Bring on Christmas!!

Hello all!! We are having a decently busy but relaxing week around here! I have decided that I could really stay on top of things if I didn't have to do things like change the oil in my car, balance my checkbook, file tax paperwork, switch out clothes each season and pack away stuff that doesn't fit or is worn out, etc. I can handle caring for the kids, preparing meals (with the help of Oscar Meyer and Chef Boyardee:), doing laundry, paying bills, etc. It's all this "extra" stuff that piles up, and just when I think I'm caught up, I remember that these things need attention, too. Oh well - I can find any paper or item in the house that I need in 30 seconds or less, and that makes me happy, even if it is a lot of work!

I officially finished my Christmas shopping yesterday, and wasn't really planning on getting out much between now and Christmas. Then I remembered the oil needed to be changed, I do need ingredients for my Christmas dish, and I found out I have to pick out carpet, tile, and paint colors for the room/bathroom in the basement we're finishing by the day after Christmas! Luckily, I'm the happiest when I'm busy, and I purposely made myself catch up on everything that I possibly could before this week, so that I could handle these things while Cline is working a lot this week.

I surprised Cline with his Christmas present last week, and it was a hit!! He has ALWAYS wanted to see Garth Brooks in concert, and we've even explored the idea of going out for his Las Vegas show. But tickets are really hard to get, and it would be hard to take the kids with us, or leave them behind while traveling so far. When those things are combined with the enormous expense of the hotel room, plane tickets, babysitter, time involved, etc., plus the fact that I am quickly working my way towards "very pregnant" status, nothing has worked out. About a month ago, I heard about a series of benefit concerts he was doing in Nashville to raise money for the Tennessee Flood Relief!! I was too late to buy the tickets from the original sale, but I took my chances on a brokerage website, and scored 2 tickets about 7 rows back in the middle of the arena! I re-arranged his work schedule a little so that he wouldn't have to travel after working a night shift, booked a hotel room right across the street from the concert venue, arranged for an overnight babysitter, and didn't tell him anything other than we had plans Thursday and Friday of last week. On Thursday, as we were leaving, he asked where we were going (to make sure that the route I had planned was the best one - what faith:)! I told him we were going to Nashville, and he racked his brain to try and figure out what we could possibly be doing up there. His mind immediately went to a Dave Ramsey event of some sort.

We pulled into our hotel, and the nice gentleman who helped us out of our car asked if we were going to the concert. I replied, "yes," but that it was a surprise for Cline and he didn't know who we would be seeing. We got to our room, and I looked out our window onto a downtown strip. I saw the sign for the arena flashing their schedule, and told Cline that if he wanted to know what we'd be doing a couple of hours from then, he could look too. He thought that would be a great way to find out, so he looked as various performers flashed across the screen: Jeff Foxworthy, New Kids on the Block, Rush, and others. Finally, it said "Garth Brooks" and listed the dates. Cline dropped his mouth and said, "No way, is this some pay-per-view thing we're doing??" I assured him that as long as the tickets I had were legit, we were going to see Garth IN PERSON!! Cline was ecstatic and gleeful the whole night long, and couldn't believe we were actually there. He said it was the best Christmas present ever!! In fact, he liked it so much that he and his brothers are going again this week and driving through the night so everyone can work the next day!! It was a hit, and I was so happy to be able to pull off the surprise part of it!

I tried one last-ditch effort to see if he would jump on board the whole not-finding-out-what-the-baby-is-until-delivery right before the concert. It didn't work - he still really wants to know on Christmas, even with my fabulous gift. If that didn't convince him, I guess nothing will - sigh.

Christa is enjoying the pre-Christmas festivities, and our elf finally came to visit us this week. We named her Chokie-Nokie (a favorite, current phrase of Christa's), and Christa is having fun seeing what the elf does every night. She is learning about being sorry for things. Yesterday, she was playing with my Willow Tree Nativity set, and I suggested that she do something else. She was being really careful, and having a great time, so I told her to be very careful not to break anything, and made sure she was in a sturdy spot. A few minutes later, she slipped and dropped the shepherd, breaking it's hand. She immediately said, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to," several times. She was so sweet about it that I couldn't be mad, and told her I would fix it, but that from now on, we would play with that together, instead of her playing with it by herself. As we were saying our prayers last night, Cline asked her if there was anything she was sorry for that she wanted to pray about - something he does every night he is home to put her to bed. She immediately said that she wanted to pray about, "breaking Mommy's nativity." Such a sweet girl!! I told her this morning, that maybe the elf could fix it tonight while Christa is sleeping, and she went over to the elf and said, "Can you fix Mommy's nativity tonight??"

Abby Kate is all over the place as always, and back to her normal self after a 9 day stomach bug. I'm looking forward to seeing both girls react to the toys on Christmas morning!

Well, I'm going to go file some papers while I still have a few minutes. Have a very Merry Christmas!