*A couple days before December, I was putting up Christmas decorations when it was 75 degrees in my house and needed to turn on the air conditioning. It was hard to wrap my brain around the fact that it was Christmastime. The last place I grew up in was Alaska where Christmas (and 8 months out of the year) means cold!! Not sure I'll ever get used to the opposite weather and temperatures here in the south.
*The night before December 1st, I posted on Facebook: Thoughts and prayers go out my dad tonight and tomorrow. He is undergoing unexpected quadruple by-pass surgery tomorrow morning. Praying for this wonderful man, my equally wonderful mom and the surgeons who will be working on him. On a lighter note, when it's all done, my dad and I will have matching "zippers" since I preceded him in open heart surgery by 32 years. I'm so grateful for modern medicine! Good luck keeping him down, Mom! A body cast would help!
The update I gave on 12/1/14 was this: Dad came out of surgery a few hours ago. Doctor said Dad did really well--his heart is strong. There was a mitral valve that also needed repairing so it took a little bit longer, but so far so good. He's awake now and and Mom reported he was standing up and doing deep knee bends about five hours post-surgery. That sounds like Dad! I believe in the power of prayer! Thank you so much for all of yours! (He was also pushing my niece, Kaitlyn, around in his wheelchair!)
*On Tuesday, December 2nd, Jared and I attended the very posh St. Joseph Med Staff Christmas Party (held at the Pebble Creek Country Club). We found a couple of PAs Jared had met over the past few months and sat at a table with them. There was an open bar, of course, which was exciting for most everyone but us. We just sat around waiting for the meeting to begin. There was some business from the directors and such at the head of the hospital. Sister Penny (the nun who interviewed Jared for this job) led us in a prayer. She actually sat down next to me at our table and we had a lovely conversation with her. Dinner was delicious: prime rib, salmon, all sorts of sides and salads, fruits, breads and desserts. I found it fascinating that they honored two physicians and two nurses--one recognition from the hospital and one nominated by their peers. Yet, nowhere on the program was any honor or mention of Physician Assistants or Nurse Practitioners--the mid-level providers. So I leaned over to Sister Penny and kindly asked her about it. "I love how you honor doctors and nurses, but what about your advanced practioners?" I seemed to stump her for a second and then she replied that I was right. They would need to work on that. Hopefully, Jared's job wouldn't be in jeopardy for my inquiry. I felt it was a valid point, however. The advanced practioners work just as hard, if not harder, than anyone else and they generate money for the hospital (unlike nurses who only cost money). Jared is amazing at what he does so yeah, I think he should have an equal opportunity to be recognized for his contribution.
*On December 3rd, I noticed the nativity I had set out on the dining room table had been "messed with." I posted this on Facebook: If you have little ones at home this is a touching experiment to try. Set out your nativity in a straight line or semi-circle and wait to see what happens. Without fail, no matter how many times I change it back, the kids always rearrange the figures so that they are surrounding and facing the baby Jesus. Children totally get it. Jesus is at the center of it all. Jesus is the gift--the first gift--and star of the season. May we keep CHRIST in Christmas now and at the center of our lives all year through!
Ah ha! Caught in the act!! Calvin and Karcyn making some changes.
Pictures of the living room and kitchen nook with furniture and a few Christmas items.
*I love this quote by President Monson: "He who gives money gives some, he who gives time gives more, and he who gives of himself gives all."
*December 5th, Jared made the front page of the local newspaper (the Madisonville Meteor) for the new occupational medicine program that he would be running.
*Later that night, Jared made the 10 o'clock news--top story!! Channel 40 KRHD out of Waco (we think :) He did a fabulous job and is a *natural* in front of the camera. The headline was: "New clinic in Madisonville Expands Specific Kind of Healthcare--A new clinic in Madisonville is expanding workplace related healthcare to more rural areas and saving employers time and money."
*Calvin wrote this in his 1st grade class:
*A gorgeous winter sunset!
*Sooooo, finding a Christmas tree in Texas is a "LOT" different than finding one in Oregon. Although, for our last few years in Oregon we were buying them from the Century High School band to support our neighbors and then Jake. And we picked them out at the tennis courts which might as well have been a parking lot. Even still--they were big, full and deliciously fragrant douglas fir trees. Cut very recently and locally. And cheap: $25. We had no idea where to go to get a tree in Texas. I suppose this would have been a good time to make the switch to an artificial tree, but I grew up with real trees and I just can't do it. Not yet, anyway.
I learned there are a couple of farms we could have gone to within 45 minutes to an hour away. That didn't fit with our plans, however, so when we learned Lowes carries them, we set off for our nearby hardware store. This year we donated our Christmas to a family in need so a small tree seemed fitting. It also fit better into our budget! Our little tree cost $45! And who knows how long since it had been cut. The kids were engrossed in the process of "bagging" the tree.
Haha! It is practically a miniature tree--even in the tree stand! But we love it!
*December 11th--Good bye pretty, lavender Oregon license plates! Car inspection, car registration and Texas driver's license all done. Finally!!!! What a fiasco!
*December 12th. This is how we do our first ward Christmas party. Jared was helping to cover at the local urgent care from 5-9:30pm and missed it.
*JJ posing with the double-decker bus that Mom and Dad brought back from their mission in London because he found the page about London in our "Where In the World Will You Go on Your Mission?" book--and a red double-decker bus just like his!
JJ and his "ah-ee." He loves that blanket.
*Karcyn pretending to be Ann "The Librarian" Withers from Studio C! Google it! Such a funny sketch! :)
*A few pictures of Jared's office space in Madisonville. Except that the desk is where the receptionist and Medical Assistant sits. Jared's "office" or nook is out the door and down the hall and reminiscent of a janitor's closet with cinder blocks. His Medical Assistant pages him when there's a patient.
*Cooper making rank as a 12-year-old scout and Tenderfoot. Poor kid got really snookered in scouts when we moved. Just when 11 year old scouts was really picking up in Oregon to do camping and such, the scouts here in Texas were shutting down for the summer. We're proud of Cooper working hard to catch up.
*Cooper and his Scout Master, Ben Bigelow.
*December 11th was the day we set aside on our Christmas chain to decorate our little tree.
Jake played music while we worked.
There was just enough room on this tree for the kids to hang their personal ornaments, but no extras.
It was Cooper's turn to put on the star. Good thing it was a short tree so Cooper could reach! ;)
*December 13th--Crazy temps!
*December 17th--back in November when we were invited to make our own gingerbread houses with our new friends, the Scoresbys, we learned that Natassia illustrated the book Gerald Giraffe. It was written by Jack Weyland! Who was, when I was a teenager, my favorite LDS author! In another twist of fate, his wife, Sheryl, was one of my education teachers at Ricks (BYU-I). Natassia's bishop was Jack Weyland when she was at BYU-I. He read them a poem at a ward event one night and Natassia told him he should publish it into a book and she would illustrate it for him...and voila!! Sooo cool. It's SUCH a fabulous story in Dr. Seuss style. And her pictures are adorable. They make me chuckle. I highly recommend it. I loved it so much, I ordered several of them for my kids' teachers for Christmas and had Natassia sign them!
*December 20th--a hike with the scouts.
*Another Christmas Chain event and a family favorite: Bo-Ho-Holing with Santa and Elf hats! Our little elf JJ even has little elf ears. :)
Calvin. Devilish little elf who just wants his two front teeth for Christmas!!
We love how JJ just waits patiently for his ball to roll, roll, roll slowly down the lane.
*Karcyn surprised she knocked down any pins at all! ;)
*Karcyn and Calvin
*JJ
*Jake and Cooper
*Big Jared and Little Jared :)
*The Calvinator
Merry Christmas!!
*December 24th--our spaghetti dinner by candlelight on Christmas Eve.
During our Christmas Eve program, Jake played the piano.
JJ told jokes ;)
We usually have chocolate fondue with strawberries and bananas and pound cake. But Cooper got the stomach flu on Christmas Eve the year before and that's exactly what he threw up. It traumatized him and he was super grossed out at the idea of having that this year. So we tried thinking of an alternative. But in the end, Cooper said he'd "sacrifice" and try it again. Way to take one for the team, man!
Because our driveway is flat and not steep like it was in Oregon and the weather is much more mild and warm and conducive for being outside, Santa brought the kids new bikes for Christmas. And Jake was the lucky one who got to put JJ's together! We're just giving our future engineer lots of practice and Jared didn't really want to ruin the mood by losing his temper because of "poor instructions." ;)
He did a great job and a great service!
Karcyn's Christmas Story picture
