Where Has The Time Gone?

I have intended to sit down at this space well over a dozen time over the last few months but could never actually muster the strength to unclutter my mind and share all that's been going on.  Truth is, I cherish my down time, and I'm very selfish with it!

  But to catch you up to speed on the family life....

Our #3 kiddo, John Paul, moved to College Station back in August.  He has the cutest apartment, tons of friends, and most important - TWO JOBS!  Also, he's living his best life as a hippie artist in his down time.  I miss him terribly and his move away was a sucker punch to the gut for me.

And then there's baseball.

Well, at our house there's ALWAYS baseball!

Between practices and games it seems I'm always in the car going.  It's fun though and this is a pretty awesome group of young men.  I've enjoyed watching them grow up on the field over the years.  And speaking of growing up, that's my favorite catcher on the left!

And around here, baseball doesn't end 

with high school.

Kyle has been playing in an adult league for three years now.  His team won league champs last year and are in the play offs this year.  

I don't get to watch him nearly enough...

Doug and I have taken several weekend trips.

It's so nice to get away with just the two of us even though we just have two kids at home now.  

We never had time or money when all five kids were home...now we're making up for lost time!

We've even been known just to jump in the car and drive to the beach for a lunch date!

We've celebrated birthdays.

We've lain precious family members to eternal rest.

We've had lots of ups and downs over the past few months.

I'm so grateful for all these knuckle heads 

gathered around my table and I'm excited for the holiday season to start. 

 May Our Lord shower you with His blessings...

I'm SO THANKFUL for all of mine!

Happy Thanksgiving 

from the Creamers!

My Little Bruiser!

This girl will be the death of me!

She has had more serious injuries and broken bones than all of her brothers COMBINED!

I think it gives her a thrill to give 

her mother a heart attack.

SWOLLEN SHUT

Last week she fell off of a Hover Board. 

I tried to play it cool and not give her the satisfaction of seeing me squirm...

I failed.

She literally had a goose egg on her forehead, a bloody nose, and her orbital socket was swelling and changing colors by the minute.

So her nurse mother and EMT father did something we NEVER do,

we took her to the ER.

One CT scan and several hours later,

she got the "all clear" to come home.

No brain bleed and no skull fracture.

Some would argue that she must have inherited her thick 'noggin from her mama.

She is no longer on concussion/brain rest precautions and today she announced 

she was ready to get back on her skateboard.

So...

We went shopping for helmets today!

The Family Christmas Book

26 years ago I was standing in a Barnes & Noble bookstore and came upon this book:

I had just had our first son, Ryan, a few months before and I knew I had to get this book to chronicle each Christmas of his life 

and of our new family.

Our very first Christmas as a family:  1994

Every year that I pull it out, I just smile as I leaf through the pages.  I remember each Christmas like it was just yesterday.  It has a place for each year's Christmas card, a small section for writing down memories of the past year, a place for pictures, and names of those you gathered with.

Doug's grandmother's last Christmas letter.

We filled up the book last year,

25 YEARS of memories, y'all!

And now we are on to Volume 2!

I just ordered a second book this week 

to continue our memory journey.  

I'm so happy the publisher still prints this book, 

because I'm sure going to have a LOT to write about 2020!

Christmas art projects by Ryan from when he was in KINDERGARDEN!

And it gives me great joy that when I'm long gone, 

my children will have this book to show their own children.  

They'll remember and laugh about the wonderful, and some times not so wonderful, 

years in this family.

I encourage you to start your own Christmas memory book.

In the blink of an eye, it will be full!

And you'll be so glad you did it.

My Baby Boy Is 15!

This sweet boy, my fourth born son, Daniel, turned 15 last week.

I don’t know if I’m ok with that!

He’s the last of my boys to grow up.

I can still remember the smell of his little bald head.

His love of Legos was legendary.

So quiet, so kindhearted, and ALWAYS 

thinks of others before himself.

He tolerates me even though I know I drive him nuts sometimes.

So what did this guy want for his birthday?

“To eat all the shrimp in Galveston!”

So that’s what we did...with a little side trip to Moody Gardens. 

And a surprise meet and greet with Pete Rose!

        Because this boy literally eats and breathes BASEBALL!

It has been the greatest honor of my life to be your mom. You are a precious treasure that I have been entrusted with and I will never be the same. So hoping you had the happiest of birthdays, and while I don’t wish you’d stop growing up...

I just wish you’d slow down a little.

Love,
MOM

The Hardest Working Elf in Texas

There is one in every family.

The Keeper of the Traditions.

My second son, Kyle, is just that person.

He always makes sure that the same foods 

and treats are made each year.

He makes sure the trees and decorations are just right.

And he always makes sure that faith and family are the main focus of the season!

He's not one to delegate all these things to me, he tends to take things into his own hands this time of year!

Every year, since the time he could climb up on the roof, Kyle takes on the house lighting for Christmas.  He chooses a day, usually right before Thanksgiving, and always a day that I work.  

He single handedly strings all the lights for the house 

(even though he has four brothers to help!) so that when I come home that evening, I drive up to our modest little country home glowing for the holidays!

It NEVER fails to warm my heart and makes me smile 

from ear to ear.

Back in his teenage days, he decided to make 

a wooden nativity scene for the yard.

He spent an entire day sawing, sanding, and painting.

It lasted many, many Christmases in our yard until this year when he just decided one day to make a new one!

Y'all didn't know that there was a black Lab 

at the first Christmas, did 'ya?

#photobomb!

 And because this young man truly knows, 

The Reason for the Season, one year he made our family it's own hand made nativity. The picture doesn't do it justice!

Each board was lovingly cut, sanded, stained and placed just so.

Underneath the moss on the roof, 

are dozens of slats glued perfectly.

He even foraged sticks from our yard for "logs", 

and searched for the perfect scale statuary for the manger.

It's so dear to me and so beautiful 

that it stays displayed all year long!

It's so easy for me to get caught up with all the "to-do's" of the Christmas season, that's why I'm so thankful for a son like Kyle!  He keeps me focused on the real meaning of why we celebrate, if not by his words, by the beautiful signs of love he has scattered throughout our home this time of year.

An ornament Kyle made as a little boy.

Keeper of the traditions.
Keeper of the Faith
Hardest working Elf in Texas.

I sure do love that boy!

Making Halloween Great Again!

We just love this time of year!

Especially with the cold front that recently blew through, it finally feels like fall.  So bring on the hot cocoa, scary movies, and buckets of candy...the Creamer family is making Halloween great again!

It's gonna be HUUUGE!

Happy Birthday, Kyle!

Our sweet Kyle turned 22 this past week.  He had spent the day in Houston with friends and came home pretty late.  I had made his favorite peach cobbler for his "birthday cake."  So we waited up for him, sang him Happy Birthday, and before we even finished the first verse, the following series of events happened...

It was a SMASHING good time!

That boy loves peach cobbler so much that he stayed up and made another one.  And you better believe we stayed up until 11:30 to eat it right out of the oven!

Artist in Residence

It's no secret in our household that our John Paul is a talented artist, so it's really nice when other folks recognize his talent, too!

This weekend John Paul competed in the El Campo Art Association art show and I'd say he did pretty well!

Second place ~ Best In Show for his watercolor painting, "Corgi."

First place in his division for, "Papillion."

                  Second place in his division for, "Good Boy."

And the award for Most Blessed Parents in the World 

goes to Doug and I!  

Because art is not just a hobby for John Paul...it's how he lives. 

A Captive Audience

My Daniel is number four out of my five children.  

I'll admit it, he sometimes gets lost in the mix.  

He is quiet, reserved, and never voices his opinions out loud.  That's what happens when you have three loud-mouthed older brothers with big personalities...you keep quiet and just play along!

Since the beginning of this year, Danny has started playing baseball with Kyle's (#2 son) former team.  It is a wonderful Christian Homeschooling league that plays private schools in the Houston area.  It's a struggle and a little over an hour to get there each week, so that's why we go to practice/games at least three times a week!  But my boy loves baseball so much, so I make the time.

And for a couple of hours a week, I have a captive audience.

It's our time (and I hope one day he'll see it, too) for us to have deep and meaningful conversations.  Some days we solve all the problems of the world...and some days, it's just fart jokes.

He opens up because there are no brothers around to give him a hard time. 

 We listen to music, talk about the game, 

we eat out at the places HE gets to pick, 

and sometimes it's quiet... that's ok, too.  

Being 13 is hard, and I'm so grateful he wants to 

put down his phone and talk to me. 

 He lets me be part of his world for the time it takes 

for that car ride.  I often wonder if he is the captive in the audience, or am I?  

Because I realize now, more than ever,

one day there will be no one left to take to practice.

Feeling lost...

When I promised to get back to this space, I was in hopes of blogging spring gardening, my latest obsessions, and kid's activities.

But it's about to get REAL up in here.

About two years ago my oldest son, Ryan, moved out on his own.  It was a good move because Ryan and I are more alike than I'd like to admit and for his entire life we have butted heads.  Ryan has always been extremely independent and fearless.  I had no doubt this young man would be just fine, and I'm happy to report

 no bail money has been spent...yet!

But just a month ago, my second son, Kyle, 

moved out on his own.  

I thought I was ready.

I clearly am not.

I am lost.

I know it's the hope of every parent that their kids move on from the nest and become happy and productive people.  

It's my hope, too.  That's why I'm reeling from the punch in the gut that I'm feeling right now.

Doug just doesn't understand.

It's a MAMA thing!

There are still three kiddos at home who still need me...ALOT!  

But it seems I'm always on the edge of tears because my oldest two don't need me anymore.  They are working, meeting new people, and having adventures without me...and in spite of me...and I just want to watch from the sidelines to make sure they're happy, safe, and well.  Sure, they text and call daily but it's not the same.

They've moved on and I have not.

I don't want to stop mothering them!

I like the dirty faces, the messes, the fights, the noise,

ALL OF IT!

For now I bribe them to come home with Sunday dinners, 

a carload of groceries, or offers to do their laundry.  

Sometimes they jump at the offer and sometimes I get, 

"Maybe later, Mom, I've got plans."  

We've all got to figure out this new chapter we've come to.

So say a prayer for this lost mama to find her way.

'Cause growing up is HARD!

"I love you forever.

I'll like you for always.

As long as I'm living,

my baby you'll be."

~Robert Munsch

From the book, Love You Forever