Sunday, December 30, 2012

Willman Family Christmas

365/366

The last.  Our last Christmas celebration.  We usually do Willman Family Christmas on Christmas Eve, but our schedules didn't permit, then Kaylee's health didn't permit, then I thought our health wasn't going to permit it either.  Chris had a little cough, and I just feel crummy all the time, and Eric's working an awesome sinus infection I'm pretty sure.  But Amy had masks for Chris to wear, and when I asked him if he would wear a mask, or rather stay home.  He chose the mask.  He did great with it really, better than I thought, he just had a little trouble putting it back up when he wasn't eating.  After a few hours, he said he wanted to be done.  He still did a lot better than I would have thought he would.  But when we explained Kaylee is sick, and she can't have any more cooties, especially his, he was eager and willing to keep his cooties to himself.

We decided to get together for lunch after church.  I skipped church (gasp!) so I could go see the Fam.  And told Eric that I would call him if I felt up to going.  As it turned out, skipping church and resting quietly at home all morning was just what I needed!   When it came time, I was ready to go too!


This year we kicked down our Christmas.  Last year we were Blessed to be able to adopt a family to help out.  Unfortunately this year, I was barely able to help myself.  Most of our shopping was done online.  So we agreed, that this year, we'd just pamper the kids.  That worked.  Honestly, watching the kids open their presents is my favorite part of Christmas now anyway.  See?  I'm so old.  But you know what?  Having kids, and seeing that Joy when they recieve a gift that they wanted so badly, or didn't even know that they wanted so badly, that makes all the holiday stress worthwhile.  Makes all the holiday crazy melt away.   That was just what we needed this year.  And to hear the 4 of them all laughing at the same time, wow, my favorite noises! 

Daddy helped the boys open their presents. 

Christopher and Sam immediately had to open the Transformer Rescue Bots toys they recieved, and start playing right away! 


This is the present I made Lexi.  A bearded hat.  She had given me a wish list, but when I heard her volleyball team last fall was called the Orange Mustaches, I knew I wanted to make her a hat with a mustache.  On fall break, I found out her favorite colors were, "in this order: purple, neon yellow, and hot pink".  So I made a hat in exactly those colors (finding and shopping for yarn was tricky in my condition, it was also the last and only shopping I did for myself before becoming wheelchair bound in public), I was surprised at how much I loved the wacky color combination.  It was all I wanted.  I made the beard removeable using orange buttons and chains hidden under the hat, so she doesn't have to be a bearded lady if she doesn't want.  Flexibility Right!?  Exactly.  But when she put it on, we all couldn't stop laughing, it looked so awesome.  I'm so glad she liked it.  



I love this picture of Kaylee, putting on her new woobie shirt from Grandma, it was so soft, we couldn't help pet her.  She kept singing "Soft Kitty" from Big Bang Theory.  We mutated the words to be "Soft Kaylee, Warm Kaylee..."  It was hysterical.  Blessedly, the whole chemo/leukemia has not shaken her spirit, or dampened her Joy.  


She dug into Lexi's stick on mustaches, and put one one.  Pure Silly Girl! 


Kaylee really enjoyed this silly microphone, and so did Sam.  There was much Joy, much laughter.  And it was good to just hang out.  Though we got sucked into a Colts game, and I wanted to stay to the finish.  I shouldn't have, I've ended up miserable all night, ankles the size of tree trunks, and contracty.  But when I hear them all laughing in my head, the kids playing, all that beautiful normalcy, however temporary, well, it's worth it.  



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