Christmas Day

Ok, ok, yeah, yeah so what if it's been 11 days since Christmas came and gone. I've been busy. 

Christmas Day was filled with excitement, wonder and a few surprises. The kids woke up and opened their stockings. We all sat down for breakfast while my mother went over the schedule of who was to cook what and at what time. My father who had not been feeling well and had not slept well the night before was trying to take a nap. The plan was to get everyone dressed, start making lunch and open all the beautiful presents under my parents tree. Hopefully, once Dad had slept for a couple of hours he would be feeling better enough to watch the grandkids open their presents. 

Unfortunately my father was not feeling better and he and my mother decided to take him to the hospital to get some medicine and check things out. My mother assured us to keep cooking Christmas dinner and they would be back in an hour. (Ha ha mom, you don't go to the hospital on Christmas Day and leave in an hour. Never going to happen)

The sisters immediately decided to continue with lunch but that opening presents was postponed until my Dad could come back home. Since explaining that present opening was canceled to 3 kids 5 and under would be impossible we decided to let them all open 3 presents each. They were ecstatic. 

I can only speak for myself but I was surprised when only my mother came home after we finished with our Christmas dinner. We were told that Dad was being admitted into the hospital because the doctor there wasn't sure but thought my Dad was having a heart attack. He and my mother were convinced it was only a breathing problem, as my Dad has for the last few years been having trouble with his breathing, and thought the doctor in the ER didn't have a clue. But, hey when you go to the ER on Christmas Day they're going to run every test known to man on you to make sure you're not dying. 

My dad is currently fine. He did not have a heart attack or stroke or anything life threatening. The doctors think that he was just getting sick and when you don't have full capacity of your lungs getting sick hits you harder than the average normal healthy person. He was in the hospital for two nights before they would let him go. He had to take a week off of work and stay home and take a half dozen medications but he is alive. 

Which got me thinking, and obviously I know this, my parents will not be here forever. After Christmas dinner while my mom was telling us what the doctor was saying and that he would be fine and there is nothing to worry about. I couldn't help but tear up. Not because I was happy that he would be fine or that God answered our prayers but because I realized for the first time there will be a day where my Dad or Mom will not be at the dinner table with us. And I had to leave the table and try to choke down the tears that were bubbling up inside of me. (Yes, I am the sister who typically cries the easiest) What will I do without them? They have been in my life since the day I was born. They are my rock, my sounding board, the usually right advice givers, the people that I can count on for everything. They cannot leave me, but I know that someday God will call them home. And I guess I'll just have to deal with that and hope when that time comes God will give me the strength to continue living my life the way my parents raised me to do. 

Wow! Well, saying all of that Dad came home on Friday and we had our Christmas then. It was so good to see him sitting in that chair and opening presents and watching all the grandkids open their presents. I hope I get to see him doing that for many more years. 

So, Christmas Day I don't have to many pictures of the Walles clan. Both of my sister in laws were taking photos with their super nice cameras so I decided to just let them and I would steal their photos later. Thursday morning we were back at our house and opened a few presents that we had left under the tree including the infamous motorcycle. 

 On Friday we were back in Canton to make gingerbread houses and of course have our Christmas with Dad. Aunt Emily did another great job with the gingerbread this year, each kid got their own house to decorate!

All the grandkids. Violet-5, Eli-3, Liam-2, Ivy-3 months

Hubby and I

Liam with his finished gingerbread house. He surprisingly decorated quite a bit of this. I may have added the pool and slide in the backyard after he was done.