Precursor to Christmas

Even if no snowflake surfaces on December 25, we all already feel like we've had a White Christmas.

Snow started falling Friday afternoon and within a couple of hours the roads were in pitiful shape, power outages started kicking in, and then later, water became scarce. Blessedly, we were spared all the ill effects of the snow storm. The kids had only a half day of school and Bruce had taken a half day off from work to deal with the cable man coming (because I'm clueless when those techie types come to the house to hook up anything!). So we were all home as we watched the precipitation turn from rain to slush to fat snowflakes. And once the snow started, it seemed it would never stop. At its height, we had between six and seven inches of snow. That's the most snow my kids have seen at one time in their whole lives!

By suppertime, the kids were begging to go outside, so I did my job... I put the teakettle on to heat water for the hot chocolate they'd drink when they came inside. Oh, and let's not forget my other big task: to make sure everyone had gone to the bathroom BEFORE they got bundled up.

Then I watched from the kitchen and dining room windows.



They played for about two hours.

And they slept good that night! Our electricity flickered a few times, but never went out for even a whole minute.

Saturday was more of the same. The kids played in the snow in our yard for a couple of hours after breakfast. And then they were outside again for a few hours more after lunch over at my in-laws' home, which has more hills than our yard has.

My in-laws were without power, so by evening they came over for supper and "a sleepover" at our house. Right before they left their house, their water went out. And our water pressure was waning, so we filled up a couple of containers of drinking water and some other containers of water for... flushing... in case it came to that. But it didn't. After supper, the kids watched TV in the playroom and we adults watched a movie in the den. By the time the movie was over, our water pressure was back.

We know were were blessed. Via Facebook, we read about countless friends who were stuck on the interstate in traffic that wouldn't budge, or a 20-minute trip took two hours or more, or they abandoned their vehicles altogether and walked home in that cold mess. Others updated, saying they were without power or water or both.

But for us, we just had a great family evening. The kids were so excited to have their Meemaw and Peepaw over for the night. No stress. No arguing. It was truly what Christmas should be... except on a smaller scale since we weren't with our entire extended families.

Church was cancelled at the Moody's church and at ours, so this morning we had a leisurely late breakfast.

Then Spencer and Allison headed back outside, for their third straight day of snow play. Clay had had enough.

Spencer rolled a snowball as big as he could get it, then hefted it onto his sled and hauled that thing up and down a very slight hill in our front yard.



Then he had Bruce come outside and help him roll it even bigger and get it off the sled. I laughed and took this picture when Spencer told me to come outside and see what he had made. That thing is nearly bigger than he is!



Allison was content to stick with a smaller scale snowman. She built him and set him on our porch railings. He has berries for eyes and one of his stick arms fell off, but she surgically re-attached it after I took this picture, so no worries, he's recuperating nicely now.



These last few pictures are from last Sunday when the children's Christmas program was performed.

Before church in the morning, I decided to snap an impromptu picture because they ended up all dressed in the same colors. I put the boys in their matching Christmas sweaters on purpose, but must have been in a red and black mood when I picked out Allison's outfit.



Spencer is the only child of ours we could get to stick with children's choir. He has no fear. He enjoys singing, so he wanted to do it, even if we are relatively new at the church and he doesn't have really tight friendships yet.

Clay flat out refused to be involved because, although he likes to sing, and is pretty good at it, he can't get over stage fright. I feel for him, but he's doing it when they start back in January. More on that later.

Allison went to several practices, but when it came time for the long practice the week beforehand, she got all weepy and bailed on the idea. Then Sunday came and she didn't want to go to the second long practice after the morning service. I told her she would not be allowed to do the performance. Okay. But then that night, she got upset once Meemaw and Peepaw arrived and Spencer was on stage ready to perform. She's also going to do it when they start back in January. Because I don't want to hear the whining next time.

Spencer not only stuck with the choir, but he also even took on a part with a few other little boys. And he was very nervous beforehand.

But when it came time to step up to the mic, he cheesed for a minute and I thought, "Oh, he's going to be just fine." I was so glad when we got home and Bruce showed me that he actually caught Spencer right at that moment.



And here's my big boy during his few singing lines with the other few boys.



Spencer has a bit of a showboat in him. He goes back and forth between being okay in the limelight and then wavering, wondering if he's gone too far out on a limb. He's so much like Bruce that way.

Near the end of the program, the children were to sit down, but, as is so often the case, his attention was elsewhere for a few critical seconds, and he ended up being the last child standing. Now, to be honest, I couldn't tell how much of it was complete accident, and how much was a little bit planned. But watching his face, he seemed embarrassed but then okay.

And that's when Clay started laughing. Not loudly, but covering his face and pointing at Spencer. Being obvious at least to me on his one side and his grandma on his other side. And he didn't stop when I warned him the first time.

And that's when Spencer looked right at us and realized what was going on... and his face crumbled just a little bit.

And Momma got a little bit mad.

And that's why Clay is being forced to do children's choir in January.

Because you don't laugh at someone when they're being brave. Especially when they're doing something you don't have the guts to do yourself. And most especially when it's your brother.

I'm going to cut Clay a very little bit of slack and talk to the person in charge to be sure they know not to give him any lines or solos and to let him stand as far back and unobserved as possible.

But being a little uncomfortable isn't going to kill him.

I just pray he doesn't throw up on stage in front of everyone during the performance.

For now, it's feeling like Christmas!