Sking Across the Country

(Even though Padre doesn't like dogs in the house, I had to let Frank in. I might put him upstairs though where Padre can see him when he walks in the door. I mean look at that face... he looks like he wants ya to just take him for a walk. Glad he is fake.)


It's a good thing I asked J. some pretty specific Christmas Wish questions this year because I struck out each time and he would have wound up with a totally different Christmas than he thought he'd have.

 Apparently I have a hard time with his suble hints such as giving me the weather report each day and pictures of what it looks like at various ski hills.

I shrugged it off because he has been sick anyway. Thankfully I didn't have to worry about driving up the peak of Mt. Krumpet to let him ski down what little snow had fallen.

 

(It snowed again here in IF. The first time it did J. tried to ski down our street. This time he couldn't. Well, he couldn't get momentum the first time. This time, he's sick. A month early. He has this tradition of a week long hacking cough sick due to asthma etc. etc. I put in four hours tonight of taking care of the little guy. Sad. Thanksgiving week was ruined due to fever and it has morphed into an awesome infection. Needless to say, he was bummed. Life really starts to get hard in 6th grade for some reason. )


Where were we?

Oh, me and something to do with gift giving....

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So I have tried to interject things he could do closer to home. And things that I liked. Cause isn't that what Christmas is about? Giving what you want, or what you don't need anymore?
(Kidding. Saw that last line on pinterest or something. But I do find myself buying people things that I have found work for me and I want them to like it too. Like that book I have been pushing called:

The Christmas Wish.

Jaden just wishes that I would not get off on such kicks. (Like making things out of felt and yarn and wreaths.)But I continue cause it is part of me dealing with getting through what I affectionately call:  Prednisone Heck. (gotta edit for the kiddos)

(polar bear ornament nod to the book above. Anja gets to ride one AND take a nap with one! Yikes!)

And it's fun to find out what would be the perfect gift that will light his eyes up on Christmas day!
It's about the anticipation and wonder leading up to that day. The presents wrapped under the tree that you have NO idea what they are but you shake it and try to guess on a daily basis.
Making gifts so that they are truly special and have meaning.

When I was younger I would re-arrange the gifts under the tree, one on top of the other so it would show the bow and tag. Oh, and count them so could  tell my best friend on the bus how many were under the tree and how far they extended out into the living room.

 



(When I said I started a long time ago to get ready for Christmas, I wasn't kidding. Now I can use some of my yarn creations. And the one book page rosette. I don't know if I can do a bunch of those or not to make a wreath or not.)
 back to J. and my sleuth-like searching for what would be great for him.......

 I casually, but uber excitedly, said to J:

"Hey, what if I got ya a pair of cross country skis this Christmas!!? "

J, looking like a stale donut while looking out the car window at the museum's latest display on Jelly Fish replied:

"I don't want to be sking across the country. I want to be skiing down a mountain."

 

 

ME: "Ha, ha- that was a funny- cross country skiing and across the country"  trying to dust off the disappointment but in my mind thinking:

"Well, just great! I loved cross country skiing as a kid and he'd have fun if he'd just give it a chance! Heck,  there are two parks, Readers,  close by that he could just pop over to and ski for fun. Plus it is cheaper than down hill skiing.  And I wouldn't have to get him to the hill. However, I wouldn't be able to join him on either trip. So that would be kinda lonely.

hmmm. Where was I?

 

 

Oh, driving to somewhere and me trying to push my idea of a gift on J. or pry outta him what he REALLY wants.

*Can I just interject right here how hard it is to even get him to even give an OPINION on something. For example I will ask which color of a shirt he thinks looks better on me or a style.

He shrugs and tells me: "I don't know. It's a shirt. It's fine."

ME: "Well, great. I will have to ask one of my friends and that means texting them the picture and blah, blah, blah.

And then I aksed this simple gift question, one that should be extremely easy for a kid of almost tween-ish to answer.

"So if you were to have some new Jammas do you like these pajammas or these?" showing him the Pajamma Gram magazine.



J, looking up from his book that he read over the break while sporting a fever and which made it so I had to wear a mask around him which fogged my glasses and was super annoying:

"Mom, I don't do jammas." he said a little to testily, " I WEAR these to bed"- pulling his basketball shorts up in his clenched hand to emphasize his point because a day earlier he had seen a possible gift becuase I put it through the wash.

My sister, who was helping me while my head borrowed Jaden's fever said: "Whose nightgown is this?" holding up a perfectly cute green tartan plaid ' night gown' that Scrooge himself could have been wearing the night he had a change of heart!!

(more wrapping 101 made possible due to some preparation months ago.)



ME,discreetly ,: "It's for Jaden! For Christmas! Bring it here!"

J: "You got me a NIGHTGOWN for Christmas? Why don't ya just call me, "Pa", I look like that guy from the Prairie who built that cabin and had a loud red head.

(how cute is Michele's crocheted wash rag on a present as a bow? Her etsy shop is: Fiber Art Crochet. She's fast with delivery and great to work with on special requests. I love little shops like hers- they have that home town feel.)



So I reflected on this pattern of J. trying to tell me what he wanted by the subtle hints he made. Like when we drove passed the huge picture of a Jelly Fish hanging on the historic museum downtown and he said: "Mountain Trading has Targhee Ski Passes for sale."

Me: "That's nice, Honey. Hey, we should go to the museum when I am up to it and look into those Jelly Fish."

* Well, my feet are freezing and so are my hands. J. is finally wiped out from coughing. Yay! In another couple hours I need to call the Docs. so I might try to get some shut eye. However news from a friend that her son broke his collar bone on the first run of the season has me a little worried.

Another reason to not Cross Country Ski; less injury.