I am sure most people think December is the most wonderful time of the year and I'll engrave it on signs all day long but I don't believe it in my heart. I much prefer the warmer temps, sunlight and greenery.
That being said, we did have a wonderful month. We had a visit from Santa, we crafted, we played outside, we partied hard, we s'mored, we did a lot and a lot of nothing too.
I neglected to mention in my October post that Eric's buddy, Chad and his girlfriend came for a visit from CA. It was for a several hours on their way from Nashville to Gatlinburg. It was so nice to see them both and catch up. Chad is one of those friends that you can go for years without seeing and when you do, it feels like yesterday. He and Eric are really good friends and he was even in our wedding. He's such a good guy and it was awesome to visit for even a little while. Thanks for making the trip you guys! We love you.
One big thing that happened in December was, I finished Nico's new room. I picked a dark brown color for his walls because it is supposed to be a soothing color along with blues and greens. I added some new shelves that I bought on clearance. We want to add two more cedar shelves above the windows for some of his treasures (he collects everything). He has been sleeping better since moving rooms and opens his curtains every day. It's easier for Eric and I to help him make good choices with him right next to us. We think.
Early in the month, the owner of the ranch where Lily works contacted us to see if we wanted to trade her work for riding and ground lessons and we jumped on the opportunity. That is what we have been wanting for her. We have a VERY old horse trailer but it is holding up for now and we are attached to it. We also have three options for horses. Julez came out and evaluated both Harrison and Aurora and we all liked Aurora for lessons. Well, she will NOT load up. We are looking for a slant load stock trailer. So, we began lessons with Harrison. The issue with him though, is he will not allow a rider. He is okay being saddled up but will not even allow someone as little as Lily to get on him. It's a new development. So, Harrison went a few times and then we switched to Buttercup so she can learn too. Honestly, I think we will stick with her for now because she is SO ADORABLE doing her jumps and things. She is becoming famous and has a following.
The twins' school hosted a royal tea right before Christmas break. Actually, just Kindergarten hosted it. We made a cookie platter full of bars and treats and a tea sandwich platter full of cucumber sandwiches. They had a lot of options. Nolan is now addicted to cucumber sandwiches. Lol. Who knew?! Anyway, they needed to dress up in their Sunday best or royal attire. Well, we don't own anything "royal" and I wouldn't go buy anything for just one day so we opted for their suits. They were the best dressed little boys there! I must say they looked VERY handsome.
Because of the way I am doing my posts, playing catch up, it probably seems like the kids are belt testing constantly but it generally happens every three months or so - when they are invited. That being said, the twins AND Lily and Nico belt tested again in December. They worked much harder for this new rank and earned it. We are very proud. I love watching them get awarded their belts, they are so proud of themselves. Nolan likes jiu jitsu but Harlan LOVES it. He has a passion for it. He's constantly practicing and knows the names of moves and is always trying to do more. It's really cute. I think if this drive continues, it will be great for him.
Scott was gracious enough to come again and take our annual family pictures. He does such a fantastic job and we had a little more fun with it this year. We even snapped a few of the dogs, Nico in his football gear and FINALLY took the twins' soccer pictures that were supposed to be LAST October. We wanted to get some of Bear since we didn't get any of Callie before she passed. We LOVE the pictures (even the ones I am in - normally I hate pictures of myself). THANK YOU, Scott!!
We went to our favorite park and looked at Christmas lights. We had the awesome idea to FaceTime with our nieces so we could share the fun. I only snapped three photos because the kids were on FaceTime the whole time.
We had a tragic loss in December. It was awful. It all happened about 5 days before Christmas. Normally I am very sarcastic but I am being serious right now. Nico came into the shop one evening and told us that Petunia (our Guernsey Heifer) wouldn't come for supper. She was down and wouldn't get up. Eric went to check her out and she seemed fine other than not getting up. Tristan said he had seen her up earlier in the day so we weren't freaked out too badly, yet. The next day, we called the vet out because she was laying pretty flat and still wouldn't get up. Eric rolled her once but couldn't roll her much because she was over 1,000 lbs. Anyway, Dr. Russell did vitals, checked her all over, gave her drench and a steroid shot and we were hopeful. She STILL wouldn't get up and she wasn't able to move her one back leg anymore. We left her for a little bit to see if she'd improve at all and she declined throughout the day. We got the kids all in bed and went to her that night and she was FULLY bloated. It was bad. We couldn't roll her again. Eric did his best to relieve the bloat with no success. She was in agony and making the worst sounds. He ended up having to end her suffering. It was awful. I cried like a baby over that cow. Poor girl. Eric hated dealing with it in that way but we know we made the right decision. We had no clue what had led to her passing. We thought maybe the dogs injured her because they had all chased her and three of the dogs came back injured about a week before. It was bad enough that we had to put fencing up on the gate so the dogs couldn't get in the cow pasture. Anyway, we decided to have a Native American ceremony for her but Eric had to go get two loads of lumber tailings from the local sawmill. The guy was so generous. It took two days to complete the process but it is done and she is with the earth and sky. We had a little funeral service for her and all said something we loved about her and sent her off with all the love we could. Rest in peace, sweet Petunia. She was such a good mama and a sweet, gentle soul. Thankfully, Dr. Russell had taken blood and sent it off to the state for testing. We got the results back after the first week of the new year and she had tested positive for bovine leukemia. It affirmed that we had made the right decision to end her suffering but we also have questions that will never be answered. Like, how long had she been "sick?" Also, we are having the other cows tested just to be safe. Evidently, only 5% of cows with the disease actually show symptoms.
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| Petunia and her most recent calf, Tom (Tomahawk steak). |
We sure like to sit outside by the fire! Here is a s'more night... Actually, Eric snapped these pictures because I was inside making supper.
Decorating, Crafts and Projects... The kids all made special Christmas decorations for their doors. I cut them out on the Glowforge and they painted them. I made some new ornaments and wall hangings. Eric built Emery an amazing drafting table for Christmas and man, did it turn out beautifully. Here are the completed dog crates that Eric actually delivered in November to a very happy customer. We decorated the house for Christmas. The kids wanted their tree upstairs this year so they could enjoy it while in the classroom. It only fit in the entrance of the twins' room so that's where we put it. I made a custom sign for a customer who grabbed my card at the farmers market and Calle dme with an idea.
We had our annual Christmas party on the 23rd and had the best time. We played society craps, danced, ate delicious food, opened gifts and it was incredible. Tristan invited his friend, Abby over and we all enjoyed her company. She is sweet and generous. It was a great day. We had Emery and Ivy over for a sleepover that night and I made breakfast the next day for everyone.
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| Sierra and Scott bought the most thoughtful gifts for us. I bawled. |
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| This killed me. It's very special and I love it. |
Random things... Nolan mastered all of his star cards in school and was acknowledged on the class Dojo site (along with a classmate that I don't know). We are very proud of his progress in school. I get recipes for diffuser blends sent to me seasonally so I thought I'd share them here. Harlan and Nolan won micro-green kits in society craps and really wanted to plant them so we have them in our kitchen. They did a great job with the seeds. Then we have all the dog snuggles and usual laying around.
Christmas... Christmas is always magical in our house. We try really hard to keep the spirit of the season and belief alive and keep the kids in the spirit (even though it's not exactly my thing, I still like the beliefs). We still use the old Santa suit that my grandma made more than 40 years ago and it always hits me in my emotions to see it. Every year. I think everyone got what they wanted but we really focused on what everyone needed this year. Like winter coats. Tristan needed pants of all kinds. Our kids really need nothing and that truly is such a nice 'problem' to have so we are actively trying to cut back. They're spoiled. Toys are a rare purchase for us anymore as the kids have soooooooo many - a playroom full. Plus, our kids are blessed enough that so many others buy for them so we just leave the toys up to them, should they wish to gift them. Our family is so very blessed and well cared for by many. We did donate a bunch of toys and warm clothing recently to the homeless and less fortunate and that always feels good. Our tradition on Christmas is as follows: The 23rd is our annual family/friend party with a soup bar, charcuterie and society craps. The 24th is our 'nice' supper (The Casner's joined us this year) and we prep for Santa's visit. On Christmas Day, we start with stockings, then we have a breakfast casserole then we move onto gifts. Next, we put out the snacks, charcuterie and leftover soup for the day, then we turn on movies, pull out games and hang out in PJ's all day. It's casual. Anyone is welcome on Christmas Day but we do not get dressed up or fix anything special.
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| Thank you, Uncle Don and Katharine for the lovely gift! We have enjoyed the treats immensely! |
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| The dogs got a stocking this year and loved digging in. |
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| Nolan blasted his radio all day. I have since made them both about 10 CD's (yes, I STILL burn CD's). |
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| Nico wanted to start making model tanks so we started him off with lego models. He built this one on Christmas Day in about 90 minutes. |
Happy New Year! We kept our New Year celebration VERY mild this year. We always try to play Monopoly and other board games to ring in the new year. I WAS able to make it past midnight this year which is rare for me. In fact, I stayed up to watch the face-off between Nico and Tristan in the final minutes (it felt like days) of Monopoly. Tristan tried everything in his power to out-maneuver Nico to no avail. Nico swept the floor with Tristan. He is VERY good with numbers and money. Of course, Tristan wanted a re-match because he cannot stand to lose at anything but it was 1:30AM and I was DONE. Lily had been done for about two hours prior to midnight but kept herself up to ring in the New Year with us. So, we did then off to bed they went. The twins rang in the new year at 9:15pm which was super late for them. We played a countdown on Netflix and they toasted with apple cider. Then off to bed with them. We had a kind of 'charcuterie' out and slider sandwiches for supper and we played games on New Year's Day, the whole day. It was great! I didn't get any pictures and haven't mentioned him but Gramps is fine and well. He came in and wished us a Happy New Year, made a plate of food at my insistence then headed back out to his place to get warm. It was cold that night. He wanted to go to bed then wake up at midnight to pray and pay tribute to my late brother, Zachary.
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| This is how I rang in the New Year... Lol. Three cats and one dog. I'd rather snuggle than be tortured with, I mean PLAY Monopoly. |
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| I did play Trouble and Sorry with Nolan and Harlan. |
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| The love of my life getting his New Year snuggles in. June is never far from his side. Missy was feeling a tad needy because she NEVER snuggles with him or June. |
Merry Christmas, y'all and Happy New Year! Cheers to many more.
Happy birthday wishes to...
Zoe B.... I love reading all about your adventures and fun! You are such a beautiful, curious little girl and we can't wait to reconnect with you and your family in the near future! Happy birthday, don't grow too much before we see one another again!
Jess.... One of my besties. We have such a connection. I adore your family, I adore your adventures in life and I adore you! Thank God we connected, I cannot imagine my life without you in it!! I love you, chica! Happy Birthday. Now, move closer.
Aunt Gerrie!!!! Man, we miss you! We talk about you very frequently and are so grateful for all of our memories with you. I wish we could see you more and spend some time with you. You don't know what an impact you have had on our life in such a positive way. You are one-in-a-million and we love you dearly. Happy birthday!
Camille N... What a beautiful young lady you are! And so good with the horses. I am so excited to see you grow and experience the life you have. I hope we get more time together this coming year!! Wink, wink. Happiest of birthdays. Stop growing so quickly.
Mark W... We all miss you but Nico and Eric especially do. You are such a cool guy and such a treasure. You will forever be a favorite of ours. You take such good care of your family and I know they love the heck out of you and you deserve the best! Happy birthday!
Of course.... Our 15 year old TRISTAN! He turned 15 years old on Christmas Day. How can that be? Why is it happening so quickly? He is in DRIVERS ED, you guys. Why am I so old???!!! Oops, I made it about me.... Seriously though, where does the time go?! We are so proud of Tristan and his determination. He still has his kind heart, people-pleasing personality and really takes things to heart when we bring things up for him to try to improve. Of course, he IS still a teenager and they are so much smarter than their parents, so.... that's fun. But overall he's a great kid and we can't believe he's already 15. Tristan has taught us a lot about ourselves and parenting and we truly consider ourselves beyond blessed to be his parents. He's a gem and whoever he ends up with in the distant future had better be good to him and have a good heart too, because he acts very tough but he's got a big, soft heart and a pretty serious mama bear. Anyhow, he asked for a party this year and of course we agreed so more to come on that later...
May your 2024 be beyond awesome and perhaps bring you to East Tennessee...??? Stay in touch!
