Christmas Memories...

I haven’t blogged since Sunday eve Oh-my-gosh what has this world come to? I guess we have just been really busy this week and it’s only Wednesday! Monday evening we were out and about, we went and had a nice dinner together of Indian cuisine and then went to Fred Meyer where I’m proud to announce I finished every last bit of my Christmas shopping for Eric! All but one gift is wrapped and under the Christmas tree. I can’t believe we get to open them in one week! This is so exciting!

Last night was cRAVE as usual. We took the kids outside and went sledding in the little snow we have. We actually ended up sliding down this ice covered gravel hill that is out beside the church. Most kids out here don’t get to go sledding unless they head to Snoqualmie Pass – so, they were more than happy to sled with what we had.
Only a couple bumps and bruises so I think we made out just fine; the bumps and bruises by the way? On my knee cap and my hip, I just had to test it out to make sure it was safe, didn’t I?

FAIR WARNING: Abby is in “reminisce” mode!

It made me think back to the days of sledding on the farm. Back when Mom would bundle us all up in our snow suits just in time for us to say “I have to go to the bathroom”.
Once we got all bundled, Dad would help us in to the four wheel drive truck, jimmy, bronco or tractor that we were taking out to the fields and then we’d go through the fence and spend the entire day sliding down what seemed like a never ending hill in the pasture. Our favorite sleds always entailed the cheap rolled up ones from Wal-mart or the plastic ones from Mitzi’s hardware store and of course inner tubes from tractor tires. All of the above were never completely cow-pie resistant though, that was the “danger” of sledding in the pasture. After we were winded from walking up and sliding down the hills (this was of course before Uncle Kevin would bring over his snowmobile and give us a ride back up the hill) we’d go back inside and Mom would make us hot chocolate with marshmallows.

I always had the most fun birthday parties of all my friends because the snow would linger into February and we would always take my friends out to the pasture to sled. Your status in grade school always shifted depending on what kind of sled your parents purchased you for the school yard and that always held over for my sledding parties once my friends would see the giant inner tube my Dad would blow up for us. I always felt like the coolest kid in school.

There are so many great memories from past Christmases and that’s what we’ve been sharing during cRAVE so I can’t help but to share a few of mine. You should comment and share a few of yours with me! (that means you Shannon & Amanda).

- The Christmas that Leon’s family came caroling at our house on Christmas Eve and then Amanda and Nick came over and we spend the rest of the evening holding Candy and Grant captive on the stairs and fighting with them (we were such mean kids).

-I remember the Christmas Tony got his first CD – MC Hammer the same year Santa left “car organizers” under the tree for Shannon and she was less than amused.

- The year our Cat Buddy decided our Christmas tree was his favorite thing to climb and we ended up tying the tree to the wall to keep it from falling down

-Tony always used to put my gifts in boxes and then make me wrap them for myself “unless you didn’t want them to look good”.

-I remember how Mom always used to take a whole day off to wrap Christmas presents so we weren’t home to peak.

-Mom painting her Christmas village and letting me help put in the bulbs

-Mom Christmas baking all day LONG!

-Coloring a cook book for Mom that we made in the girl scouts and asking her to make a recipe out of it. Which she didn’t ask for until after I wrapped it, and I just started to cry.

-Eric and I’s first Christmas together when he proposed on Christmas Eve by putting my ring box in the Tree.

-Reading the Christmas Story at Grandma Myla's and Her making us sing a Christmas Carol before we could open our presents.

- Angie, Amanda and I getting Anatomically Correct Baby girls and boys.

- Aunt Brenda putting "one free massage from Abby" gift certificate on the tree for herself.

- Our last Christmas with Uncle Kevin, sitting on the couch snuggled up with him enjoying everyone around us.

- Our last Christmas with Kerry and him showing us all the things Baby Kevin could do and how proud he was.

- The year I unplugged the fondu pot and my entire family became livid with me, but they forgave me :)

Additionally... a few cute kid moments from Christmas past that Mom still likes to tell us about.

- The year I got Rida Annette (my cabbage patch kid) and cried when I opened her because I didn't know if I would be a good enough mother for her.

- Mom made me a cabbage patch look a like named Lucy and let me play with her, and then took her from me when I wasn't paying attention and wrapped her up for a Christmas gift, when I opened the gift I kissed her non stop and said "Lucy ... I've been looking for you"

There are so many great memories and so many to recount. These are some of the ones that warm my heart and make me laugh.
Aaaah Christmas… What a wonderful time of year!
♥ Abby