Merry Christmas!!

Christmas traditions are really important to our little family.  Not surprisingly, current events have altered some of our usual traditions.  Decorating the Christmas tree has been my responsibility, but I wasn't really up to it this year.  Emerson stayed up long nights to get the tree up this time.  I usually enjoy running around with Emerson to shop for or make gifts.  I did most of my shopping online this year.  We always go to midnight mass at the Catholic church to celebrate Christ's birth as a family, but my foot hurt too much last night and we decided to stay home.  Despite these changes, I feel like we pulled together as a family to have a great Christmas.  Times were leaner and we had to be more thoughtful and careful about our gifts, but I think that made each and every gift even more appreciated.

Dwayne got the dressy wool coat he wanted.  Dexter got a gift card for Converse so he could design his own shoes. They each got a good winter coat and shoes and some other wonderful clothes. Dwayne was also thrilled to get a new pair of shoes to replace his favorites that got worn out.  Emerson was delighted to get the entire set of NCIS dvds (his favorite tv series).  The looks on their faces as they opened the gifts was wonderful!  All the worries I had about this year being a smaller Christmas were dispelled.  What they received was love and there was plenty of it.  The shoes Dwayne got were exactly the same kind he got from his Grandpa Loren a couple of years ago.  He wore them out in Chicago trying to sell security systems and didn't expect to get a replacement pair from Santa.  Dexter's missing copy of "Sweeney Todd" turned up as a present under the tree as well as the poster from his last play - nicely framed and including two photos that his dad took during the play.

As for me, I found love in my gifts as well.  Santa gave me an Alvin and the Chipmunks set of stuffed animals.  I know it sounds silly to most people, but I have a soft spot for the chipmunks.  I grew up dancing around my grandparents' living room to a Chipmunks album.  That was such a happy memory for me and it was fun to experience it again.  Emerson took the time to work with my dog, Shadow, to take a really nice picture of him and put it in a frame (not the picture here).  It was so sweet!! I've been trying for the longest time to get him to sit still so I could get a good picture of him and I never could do it.  The next surprise was the biggest.  Lately I've been thinking about rings.  When we got married, we couldn't afford rings, so I got married using my mom's wedding and engagement rings. Mom wanted Rick to be able to have the rings, so I returned them and Grandma Myers gave me her wedding rings (she was using her mother's rings).  Unfortunately, as I got chubbier, my fingers did too.  Those rings didn't fit anymore.  On our tenth anniversary, I got a storyteller band-type ring with a Navajo man and woman by the campfire.  It was wonderful!  But I continued to expand and that ring no longer fits.  I've been wearing a silver and turquoise ring Emerson's grandma gave me years ago, but I've been wanting something more romantic.  Emerson's gift to me today was a beatiful silver and diamond ring!  It's exactly the style I like and I can't wait to get it sized to fit my finger!

I've had some time to reflect today about family. We've had such a rough year - losing my dad, family struggles, Emerson's job loss, and my accident with resulting injury.  In every instance, Emerson's mom, brothers, sister, cousin, uncle, and their families have been the first to call and offer their support.  Dwayne posted information on Facebook about my accident and we were getting calls from Tapahes before I even made it to the hospital!  They have never wavered in their support and devotion and I can never thank them enough.   One of the things I admire most about the Tapahe family is how they value family.  Even when one person is mad at another, they still rush to each other's aid in times of  need.  I'm so glad I married into this family!  The phone calls from my brothers have also been nice.  Both moved to new homes this month and they are very busy, but I'm glad they have time to talk to their big sister.  I've also noticed how our Heavenly Father provides us with other members of our family.  I can count as my sisters two amazing women I work with, my dear visiting teaching companion, my powwow sister Angela, and my brothers' wonderful wives.  I don't know what I would do without them!  Of course, I still miss my mom, dad, and grandparents, but God has provided me with others who lift me up.  Emerson has done so much for me, especially with my injury, and I can't imagine life without him.  I'm so glad to have him by my side as well.