Christmas Wonder

I very seriously spent most of today walking around saying or thinking, "I can't believe we live here." As we explore more on foot, I'm realizing what a gem we have found, and how very very blessed we are.

The day started with Mal and I waking up... IN HIS ROOM! We got him a futon mattress, and he fell asleep in my arms on the couch last night, so I carried him in there and laid down with him. Eventually, we're planning that he'll sleep alone, but just getting him used to sleeping in his own room (even if he chooses to sleep in our room, too) is a great step in the right direction.

And, actually, it was a win/win because my husband has gotten to the point where he snores pretty much constantly, and I'm a light sleeper. So I got some zzzs, he got more from my not waking him up to ask him to roll over, and Mal was... well, normal. Woke up about 5 times before the "we're about to get up" superfeed.

Anyhoo, we got up and played a while, and Mal ate a couple of the super awesome protein balls I'd made last night. Then James got up, and we had some scrambled eggs. We let Mal open his presents because I'd talked last night to D, who preferred to sleep in.

Okay, here's something funny. When D was little, I always made sure we were up and dressed and camera ready. Kid Number 2? It was a warm Texas night, so...

He was really happy to see Trolley!

I had gotten 4 packages of Haribo gummies for the kids, and Mal picked out the Twin Snakes. The ides of that is that there are two snakes connected at the head and tail, and one is sweet while the other one is sour. It happened that there were 3 combinations, and that the red, orange, and yellow snakes were sour while the green, blue, and purple snakes were sweet. It took Mal one time of looking at each to figure that out, then he would pull them apart, eat the sweet one, and then put the other snake back in the bag. This evening, he tried to power through a lemon one, and James got that on video. It was hysterical.

This morning, we went on a walk, having seen the entrance to "Canyonlands Trail" about 1/5 of a mile from home on our walk yesterday, and decided to take it to see where it led.

I'm so so glad I hadn't researched this, because we found beautiful surprises around every corner. It was a gorgeous (and not too long) walk. I'm glad James felt like he could make the trip.

It was amazing! And this whole circuit from our house to the trail to the end and taking the streets back to our house is under a mile. However, I did it twice (later with D).

For lunch, I made pigs in a blanket, because when I was at the store the day after we moved, it was the only thing I could fathom being able to throw together, as tired as I was. I also cooked some delicious Dr. Praeger's Broccoli Cakes as a side dish.

When D got up, more presents were open. No pictures for that, because, you know, teen. But we hold the smiles in our hearts, natch. And D loved the chocolate candy seashells and little glass dragons.

Mal watched some Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood while we all kind of did our own thing, then this afternoon, when we thought Mal was ready to take a nap, James fell askeep on Mal's bed so the kiddo and I went on another walk.

We walked over to the park, because Mal kept saying, "Star Wars" and "slide." (There are 2 Darth Vaders, a C3PO, and a Yoda in the Christmas display.) After that, we walked up the hill toward town.

I love this bank of mailboxes. We've been told that our route is a training route, so the actual delivery sucks. But this... it looks like people just set their mailboxes up at the end of a road in no numerical order. There is more than one street included, and they seem random. Some of the boxes don't even have numbers at all. I also wonder how they decided the base: Home Depot 5 gallon bucket with concrete? Cinder block? Something else? There is an art about it. I might be a nerd.

We found tha tthe Exxon was open, although it was posted that they were closing at 9 PM "to celebrate Christmas." The bar next door was open, the parking lot packed. We got a soda and I was ready to go home, but Mal kept asking for "Star Wars" and "slide." So we went back to the park.

For the first time ever, I got to see the park in the sunlight! When we looked at the house, it was an overcast Election Day. Since we've been here, it's been cloudy and/or raining. But look!

THEN we walked home.

With all of that walking, two circuits of the Canyonlands Trail, then to the park, to town, back to the park, and home, and I still only walked about 3.5 miles.

For dinner, I made sliders, and, man, were they fantastic. We had some herbed super sharp cheddar, cut up a tomato, and sliced a couple of avocados.

Mal was getting pretty weepy about stuff, so we got into the car to show James a Christmas tree that we'd seen whilst out. On our way home, he fell asleep and is once again in his room. I told James that I'm going to sleep with him a few more times, and then talk to him to see if he wants to try it on his own. But I think he needs to know it's coming and agree to it.

Anyway, that was our Christmas, low key, like two of the most important people in my life like it. I had a great day, too. Again, walked around a lot, thinking, "OMG, I can see this lake within 2 minutes of leaving my house ON FOOT."

I adore this house (pictures coming next week, if the sun will cooperate). We are so fortunate to be in a small town where we can walk to the library; to a park where we can play, picnic, and fish (and later, go out on the water, if we get a kayak or something); to a few small restaurants; to that amazing trail that also skirts the lake; to a gas station for emergency candy and soda runs. Yesterday morning, one of our neighbors brought us a pan of cinnamon rolls. I just Facebook friended the relative of a friend of a friend because she lives just across the way (and don't even ask how I know this information, because I'm not sure!). James met a caddy-corner neighbor when he came out one day, and found out that guy helped paint our fence the last time the place was remodeled. So we know the names of 3 of our neighbors, almost 1 a day! I *should* know 4, but I cannot remember cinnamon roll lady's husband's name, even though she told me. I only remember hers because I seriously used it in every sentence while she was standing at the door.

I feel more at home this fourth day of living here than I've felt since I can remember (I told James the Nuthaus might have been handicapped because I moved into there with such excruciating back pain, it was more than six months before I could even sit on the couch or lounge at all). We are blessed, and I'm feeling it mightily this Christmas night, even as I relax in the comfort of our extremely effective air conditioning.

And to all a good night!