'Twas the day before Christmas...

Here I am on Christmas Eve morning and I am being very naughty, stopping to sneak some time on the computer to blog. Don't tell on me will you?? I have so many things to do today it's not funny. Brad, Nickie and I have already been to the shopping centre and are home again. We went very early this morning to avoid the crowds but there were still people everywhere. We had finished all of our Christmas shopping, we just wanted Nickie to visit Santa and get a photo. I don't know if you have the same thing in the States, but here Santa comes and visits the shopping centres and kids can line up and meet him and get a pic with him.

I was so looking forward to doing that with Nickie, and Brad was too so we had to wait until Brad finished up at work for the holidays and that was yesterday. So off we went today to visit the big man in red. It was a very nice experience and quite funny too. Nickie has a fascination with hair lately. He is forever grabbing large handfuls of mine and giving it a yank. Of course the first thing he did when he sat on Santa's knee was grab that beard! Santa practically had to pry his beard free only to have Nickie grab it again with the other hand. He was so interested in Santa's beard that we had a really hard time getting him to look at the camera for a photo. In the end one of the assistants left and came back with this huge cow bell. She got me to ring it (it was very loud!) and that got Nickie's attention, he turned towards the noise (which was me holding the bell standing next to the girl with the camera) and they went snap! So the picture came out with Nickie sitting on Santa's knee with this stunned confused look on his face. It is a very funny photo and I am glad we got it.

Tomorrow will be the first time we have hosted Christmas so I want it to go well and am really looking forward to it. I have decided to do the turkey in the slow cooker so I'll let you all know how that goes! I am very excited because finally my parents have made a stand against my sister's antics for the first time ever and will be spending the day with me. Their day usually consists of my sister (having changed her mind about whether or not her and the kids are coming for Christmas day lunch at my parents about 7 times in the lead up to the day) turning up in an absolutely foul mood. People will ask her what's wrong and she will say she doesn't feel well. Then an hour into the day she will say that she feels worse and needs to go lay down in one of my folks spare rooms. She will then go and read magazines and books while lying on the bed, leaving the kids to be looked after by us. Now I love my neice and nephew but they are a handful. They are always fighting, breaking things, swearing, wanting you to put together their new Christmas gift right now this instant etc.

Then we serve lunch and the kids start ordering my mum around like she is a waiter. Mum will ask them before she serves up would they like a drink with their meal. They will say no. So she will serve up and we will all sit down and Mum will pick up her fork and the kids will say "Nan we want a drink now". Stuff like that. I know it's not completely the kids fault because kids only behave how they are taught. But all the while my sister is in the bedroom reading books while everyone looks after her children. I think she only comes for a little respite! Then presents will be opened and my sister will wander out around this time to open her presents, now feeling "a lot better after that nap". I can name at least 4 Christmas Days where they have run exactly like that. It's a regular thing. I always have wondered why my parents don't stand up to it. I think it's because if they were to do something else for Christmas my sister can get very angry. She flies into rage's, turns on the tears etc and maybe they feel it's just not worth it. But this year apparently my sister did her regular phone calls undecided as to if she would come over for lunch or not. After the third phone call my dad had had enough and said to her "listen we thought we would go somewhere else for Christmas this year anyway, so if you think you might not be able to come well that's ok. We will do what we were thinking of and you can stay put for the day so you don't have to travel and the kids don't have to be uprooted with all their toys and gifts that they are wanting to play with." I am so proud of them. Apparently my sister is now going to a friend's house that lives close to her for Christmas day and my parents are coming here. I am looking so forward to making it a great day for them and waiting on them hand and foot.

Well I better go, as I sign off I realise that this is my 50th post! Thankyou for listening to me for all of that! I have made so many special friends through this blog I feel very blessed to have you all. I hope you all have a Merry Christmas. May God bless you all in 2010. I am so thankful to have my little boy with us this year. We prayed so hard for him. May all of you out there who are still awaiting your prayers to be answered, whether that prayer be for a baby or a new house or world peace or whatever your heart desires, please know I will be praying that this coming year is your time. And to all those whose prayers have been answered this year, I rejoice with you. Happy Holidays everybody and God bless!