'Tis the Season

 Here's the truth about Christmas at our house this year. I am so absolutely excited about this time of year, and I want to do and eat and see Christmas everything. I see posts online or talk to friends about new Christmas traditions that I am dying to start and all day, every day I want to listen to Christmas songs, and read Christmas stories, and watch Christmas movies. I think that my children need every single toy that I see in the store, all the while I'm thinking of new service ideas that I want to do for other people.

But the truth of the matter is, we are very much in survival mode right now. On the opposite end of all that Christmas cheeriness is the overwhelming feeling of dirt and filth in my house constantly, and the never ending piles of laundry, and the lists of things that I'm behind on in my work and church calling. 

And I don't even necessarily have a great excuse. While others have sick family members they are taking care of, or are sick themselves. Or they have full-time jobs or much larger church responsibilities than I have. Or their husbands are gone on business or their children have very busy extra-curricular schedules. (And they still manage to do more than I can imagine.) I, on the other hand, have a 2 foot tall, adorable, (but still very needy) bundle of joy. 

I literally have no idea how to accomplish more than I currently am short of locking him in his room and drowning out the sounds of his sobs. He is in a phase right now where not only is he a momma's boy (as he always has been), but I cannot walk out of the room (even in our own house) because he just bursts out in tears. Doing the dishes is out of the question, as I have mentioned, because he believes with his whole heart that loading the dishwasher is a two person job. Cooking meals is not an option, because he is desperate to touch of the hot oven with his chubby little fingers every time I open the door. The laundry can never be put away because, either he is sleeping in the room where half the clothes in our house go, or he is chasing after my feet from dresser to closet to dresser to laundry basket, just hoping that I will trip on him-because then maybe I will give in and pick him. And I won't even start on the piles of blankets and jackets and socks that is in the back seat of both of our cars. I'm just asking that if you see me dropping Meili off for preschool or dance, and there is a trail of garbage that falls out the door of the car-don't judge me. I guarantee all of the disgustingness that is our lives right now, bothers me a whole lot more than it bothers you and give me a good 3 hours to myself someday, and I will get it all taken care of.

I know that this is a phase. I've been here once before. And hear me when I say that I wouldn't trade it for the cleanest house in the whole world. But it is the cold hard truth in our lives right now. 

However, in the spirit of Christmas, let me tell you about the very small, and simple things that are going right in our lives this Christmas season.

 I don't mind one bit that Meili and Grant love playing with our two nativities. I find it amusing that as long as the pieces are scattered under couches and in the cupboards, neither of them even notice their existence. But as soon as I arrange them perfectly on the coffee table, they both believe it is their sole responsibility to put them in their true places. I love that Meili believes that everyone just huddled as close to the baby Jesus as they possibly could. Because, let's be honest, I'm sure that's what they would have wanted to do.

 I mentioned Meili's gingerbread house in a previous post. Although Josh decorated far more than Meili or me.

 With all the things that are slacking in my life, there are a few things we do really well. Every night, we light our Christmas candle, read scriptures and a thought about the Savior's life, and sing a Christmas song (which Meili usually makes up on the spot) and a hymn. Then Meili blows out the candle and changes our advent calendar. (I skipped us a few days ahead, because I liked the look better.) The last couple days I noticed that Grant was just watching Meili in awe and trying to blow himself. So we've let him try a couple times. This is definitely one of my favorite traditions and some of the absolute highlights of this month.

 In an effort to focus a little more on the Savior and a little more on service this month, we started the tradition of adding a straw (strip of paper) to the baby Jesus' manger for each act of service that anyone in the family does. It doesn't look like much service in there, but let me tell you, it's going to take quite a few "straws" to make his bed softer.

 We have had a couple of elf visitors in our house this month. Our elves aren't watching to see if the kids are naughty or nice, and they don't make messes. (We've already heard, there are enough of those in the house already.) But they hide every night, and Meili loves finding them the next morning. 

Meili created this "one-horse open-sleigh" from her own imagination. I love it!

And for your viewing pleasure...

 Grant's hair is getting out of control and we'll need to cut it sooner rather than later. But for now, we're loving the mad-scientist curls.

We're down to just about three weeks, before our little baby boy falls into the "toddler" category. 

This month he is a pro at stairs. Upstairs, downstairs and everything in between. I love watching little kids when they're about to go down the stairs and they try to gauge on the top stair how far away they should be before they turn around on their tummies. My favorite is when they are way off, and they have to do a couple scoots on their belly because they turned way too early.

He's taken anywhere from 2-4 steps on his own probably 10 times or so. But he's probably not actually going to be walking for at least a month or so. 

Still 7 teeth. And he pretty much always seems like he is getting a cold or getting over a cold. 

He loves to clap, and someday I am going to get a video of him shaking his head because it is awesome. (He shakes his head over and over and so hard that he almost falls over, and smiles the whole time.)

I hope you are enjoying this Christmas season as much as we are-messes and all!