Christmas 08 at Grandma Lu and Papa Gary's House.

More pics to come soon.

A Christmas Poem.

THE GIFT
Author Unknown

T'WAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS,
HE LIVED ALL ALONE,
IN A ONE BEDROOM HOUSE MADE OF
PLASTER AND STONE.

I HAD COME DOWN THE CHIMNEY
WITH PRESENTS TO GIVE,
AND TO SEE JUST WHO
IN THIS HOME DID LIVE.

I LOOKED ALL ABOUT,
A STRANGE SIGHT I DID SEE,
NO TINSEL, NO PRESENTS,
NOT EVEN A TREE.

NO STOCKING BY MANTLE,
JUST BOOTS FILLED WITH SAND,
ON THE WALL HUNG PICTURES
OF FAR DISTANT LANDS.

WITH MEDALS AND BADGES,
AWARDS OF ALL KINDS,
A SOBER THOUGHT
CAME THROUGH MY MIND.

FOR THIS HOUSE WAS DIFFERENT,
IT WAS DARK AND DREARY,
I FOUND THE HOME OF A SOLDIER,
ONCE I COULD SEE CLEARLY.

THE SOLDIER LAY SLEEPING,
SILENT, ALONE,
CURLED UP ON THE FLOOR
IN THIS ONE BEDROOM HOME.

THE FACE WAS SO GENTLE,
THE ROOM IN SUCH DISORDER,
NOT HOW I PICTURED
A UNITED STATES SOLDIER.

WAS THIS THE HERO OF WHOM I'D JUST READ?
CURLED UP ON A PONCHO, THE FLOOR FOR A BED?
I REALIZED THE FAMILIES
THAT I SAW THIS NIGHT,
OWED THEIR LIVES TO THESE SOLDIERS
WHO WERE WILLING TO FIGHT.

SOON ROUND THE WORLD,
THE CHILDREN WOULD PLAY,
AND GROWNUPS WOULD CELEBRATE
A BRIGHT CHRISTMAS DAY.

THEY ALL ENJOYED FREEDOM
EACH MONTH OF THE YEAR,
BECAUSE OF THE SOLDIERS,
LIKE THE ONE LYING HERE.

I COULDN'T HELP WONDER
HOW MANY LAY ALONE,
ON A COLD CHRISTMAS EVE
IN A LAND FAR FROM HOME.

THE VERY THOUGHT
BROUGHT A TEAR TO MY EYE,
I DROPPED TO MY KNEES
AND STARTED TO CRY.

THE SOLDIER AWAKENED
AND I HEARD A ROUGH VOICE,
"SANTA DON'T CRY,
THIS LIFE IS MY CHOICE;

I FIGHT FOR FREEDOM,
I DON'T ASK FOR MORE,
MY LIFE IS MY GOD,
MY COUNTRY, MY CORPS."

THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER
AND SOON DRIFTED TO SLEEP,
I COULDN'T CONTROL IT,
I CONTINUED TO WEEP.

I KEPT WATCH FOR HOURS,
SO SILENT AND STILL
AND WE BOTH SHIVERED
FROM THE COLD NIGHT'S CHILL.

I DIDN'T WANT TO LEAVE
ON THAT COLD, DARK, NIGHT,
THIS GUARDIAN OF HONOR
SO WILLING TO FIGHT.

THEN THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER,
WITH A VOICE SOFT AND PURE,
WHISPERED, "CARRY ON SANTA,
IT'S CHRISTMAS DAY, ALL IS SECURE."

ONE LOOK AT MY WATCH, AND I KNEW HE WAS RIGHT.
"MERRY CHRISTMAS MY FRIEND, AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT."

Elf YourSelf

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Santa

We had our yearly Santa Party at Sherry and Tres's. It was the first time Max didn't throw a fit! When Santa called his name, Max first hid; he did not want to go up there. Staci and I tried to bribe him, but he wasn't budging. I told him that I would go up with him, and I guess he thought that would be too embarrassing because he told me, "No" and ran up to Santa on his own. He even smiled for pictures!



He got concerned when Santa started reading out of his book. I imagine he was thinking something like: "How does this big, red guy know so much about me?"



Surprisingly, Cortney and Jason's baby, Madison, did really well with Santa. She sat there calmly, playing with Santa's sleigh bells. Max never did that!



Sadly (but with humorous results), Madison didn't do so well the second time she was placed on Santa's lap (because you can never have too many pictures).



Finally, here's a video of Max on Santa's knee. Sorry about the sound quality and the wobble... it's a really cheap camcorder.

A Thanksgiving Poem

TWAS THE NIGHT OF THANKSGIVING

BUT I JUST COULDN'T SLEEP
I TRIED COUNTING BACKWARDS,
I TRIED COUNTING SHEEP.

THE LEFTOVERS BECKONED -
THE DARK MEAT AND WHITE
BUT I FOUGHT THE TEMPTATION
WITH ALL OF MY MIGHT

TOSSING AND TURNING WITH ANTICIPATION
THE THOUGHT OF A SNACK BECAME INFATUATION.

SO, I RACED TO THE KITCHEN, FLUNG OPEN THE DOOR
AND GAZED AT THE FRIDGE, FULL OF GOODIES GALORE.

GOBBLED UP TURKEY AND BUTTERED POTATOES,
PICKLES AND CARROTS, BEANS AND TOMATOES.

I FELT MYSELF SWELLING SO PLUMP AND SO ROUND,
'TIL ALL OF A SUDDEN, I ROSE OFF THE GROUND.

I CRASHED THROUGH THE CEILING,
FLOATING INTO THE SKY
WITH A MOUTHFUL OF PUDDING
AND A HANDFUL OF PIE.

BUT, I MANAGED TO YELL AS I SOARED
PAST THE TREES....
HAPPY EATING TO ALL - PASS THE
CRANBERRIES, PLEASE.

MAY YOUR STUFFING BE TASTY,
MAY YOUR TURKEY BE PLUMP.
MAY YOUR POTATOES 'N GRAVY
HAVE NARY A LUMP,

MAY YOUR YAMS BE DELICIOUS MAY YOUR PIES
TAKE THE PRIZE,
MAY YOUR THANKSGIVING DINNER STAY
OFF OF YOUR THIGHS.

Oh Boy, My Baby is Growing Up!

Big Big things coming for our little family! As of January Max is going to be in Primary! He is just growing so fast, and while everyday is a privilege to be able to be apart of my little Max's growing up, I am afraid that this particular stage is going to be a little harder for mommy to handle! For the last few weeks the older nursery kids have been going into singing time, and Max has done vary well. However while Max is doing well I am going threw some kind of Crises! For the last Two Sundays I have made Poor Trevor leave Gospel Doctrine almost 8minutes early just to go check and make sure that Max is doing okay, meanwhile I am sitting in class hyperventilating and trying not to freak out! I have not determined whether it is the More independence thing, or whether it is that he is just getting older... Maybe both. I am so proud of him, and time goes so fast. I know that all will be well, but darn can't they just stay little for while longer! Poor Max and his crazy mom!

Max's First Emergancy Room Visit. What a Trooper!

So Last night was an odd one. When we got home from my B-day dinner, it was about 10:40. Something Prompted me to rush up to look in on Max before heading up to talk to Papa Breon and Grandma Sherline. I had noticed that his light was on, which was not unusual for him, but when I opened the door to his room, and he was sitting in bed crying and having a really hard time getting a breath in. At first we thought maybe he swallowed something and it was restricting his airway, but when we got to the hospital the nurse reassured us that Croop ofter comes on super fast, at night when they are sleeping. He did so good, and by the time we left, he had all the nurses eating out of his hand. He is such a little flirt. And soon after he received the meds, he looked at me with a glazed over smile and said "Mommy, I feel good." He also went and had some E-rays done and was so excited to see his skeleton. After that, they did and breathing treatment on him and he did so good. He loved the Darth Vador Mask, and that was so good to him. Sometimes the meds that they put in the treatment make there heart rate so up for a while. Lets just say that it gave him the shakes pretty good, and it freaked mommy out a little. All in all we all survived.
Here is a pic from the Camera Phone.