Holiday time 2024

 It ended up being a SHORT, but GREAT time of the year!!

It started out a little rough... Thanksgiving and Black Friday were spent in the hospital for Jackson's highly-resistant kidney infection, followed by a week of IV antibiotics at home.  I was able to sneak out very early Black Friday morning to do a little shopping while Jackson and Jason slept at the hospital. We didn't even decorate for Christmas until after December 1st!!!!!  That's crazy for me.  Then on December 4th, I had to have minor surgery (cyst removed) that layed me up for a few more days.:

Poppop spent his birthday bringing Jackson McDonalds nuggets-  that was the "only thing" his nauseated stomach could handle.  Even this day, he couldn't eat much.  McDonald's is all he ate all week, I kept making runs to the local restaurant.

On Thanksgiving, all of his cousins ran to the hospital to see him and bring him some dinner.  Jimmy and I were lucky enough to sneak over to the family dinner while Jason stayed with Jack.

Jack's MOST favorite thing in the world to to right bow is okay Guerrilla Tag on the Virtual Reality Headset.  Once the antibiotics (finally) started to kick in, he kept him self (calmly) busy.

Home IV therapy requires an IV... a central line or a midline.  Jack got he better of the two but HATED the insertion process (me too). Luckily my friend Jen Simmons was working as the IV nurse.  

The home IV nurse experience was less than ideal, with phone only assessments and then when a nurse showed up wo change his dressing, somehow the midline started leaking with use.  We called for a new nurse to come re-evaluate it and pull it only if it couldn't be fixed. Instead the same nurse showed up pulled it without even trying to use it and then inserted a 24g IV into his anticub to last the final 5 days of therapy.  I wanted to pull my hair out. Luckily at our infectious disease Dr follow up, they said we out stop  Daptomycin safely 3 days early and pull the teeny tiny IV out. 

Jackson turned the corner right when Jason and I had tickets to (finally) see the Guns N Roses Tribute Band, so we were still able to go... Yay!!! We figured it would be our last big date in quite a while.

The first "Christmassy" thing that we finally were able to attend was Jason's work Christmas dinner on the 14th.  Unfortunately, I decided to have a few drinks they did NOT mix well with my tumor and that night took a nose dive after dinner. Even though we were all dressed up fancy, somehow we did not get a photo of us.

We decorated and got to see one of Cole and Morgan's Bball games. Unfortunately I waited too long to buy Jimmy a chocolate Advent Calendar, so I TRIED to make him one.  Also, unfortunately it seems that this tumor is really affecting my parking skills too. Then I got to spend a morning with Nick!!

Jason and I headed to my Pre-Op Appts in Pittsburgh on the 17th...

But then, on the 18th...

Christmas began!!!

Both girls flew home.

Our house was loud and laughter filled the air and there was dancing and smiling and giggling and lots of stories sandlots of food... and lots of stuff!

On the 20th, the girls caught up with friends and worked while I had a Christmas breakfast with Selina and crew.  I was feeling especially down and anxious so Jason, Heather, Debbie and I headed out to see The Screaming Daisies at The Village. It is exactly what I needed for my last Hoor-ah. It was such a fun night, dancing the night away. (While I was getting ready, Jennibelle decided to give Jimmy a facial and then a full face a makeup... he's always up for anything!

The 21st was spent reuniting with the Liounis clan in MD for a big dinner and the watch Claire's senior ballet show. It's always s nice to see the extended family, especially at Christmas time. 

We celebrated Christmas at home with a lot of traditions... starting with a Seahawk game at home with Skittles.  Candy making, cookie baking, ornaments to the tree, dancing and shopping. I had the girls (literally( rolling on the floor at Target when I pretended  to have bought Jennibelle a jean umber for Christmas, after she told us the she thought it was truly the ugliest piece of clothing she'd ever seen.  So, of course we made sure to pick it up for her afterwards and pretend, even more, that I had actually bought it for her in the first place.

And then... there was CHRISTMAS EVE! My most favorite day of the year. It was such a chill day this year. With Jackson's health, I made sure that I was well prepared for Christmas, way in advance this year. We headed to my parent's at 2:30 for a yummy dinner. Everyone was there this year, even Mommom. I think my favorite part of the evening with the kids' "talent show".  My girls always make things fun and thins year they led us all in a  Zumba routine. So. Much. Fun. Then my boys showed everyone how they do  The Worm... impressive!  I don't usually enjoy when we sing Christmas carols, but this year I really really did.  I think it is because we only sang the first verse of the song. I had a curveball thrown at me though when we were singing Away In A Manger- my Dad reminisced about how Mandy and I sang it in front of church when we were 5 and 7 years old and asked us to sing a duet again - then and there.  So, we did it!  I hope we didn't sound terrible!  It was sad, but relaxing, that we weren't racing home with crying kids worried that they would miss Santa.

The kids still wrote wrote the nicest letters to Santa... thanking him for being so thoughtful with his gifts and for making Christmas so magical. (insert my heart bursting). Jason and were in bed by 10. All four, plus Millie, slept in the queen size bed. Jimmy set his alarm for 3:40 since we told them they couldn't wake us before 4.  At exactly 4:01, we were woken by bright lights and screaming children!  

They definitely were spoiled this year... I feel like I've said that every year for the past few years. I just feel like they each needed/deserved it this year.  Even they said they were totally spoiled.  We really took our times with gists, even stopping for a Cinnabon breakfast.  We ended around 6:15. It was magical and perfect, and if it happens to be my last Christmas, it would be all that I could have asked for. Honestly. 

My parents stopped by very quickly and hurriedly later in the morning to give us their fun gifts.  I was hoping they'd stay and be able to have fun, but they are always on the go. For dinner, I made homemade mashed potatoes (French fries for Jackson) and Jaylee cooked up so perfectly cooked steaks. Everything was delicious. We all then hit our beds early.

Happy Birthday Jesus!

December 26 was a fun day for the kids... their big fun gift from us... IFLY