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Columbia Gas Dept. GAS LEAK or GAS SMELL Contact Numbers 24 hrs/ 365 days 270-384-2006 or 9-1-1 Call before you dig 
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Carol Perkins: A Second Christmas The Perkins family enjoys Christmas twice. Once in Metcalfe County and a second one in Texas, and the writer realizes, again, "There is joy in family and I have an abundance of it." For the next earlier Carol Perkins story, click on The Taxi Ride By Carol Perkins The flurry is over. The Christmas flurry! All that wrapping paper and those pretty bows-trashed. The gifts-lying in boxes in the guest bedroom. Leftover food- lingering in the refrigerator, taking on a life of its own. After-Christmas sales bring the Christmas money out of pockets and into cash registers. Everyone wins. Christmas 2009 is over-for you, but not for me. My second Christmas is just beginning. By the time you read this, Jon and his family will have arrived from Texas, and Carla and her family will have arrived from Tennessee. There will be, at one time or another, twelve people in the house. We will be making noise, creating messes, and cooking lots of meals. This time there will be two teenagers and four little ones, six and under. We try to handle the opening of gifts by taking turns so we can prolong the excitement, but sometimes the waiting is just too much. This year, Guy and I bought one main gift for each child and then a few smaller ones. They like to open gifts, even if there is only a candy bar in a box. Their main gifts will be set up under the tree the way Santa does. Jon gave strict orders that we were to buy NOTHING that he had to put together. "I have done enough of that at home." What he didn't realize is that his dad is the master of putting together. The first thing Guy did was put together the pedal John Deere tractor with a little wagon that is for the baby of the family, Noah, who is two. The problem is that when they all enter the den at the same time on the morning we have our "Christmas," the other three will think it is theirs and want it too, even though they are a little too big for it. So, we are sure to have a lot of "let me ride" or "it's my turn." It's hard to peddle through a house filled with paper and boxes, but he'll be sure to try. Four-year-old Joseph gets a castle with knights. It will have to be put together. Guy can't do this ahead of time because there is nowhere to hide it the days they are here before Christmas (Joseph get to come twice). Once again, they will all want this because of the knights and horses and swords. Luke, age six, will find a youth electric guitar on a stand when he opens the den door. The best part of an electric guitar is the AMP. The worst part of an electric guitar is the AMP. The other three will all want to play it too, and he will have to find a quiet spot alone to practice. He may go off alone, but the rest of us will reap the benefits of his attempts at rock'n roll. The only little girl is Eme, age four, and she gets her own twin stroller and twin baby dolls. You might think she is safe from the others, but I know for sure that the two younger boys will be fighting over pushing that stroller. The younger one will want to ride. She will have a war on her hands. The two teens will put their Ipods in their ears or sit on the couch and text. They will tune out the others. By the end of the day, the four little ones won't know who got what from whom. Parts of things will be missing, so we'll spend most of the night looking for minuscule pieces that go with a toy that won't work without them. If not looking for pieces of toys, we'll be searching for batteries or reading directions on how to make something walk or talk. Finally, Papa Guy and I will oversee baths, the washing of hair, and putting on pajamas. None will want to go to bed, but all will fall asleep within a few minutes of being still. There are bunk beds for Joseph and Luke, a car bed for Eme, and a baby bed for Noah. The teens get couches in the basement where they can watch TV. We step over beds to get to beds. Then the adults drink coffee and talk for a little while before the oldest two amble off to a good night's sleep. The house is at rest. All our children and their spouses and our grandchildren are under our roof. I have no trouble falling asleep because I am content and peaceful and worn out! There is joy in family and I have an abundance of it. This story was posted on 2010-01-04 08:52:35
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Have comments or corrections for this story? Use our contact form and let us know. More articles from topic Carol Perkins:
Carol Perkins: The taxi ride Carol Perkins: Christmas on Christmas Island? Carol Perkins: Small town department stores Carol Perkins: Hypnotized Carol Perkins: On the Pond Bank Carol Perkins: GPS Carol Perkins: Deliver the Letter, The Sooner the Better Carol Perkins: The Fortune Teller Carol Perkins: Dating Carol Perkins: The Bird View even more articles in topic Carol Perkins |
 
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