A Merry (Crazy!) Christmas!

Christmas week started out a little crazy for us.  Last Saturday night (the 18th), Eric and I got the kids situated with a babysitter and drove off towards a Christmas party with some of Eric's coworkers.  Right after we left home, my parents called to tell me that my grandmother was in the hospital but doing okay at the moment.  A few hours later, they called back to say she had passed away.  Grandmommy had been having some heart and kidney problems, so we weren't completely blindsided, but it certainly was a shock to have it happen that fast.  Not just a week prior, I had talked to her on the phone and told her the news about the twins.  She was so spunky, and thrilled at the news!  She said, "Shannon, what are you going to do with all of those kids!?"  And I said, "I don't know, Grandmommy... I guess you're going to have to come move in with us and help me change diapers!" To which she replied, "I'm on my way!"  She told me about 3 times that the doctor had given her a good report that day... she was so proud of herself!  I really wish I had known that was the last time I would speak to her.  But I guess that's generally the way it goes.

Things got a little crazy after that late night phone call on Saturday night.  We had plane tickets to fly to Baltimore on Wednesday and the funeral was scheduled for Tuesday in Columbia, SC.  So on Sunday I kicked it into high gear and bought plane tickets for myself to fly to Charleston (to meet my family and drive up with them), packed mine and the kids' suitcases for Baltimore, and wrapped all of our Christmas presents.  Eric called in to work to let them know he wouldn't be coming back until after we returned in January.  That evening we opened some presents with the kids (the big gifts that we couldn't pack) and we went on our annual evening walk around the neighborhood to look at all of the Christmas lights.  The next morning I flew to Charleston and spent the next 2 days with my family, while Eric held down the fort at home with Chase and Siena.

The funeral was nice I guess, in that I got to see all of my extended family, which doesn't happen very often.  I suppose this would qualify as one of those "blessings in disguise" that I love so much.  I think Grandmommy would've been really happy to know that everyone was together near Christmas.

What can I say about Grandmommy?  She was a witty little lady, smart as a whip, and stubborn as anything.  My favorite memories of her are mostly from the time I spent at her house in Columbia, since we lived close by and could visit often.  We spent holidays there decorating the Christmas tree... always very fat with old school big colored bulbs and silver tinsel that got everywhere.  Or searching for Easter eggs all over their huge yard with our matching dresses that Grandmommy had sewed herself.  We loved playing the Coleco (like Atari) on the tv in her bedroom, or setting up dominos all over the house.  I remember playing jacks and marbles with her, baking Christmas cookies, and feeding the ducks in the pond.  I also loved going to Bingo with her and going to the beach.  Grandmommy was smart about things that you wouldn't guess: like sports.  She loved baseball, and watched college football and basketball just as much as anyone else.  More recently my memories of her come from our short visits to her beach condo in Myrtle Beach, where she lived the last 12 years.  She was always trying to buy lots of food and fix lunch for us, and in the later days she pulled out huge boxes of old photographs and jewelry, and told lots of stories about our distant relatives.  Grandmommy was so thoughtful and took her time working on our Christmas gifts all year round: like copying all of her recipes by hand and putting them together in a box for each of my sisters and I.  She loved playing with Chase and Siena, and spoiling them with little gifts and candy.  I could go on and on... I miss her so much already.

Back to crazy Christmas week... after the funeral, I drove back to Charleston with my family and was able to eat dinner with them and stay the night.  The next day, I flew to Baltimore, while Eric flew with the kids from Tampa.  It was so good to see them again, and I was so proud of Eric for handling that flight by himself!  :)  He's super dad.

Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and the day after were filled with lots of food, family and friends!  The kids did so well meeting and greeting all of the various family friends that we spent the holiday with, and of course, they enjoyed all of the many toys and gifts!  We were surprised by some snow showers on Christmas morning, and even though we missed the big blizzard that struck the rest of the east coast, the kids loved playing in the little bit of snow that we got.

I'll have to wait and post pics when we get back home, since we don't have our computer with us.  Hope everyone had a fun and happy Christmas!!!