Christmas...among other things

The view from our front windows this morning. It is going to be a beautiful fall day. A great day to go to the zoo. A great day to be alive.
Here is the view out our front door. Minus the dead tree in the front, the colors are in full swing right now. It should make for some nice driving to the zoo.

The is how fast Captain moves on a regular basis. This was the day at the apple place when I couldn't buy anything.
Sitting on a pumpkin. Can't wait to carve ours. Hope our carving kit shows up in the mail soon. (I got my sling rings and fabric yesterday. Can't wait to get everything to my Grandma for sewing.)
I don't know if you can see it, but there is a toothy in there. She is working on another one today. She has scratches on her face from her nails. Love the brown/pink combo along with the brown/teal combo that is such a popular combo these days.
These are their combined elephant photos that Captain insists on all the time. We take an elephant photo every month on the same day in the same place. It has been soooo neat to watch them grow.
She learned that she has toes to suck on.

Ok, so this may be a little random, but I need to write what I am thinking about even though it really has nothing to do with today.

I am thinking about my Mom today. I guess that being a mother myself now, gives me more appreciation for my Mom and also makes me miss her that much more. Mainly what I am thinking on today it being a new mother and the whole experience and how trying it is. How little sleep you get and how much your whole world gets turned upside down.

I am thinking about Christmas today. Strangely enough I am thinking about how many things I want to do this Christmas. From decorating to buying gifts to baking to making it a very special First and Second Christmas for my children. I'm thinking about all the planning that Christmas entails and how there is such a sense of excitement, especially with the kids. Don't get me wrong, I have been thinking about Halloween and Thanksgiving and Black Friday and Cookie Day and everything in between as well, but Christmas is the biggest holiday of all. Not only because of the consumerism but because of the Religious aspects of it as well.

I am thinking about my birthday. (Now this will all tie together, I promise.) My birthday is right before Christmas. I have always hated when my birthday fell. I hated having a birthday right before Christmas. There were always selfish reasons, of course, but a lot of it had to do with how busy everyone is at that time of year. Everyone is so tied up with Christmas preparations that they would forget my birthday or it wouldn't be a priority. That, and money was always tight. No one had money to go out or to buy gifts or they would promise a combined Christmas/Birthday present and I always resented that.

I wonder how my Mom felt about when she had me. I wonder if she was excited about having a Christmas baby or if she worried that I would feel the way that I did. My mom's birthday was right after Christmas and I wonder if she had the same issues with it as I did. My mom was due with me at the end of November around Thanksgiving time, but she carried me at least three weeks longer and I was born mid-December. When I think of all the preparations that my Mom must have been making for me, for Thanksgiving, for Christmas, it makes me appreciate her even more. I appreciate how much she always did for us. I can appreciate all of the excitement that she must have felt at the thought of bringing home her first baby. I can imagine how tired she and my dad must have been that first Christmas. I envision them really only wanting one gift (aside from sleep): a healthy and happy baby. I am sure that there were a couple of presents that year, but I bet that I was the greatest one. A gift from God.

I think of all of this now. Mid-October. I think about how much Mom would have loved to be here to share in the gifts that I now have. I know how much Dad appreciates them. I wish she were here to open the door when we ring the bell and say "Trick or Treat". I wish she were here to see the trees turning color. I wish she were here to bake cookies with us. I wish she were here to tell us how crazy we are for packing up in the car at 4:00am on Black Friday. Maybe she would go with us to the zoo today. I know for sure that she would want to hear all about it when we got back.

I will never complain about when my Birthday is again. Instead, I will think of it as a mother. I will think of it in terms of my mother. I will think of it as a gift from God.