MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I didn't get around to sending out Christmas cards this year (I made them......I just for some reason didn't feel like mailing them out), so I wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas!! We hope that you and your families are healthy and happy and were able to feel the wonderful spirit of the Christmas season.

We spent our Christmas Eve with Matt's family in Iowa. We had a fabulous meal, read from the scriptures, sang Christmas carols, opened presents, and enjoyed each other's company. I thought it was funny that after all the presents were opened the thing that all the kids were most excited about was the big box that Grandpa's present had come in. That thing entertained them for the rest of the night.......even the older kids had to get in on the box action. Ben was the first one up on Christmas morning........he came in and woke us up at about 6:45. I would have loved to sleep a little longer, but after talking to some of my sisters I know it could have been a lot worse. We had the usual Christmas morning of opening presents and playing with new toys. The kids loved the new instruments that Santa brought. Now I have my own little rock band. We spent the rest of the day with my family and were having a great time until ..........
Ben had a little accident, and we got to spend Christmas night in the emergency room. He fell off a kitchen chair at my mom's house and bit a big hole in his lip. He ended up with four stitches and a cool story to tell when he is older. He was really amazing at the hospital. He was so calm and cooperative. He let them poke and prod at his lip without complaining. Let them tape a cold, wet cotton ball to start the numbing process to his lip for 1/2 an hour without trying to take it off. Let them strap him to a board and let a nurse hold his head in place without resisting. He did start crying when the doctor poked him with the needle to numb his lip, but he calmed back down pretty quickly and was so good while the doctor put the stitches in. The doctor and nurses were just amazed at how well he did with the whole process. He is one tough little kid!! It really stinks when things like this happen, especially on Christmas, but the whole time I was just feeling so grateful that it wasn't something worse. He gets the stitches out on Monday and hopefully it will heal nicely.
Getting the stitches actually turned out to be the easiest part of this whole thing. The doctor wanted Ben on a liquid diet for 24 hours (so that food particles don't get trapped in the sore on the inside of his mouth), and he has not been happy about his food choices. He screamed a lot louder when I told him he couldn't have chips and Cinnamon Toast Crunch than he did when he got his stitches. When I got out of the shower I came downstairs to find that he had gotten himself a bowl of cereal, milk and all. He was happily chowing, and I felt pretty mean taking it away. You'd think a three year old would love being told he could only eat popsicles, jello, and juice, but not my picky little guy. He did surprise me by eating chicken broth, and that has mostly been what he's eaten today. It's been rough, but luckily we only have a few more hours to go..........