Christmas

So many times holidays can carry with them stress. Sure there are fun decorations and yummy foods and traditions to look forward to, but also there can be unmet expectations and meltdowns and just stress. For several years now I have tried very hard to prevent some of those stressors meltdowns by planning things in advance to head them off, or having talks as a family in the weeks leading up to the holidays. Honestly, this year I did not have much faith that it would be any different than years past. Thanksgiving had train-wreck components, my family would be visiting for over two weeks, some of that time would include Lehr's mom as well, and some of the pre-teen emotions present in Maddux right now have been piling on top of Eli's ever-present desire to control and know everything about the current situation.

It was a Christmas miracle though! We played board games every night, we sat by the fire and talked, we made food together and no one complained (too much)... we even managed to avoid an all-out scene/meltdown by anyone! And even despite us having cold cold weather (mostly rainy) confining us to the house most days, I honestly feel like it was one of our best Christmas seasons ever!

Eli got a little stir crazy one day and asked if he could take Ruby on a bike ride around the neighborhood. We hooked up the kid carrier to the back of his bike and set him loose. But in the process, he made a sign for the back of the carrier:

We had the opportunity to hang out with friends, spend time by the fire, make an awful big mess in the kitchen at least three times each day, and spend more time by the fire. The day after Christmas, we ventured out so the big kids could go ice skating; we went from being cold outside to being cold inside.

We did a scavenger hunt for Baby Jesus on Christmas morning. As much as my kids talked it up last year (because I didn't do it based on their handling of it the year before), they weren't too into it. But that was ok because the highlight of the whole week was the first annual CHRISTM-OLYMPICS! For about two months before everyone was to arrive, I started planning games for us all to participate in. They were basically minute-to-win-it type party games, and I'd changed them all to fit into a holiday theme. We ended up doing them after church on Christmas Eve and had to stop only halfway through because it got so late! Everyone got to participate, even Ruby!
(video shot and edited by Eli)

Two Person Solo

Eli's love for all things music has continued throughout this year. It's easy for me to forget that he plays the trumpet because he spends so much time playing drums for the church and learning new things on his guitar in his spare time that we rarely hear the horn at home. But he plays the trumpet at least as much because he has band class every day at school. (This kid blows my mind!)

The other night we attended Eli's holiday band concert. He'd been telling me for a little while that he had a solo. While I thought that was really cool, I assumed he had a line in a song the whole band played that he was chosen to lead, or maybe even play alone. But at one point Eli told me his 'solo' was he and a classmate. Honestly, I wasn't sure what to expect.

After the seventh grade played their first song, their band director called Eli and another student up front. While they were walking through the music stands, the director told the audience that weeks prior, the two boys approached him and asked if they could learn and perform "Deck the Halls" for the concert. The director told them if they wanted to find, learn and practice the song on their own, he would give them a shot to 'preview' it to him the day before the concert to see if he might include it. They did and he did!

Eli and his friend each played different parts for a verse of Deck the Halls, taking turns playing and then playing together and they sounded great!