Our holiday season has been wonderful, filled with blessings, and also with surprises! It all began months ago when we decided to surprise my Mom with a Christmas visit to Canada! I knew that December would be a difficult month for all of my family as 1 year approached since the death of my Dad. With the help of Charlotte, my sister, we had it all arranged. Reece, Chase and I braved the skies and flew into a snowy Saskatchewan. All of the grandkids (except for Kenzie because she was the bait to draw Grandma close to her surprise) were perfectly positioned under the tree and as Grandma came around the corner her mouth fell open at her first glimpse of little Chase sitting there with his hand in a bowl of fruit loops to keep him in his spot! I popped out from behind the chair and all of the kids yelled "surprise!". After much hugging, laughing, and reassuring her that this was really true we enjoyed a terrific week together.
Our accomplice in all of the surprise planning - Auntie Char !
Grandma with her Christmas packages! Merry Christmas!
Reece and Chase loved playing with Kenzie, Kalen and Camrynne....not to mention their toys! Reece got a special tour of the cattle from his uncle Bruce, and he loved that! And his uncles spoiled him by giving him more candy in a few days than he has eaten in his two and a half years combined! I got the chance to see my sister perform with her singing group, All for One - and that was a very special blessing for me. The weather was cold, but I loved the snow and having a white Christmas like it always was for me as a kid. I think we all felt like the week flew by - and as always we tried to pack a whole lot of activity into too little time so there was lots of driving back and forth between the farm and town and my sisters' house. But it was so much fun to be back home and for my kids to reconnect with everyone! I think the following pictures will illustrate the fun times we had!
Chase all bundled up with no place to go....brrrrr - it is too cold out here!
Reece playing in the snow!
Checkin' out the cows with Uncle Bruce
Our Christmas lights photo shoot with all of the Canadian cousins together!
But I must say that we did miss Benjy (Daddy) lots too and so it was good to get back to Dallas to be together as a family. We were soon met by another surprise - but this time not a good one. Chase had caught a cold but was quickly getting worse and was struggling with breathing. We took him into a walk-in-clinic on the 23rd and were told he was okay...just needed a few prescriptions. By that afternoon he had gotten much worse, was struggling to breathe, so we took him back in - where they sent us on to an urgent care center for breathing treatments...they then sent him on to the emergency room where he was eventually admitted into the hospital. Chase's oxygen levels were not maintaining on their own without oxygen and so we feared a Christmas in the hospital. But....thankfully, the morning of Christmas eve Chase awoke with a whole lot of energy and was feeling much better. The doctor released him after checking him out and his breathing was back to normal, his levels fine and we were very happy to be able to continue on with our plans to be with Benjy's Dad for Christmas.
Chase right before he is discharged from his hospital stay - as you can tell....he is feeling much much better!
We arrived at Benjy's dad's on the eve of Christmas eve - in time to hang out a bit and have our family traditional readings of "Twas the Night Before Christmas" and the birth of Jesus from Luke. The video will always remind us of our hospital visit because as I am videoing Benjy reading with both kids on his knees - you can barely hear his voice over both Reece and Chase's bad coughing spells. We ended up all sleeping in on Christmas morning and taking our time to open the mountain of gifts beneath the tree. We had a really nice day with Gary, Robin, Burke, Betsy and Jared. The kids were spoiled rotten...again. And I was pretty spoiled myself - with some very thoughtful and special gifts from Benjy. Reece received an electric train from Grandpa Bear - and as the picture below shows, I think all three generations of Brednichs were pretty excited about the train! Chase, like all little guys, was more interested in the wrapping and packages than the actual gifts. As always, Gary and Robin were gracious hosts and our family stayed with them for several days - a good chance to recup from travels and sickness. The kids enjoyed their visit to the museum to see more trains!
The special reading time on Christmas eve - coughing included!
Waiting with great anticiaption for the train to make its way around the tree...again!
Yes, I also got a Christmas knot on my head after crashing into the coffee table! ;
Visiting the train museum.
We ended up our time at home with a few days with Mimi (Benjy's Mom). We (all 4 of her kids and families) met her at the airport and she was more than thrilled for that to happen! Our kids were spoiled yet again with another time of exchanging gifts. By now, Reece has learned to declare, "are there more presents for me!" All of us enjoyed a great few days with her...shopping, watching family favorites (movies, etc..), playing games and of course...taking trips! We took a day trip to Shreveport, LA to revisit some of Benjy's favorite childhood memories of summers with his grandparents - and Mary Beth's roots. I always sit back and marvel as I watch my husband interact with his family - they can quote more movie lines than anyone I have ever known. Each time we are all together I learn more and more of what I thought was simply Benjy's personality is really a line from some movie. Very revealing! We took Mimi with us to Austin as we headed back south so that we could have a little bit of time with Caden and Tabor. Both Reece and Chase loved their days with the Brednich clan - connecting and making special memories with them...
Group shot of Mimi with her kids.
The Brednich cousins!
The home of Benjy's all time favorite coconut cream pie!
In all the miles we have travelled in this van I have packed away a whole lot of snacks!
And....so now we are in 2006! We anticipate another year of God's goodness and faithfulness. And we pray for a year of growth and blessings on all of our family and friends!
