the tables to make room for all the other people.  (just trying to say the right thing so that you won't regret not being there) There will be other holidays and seasons for us all to get together.  Most of the children are so young, they'll have no recollection of this event.

Now for more pictures

Here are grownup Joy and Hope Baldwin.

Now, Joy Finch holding Brennan Finch

and Hope Coon holding Charlie Coon.

In my kitchen on Thursday.

Here is Yonea Chunn (mother to 9 children).

She is the one drinking out of my Christmas Mug.

Her oldest daughter, Mary, almost 19, holding Joy's Brennan.

On the right are Martha Chunn, 12, and Margaret Chunn, 14.

Here is Yonea's 8 year old daughter, Molly, intently painting her ornament.

Anna Beth (Hope's daughter - she's 4) painting her ornament

Hope's little boy, Charlie, painting.

Charlie is 2.

Joy's Brennan, 2 1/2,  I think.

My Ellie Ann's Ellie working on her ornament.

Luke being patient with the whole thing.  He was a bit out of the loop.

Too old for the other boys there, and not a girly girl like Ellie and Anna Beth.

He was patient and tolerant and willing to wear this apron.

I whispered in his ear before I put it on him,

"Luke, are you okay if I put this apron on you?"

In his kind Luke voice he said, "Yeah."

On the other hand, Andrew was quite taken with the whole experience

 and loved the painting aspect of it.

Because of that and because I'm his grandmother and this is my post,

I'll show two pictures of him working on it.

Here's the whole table - serious artwork going on.

(Luke and Andrew were at the small table)

the aftermath

Resulting Artwork

I regret that I have no picture of Beth Baldwin - a major player in this whole event.

Neither do I have a picture of Knox - who was probably playing in the living room with the toys.

We didn't take any pictures of all the food and our eating and conversing.

there was so much going on and so many conversations, it was hard to remember to take a picture.

Honestly - it started out as a small get together - really only expecting Joy and her 2 boys and Ann and her 3.  Never dreamed Beth and Hope could get here with Hope's 2.  Certainly didn't expect Yonea and her 4 girls.  It's a great memory - to add to the storehouse.

On the 15th

Hot Chocolate and a movie, Polar Express


while Andrew napped - and the sleet and rain came down - and I gave Ann a brief break - a time for her to have her hands free -

here are pictures

Hot Chocolate with Cool Whip and Red Sprinkles

They loved it.

Ellie moved between her artwork and the hot chocolate.

Her materials - she gets them herself - she knows exactly where to go to find them.

Paper, Scissors, Markers, and Tape

Luke watching Polar Express and with a Chocolate Mustache

 Drinking the Chocolate

Champion Mustache

And we're halfway through December - Only 10 days until Christmas.