The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I look forward to it every year...and...every year it has to come to an end. The Most Wonderful Time of the Year to me is the week between Christmas and the New Year. I may be 10 years out of high school, but I still march to the tune of the school calendar. And, the school calendar is on winter break between Christmas and the New Year:) This year I was blessed with the opportunity to be off work beginning at 5pm on 12/21, returning for one day on 12/27, and then off again until 1/3! It was wonderful!

We celebrated Christmas and my Grandpa's birthday in Albert Lea the evening of Christmas Eve with my mom's extended family. It was especially fun this year because everyone was able to be together for the first time in years:)

Christmas morning we headed back to Rochester to host the Picker family Christmas celebration. It was our first year hosting and we had a lot of fun! The cousins wore each other out with lots of playing and wrestling as usual. And, it was fun to have another little one joining the crew now that Annalise is walking every where:) Greg, Cally, Brent, and I even got time to play a new game Greg got for Christmas after the kiddos were in bed!

Sunday, we headed to my Grandpa's farm outside Wells, MN for my dad's extended family Christmas celebration. It was nice chatting with Grandpa and having four generations gathered together.

The week between Christmas and the New Year was also filled with family time!

Monday, Luke spent the morning with Greg, Cally, Mekhi, and Annalise and the afternoon with Grandma Nancy while Brent and I worked for the day. Luke even got Mr Pizza for lunch (one of his favorites) thanks to Greg and Cally:)

Tuesday, I began the remainder of my "Christmas Break":) We spent the day with my Grandma, Uncle Larry, and Cousin Jamie who came from Albert Lea for some shopping and lunch at Michael's. It was great to have them in Rochester and to get even more time together after the holiday:)

Wednesday was Luke day of dates. He and I had lunch together at Panera and he and Daddy went to the Rotary basketball tournament to watch a couple games that evening. Luke loved watching the games with Daddy since he's used to sitting with me watching Daddy play; and Brent got to experience Luke's many questions through out the game:)

Thursday began with great intentions...but then I locked my keys in the car while parked in the mall parking lot...nice, I know. Many thanks to Ruth for bringing us home, then Luke and I shared an afternoon relaxing and watching Home Alone 2. Luke saw the Home Alone movies for the first time this Christmas and he thinks they are great! Once Brent got home, we headed to Riggin's (aka Evan and Eli's house according to Luke). The boys ran, wrestled, and played the night away while we got to chat and relax after a wonderful dinner.

Friday, we were supposed to head to Faribault for the Kester family Christmas, but the weather called for freezing rain and sleet. Brent asked that we stay in town instead of chancing the drive home in the weather expected later in the day. We didn't end up getting as much ice as expected, but I was still grateful not to drive on the ice we did get. Since Luke and I were staying in Rochester, we had Chinese (another one of Luke's favorites) for lunch with Grandma, Grandpa, and Bridget; then we came home and slept it off with an afternoon nap:) We had a quiet New Years Eve together once Brent got off work. We had Panera for dinner (yeah, not much cooking going on this week either), played Life (Luke's first time and he won!), and Brent and I watched The Other Guys (truthfully, I watched it since Brent fell asleep). I was expecting to ring in the new year alone, but was surprised to find my peanut still awake in his bed at midnight! I wasn't complaining, it was nice to start off the new year together! I guess that afternoon nap really refreshed him:)

Saturday was our Beckmann family Christmas celebration at my parent's house. Unfortunately Luke woke up with a sore neck and an upset stomach. He spent the day on the couch at Grandma and Grandpa's while we played games and he occasionally got sick:( We really were a sorry crew...my dad felt a migraine coming on, Luke's stomach was sick, and my sister was on crutches after a sledding accident the week before. Despite all of the issues, we really had a nice day together playing games, eating, and opening gifts. Luke was a sorry sight as the gift opening progressed. He started out pretty excited and into opening gifts (though only a glimmer of his healthy self), but as the event went on, he gradually lost energy and enthusiasm. By the end, he was pulling on the paper while Brent held the gifts for him:( Poor guy!

During the night I had a paranoid-Mommy-moment and called the nurse-line to be sure Luke wasn't showing signs of meningitis or something horrible with his symptoms. The nurse recommended he see a doctor on Sunday to get a strep culture. I then had my ah-ha-Mommy-moment as I remembered that the last time Luke had strep, he also threw up!

Sunday morning Luke and I slept in then we all headed to the Mayo Express Care for Luke's throat culture. The nurse was pretty confident it was strep, but we had to wait until Monday morning to confirm. We spent the day at home relaxing before heading back to the real world on Monday. The day may have been "forced" relaxing time with Luke sick, but a day of snuggles never goes without gratitude in this house:)

So, I write to you now in the aftermath of The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, but I don't say that begrudgingly. The Christmas celebrations were the perfect end to a blessed 2010 and we eagerly anticipate many things in 2011: Luke turning 5, Luke starting kindergarten, Bridget and Ross's wedding, family visiting from out of state for the wedding, Brent finishing his MBA, and who knows what else! We also have some immediate changes beginning this week: Brent beginning his new job as a manager at the Think corporte office in Rochester and me training a new job share (who works the second half of each week while I am off)!

A new year always gets me thinking of the possibilities too...Could this be the year that we add another sweet little one to our family? What does the year hold for our family and what awaits us in 2011 that we have not even considered?

It's easy for me to start to wonder, and even worry sometimes about the year to come, but then I remind myself that the One whose birth we just celebrated is with us through it all and preparing us for what we see as the unknown future. He is loving us, guiding us, encouraging us, and waiting with us every step of the way. For this I am eternally grateful, this year and for years to come!