The boys had been eagerly waiting for Christmas to arrive. Owen had been counting down the days on the calendar for the entire month of December. So when December 24th finally rolled around, they were ecstatic for the festivities to begin.
We spent the majority of Christmas Eve in Burnsville at Shane's grandparents' house. Grandma and Grandpa Dineen had the house decorated with all the kids' favorite interactive Christmas decorations.
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| Grandpa and Grandma Dineen with the grandkids |
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| Cole playing with the Grinch |
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| Owen watching the train go around and around |
Every year Grandma Dineen hides a pickle in the tree. The little kids always have fun looking for the pickle. It's harder to find than it sounds. The green color of the pickle makes it vanish when hung on the Christmas tree. Owen lucked out and spotted it first. But all the kids were treated to a fun "pickle prize". Later the "big kids" even got a chance to find the pickle and Shane was the lucky winner. Shane and Owen sure get competitive looking for that pickle!
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| The kids looking for the pickle |
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| The boys with their pickle prizes |
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| "Ultimate Bug-o-pedia! Just what I wanted!!" |
The day flew by and before we knew it, it was time to head home and get dressed up for Church. The boys aren't much into dressing up, so when they happily agreed to wear their suits, I was shocked and excited. They sure look handsome all decked out.
This year we tried to focus more on the "giving" of gifts rather than the "receiving". So a few weeks before Christmas, Owen and Cole headed to the store on a secret mission and picked out the perfect gifts for each other. Before heading to bed on Christmas Eve, the boys exchanged their gifts. They both loved what they had received from each other!
Christmas morning came way too soon (everyone in this house is a morning bird except for me!) Owen was the first one up and he eagerly ran to his bedroom door to see if Baby Jesus had visited. He couldn't believe that Baby Jesus had brought him four new Magic Tree House books AND a bunch of Trash Packs! Cole woke up from all the fuss outside his door and was surprised to find a giant piano mat perfect for composing his very own tunes.
When we finally made it downstairs, Owen and Cole ran over to their stockings to see if Santa had left them anything special. Our dear friend Elfy must have given the boys shining reviews because Santa brought them exactly want they had wanted!
Santa even left some goodies for our four-legged family members.
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| Wiliam sniffing his new toy |
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| Zoe looking in her stocking |
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| Eli pulling his toy out of his stocking |
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| Miss Zoe with her red feather toy |
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| Eli playing with his new mouse |
After opening the rest of the gifts, we spent the day playing with all the fun new toys.
Mom got put on construction duty assembling the giant Extreme Coaster. Once it was put together, the boys were excited to give it a try. Seeing them sitting on the coaster ready to shoot down the slide on a car made me rethink getting them the gift. It was a bit terrifying watching them the first couple times. But they loved every minute of it! Even in the cold and snow!
After all the excitement, it was time to get peeling and chopping potatoes to make our traditional holiday meal - ajiaco soup. Ajiaco is a delicious Colombian soup made mostly of chicken and potatoes. While neither of the boys like soup (they are super picky!), they both love chicken and potatoes so come dinner time, everyone was a happy camper.
After dinner, I got to open the gifts that the boys made for me at school. Cole's gift was a candle holder that he had made out of red and green colored noodles and white beans. And Owen had made an adorable reindeer bell ornament. What thoughtful gifts from my wonderful little men!
The next day we loaded up the car for North Dakota and made the 6 1/2 hour drive to Fessenden to visit my parents. On the way we made a pit stop in Fargo to see my Uncle Bob, Aunt Cheryl and Grandma Klein. We even got to see my cousin Mick and his daughter Myah. It was so nice to see everyone and take a break from the long drive.
We spent a week at my parents' house. The boys love going to visit Nana Bev and Popi Jerry. During the summer we spend quite a bit of time outside, but the weather was terribly cold so playing outside would have to wait until our next visit. Although Cole didn't seem to care about the cold and snow. He kept asking Popi Jerry to go outside. Then I figured out why - he wanted to drive the tractor! Cole LOVES riding with Popi Jerry on all his fun John Deere tractors. It took some convincing for him to agree that waiting until our next visit would be best.
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| Summer time fun driving the tractor |
The boys enjoyed their time being silly and having fun with Nana and Popi. And Owen even got to tag-along with Nana to work. He says he goes along to "help", but I think he really goes to shop! She works at a grocery store and he always seems to come back with a bag full of goodies.
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| Owen, Nana Bev and Cole |
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| Popi Jerry and Cole being goofy |
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| Owen and Popi Jerry fixing the Christmas Train |
They were having so much fun during our stay that they almost forgot to open their presents. The look on Owen's face when he opened his gift to discover a Crayola Paint Maker was priceless!
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| Cole and a very excited Owen |
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| Cole and Owen with their presents |
Amid all the Christmas joy was also sorrow. My Grandma Schatz's health had been failing so she had been staying with my parents for quite some time. We were blessed to be able to spend Christmas with her. She seemed to be improving during our stay and on the day we departed, my parents drove her back to her home in the tiny town of Zeeland, ND. My Grandma had lived there her entire life and we all thought she would do best staying in the comforts of her home.
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| Me and my grandma at my sister's wedding (Dec 2009) |
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| Watching the Twins at Target Field (May 2012) |
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| Grandma Schatz and Owen (Aug 2013) |
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| Grandma Schatz and Cole (Aug 2014) |
My Great-Aunt Judy came to stay with Grandma for a while. Unfortunately things took a terrible turn for the worse and Grandma was admitted to the hospital shortly after returning home. I still hoped and prayed that she would make it through. She was the strongest, most stubborn person I knew. But her time had come, and on January 10, 2015 she passed away.
My brother James gave the most amazing eulogy (and my Mom's cousin Shannon summed it up so beautifully that I apologize for the plagiarizing).
He remembered Grandma as a trailblazer, an inventor and an
entrepreneur. It captured her personality so perfectly that it brought smiles
through everyone’s tears. My Grandma was not the stereotypical German-Russian. She
was never afraid to try new things, look at an issue from a new angle, and
occasionally swim upstream to prove a point. She not only gardened, she studied gardening to improve her yield. She was into the benefits of
homeopathic medicine before it became widely accepted. She took
every opportunity she had to better herself and those around her throughout her
nearly 84 years.
For selfish reasons, I wish we could have had her with us much
longer. I’m going to miss her perfect Christmas lights (blue on the house, red
surrounding the hill where the manger scene stood), seeing her tooling around in her little blue
pickup - a poof of grey hair visible just above the steering wheel, and most of all, listening to her amazing stories and life experiences.
My Grandma often spoke of her dreams as a young woman. She
dreamed of college and a career but instead married at age nineteen and began
her life as a wife and mother. She never let go of those dreams, she simply
lived them out on her own terms and shared her zest for life and
learning with those around her.
Rest in peace, Grandma. You will be greatly missed. Until we see each other again...
Do not stand at my grave and weep
Do not stand at my grave and weep
I am not there. I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry;
I am not there. I did not die.
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