Chrismas Decorating NOW?! (and why I am crying)

It’s the end of October and I want to decorate my whole house. Seems simple enough right? The small problem is I want to decorate it like a snowman threw up in it or like Santa sprinkled all his Christmas joy all over my house. It’s the end of October. I should be doing Halloween or Thanksgiving right?

Okay before you put me in some crazy psych ward, let me explain myself.

THIS IS MY LAST YEAR WITH ALL FOUR OF MY KIDS FOR CHRISTMAS WHILE THEY ARE ALL STILL LIVING AT OUR HOUSE!!

Deep Breathe! Sniffles. Wiping my tears away.

Josh, Jack, Cassie and Jason

My oldest child Jackson is a Senior this year. Cassie is a Junior. Joshua a Sophomore and then Jason a Freshman. Did I hear you just take a deep breathe with me? Or were you breathing hard because you just heard me say that my children are all in high school and there are four of them?

Jackson is planning on going into the military after High School. He has been wanting this for a couple years. He wants to work, serve our country and go to school all at the same time. Very proud of his decision. He didn’t have to do that but it was his decision and we are honored to have another service man in our family.

All grown up my baby! Jackson

Back to Christmas. I just keep thinking how this is our last Christmas while they all live with us together. I mean I know we will have them all later on in life too but for some reason in my heart this feels like a crazy big thing. Jackson!!! I don’t want you to leave yet!

Now because we are a blended family, even though the kids live with us full time they go to their other parent’s house on every other holiday. This year it so happens that Thanksgiving they are at their other family’s house but Christmas falls with us this year.

We don't know how to be normal

Maybe that’s why I am not even thinking about Thanksgiving much. Holidays just don’t seem like holidays without the kids. It’s a good quiet little vacation for Ryan and I though which is always nice.

So I want to decorate Christmas now. Is that really so wrong? I mean what if I didn’t have friends come over till after Thanksgiving? So I don’t get sent to some psych ward or something. I just feel like I have to really savor this Holiday. Just as I am sure Jackson’s mom will savior Thanksgiving with him.

We have so many plans for Christmas for the four kids this year. I can’t say them all as they won’t be surprised if they actually read this (I doubt they do ha). We want to do a small get away. We want to go visit Ryans family and my family. Have Christmas day at our house with stockings, goodies and a big dinner. I don’t know if they will remember this Christmas as I will be blinding them with the flash of the camera. My babies!!! The four of them!!! Before one of them tries to leave the nest.

I think when he goes off it will be my husband, his mom and I standing there crying! I might be holding onto his feet as he tries to go to Basic Training not willing to let my kid go. I seriously am tearing up right this second just thinking about it.

Jackson and I have had this amazing relationship. Its nice to have loved this child for the last almost 8 years. When I met him he was this little dorky 9 year old with big ears and a bigger grin. When he hugged me his head was at my chest level. He was so small and so skinny ha! Now he is almost 18, taller than I am. Grew into his ears, still has a goofy amazing smile. He stole my heart 8 years ago. I love him like he was mine to begin with. Ok! Crying again! Where are the tissues people?

Jack Coaching Youth Basketball

We are blessed to have brought four children together who love each other and see each other as real siblings. When I say “Go tell your brother he needs to dump the trash”. They will say “Which one”. We are VERY blessed! They don’t fight and get along. No I am not kidding it’s so true. I mean the only thing they do is pick on each other like normal brothers and sister. Even last night after dinner Ryan and I had gone upstairs to talk about an idea we had for Halloween. Didn’t want to talk in front of the kids because then they put their two or three or four cents worth as well they are teenagers. After talking one by one each of the kids started straggling into our room. First it was Jackson, then Cassie, then Jason and then Joshua. It ended up with us sitting as a family in our room just talking and eating snacks from my swaps. We talked about everything from why we won’t let them go to parties with alcohol even though we trust them not to drink to Halloween costumes to what they want to be when they grow up to what they would do in this or that situation. 2 hours went by and they were still talking and laughing. I didn’t want to take that moment away. I wanted to keep it in my head forever. All the sudden it was 930 and the kids started straggling out to get ready for bed. Some kept popping back in to ask a question here or there.

We are blessed they love each other

I am not ready for this! I am not ready for my oldest to leave. I am trying to keep these moments in my head. He isn’t even half way through his senior year and I am already crying about it. I want to make sure he is going to be okay. Have I taught him enough? Does he cook well enough? Can he balance a check book or pay bills. I know by the time he goes and flies the coop Ryan and I will be worried and just want a phone call four times a day. That’s not too much to ask for is it? Ha! Hey maybe if we continue to pay his phone bill he will feel the need to call more ha!

So I totally went off in a direction I didn’t think I would go in. Basically I want to decorate now. October 28,2015 the whole house full of Christmas! I want a large tree (Maybe not as big as last time as we had to cut off 2 feet and it was still 10 feet tall). I want it to smell like Christmas and be Christmas longer.

Yes they are still my babies!!

Then Next year its Cassies last Christmas but it will be the year with her father. Then Joshua last Christmas will be with us and Jason’s last Christmas will be with his mother.

Insert Craziness …My third child Joshua who is 15 just said “Mom what are you doing?” I said I am working on my blog for tomorrow. He said “ If you make money I should get 25 percent because you have four kids and I am 25 percent of what you write about”. Then he laughed and walked off! Good Gracious I wished I made a lot of money off of blogs ha! He is a silly child!

So I guess in ending I will ask you…If you made it to the end of this blog comment below. What do you think about decorating early? Crazy or not? Think I can sneak something out each day till all the sudden it looks like Christmas blew up in my house? Tis the Season J

Found this gem

Our family pic last year

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Date night!

Let's be real....when you have four teens everyday is a busy day! Saturday doesn't mean things slow down just because it's a weekend;)

Jason,our youngest teen, had his 8th grade basketball away game. He had two actually. This time it was kinda painful for the kids bec they lost by a lot. I think those are learning situations though because you look for what was good and learn from the rest. We have 5 kids playing again this time so hey had no subs. For some reason they kept playing the same play over and over so the other team caught on quickly. They will learn and grow. I was super impressed because my son made a basket!!! This was his second game ever and first year playing and he made a basket!! I cheered so hard my throat hurt ;) Was a proud momma!

After we came home  we watched the videos I took and commented on what we could do better and watched the basket Jason made oh you know....ten times lol ;)

Next was date night! Kids were gonna stay home with a couple movies and some gumbo I made and we were having adult night. I think it's really important for a marriage and for the kids to see that we enjoy going out with each other. Our lives revolve around our kids and they know that. They even tell us that we should go out more and laugh more. Funny since we are always laughing. Sometimes as a parent though things get busy and it's schedule or no time or pickin up kids here or there. Just have to take that time. If your kid had an event to go to you would make the time......that's what we should do for ourselves too. I am glad we do date nights or even date lunches and love to spend time together. 

Okay so our friends asked us to go on a double date to the movie "American Sniper" and out to Chinese food. We happily accepted. We are good friends as a couple but bog hour husbands are best buds so that's super nice. Don't you hate it when you go out as a couple but he guy or the girl doesn't like their spouse? We don't have to do this which is so nice!

We went to Chinese and talked adult talk.....life. It was refreshing. Then we went to the movies. So it was kinda funny because I am a popcorn addict but recently I stopped drinking my coveted Diet Pepsi about month ago so when I ordered large popcorn extra butter and a diet soda my husband laughed. Hey it's my date night. As we sit though and I took my first sip.....it tasted like crap to me!!! I walked back and got a water bottle and Ryan drank my drink.

The movie was excellent and although I knew the story on the legendary sniper I didn't know the ending. Don't worry I won't spoil it for you!!!! Or will I? Just kidding I won't. It was a really good movie and what a great story! I admit I cried and it made me think of all those amazing soldiers who have helped their brothers and their country. My father served, my sister, brother in law and my grandparents, my husbands family, our friend who was with us that evening and even my ex husband for 6 years.  

After all was said and done...we had a great time with our friends. So much so we decided to go bi weekly to the movies together. This will be huge in itself considering we haven't been to a movie in forever and well he closet movie theater is 47 or so miles away;) 

It was a good night, with good friends and we were blessed to have the time to do it;)