Family and Holidays--What a Wonderful Time!

Glendale Americana Christmas Tree

The new 2013 calendars have been hung. The Christmas tree is being recycled.  The ornaments, garlands and knick knacks have been placed in their bins for 11 months, and the stuff briefly stored that graced the house before has been returned to where it was.  Besides the excess weight that we’re trying to lose, all that remains of the Holidays are memories and pictures.  I want to briefly enjoy those memories and to share them---and some pictures---as I reminisce about the Holidays just passed.

Last year, we had the Adam Johnson family during the Holidays.  It was chaotic and exciting to have Emily, Adam, older sister Elizabeth, and the triplets in our home at this special time of year.  This year there was definitely not much chaos, but it was exciting to have our daughter Rebecca, and her son, Isaac unwrapping presents in our living room on Christmas morning.  They were accompanied on Christmas morning by our son Douglas and his son, Daniel.  There is nothing like seeing this holiday through the eyes of a seven year old and almost three year old!

It was fun to have Isaac help decorate the tree, even though most of his ornaments rightfully ended up on the front, bottom half.  We enjoyed listening to the familiar tunes of a Mannheim Steamroller Christmas album as we trimmed the tree.  Ann and I had already placed the knick knacks and seasonal stuff in the living room and elsewhere, and we had saved the fun of the tree for our daughter and grandson.   Uncle Doug lifted Isaac up to allow him to place the star on top, much to the delight of everyone.  It was fun to look at the ornaments that we have accumulated (and continue to accumulate), obtained from places either we or loved ones have been, and lovingly place them on the boughs.  

I enjoyed taking Isaac to see the movie Rise of the Guardians.  We enjoyed taking him to our nearby park where he could climb and run and slide.  It was fun to drive up and down Christmas Tree Lane in Pasadena and see the lights.  We enjoyed drinking Ann’s homemade wassail, eating our traditional Christmas time food of German Pancake, and Reuben sandwiches served with homemade potato salad and baked beans, and munching on the delicious treats Ann made after finishing teaching for the semester.  Besides those calories we are attempting to burn off, we accommodated Rebecca’s yearnings by going to eat at In-N-Out a couple of times.

Claymation Christmas--A Davis Holiday Viewing Tradition!

There were plenty of smiles and laughter as Isaac popped packing bubbles, as we put together a puzzle, ran up the street from the park, took pictures, watched Claymation Christmas (a long-standing Davis tradition) and A Charlie Brown Christmas, and watched Daniel play with this cousin he has never seen before.  There was contentedness, tranquility, and hugs as Ann and I took a breather one evening from the activities to sit on the sofa and listen to the strains of soft Christmas music with only tree lights and candles illuminating the room.  So nice.  So memorable.

We said goodbye to Rebecca and Isaac on the 27^th as they returned to Washington State, but then welcomed travelers from the East the 29^th.  The long-awaited sibling reunion with my brother and sister and their loving spouses from Utah began when they arrived in the area that afternoon.

Ann, Tom and Darlene at the Americana, Before the Movie

Ann cooked up a storm for our guests.  Other than their occasional run to a fast food place for a drink or a bite while at the hotel, they were served all kinds of delicious food in our home.  The women wanted to get recipes from Ann for some of the delicious delights they ate.  It was wonderful afterwards just to sit around the table or put feet up in the living room and talk about our families, our memories, our lives.

The six of us attended Sunday services and asked a friend to take a picture of us dressed in our Sunday duds.  I particularly wanted to make sure that we had a photographic memory of this rare occasion of us being together.  As I remarked to them, it’s pretty amazing that 1) we’re all still alive, and 2) we’re all still married.  I will treasure this photo and make sure it is placed in a prominent place in our hallway of family pictures.

Yours truly, Ann, Janeen, Tom, Darlene, Bill--My Family I love!

Leading up to attending the Rose Parade on Tuesday, we decided on New Year’s Eve day to watch the movie version of the musical Les Miserables, and then went out to dinner (for the first time since their arrival).  Tom and Bill were unable to eat all of their HUGE but delicious chicken pot pies.  We then retired to their hotel where the six of us reminisced more about our upbringings before running out of steam and calling it a night.  I think we were all asleep by 10:30, knowing that we were needing to get started early to attend the Parade.

I sense that we all enjoyed the beauties and pageantry of the Rose Parade.  We didn’t need to spend the cold night outside; we just showed up and took our reserved bleacher seats in the morning.   

The floats were gorgeous.  The marching bands were wonderful.  The horses and costumes were at times breathtaking.  Just beautiful.  The parade experience was enhanced by the fun we had sitting with other Pasadena City College families, and being constantly led in sometimes ridiculous cheers for people in the Parade.  “Yay, pooper scoopers!”   "Happy New Year, Support Vehicle #5!"

Bill even won a door prize as we wore our red PCC ball caps, threw confetti, smiled a lot, and cheered the Davis High Marching Band from Utah, and marveled at all of the beautiful flower-laden floats.  I hope that the Parade experience was as memorable for my family as it was for me.  I am looking forward to attending next year's parade.  It's definitely a special occasion. 

Afterwards, we marched to Ann’s office where once again Ann provided a delicious lunch while waiting for the crowds dispersed.  After returning to our beds to recapture some lost sleep, we went out to dinner one last time in a folksy, comfort food restaurant in Burbank, and then said our fond farewells.

What a memorable holiday it was!  I tried to capture in pictures a fleeting moment or two of these singular experiences.   I tried to live in the moment, to soak it in.  It is the most wonderful time of the year, and to be able to spend it with those I love.

Ho Ho Ho....Wahhhhhhhh!

Well, it’s the 24^th of December and I have a house full of babies—one 3 year old and three one-year olds.  I get to experience Christmas morning once again through young children’s eyes.  All the presents are bought and wrapped and tucked under the tree—protected by a white board wedged between a love seat and a sofa, as to protect the gifts from being opened.

When the triplets are awake, it’s only a matter of minutes before one is crying or screaming, a constant din of noise and activity.  When they are napping or sleeping, “all is calm, all is bright.”  My daughter Emily and son-in-law Adam do an AMAZING job managing them, keeping their wits and letting most things just slide.  But it is apparent that they need help, and Ann and I are trying to do what we can; after all, that is why we they are here.

Having so much activity and stress in the home, it does bring out the best and worst in an adult trying to manage the chaos.  The challenge is to be patient and loving—and to realize that nearly all of the drama is just that…and nothing to get worked up about.  These kids are wonderful, each with their own personalities and temperaments, a testimony to the reality of a pre-earth existence and the concept of nature, in the nature vs. nurture debate.  Emily and Adam treat the kids very equally, so what I am seeing is nature.

So it’s just about time to strap the four kids into the their car seats in our two cars and head south to San Pedro.  The rehab where BJ lives is putting on a program and we want to provide him the chance to see family when the opportunity arises.  It will be a memorable Christmas Eve.  I am grateful to have family.  

My Posterity Together

Rebecca is my firstborn.  Energetic, opinionated, fun, articulate, caring, musical and driven are some adjectives to describe her.  She was born before our one year anniversary so she has always been present.  She was with us when we moved to Japan and her red hair and outgoing personality opened doors there and back in the States. Her penchant for looking for attention and reciprocal caring from boys has always been a part of who she is and what she wants.  When Rebecca wants to do something, she does it, displaying tremendous courage and tenacity, especially in regard to her schooling.  Those traits also serve her well as she endeavors to be a great single mom. Through thick and thin, she and I have had a close father-daughter relationship, and I care about her deeply and know she cares for me.

Emily is my second born.  Caring, intelligent, empathetic, dutiful, driven, clever and demanding are some adjectives to describe her. Giving birth in the States was a big reason for leaving Japan.  Her siblings have always been important to her and she has always tried to maintain the peace.  Emily has been constant in her life choices. She fell deeply in love with her husband Adam and in their time together they have managed to survive against great odds.  She along with Adam have exercised great faith, especially as they have dealt with the challenges of raising their daughter Elizabeth and the triplets Charley, Eddie and Lucy.  I am very proud of her and how she has managed to maintain that faith in incredibly difficult circumstances.  I am appreciative of her constancy.  I feel her love.

Robert is my third born.  Intuitive, caring, smart, dutiful, energetic, musical and playful are some adjectives to describe him.  I called him BJ (Bob Jr.) when he was born and while he prefers to be called Robert, most of his siblings and his mother and I call him BJ.  He is an incredibly intelligent kid who has struggled to find his path.  He is making great progress now in figuring out his life and I am hopeful for his future.  BJ really cares deeply about people and I am confident that that trait will serve him well as he eventually begins a family and in a people-related career that he no doubt will embrace.  And while he has had issues with his siblings at various times, he does care for them deeply and understands the importance of family.  I am proud that he bears my name, and know he cares for me.

Doug is my last born.  Intelligent, clever, dutiful, determined, “punny,” opinionated and careful are some adjectives that describe him.  He was quite a clown as a young boy. He followed my musical footsteps in high school.  He would tell us as he was growing up that he was going to be the wealthiest of the kids and was going to take care of us, his parents.  I don’t know if that will happen because he has followed me into the psychological profession, but I am proud of him graduating from college and how seriously he is taking his parental responsibilities.  It is interesting how like many children he went through a phase of being aghast at my puns, and now takes pride at coming up with them himself, and looks to me to validate his clever wordplay.  I believe he is proud of me, and I am of him.

I am very blessed to have such great kids.  I will further be blessed with an increasingly rare opportunity to have all of them, plus Emily’s Adam, plus Rebecca’s son Isaac, Douglas’ son Daniel, and Emily and Adam’s wonderful Elizabeth and the triplets, all under my blessed roof this Saturday during this Christmas season.  All I can say is “Wooooo hoooooo!!!”