Christmas with the Richardson's

Merry Christmas to you from The Richardson's

Chris, going to bed on Christmas Eve

re-setting the train tracks
this is the train set from Par-Ran

now, almost all of the kids have their very own LED headlamps
(I think we have 3 left to go)

Woody from Toy Story

Look, Santa assembled the train tracks when he delivered the presents!

goodies under the tree
I don't know how Mom & Dad did it with TEN kids!

One of the local farms has a spectacular light show, pony rides, Christmas antique barn, and more. Here are Mike and Chris next to Elvis!

"Family Traditions" in the Richardson household may be static...or not. We decide on a daily, weekly, and yearly basis. Some things, we love, and keep, such as mint juleps on Kentucky Derby Day; some things we take as often as we get them, such as luminarias on Christmas Eve in Albuquerque (complete with tamales, green chile, red chile, and more!), some things we change as quickly as the blink of an eye, such as what to do on vacations.

But, Christmas is a one of our favorites. The true meaning of Christmas is not lost on us, and we love to share.

Some of our traditions include:

Mike's Birthday

The lighting of the candles by Charles and Patrick

the HEAT of 47 candles = HOTNESS

I'm not sure he remembered to make a wish, it was getting so hot in the room

so dang hot, it MELTED most of the candles, some never had a chance!

2nd annual cookie exchange:

thanks to my beautiful cousin, Tina

these didn't make it to the exchange, but we made them on the same day, a family favorite: Spritz cookies

making the Snickerdoodles, Ginger Snaps and Spritz cookies at Grandma's house
one of my favorite parts of childhood...Grandma's house, farm and kitchen!
as it was and is for so many others...

after the exchange, the party at Grandma's included the girls (Tina, Ashley, Cathy), Chris and JR
JR & Chris can make some really good cookies!

Making Snowflakes from printer paper:

I've been making snowflakes since I was a teenager. Some years I've made a lot, some none at all. This year...a LOT! Sometimes they appeared on the ceilings of loved ones, sometimes they were left on desks, sometimes on walls, occasionally in the mail. On my last day of subbing for elementary school before the Christmas holidays started, I was able to teach 15 children how to make their own snowflakes. They did a great job!
We love snowflakes, especially the real ones!

Real Snowflakes: A White Christmas 2010!

Some years we are able to do, give and be exactly what we want. In recent years, we've had some "shifts" in our lifestyle and living arrangements. Not that any of that was bad, just different, and thus we adjust to match the situation. In our current apartment, we can only put up about half of our decorations, and we use a 6-ft artificial tree. When we eventually move to larger quarters, we'll shift that tree to Chris' bedroom and get a larger, live or cut tree. In years past, we've had 8 and 9-ft trees that we hunted for in the Cibola or Santa Fe Forests in NM.

Now, that was a fun tradition! Obtain a $10 permit for every family that was participating, all meet early on the Sat before Christmas, loaded up with hot chocolate, lunch and other snacks. Then, caravan to the forest and the hunting begins. Some years it was just 3 familes, other times there were up to 10. Each year was a new adventure and a blast. That's where, in the snow, that Chris got to make his first snow angel. He was 18 months old and he kept dropping to the ground and wouldn't help get himself up. We finally figured out he was copying his Papa and was making his own angel! I could write a long time on these adventures, especially on the "Charlie Brown" trees my husband would inevitably find, but that will have to wait for another time.

Christmas with a young'un sure makes things more magical. We did get him most of what he wanted on his Christmas list...oh, yes, the list he wrote back in June and then pinned to the wall until December! We did not get the PS3 gaming system. We just can't subscribe to getting children each and every gaming system. He has 2, plus the internet, and that's enough for a 7-yr old. Call us old fashioned or strict, but too much is too much. I love computer technology more than most, and I just can't do it. We grew up without ANY of these games, and we PLAYED outside! We used our imaginations and we played with our cousins and friends and others.

Apparently, also, there is more than one Pokemon DS game...who knew?! He only asked for 4 things, and I heard him telling someone that he didn't get the PS3 or a new Pokemon game, but it was ok. I asked him about the Pokemon, and that's when we found out there were multiple versions. He did get Woody and Buzz Light Year talking toys, as well as an assortment of other toys. We also got him the Mario Karts, a go-kart game for the Wii, that you can actually play with others outside of your home, including some of his out-of-town cousins.

Chris was so excited about Christmas, he kept a daily countdown. He has a custom-made Advent Calendar (proudly, it took 1st place in the St. Mary's and Calvert County Fairs this past fall) that we put goodies in for each day of the countdown. He used it every day, but didn't eat all of the goodies from each pocket. Looks like next year he'll be ready to have a new assortment of treats, including movie tickets, coins, and other fun items.

He's starting to ask more questions about Santa Claus and what's "real" and what's not. He's convinced that Papa is Santa, because he "looks like Santa" so we ask him where the suit, beard and sleigh would be, and he says it's magic.

Over the years, Santa has always paid a personal visit to Chris, in different settings and situations. When he was little, it was so easy. As he's grown, Santa has had to be a little more careful. When we lived in Albuquerque, Santa would always go to the nursing home, when our friend Gina would let her piano students perform a recital for the residents. He was quite the hit! One year, a little girl saw him walking down the hall and she kept following him until she got his attention...then she told him what she wanted and walked away quite content and smiling. I think she was about 4 years old.

Last year, Santa came by our place in the snow, and rang his bell from out by the Snowman. Chris didn't have any shoes on, so I had to carry him outside. He was pretty happy about that visit. This year...we had to be more careful.

So, after dropping the boys off at my sister's house, we headed to the storage unit to get his boots and change. When we were driving back to the house, we passed an SUV of 5 high school teen boys from the local high school. We both recognized all of them, but their names blanked on us until after it was all over. They were yelling and laughing and calling out to Santa, saying they had all been good boys, and what was he going to bring them. Santa yelled back, and it was quite fun. Imagine what they would have said if he had called out their names. So close! One was Javonte, not a common name. That would have freaked them out!

Part of our new tradition is to visit the young ones of some friends. This year, Papa Santa paid a neighborly visit to a 3- and 5-yr old of friends of ours, and they were quite surprised and excited. Last year, they were scared and not sure what to do. This time...they were expecting him! It was a fun visit for all of them.

When done at Quarter and Zowey's house, he made an extra stop at Aunt Becky's house. He got out of the car, ran down the street and banged on the front door. Then, he opened the door, stuck his head in and gave a boisterous "Ho, Ho, Ho!"... and then ran away! He and Mama Claus were smart, so they thought, and had called ahead to request that all the boys (Chris and his cousins, Nathan and Scotty) ALL had their shoes OFF for Santa's visit. You know, Santa isn't so young anymore, and he was prepared to run away fast. Well, we all did our parts, including Aunt Becky.

But then...the neighbors saw Santa running and they said, "Hey, Santa! Can you do that for our daughter?" What could he say? He said yes, and then there he was...on their front porch, next door to the house where the boys were all playing so quietly and innocently. Next to where these same boys were all frantically looking for their boot and coats, and, apparently, a bat, bb gun, and Wii controller, to go outside and search for this Santa!

Santa, in the meantime, was talking to little 3-yr old Elaina, while she sat on his lap and her parents took pictures. The clock was ticking. Tick Tock, TICK TOCK!!! His get-away ride was waiting around the corner, to prevent any sort of recognition by the clever and quick boys, and the driver was on the phone with Aunt Becky...both wondering where the heck Santa had gotten to. Next thing I knew, the boys were on the loose, and then Santa was on the run! He made it to the car just in time, before the boys made it around the corner. They drove away laughing true belly laughs, while Santa had to attempt to get his breath back. When Aunt Becky called us, while we were "shopping" several miles away, the boys demanded evidence that we weren't around. She had told them she was talking to Uncle Charlie, and they seemed content that we weren't around. Too funny.

That's a tradition that will keep evolving. As soon as I can find the right material, I'm going to make him an old-fashioned/traditional Santa Suit, and get him a much better beard. Then, a Mrs. Claus suit for Mommy. When Chris is old enough, he'll become one of the elves, for as long as he wants to play.

We also tell Christopher about the Baby Jesus and we have nativity sets in our house, including in his bedroom. More then anything, he is taught the spirituality of the Meaning of Christmas, in taking care of others, in loving others, and in doing the right thing. He has a big heart, and I love to watch as he changes with each year and each Christmas.

And with that, Merry Christmas to All and to All a Good Night!

Love and Peace to All of You

Puppies in Harpers Ferry, WV

UPDATE: Looking for WV Buddies Rescue?
Click here for more info!

There are some things and situations in life that are blessings, and which benefit long after the fact. Taking care of rescue "puppies" (because they are not all technically "puppies" but we treat them like they are all special puppies) at WV Buddies in Harpers Ferry, WV, is one of those opportunities that I truly appreciate.

To learn more about the available pets at WV Buddies, check out this link:
WV Buddies

Sure, it's a LOT of poop picking up. And sometimes there is vomiting or worse, or administering medicines, finding the pups that may escape or get pushed off the deck (silly Joppy!). Sometimes the ones we give love to are not alive the next time around, and that's hard. Even watching them for only a few days creates a lasting bond with each of them. I'm very grateful that our little guy gets to also help take care of them, as well. We have our own dog, Maya. She's a geriatric Akita that we've had for 10 years. That makes her 11 or 12 or 13...we're not sure. She's our beautiful girl, full of personality, but definitely her "OWN" personality, lol! She doesn't run. She doesn't play. She lays around, loves to go for walks, and just recently she can be off leash sometimes. She doesn't like any other animals, except when Dean takes her and introduces her to pregnant German Shepard mommas and walks them together. But, she's ours to the end. As such, Chris never really knew what puppies could do until he's been exposed to other dogs at the houses of friends and family. The best doses of dogs has been at Dean's rescue.

Most recently, he got to play with the frisky and fun 12-wk old puppies, Jake and Elwood. He loved playing with them, and they loved to clean the food off his face, so it worked out.



(Unfortunately, I can't put up many other pictures from this visit yet, as they are all on my camera. Since someone stole the battery and charger for my camera from the public library last week, I have to wait for the replacements to arrive next week. Sigh. Some of the pups are just SO cute!)

Here are some other pictures, all taken by Dean of WV Buddies:

The last time we were there, we took care of 19 dogs, plus our own dog, Maya, and their 2 kitties, Venus and Zander. Here are a few of the bunch we got to know better:

Unfortunately, little Titan below did not make it. We fed him baby food and held him a lot, but he was just too sick and left for Rainbow Bridge a few days after our visit. He really tried, and he was so sweet. He just wanted to be cuddled, sweet little guy.

Miss Queenie, below, is pretty amazing. First, she is the one that Dean took for a walk with our old girlie, Maya. And they BOTH were great together! I wouldn't have ever bet on that, just amazing...as in TRULY amazing!!!!
Queenie came to the rescue the week of Thanksgiving, fully pregnant. During our stay, she showed that she had lied on all areas of her resume. She actually likes kids, other dogs, loves women, likes men, and is very gentle. Whenever we had her out of her crate, she took up residency on the couch between Chris and I.
She had 8 puppies about 10 days after we left town. She started the deliveries on her favorite spot: on the living room couch! Of her puppies, 5 are thriving and 1 is being nursed by a surrogate mother. Two were not as fortunate, but despite those losses, she is a great mother. We are glad this will be her last pregnancy.

five of Queenie's puppies:


If you know of anyone looking to give a dog a forever home, please get in touch with Dean at WV Buddies. If he doesn't have a dog that would work for your family, he knows someone else who does.

Peace and Love to you all!

Missing Teeth!

Chris has lost THREE teeth in the past 8 days, with one more showing as a little loose. He lost one on Sat, then at school on Wednesday then Thursday morning. Poor Tooth Fairy, she almost overlapped with Santa's scheduled visit!

On Saturday, I was leaving in the morning to work with a high school student on her classwork when Christopher stopped me. He said, “Look, Mommy, my tooth is loose!” Mind you, he has not lost a baby tooth for over a year now. I checked it and did not think it was that loose. Mike called me less than an hour later to tell me that the Tooth Fairy was coming by that night. While on the phone, Christopher walked through and asked him who he was talking to about his tooth. Being the prankster that he is, he told Chris that he was talking TO the Tooth Fairy! Of course, you can guess what happened next! Chris asked to talk to me, and was immediately handed the phone. I’m not the radio DJ in the household, I cannot just disguise my voice at will, and certainly not enough to fool a curious and determined 7-yr old. Especially a 7-yr old who is asking more and more questions about Santa! Thanks, Mike! I did my best, and think I actually pulled it off on the phone, by not saying much, and by being very squeaky. I’m just glad no one was recording or listening in at the moment, not one of my best, I assure you. It satisfied the little guy, and he was pleased that the Tooth Fairy talked to him and was going to come by that night.

And visit she did. She almost forgot, given that Mommy and Papa were TIRED. But, the switch-a-roo was performed, replaced with a dollar bill, several quarters and at least one or two of the other coins. The idea was to have him count it up. Now that he’s in 2^nd grade, he’s able to add and count up bigger numbers, and is getting pretty good at recognizing and counting coins.

In the morning, he climbed into bed with us, not remembering about his tooth. Then, when I asked him how his mouth was feeling where his tooth used to be, he jumped up and raced out of the room. We heard him excitedly exclaim that, “The Tooth Fairy was here!” “She left me some money!” Then we didn’t see him again for a little while, as he turned on the TV and played some cartoons. When we later asked him how much he got for his tooth, he said, “Oh, it was a dollar and some coins.” “Really, well, how much? Didn’t you count it?” “No, I put it in my bank already.” So Mike asked him if he could remember how much he got, and he repeated it was the dollar and a quarter and a few dimes. “That’s probably about it.”

He’s rather diligent about putting all of his money in his piggy bank. He’s a chip off the old Par-Ran block, his grandfather in California!

So, days go past, and he comes home on Wednesday with a miniature blue treasure chest that measured less than an inch wide and tall, and less than a half inch deep. Safely inside was his 2^nd loose tooth that came out while at school. A tradition at his elementary school is to go to the nurse, get tissue to stop the bleeding, get a treasure chest, then get your name put on the Missing Tooth Hall of Fame. Now, he has his own name on a tooth sticker on the wall. I never even knew this wall existed until by chance another student was admiring his own name on it just a week earlier. Now, the tooth fairy ALMOST forgot to stop by on this night, having gone to bed too late, and being tired to start with. Good thing she woke up at around 4 AM and resolved the problem.

Again, Chris climbs into bed with us around 6 am and goes back to sleep. When he wakes up around 8 am, he remembered that his tooth had fallen out, so off he hurries back to his bedroom. He counted his money this time, telling us right away that he got $1.78! And then, clunk, clunk, it goes into his piggy bank right away! No playing around for this little guy!

Christmas break has begun, so there’s no school from Thursday until January 3^rd. Before we know it, Chris has come back into our bedroom and said, “Mommy, I had my finger in my mouth, and saw another tooth was loose. Look, it also fell out!”

Now, this child brushes his teeth at least twice a day. He’s very diligent about his responsibilities, and is somewhat of a germ-a-phobe. I know he’s not loosening his teeth on purpose, it’s just a coincidence that they all loosened at the same time, especially after a very long hiatus since the last tooth. The three teeth that came out are all in the same place on either side of his mouth, just to the right and left of his top and bottom front 4 teeth. I checked the last of the quad, only to find that it, too, is also loosening. Not as loose at the last one I checked, but I won’t be surprised if it also comes out in the next week or so.

The Tooth Fairy now has a well traveled path to our door now, and she gladly came by to leave a small gift for Chris, in exchange for his 3^rd tooth. She left in, like all the others, in a plastic baggie. She also, apparently, put a few presents under the tree that had arrived during the day through various venues. They were presents from friends to Chris. He was already getting more and more hyped up in anticipation for Christmas Eve, for when Santa would be here. When he woke up to find new things under the tree, he was beside himself and kept asking us if he could open them up. We told him he could open them on Christmas Eve, but not at that time.

His money from the Tooth Fairy…is STILL under his pillow. We asked him what he got, because he had checked and did tell us that morning that she had come by. He was so distracted by the presents, that he either forgot to go back and check his treasure, or he made a decision to let it sit there for awhile. I checked this morning, and it is still there, all rolled up, under his pillow. In his defense, we did go out all day on the 24^th and 25^th, and he was up way past his bedtimes for the past 3 days. That is something he has a hard time with, changes in his routine. So, we’ll let him leave his money there until he’s ready to go get it. What’s he going to do with it, anyway? I’m guessing…put it in his piggy bank!

Now when we were kids…we used to get a quarter, dime, nickel and some pennies for each of our teeth. And that kind of big change wore a hole in our pockets!

Sigh, each day and each adventure, he makes us shift our paradigms.
We love our little guy, Chris! Pretty special and unique, that’s for sure!