Saturday, December 26, 2015

Quiet after the big day........


Ah quiet.... I have missed you.  A morning to just drink a cup of tea and enjoy a candle by my computer.  It is a lovely day to just appreciate quiet after all the festivities.  It sure was a fun day yesterday.  Did you have a nice holiday?


Ours started by trying to keep one little boy entertained in my bedroom while the older brothers slept a bit.  He was fine drinking milk and watching Disney Junior while snuggling on my bed.  But then it just came to be too much so we woke those big boys up and headed into the family room to see what Santa brought.


While Santa was unable to give me two extra days before Christmas he was able to bring Little Buddy a Big Boy Bike! This Little One was so excited!!!!


He opened up many presents with his new helmet on his head, and a bit of red marked on his nose so he could be Rudolf.


Mr. 18's girlfriend was visiting from Indiana for the holidays.  Mr. 22's girlfriend comes on Tuesday for a week.  In the background  of this photo you can see the remembrance candle we burn all day long every Christmas.  Adding two more names this year was not fun, That makes a total of six names we have added in just the past two Christmases.  I love the idea, we start the day surrounding the candle and think about the loved ones not with us.  The last person to go to bed blows the candle out so our loved ones are thought about the entire day.

We had a lovely breakfast, lots more presents and then it was time to head outside in the 85 degree heat and help a little boy learn to ride a big boy bike.





Mr 22, the Biggest Brother, was so patient with this little one of mine.  We both tried again and again to get Little Buddy to understand how a big boy bike works.  A tricycle has pedals that are hooked up to the wheel, if your wheels move the pedals do too.  But with a big boy bike you have to move the pedals all by yourself to get the bike to move, which is very hard to do if you have legs that just don't work the way everyone else's do.   

There was lots of helping little legs to push down when they should, his right leg really has a hard time pushing those toes to the floor.  There were lots of discussions on how to do it, and that saying, "I can't" is not something we say.  We say, "I can!"  He almost got it, yesterday after three different training runs.  My money is on Little Buddy and of course his amazing big brother who was out there the whole time, running along side the bike, sweating, and bending over to get that right foot to work better.  


Max's favorite day of the year is Christmas.  He loves presents and being in one room with his family.  There was a big difference in him this year, he was very, very quiet and did not play.  That makes me so sad as we all noticed it.  Max is 11 1/2,  he needs to stay with me a while longer because I have handled about as much loss as I can over these last two years.

We had a phone call from my sister and aunts and a cousin over for dinner.  We ate way too much and had a lot of fun.  I cleaned up everything after everyone left last night so when I woke up this morning I had nothing to do but take the day as it comes.


This morning, in the quiet, I a hear a little one who is investigating his new toys.  We have read his new books, and found all the places where we put his toys in their new home in his room.  We have looked at the new green crocs his Aunts gave him and he has crawled around with them on his hands.  
We are making one run to the store to see if we can find paper and gift tags on sale, but that is it for the day, well that and more training on the big boy bike!

Hope you are enjoying a quiet and peaceful day and that you had a wonderful Holiday.

29 comments:

Claudia said...

Such lovely pictures of your day - it makes me feel - just a bit - like I was there! Much love to you, my sister. xoxo

kristieinbc said...

It sounds like you had a wonderful Christmas, Meredith. There's nothing better than celebrating with family. And I'm quite sure Little Buddy adds a whole new dimension to the day. I'm finding having little people in the house again for Christmas makes it extra special. (Of course, it also makes it quite a bit messier and louder too!)

Bridget said...

Looks like a lovely and exciting day!

The remembrance candle is such a lovely idea, I'd never heard of that before.

Max is a sweetie. Please give him a big kiss from me, and tell him that we all need him to be around a lot longer! xo

Enjoy the rest of your Christmastime and family time. Merry Christmas, Meredith.

Christina said...

A big boy bike, how exiting! It is wonderful to see how supportive Little Buddy's big brothers are! Enjoy the peace and quiet after the storm. I am very touched by the remembrance candle, it is such a nice way to remember lost ones. Hugs to you all. xx

Anonymous said...

Very cute pictures!

Your boys are going to be such great parents when the time comes.

Have fun exploring all those new toys with Little Buddy!

Lynne said...

There's nothing like finding a new bike under the tree on Christmas morning! He'll be cruising around the block in no time. Looks like you had a wonderful day with your family all around you. Take it easy this weekend xxxx
And 85 degrees, Oh my gosh.

Janet said...

What a wonderful family Christmas, Meredith. So glad you enjoyed the day. I'm very impressed that you managed to tidy up afterwards, our house is still all over the place. Enjoy your quiet time while you can. Janet x

Grandmabeckyl.blogspot said...

What fun for LB getting a bike. The photos are sweet. I had a few teary moments myself yesterday remembering my mom. My second Christmas without her. But good memories. I stayed up late which I shouldn't have but it was a good day with family. Happy day my friend.

Kris said...

Those photos of learning to ride the big boy bike had me in tears. What a sweet, thoughtful, caring big brother he has. Such a lucky little boy!!!
Looks like Christmas was fun, and relaxing. I loved the idea of the candle.
I know you have dealt with a lot of loss this year. I am praying that this year will be a good one for you and your family.
Love Kris

Teresa Kasner said...

Oh how I loved seeing LB seeing his beautiful red bike for the first time! What a memorable Christmas for him! I hope he gets that foot working right as what good exercise that will be for him. I melted seeing his big brother working so patiently with him. I'm glad you are having a nice quiet restful day. Our kids and grands head to her sisters house today at 1:30 so we'll have a quiet day ourselves. I'm reading a wonderful book.. "Coming Home" by Rosamunde Pilcher.. I also read "Winter Solstice" by her before this one and it was outstanding. Enjoy your day.

((hugs)), Teresa :-)

CJ said...

How amazing your eldest boy is, so lovely to see such patient kindness. A big boy bike is a milestone indeed. I bet your sweet little buddy is loving it, even it's really hard to get the hang of. The remembrance candle is a beautiful idea. I know how difficult it must have been for you this year Meredith. Lovely to have your wonderful boys around you though. CJ xx

Suzan said...

Love your Memory Candle!! Such a lovely idea!!
Little Buddy is doing great with his new big boy bike!!
It IS wonderful having all the kids back home under one roof - even for a short while!!
Have a wonderful and restful time with your family!!

kathy b said...

Honestly I wouldnt have thought a bike was in the cards....leave it to the Family Extrordianarre...He will ride that bike.
The quiet of AFTER is joyful and sweet too!
I love this time of the year. Christmas New years week!
My kids are home and life is good

Jo said...

I popped over to see Little Buddy because I knew you would have some photos. What a day! Happy Christmas to you all. Jo x

Pammy Sue said...

I see you are having another wonderful Christmas with all your boys. We had a nice quiet one here, just the two of us and the five dogs. Wishing you lots of happiness and blessings in the New Year.

Betsy said...

Meredith, I cried when I read this. Little Buddy is so cute with his new bike, (Piper got one too!). But his big brothers and the love they have for him just makes my heart melt. The candle and it's meaning made me cry. Max made me cry. I feel like I'm part of your family and so many of your losses make me remember similar ones of my own. I'm glad today is quieter for you and you can just "be" with all of your family around you. Love to you Meredith.
Blessings,
Betsy

20 North Ora said...

Little Buddy was surely delighted with Christmas Day! So glad your family were all together enjoying each other.

Judy

Gracie Saylor said...

We had a happy day as well, but three of the five grand girls had barky cough/colds. It is so exciting that LB got a big boy bike, and that he has loving family members to help him learn to ride it...in your Christmas heatwave! I loved seeing his Rudolph nose, too :) Soak in as much quiet as you can this weekend, Meredith. Your memory candle is a sweet tradition. Thanks for sharing. xx

linda said...

It sounds like a perfect day Meredith, I bet it won't be long before LB is away on his new bike. I love your remembrance candle idea how lovely but so sad. My Christmas was quiet but yesterday was manic a constant stream of family passing through all wanting to be fed and pampered while poor Mother collapsed in an exhausted heap around 11pm, so I'm joining you hopefully for a quiet day today enjoy the peace Meredith and let everyone wait on you for a change. :) xx

Andrea Ostapovitch said...

Wonderful photos. I lost all of mine, so today I will take some time to take pictures of the kids spending time with each other and their gifts. Otherwise, my December scrapbook will be quite empty.

Caffeine Girl said...

I actually teared up reading about Mr. 22 teaching LB to bike. What a wonderful family you have created!

Amy at love made my home said...

I am so glad that you had such a good Christmas day! A radio flyer big boy bike will surely be just the thing to encourage that leg and I know that Buddy will be the one to get the bike to help him do just that! Your family make a great team and share a lot of love for sure! Happy Happy Christmas once again and all good thoughts for a wonderful new year too! Enjoy the cycling! xx

Toni said...

So glad you had a good Christmas!

Linda @ A La Carte said...

What a good day you had. I am going to celebrate Christmas one day this week I decided!
hugs,
Linda

Debby said...

Sounds like your Christmas was nice and peaceful. The bike will take time. This wouldn't work for Little Buddy, but when ours took off the training wheels, they practiced on a grassy slope. Once he learns and can make those legs work it will be great therapy.
Sorry about your missed ones. We had some as well. ((((HUGS))))

Stins said...

Love to see all your sweet family pictures!
Little buddy is such a cute boy with his new helmet on, trying so hard to make it work on his bike!
Such a beautiful tradition with the candle... So terribly sad too.
Big hugs from Mirjam.

Carla from The River said...

Merry Christmas my Florida friend,
Your Christmas looks nice and sounds like a special one. I like the idea of your candles. And my heart goes out to you. We lost another in October, I know how you feel. I think I will do the same idea with the candle. Thank you for sharing.
Happy New Year,
Carla

Anita said...

Well done to Buddy for even being able to wait 5 minutes before
opening presents!!!! Lol I remember being woken up at 3.30am one
year because the boys couldn't contain themselves!!!! How groovy is
that big boy bike and how heartwarming is the patience of waiting for
one to get the hang of riding a bike. Very cute.
Have a Happy New Years guys.
Cheers, Anita.

Babajeza said...

Christmas with little children is so much different. :-) Hugs, Regula