The "Magic" of Christmas ...

As a mother to a mentally handicapped daughter - I can tell you that there are a lot of down sides.  Yet, as I sit here - I cannot think of a single one!

I knew I was going to start my blog post today with a thought that I had. Generally, when healthy,  I am composing posts in my head continually throughout the day - aren't you ever-so-happy I don't get around to typing them all out?  Then I was just going to let the Christmas Photos flow ...

In my head I remember thinking I would name a few (OK, there is that constant terror of "What is going to happen to my beautiful, precious daughter when I am no longer here?" but you try to just ignore that one ... pretty much because if you cannot, you will go completely insane ...)

BUT!!!

There are quite a few upsides to having a mentally handicapped daughter too!

And in my book, the NUMBER ONE UPSIDE is that at our house, December 25th will always be MAGICAL! Filled with Santa and Reindeer and Elves and Baby Jesus and Stables and Wise Men, and New Stars and Lambs and Presents and Excitement and Laughter and Joy and Fun, and Happiness, and ... well - that IS sort of ... MAGIC!  Just like! 

EXACTLY LIKE MAGIC! That my December 25th is chock full of Magical Moments fills my soul and nourishes my spirit and gives me hope ...

It is like wandering through a desert and coming upon a refrigerated cooler full of bottled water - as much as you want. 

DRINK TILL YOU ARE FULL girl, 'cause you have to get through 365 days come tomorrow ...

But no worries - tomorrow is ... well, tomorrow and we will worry about that tomorrow!

MAGICAL.

There is no other word for what Christmas is like with someone who Truly Believes and is So Excited about it and just bubbles with exuberance, joy, love, life, fun, happiness, sweetness with just a pinch of 'naughty' thrown in for good measure!   It is a gift beyond measure ...

AND I GET IT EACH AND EVERY YEAR!

And, wouldn't you know?  I have never tired of getting the same thing each year!

As long as I live (If you have read my post titled: "Mysteries of Mortality ... Part 2: The Piano" you will understand when I say that I am VERY DETERMINED TO WIN that race with my child ...) so - as long as I live - Christmas Day will forever be filled with MAGIC.  It will forever fill my soul with everything I need to get me through the ... darker days ...

I don't think it gets better than that ...

I cannot imagine anything is better than that ...

You all with little children know EXACTLY what I mean!

You with older children probably remember EXACTLY what I mean!

We did something different this year. Since Jessie is rather hyper and on medications and we chase after her keeping her busy from the minute she storms into the house until the minute she gets in Daddy's truck - we decided that it would be best for all of us to not get her Christmas Eve in the late afternoon as we have done each year in the past since she has not lived with us, but get her Christmas morning and have her spend the entire day with us until she was good and ready to go 'home'.

I felt rather guilty about it last night - but I have not been feeling all that chipper and logically I knew that it was the best thing for everybody.

So we had a morning that ACTUALLY DIDN'T START AT 4:30am per Jessie's Christmas Morning Habit - I was too chicken when I called her 'house' to ask 'Carter' her aide when she did actually get up this morning.  I called around 7:45am to remind her we were coming at 9:00am to pick her up - just in case things were going slowly around there so that she would have time to shower and get ready.

It didn't take long to realize that Jessie WAS READY and had been for some time! I told her we would be there in 15 minutes - the time it takes us to drive over there and she seemed rather relieved.

Poor thing!

Gary headed out to get her, Ryan came down from showering and I had seen a friends photo on Facebook with the stockings all surrounding the tree laying on top of the presents.

 I normally, after filling them, just dumped them on the chair where they generally sat while we opened up presents - and thought this was much nicer - so Ryan and I set out our stockings and I snapped a Christmas Day photo of our tree:

I should also mention that Santa and his Ever-So-Helpful Elf actually DID get my new dishwasher installed last night and it was quietly cleaning dishes as we went to bed. Santa was extremely happy that Helper Elf stuck around since Santa said that Helper Elf solved what ever dilemma was plaguing them. I am thankful to both.

The racks in our old one had almost totally rusted out and they had discontinued the racks, no longer selling them - thus we really, really needed a new dishwasher and I was just never excited enough to get on the web and look for one. But this one is very, very cool! I shall be very happy with it!

And the inside - (I know y'all care ...):

Decided that this year I was going to take 'proper photos' - especially since my Christmas was out of the way - I could just sit behind my camera and snap away!

OF COURSE I was planning on using my brand spanking new DLSR and as I was setting it up on my tripod Jessie burst in the back door. Luckily my bitty Canon - which lives in my pocket - was available and I snapped a shot as she ran to greet me with a hearty

"MERRY CHRISTMAS! MOM!"

And the unwrapping began ... rather, sort of, a little but not as organized as in years past - but still worked out OK ...


You know, as HARD AS IT IS TO GET THIS GUY TO SMILE - just stick a grundle of money in a size Zero Shaker Box and ... well ... there you go! WISHED I HAD ASKED HIM TO LOOK UP THOUGH ...

I have explained before that Jessie is an 'Unwrapping Maniac'. We are unsure why, but she loves to unwrap presents and some years if you didn't physically restrain her - she would unwrap one present, NOT EVEN GLANCE AT THE GIFT and robotically move on to the next present - over and over until the pile was gone ...

She seemed a tad more restrained this year ... but just by a tad ...

I AM ASSUMING that he is actually THRILLED about this AppleTV (Is that what it is called?) since HE BOUGHT IT HIMSELF. While wrapping it - I decided on the gift tag to put

To: Ryan

From: Ryan ...

Jessie VERY HAPPY with a new sweater from Grandma and Grandpa:

Gary, TRYING to look excited about this gift. The man is IMPOSSIBLE to purchase for - so he does his own shopping - thus no surprises ...

Jessie thought that if she raised her hand and yelled at the top of her voice "MY TURN!" she would automatically get a turn. OK, she probably did since her pile was at least 4 times the size of Ryan's and Ryan's was 4 times the size of Gary's ...

I have NO IDEA what / who she is looking at in this photo - apparently she is cheesing it up for the TV screen with her new "Brave" figurines:

Ryan getting his only surprise of the day (oh, he was rather surprised about the cash ...) - THE COOLEST LEGO SET EVER!

While trying to show me his totally awesome new Funky Lego VW Van he was 'photobombed' by Charlie!

 Charlie was feeling rather left out since she got nothing and she was in trouble as when she jumped out of the truck upon coming back from picking up Jessie - she ran off chasing a cat. Yeah - she knew she was in trouble ...

YOU TRY AND TELL HER NOT TO HOLD IT IN FRONT OF HER FACE! This is her 'Go To' pose for each and every present. Ryan gently coached her through the ones where her face was showing .... 

And I do believe this is Ryan's "Deer-In-The-Headlights" pose ....

Um, well, no ... he is NOT crying ... this is Gary trying to hold up what he says is a 45 pound watch!

He mentioned this was one of the problems of purchasing everything you own online - he got this and said it was four times as heavy as all his other Skagen watches (we fell in love with the Danish Skagen watch ... well, while in Denmark!).

He liked it because he thought the face would be easier to see - not so much glare - but SO HEAVY! Dude - it is a watch!

And a beauty at that! But between the weight and the trouble setting the time, back it is going - he will just have to keep on looking ...

Loved, loved, loved this photo because of the expression on both of my kiddos faces ...

** Note ***

Later I mention that I finished this post 5 hours ago except for uploading two videos (it has NOW been 7 hours) and I am giving up.  Picture Ryan opening up his new laptop while I give him a hard time about it. As he starts excitedly to tell me about how fantistacally wunderbar it is - I cut the filming off! So Fun! So Sad! Ticked off I cannot get them to load ...

*sigh*


Jessie checking out her new Merida shirt ...

Another VERY EXCITED look from Gary - there was another but it was worse ... seriously.

It looks COOL - it is a watch repair kit with all sorts of funky, cool, wee tiny gizmos. 

I liked this photo and had seen it a few times when it hit me ...

This photo represents the Entire Gary Hurst Family more than any photo I have ever seen (why, yes - this does include FAMILY PORTRAITS).

Why? 

You ask? 

Well, let me tell you. 

Gary - sitting there being the most wonderful, perfect father on the planet, not to mention ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS a good sport with Jessie. 

Jessie - just sitting there in all her joy and excitement and exuberance and "Jessie'ness".  And showing who MOST DEFINITELY is her BFF ...

Ryan - the sweetest thing to stay here amidst the chaos, and the noise and the "Jessie'ness".  But as you take a closer look, and think about it - here, but alone - doing his own thing ...  sometimes this makes me sigh, but it is what it is ...  He has done a marvelous job growing up with Jessie as a sister.

And Lori - behind the camera (hiding) - doing what she loves doing best - watching her family have fun and documenting it for one and all ...

We shall call this gift the "Dreaded Tangled Tower".

*shudders* ...

This photo is titled: "What Laptop? I don't see any Laptop!"

Jessie opening her present from Ryan.  If you have read earlier posts, on Sunday when she was home she asked me for a Tinkerbell doll.  Unfortunately, there was Tink hiding in my closet with all her presents. Having never before asked me for something specific for Christmas, I really wanted to grant her this wish, but this was was a bit problematic since it was TWO DAYS BEFORE CHRISTMAS! But Ryan, being the Best Big Brother On Planet Earth BRAVELY headed out on Christmas Eve Day with about 36 Gazillion other shoppers and got her one! 

Just gotta love that guy ....

I had given this to Gary, but since he knew what it was, and was hoping that Ryan would help him build it, he let Ryan open it.  Which is, I believe officially the last Christmas present opened:

Tell me this is not the most adorable London Tower EVER?  And see that wee little double decker red bus?  I mean WHO COULD NOT GIVE THIS TO THEIR HUSBAND FOR CHRISTMAS?

And we are OFFICIALLY DONE  with the unwrapping session of our Christmas morning!

Hmmmm ... I think we just might have lost Ryan for the day ....

Charlie was sucking up to Gary - still feeling the sting of being in trouble and I yelled to her:

"Charlie!  Show me your 'I'm Not Worthy' pose!"

And JUST LIKE THAT .... SHE DID!

Gary is a serious sweetie when it comes to our Kjærlighet!

** Note ***

Later I mention that I finished this post 5 hours ago except for uploading two videos (it has NOW been 7 hours) and I am giving up.  Picture Jessie posing in her outfit and saying that she is a "Princess Ninja!"  ADORABLE - but-not-gonna-happen-apparently  ...

*double sigh*

Even in her "Princess Ninja Pose" she seems a force to be reckoned with!

I was happily, busily downloading and viewing my files when Gary yelled into me and asked me if I wanted any breakfast?  I told him thanks, but 'No'.  He was making waffles for everyone - not my favorite.

I decided I needed photos of 'Good Ole Dad' cooking breakfast for everyone and started to walk in the Kitchen as Gary walked into the office with my breakfast ... he made me a pancake!  And round and round we went - yelling at each other "Where are you?!?"  We finally found each other in the Great Room ...

I ALWAYS tell him no when he asks if I want Breakfast ... or Lunch ... or Dinner - mainly because I am always nauseated - thus it sounds - not fun.  But he ALWAYS makes me a little something because he knows that I will feel guilty and eat it ...

thus I survive ...

Dad BACK in the kitchen cooking more waffles:

As I was standing with my back to the wall to catch all I could in the photo I wondered, 'Hmmm, I wonder if I took 14 shots of the Great Room all the way round to Jessie - would it stitch properly in Photoshop?'  I realized I had no panorama's of my house - so I gave it a 'ahem' shot ...

Worked fine (if you don't notice the 'bendy tile' in the kitchen area ...)

Ryan will not smile for me for photos.  He had run down with his laptop while I was sitting at the table eating my pancake and he was DELIRIOUS WITH JOY! 

I snuck my trusty camera from my pocket and while not looking where I was shooting (hoping he would not notice I was photographing him) snapped off a few shots.  I got a few with his entire face in them but he somehow looks like a bug-eyed zombie.  But this one - this one shows PURE JOY! 

Y'all are just going to have to picture the other half of his face ...

Back to the "Dreaded Tangled Tower". 

I was trying to put it together for Jessie, sitting on the floor, not feeling very well and for the LIFE OF ME could not make heads nor tails of the instructions.  This generally spirals from 'I'm Stupid' to 'I'm a Total Failure' to 'Just Kill Me Now' to 'I Think The End of The World is Coming' in about, oh, I would say ten seconds? 

Needless to say I had a wee bit of a meltdown. 

Why, YES! 

EXACTLY like a TWO YEAR OLD!

How ever did you know?

Gary took over and I was somewhat relieved that 'The-Man-Who-Refuses-To-Read-Instruction-Manuals' had resorted to reading the instructions - AND LOOKS CONFUSED ... HA!

Charlie still trying to find her "Happy Place" which is only accessible when each and every member of the family has forgiven her.

And THOSE EYES!  She CAN SO WORK THE EYES and SO KNOWS IT ...

Ryan, back to taunting me with his high resolution screen ...

Yeah ... I really, really don't want to talk about it ....

Hmmm ....

ALMOST, a smile!  But not really - I know what a Ryan Smile looks like and that is just not it ...

Gary made me take photos when it was complete - right down to her glowing hair.  Which is all fine and good, but while in the middle of my melt down I was holding her trying to get the freaking elastic out from under her hair and it was stuck.  I tugged and tugged and all of a sudden her HAIR FELL OFF! 

And there sat 'whatever her name is' with a bald head!  I flashed back to that movie where a bunch of seriously weirded out barbies - not many with any hair at all were attacking ... someone?  I don't remember the name of the show - and I am morphing it with an animated Toy Story - but don't know which one had the freaky barbies in it either.  Needless to say I was ranting and saying not nice things about what kind of sick and twisted company would make something that scared the shit out of ... ADULTS!  OK, OK, abiet a pre weirded out, pre hissy fitting, pre tantruming right dang in the middle of a melt down adult ...

ANYHOO ... TOTALLY FREAKED ME OUT ... so, so creepy and my 'Boys' had to gently tell me that this happens in the movie - so it was fine.  Apparently I have not yet seen 'Tangled' but y'all ... that girl just does NOT LOOK GOOD BALD ...

And then onto to "Jessie's-Official-Plan-For-The-Day": Brave and Tangled!!!!

But Jessie while asking, begging, repeatedly, over and over and over again asking to watch a show does not ACTUALLY MEAN that she will watch it. 

Most times she won't.  She flits.  Her attention span is that of a gnat ...

Gary headed out for what he thought would be a quick assembly of his grill he got for Christmas. 

No, I did not wrap it. 

Apparently it was giving him some trouble so he was out there for some time ...

No worries!  Jessie wanted to play on the computer, so I got my laptop out and we sat down, side by side, just two gals surfin' the web ...

Didn't think to take a photo while she was playing - thus the empty chairs ...

And I HAD BEEN too lazy to wander out and take photos of the new Grill - but my Blog Post was finished about 5 HOURS AGO except for two teeny, tiny, wee, little things.  I had two video's I wanted to add - one of Jessie and one of Ryan. 

AND THEY SIMPLY WILL NOT LOAD.

I am starting to wonder if it is that I played with them in Photoshop CS6 - yes, YOU CAN EDIT VIDEO IN Photoshop CS6 - HOW FUN IS THAT?  But it just might have made them ginormously large and so they are stumbling all over themselves.

I'm gonna go check on the original size and the edited size and if they are close to the same size, it means that is not the problem and I am giving up ....

But! 

I have since meandered out to the garage and taken photos of what, now that I see it in person is called: "The Behemoth Grill". 

As I said Gary, when he came back inside was saying, "Man, that was hard!  I thought it would take me like a half hour and I PROMISE I was not goofing off or playing with wood or anything!  I spent the ENTIRE TIME setting up that grill!"

I found it rather funny that he felt like he needed to assure me he was not 'goofing off'!  He watched Jessie THE ENTIRE TIME SHE WAS HERE on Sunday because I had a migraine - yet still - he was worried, what?  That I was in here tapping my foot and watching the clock ... timing him? 

The man deserves a little down time is all I am saying ...

He really, really is a SAINT of a husband and if there is ever something that I can do to give him a break - I will gladly do it!

So without further adieu - (although that was some sort of lengthy adieu ...) I give you

"The Behemoth Grill":

It's ever so ... bright and shiny and stainless steely ...

Since Gary does all the grilling at our house ... yes, I KNOW, that comes as such a COMPLETE SURPRISE to y'all doesn't it? I am actually sort of, kind of competent at it (I did use his - the one rusting out now that it is back in Houston) when I was nursing him back to health in Australia. I sort of, kind of have this very irrational fear that when I try and light it, it will delay, and delay, and then **POOF** engulfing me in flames and setting my hair and eyebrows on fire.

I'm not saying that it is a LOGICAL fear, but it is what is is ...

So!

When I saw its ever-so-cute sign, I turned to Gary and said: "What does it mean by infrared?"

He did a combo shrug and "I-don't-know" mumble.

"You are the one that picked it out! You are the one that COOKS ON IT! What do you mean you don't know?"

He calmly turned to me and said: "I guess we will figure it out soon enough." and then calmly turned back to his sanding something ABSOLUTELY STUNNINGLY BEAUTIFUL that I have photos of also ... but THAT is for tomorrow ...

Took a shot at the bright, shiny, stainless steely ... um, thingies under the grill - 'cause I am pretty sure they will never look this pretty again ...

OK, let's time travel back to those two Surfin' Gals again ....

We were having a marvelous time. She usually wants to go to Disney.com and gets stuck after about 3 seconds and then I need to maneuver her out of her muddle, but today she wanted to do what we do when we make her the 4x6 book I make her every Sunday. She gives me a character - usually something Disney, but sometimes not and I Google it and pull up 'Images' and she picks and chooses which photos to put in that days 'book'.

So all I had to do was Google what ever name she gave me and she was a merrily surfin' for MINUTES AT A TIME! Guys - that is almost a MIRACLE in terms of how long she usually stays on task. So very, very cool!

OK, one more photo - I made the following .png file for that back page of the book I mention above that I make her every Sunday. I put it on the back pointing out - so everyone can see it if she is carrying it.

Someone, anyone - please tell me how cheesy or pathetic or weird it is ... other people see these books and I am afraid they will think I am certifiable ... OK, lets not use that term ... Weird ... hmmmm not that one either ... Unhinged - OK - why don't y'all just let me know if it is in any way ... normal - sadly these days - I do not trust my own instincts on determining 'normal' ...

So ... whaddya think?

Anyone?




Approximately two hours before we predicted she would say it ... she said it ...

"Mom, I want to go home."

This statement always breaks my heart and thrills me with excitement ... in equal parts.  Happy that she is happy where she is living, and generally tired of keeping up with her would be the thrilled part.  And if you cannot figure out why it breaks my heart ... well, then - y'all are probably not a mother of a mentally handicapped daughter ...

Hope your day was a full of fun, excitement, Santa, Jesus, screams of delight, smiles, good food, loving family and MAGIC ... especially hope y'all had some MAGIC today - 'cause Christmas just is not Christmas without it ...


I'm just sayin' ....