Our grandparent-y Christmas Day began
simply enough. I was awake and up and at
‘em at 5. Around 5:30 I went in to check
on Chris and ask when she wanted to get up to start our rounds. She mumbled “Six,” so I went back to the
computer and worked a little longer.
Around 6:10 she raced into the office lamenting, “Why didn’t you wake me
up?” I assured her that I indeed did
wake her, about thirty minutes before.
She replied, “Oh no. That was
when you came to bed last night, wasn’t it?”
Ain’t she the cutest when she’s sleepy?
Love you, Babe.
She had dressed in record time, so after a
quick breakfast of pigs in a blanket (Yummm),
we headed over to the LaMarque Vaughan house.
The older kids there had been instructed not to come downstairs before 7
a.m. No one communicated the message to
now-three-year-old Ezra, however. He was
up and ready to go not long after 6:30.
That’s my boy. It didn’t take the
others too long to join us after we arrived, though, albeit sleepily. Micah took up residence on the couch. He has been feeling bad the last few days,
and we found out later in the day – after a trip to the emergency clinic – that
he officially has the flu. And Ezra has
an ear infection, but it wasn’t slowing him down. Jachin was the last one down, showing his
true teenager colors. In fact the others
were bribing Ezra to go wake him up after Josiah refused, not wanting to bear the
brunt of his oldest brothers early morning rage.
Kel read the Christmas story to get things
started. Once they started opening gifts
the room became a typical Christmas morning mass of paper and toys and giggles
and oohs and aahs. Appropriately I saw
some fake vomit in Micah’s stash. Fun
stuff. Josiah got a real bow and arrow
set. Don’t shoot your eye out, boy. Jachin got a really nice batting tee. He’s all about all things baseball. Well, except for curling. He did get a tabletop curling game. Ezra was presented with an excavator riding
toy. Noa received a real music stand for
her to use when she sings or preaches to the rest of the family from her platform
that is the stairs (Yes, I have seen that
happen with my own eyes). She also
got something I have never seen before.
A doll-sized wheelchair for her American Girl doll. Came complete with a foot cast and a
doll-sized stethoscope. Ezra tried that
one out. Wouldn’t fit in his ear, of
course. But that didn’t faze him. He simply stuck it on his nose and continued
on with his examination. As did
Noa. She immediately put on the doctor’s
scrubs she got, and proceeded to talk to her now-undressed doll. As she gently pilled on the doll’s brand new
robe, she spoke to it, “It’s OK. I’m a
doctor. I can see your private parts.” Indeed.
After a taste of breakfast bread – a Vaughan family treat Christina says
she is still working on because she only prepares it once a year – we headed on
out to our next stop.
Cailyn was feeling much better after her
bout with the flu. She was proud of her
new long-board skateboard, some clothes, new shoes and a necklace. April got Nathan a portable heater so SHE
could use it at the cold softball games.
But that’s OK. Nathan got her a vacuum
cleaner, the perfect Christmas gift, right?
We did FaceTime with the Waco Vaughan’s
later in the day. The big hits there
were Zak’s phone, Caleb’s MP3 player, Luke’s punching bag and wolfish pajamas,
and AnnaGrace’s array of Barbies.
Looking forward to seeing all them next week.
Once back home we opened our gifts to each
other. In conjunction with her online
broker Kel, Chris got me an assortment of the 1963 baseball card set I have
been working to complete. Very exciting
stuff. There were also a lot of KitKat
bars, some Swiss cake rolls, a cool Island shirt, and a baseball card collector’s
box. Oh, and then there was the tree
ornament. A baseball tribute to the Astros,
battery included. Why batteries? Because when you push the button it plays “Take
Me Out to the Ball Game.” Nice.
I presented Chris with a few things. The new Lion King movie. The one where the animals look like real
creatures instead of cartoons. She also
got one of those security doorbell things with a camera. I also managed to order, through an online
broker of my own – Nathan – a Precious Moments Advent calendar she has had her
eye on for some time. Very cute pieces
to a Nativity scene are each hidden in little drawers, one brought out each day
of December. And this year’s carving, as
I alluded to at the Christmas Eve service (which
I do every year. Sometime in the service
there is mention of the carving, but she has to try and figure out what it is),
was of a bent old spoon, which is actually a honey drip-spoon for balancing
on the edge of a cup or a jar of honey. There
was an explanation that went with it, of course, but you’ll have to get the
summary from Chris on that one.
For lunch we did something I can honestly
say we have never done before. We went
out to eat on Christmas Day. That’s one
new thing. With some friends from
church. That’s two. We’re usually with family of some sort,
although Jim and Charlotte sure count as family to us. And we went to Golden Corral. That’s the big one I never thought I’d
see. The place was packed. I think it must have been one of the only
places on the Island open for Christmas.
WalMart was even closed. And they
must have been cooking all night. Every station
was fully stocked and stayed that way the whole time we were there. Of course I spent most of my time and energy at
the fried shrimp station. I think Jim
managed to get something from every station up there, though. It was great fun hanging out with those
two. A real Christmas treat.
The rest of the afternoon was spent “watching
a Christmas movie.” It was a great
complement to the occasional brief moments of resting my eyes that may or may
not have taken place. Ho. Ho.
Hooooooo ……
Psalms 8:3-4 says, “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and
the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of
them, human beings that you care for them?”
Father, please continuing healing our
little guys. And give Jim and Charlotte
a great holiday. Amen.
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