As Usual, A Recap of the Holidays I was Too Busy To Post About On Time

First, Eva turned 14. She surprised me by actually wanting a birthday party this year. "Hey mom, next week let's have a movie party with a hot chocolate bar." You got it girl! Anything for my favorite teenage girl. I am not a social person so this was a bit harder to plan for then a tooth extraction because I always worry if everyone will have a good time, is there enough food, will the movie projector work, by the way, where is the movie projector. I don't know how Oprah does it. It is exhausting. But I think it was a success and with the Christmas decorations up and twinkling, I sort of wanted to sleep there myself. And with a movie theme you need a snack bar and popcorn stand as well. 

To get into the Christmas spirit we always make are trip over to Destin to ice skate, shop and watch Polar Express on the quad at the Sandestin Beach Resort. Of course, we make our Christmas list just in time to meet Santa when he comes to turn on the lights. 

 Between working on getting Mike's office ready for the new year, and Christmas prepping, it is always nice to just spend time with the kids baking or cuddling. I think each child helped me bake this year for which I was very grateful. 

As we do every Noche Buena, or December 24th, Cuban food is cooked, this year lichen asado, white rice, black beans, plantains and tres leches. Followed by reading about the birth of Christ in Luke and having the kids randomly pick names out of a hat and dress accordingly to stage the nativity scene. Unfortunately, Golden did not pick baby Jesus this year. The honor went to Carlos and it took all I had not to laugh when his sisters dressed him in a pull up diaper. Gigi was again Mary, Beau was Joseph, Golden was the angel and Eva a shepard with Nico the very wise man. How I love Christmas with these guys. 

Shortly after Christmas, we did something I had been dreaming of for a while. We packed up and headed out to see the Perry Family in Salt Lake. Before this trip, I was not a fan of SLC, I have had a tarantula try and kill me one trip, fainted on the plane into the city while pregnant with Eva and holding a young Golden, and lastly, crashed my rental car on the way to my nieces wedding. All that was in the past and I have to say, the stay at "Perry Hollow" in Mapleton was divine. From the second we landed, Natalie had us on a roller coaster of fun activities. 

Visiting Temple Square to see the lights, 

 Movies with the 15 children followed by ice cream.

A house full of fun for the kids of all ages including daily workouts with my good friend and Isagenix partner. 

Triplets and Nico's first snow adventure

Tubing and letting Eva have her IN and OUT burger fix. 

 Visiting an actual ice castle with ice slides. 

A day of obstacle courses and trampolines..

A New Orleans girls luncheon. So great to catch up with these gals.

I forgot to get pictures of the New Years midnight crepe party for 100 or so kids followed by fireworks. What a great way to start the year. Hopefully the rest will be just as amazing. 

This is just a lovely picture spot in Perry Hollow with the mountain backdrop. 

Happy 9th Birthday Zachary

         As the night draws to a close, I'm glad when I can finally fall back on to the couch next to Mike. Another year, another birthday for Zachary filled with a house full of screaming nine year olds plus our rambunctious crew. But now, for the brief moments after we put all the kids to bed until we collapse in ours, the house is quiet. 

     "How do you think it went today?" Mike asks me. "If screaming is any measure of joy, I think we nailed it," I respond. I know what he's thinking, he tells me every year; "Why do you always go overboard with his birthday? On our birthdays we just got a cake." He's right. I do tend to try and one up his birthdays. Maybe if he wasn't so darn happy and grateful about it, more thoughtful then any boy his age should be, I wouldn't do it but we both know why. It's the knowledge that he almost wasn't that makes the celebration that much more meaningful. Just thinking about it makes me long to see him one last time tonight.

     As if reading my thoughts, and let's face it, after eighteen years together he can, Mike gives me a light shove, "Go on. Go see your boy." I climb up the stairs and quietly enter his room. There he is, bundled up under the sheet where all I can see in the dark is his disheveled locks peeking out. I try not to make a sound as I climb in with him and pull down the covers to see him. At nine years old it's hard to catch him standing still for a minute and when he is he would rather wrestle with dad or play ball with his brothers then snuggle with his mother. The older he gets, the less time it seems he has for me. But here, in the dark, with only the light of the moon, he is all mine. He looks so much younger than nine when he is at rest and so much like his father it makes my heart hurt. How can I love someone so much? I lean in close and kiss his soft cheeks and take a deep breath. Sweat and cake. That is what he smells like at nine. I don't want to forget that smell or this moment. I know I should head downstairs and clean up the mess left in the wake of the hoards of children but I resist and inhale one more time. This moment won't last long and I plan to savor it. 
Sweat and cake. How I love you Zachary. Happy birthday.