Friday.....I need to catch you all up.

I get up, get the kids on the bus; the three little ones leave and then Steven is off to school. Unload the freezer onto tables to thaw. Blog the little I got in on Friday morning. I have a set schedule to be on today as it is the execution for Holiday party 2008. Keirsten leaves on time for her bus, one more child to get off to school. Kaitlyn is doing the norm listening to her ipod. FOR WHATEVER REASON..... she rides her bike while the bus is pulling up, she runs to get onto the bus and I notice her seat of her pants. (butt) is soaking wet. I run to stop her from boarding the bus, thus not getting made fun of at school. She is only wet on the back, so she didn't have an accident...I tell the bus driver to go ahead I will drive her to school...OUCH, this is not in my plan... Kaitlyn changes her clothes. I have last minute printing to get done and now I am off track. I take a shower to avoid getting too far behind, my hair can dry while I drive her to school....Oh no, the elementary school is calling; two times while I showered... I call...Lucas is vomiting at school and needs picked up.. another search for who else called from school. It is about Tressa and if she can bring home reindeer food which is bird seeds... I inform them yes, thanks for calling. Tressa went to school with her own party supplies, all seemed fine for her. I take Kaitlyn to school, run to get Lucas. Mandie has arrived to the house and concerned of my whereabouts. I catch her up and she reminds me Keirsten still needs black flats.. a drive into Target with a sick baby and I learn size 7 is very popular..so a 7 1/2 or none at all. I get home, Lucas into bed and I start pulling more items out of the freezer and prepare to go to the yacht club. Straighten my hair, get make up and all the gatherings of everything I need.. We get to the hall at 12:30pm with Connie and Jessica as volunteers for set up help. I get a phone call from Scoot (ice cream) to inform me he has taken the ice cream to the hall this morning and it is in the freezer..wants to know if I am going to be at the school party today at 12:45 for Steven...nope, not happening today. He says they will come help after they stop at the school. We get the 20 ft tree up, the tables dressed, the food line ready and all the items into the hall. At 3 pm we need to be in North Fort Myers for the cooked food from Bob Evan's. Connie and I take the ride to get the food..LOTS AND LOTS of food. I spill green beans all down my leg--foot. The van smells so good, I am starving... I have to stop at the store to get "water holders" for the burners. At the store I get the SLOWEST cashier.. Time is running out. It is near 4:30 and I need to pick up my kids so the other 1/2 can ride in the car with Mandie. We drive in to get Tressa, Keirsten and Steven. I am HUNGRY and the van is smelling so good. We get to the hall and families are there... I move in the food, help starts coming. YES!!! Nancy and Jim are here and things have progressed while I was gone. We put the food to the warmers, I need to change. I am in shorts and sandals..smelling like green beans. I have visions of licking my own toes I am hungry.... A quick run to the restroom, I am into a shiny black holiday pant suit. A tap on the girls bathroom door, I answer, I discover Steven and his friend from school are knock and running at the bathrooms. A little startled, I ask him to finish zipping the back of my outfit... The party is under way. Mandie arrives with Jordan and Lucas along with Carmelo and Kaitlyn (they waited for Kaitlyn's bus)

Jordan is rambunctious and Lucas is very sick now. He isn't moving much and wants to sleep. He is pale and lifeless. Seems to be dehydrated and weak. Mandie makes a quiet spot for him to lay down. Lucas sleeps through the entire party. Jordan is spiraling with so much activity and Mom busy with others. Keirsten has taken off with her peers and acting out a little more than I would like....1 ouch, one more in their teens and hormones...Boys... Why are we such emotionally driven creatures?? Mandie is frustrated with the challenges brought upon her and I am too pre-occupied to notice. Michelle and her family has arrived and seem to be at ease and enjoying the party. The kids open gifts which helps. Jordan now playing with his new fire truck, some laying on the floor and taunting me for attention. Lucas remains asleep. Melo is testing Mandie because kids just know when they have us parents by the nose hair. The photographer is set up and Mandie would love to get a family portrait although nothing else is coming together for her. She seems so cautious about not bothering me I do not get wind of her desire until too late. Keirsten is running up to me for a family portrait and I am wanting to do it at the end... What a wild dream....the end when the kids are spun out and I am ready to fall on the floor... so we did not get ours done either. This being the second year in a row Jordan walks away from his gift from Santa and it disappears. I have to believe it is innocence that another child picks it up and loves it with out the thought it is "stealing" Jordan has plenty and in my heart I have to believe that child "needed" it. I am sorry for Jordan's loss and we talked about it. He was crying out the front door saying truck my truck and it didn't register someone had left with his truck, I thought he had wanted a BIG TRUCK from Santa but Santa said he would bring that for Christmas... communication gap.. It ended up a present left was a car which Jordan became found of and has forgotten about his lost fire truck for now. Lucas went to sleep for the night with a slight smile to his new tub toys from Santa. No photos, nothing but our memory of his sad little sick self gathering strength through sleep. The night ended with close friends back at our home to put things away that needed immediate attention and I , me ...I finally got to taste dinner. Left overs came to the house with 4 slices of turkey as the final amount left over, some of everything else and LOTS OF BREAD.... No nuggets, they were first to run out of, plenty of mac n cheese for weeks..... the food was a good count for keeping track for next year adding more turkey. The recap was great. Many people came up to my girls to relay a message of their appreciation for all my work to put on this annual holiday party. That always makes me feel good inside that people take the time to express they enjoyed themselves. The photographer was curious to get my response on the "why". Why do you do this Mary?? He has been involved for a few weeks and had some of the ups and downs of planning knowledge and just for his own personal insight wanted to know what drives me to serve my community selflessly. It isn't selflessly, I get so much joy out of putting on this holiday party it is "MY CHRISTMAS." I can buy gifts all day long for my children, they play with them a short time and they are another item I pick up and put away. I can shop for something personal and meaningful to give you which you will have from me but nothing makes "me" feel more about giving than to see the faces of the children and the parents when Santa spends quality time with the children, where they open a gift they get which is something they wanted and to see the Fire man smiling from the side lines at the effort I put into it to help them as well. To stand for the moment I do stand and scan the room of over 200 people enjoying a night which they had provided with out hardship......is my Christmas. The rest is commercial and not what I feel as Christmas. On Christmas Day my children will open their gifts and the joy I will get is what comes from that. The words, the goals they achieve from the gifts I have chosen to push them a little further in inclusive living lite typical children in a typical neighborhood in a typical home getting typical gifts to fit into society life typical school age children where their ability is all I see. My Christmas...