after the wedding we made it to my parents.
their street was plowed only 20 minutes before we got there.
my sister and her family came in the morning.
our kids were anxious for present time.
really anxious!
maya wanted gator golf so bad. she was so excited when she opened it.
sean got night vision goggles….sweeeeet. (hand-me-down shirt…by the way)
talby got the fancy nancy doll but was worried the big kids were going to tease her…she loves it.
annie opened the backpack and shouted "A BACKPACK!!! for when i go to KINDERGARTEN! YAAAAYYYY!"
(is she trying to break my heart?!)
new toy for lorel.
new toy for craig.
my sister got me that cute hat so i put it on right away.
talby was showing me her new doll clothes.
i woke up that morning with something in my eye so i have no make-up on…
(i am just sure you were wondering!!)
i told you last year that my dad usually gives me & my sister a b&w photo
from when we were kids that he took.
so i could feel this was that gift through the wrapping paper.
i opened it and it was something i wrote when i was little.
this was total surprise.
as i read the first line i assumed it was going to be all things i didn't do so it would be funny.
then i read the last line and i BURST into tears.
so now i look even crazier.
oh well.
it was really special.
thanks mom and dad.
see….i AM an accomplished woman! (i'm trying to convince myself still on a daily basis)
i am doing what i always dreamed of.
i think i was 2nd or 3rd grade when i wrote that….that is how old talby and sean are now.
such a special gift.
craig helped maya open gator golf right away.
macy didn't make it into any of my shots…or scott?
he got a reggie bush jersey and was THRILLED.
my sister made my mom that R covered in colored pencils.
i think my mom is pretending to be sharpening all those pencils.
i told my sister that i started making one of those for her once but i quit
before i finished because it took so long sha
rpening!
i love that R.
after gifts we had a yummy lunch of ham, turkey and potatoes…mmmmm.
then we sent the kids out to play in the snow.
it ended in screaming tears from sean and tons of wet clothing.
that's the annoying part about snow.
some UNO and Old Maid before we all packed up to go home.
we made it home around 10 PM and our christmas celebrations were over for 2009.
it was a good one.
happy new year.
Gwyn Rosser - Just found your blog today through Flea Market Style magazine. Soooo, I’ve been reading your older posts and totally enjoying every one of them! I keep wanting to comment but don’t want to stop reading long enough to do so. However….THIS one really got me. I burst into tears too when I read about the sweet gift from your Dad. God is so good to give us “the desires of our heart”. I too have been blessed to live out my dream — all I ever wanetd to “be” was a wife and mother. Now, here I am, just turned 58 on Weds. and I still am having a blast, living my dreams. God is so Good!
Praying that your trip to Africa is everything the LORD desires it to be. Blessings on all of you. We have several friends serving in various places in Africa, and more friends are moving there. Our church takes mission trips there a couple times a year and every time they return, someone else has been called to live there full time. I tell ya, if my friends keep moving to Africa — I’m gonna be “forced” to go there just to visit 🙂 Blessings,
Gwyn Rosser @ The Pink Tractor
http://www.gwynrosser.blogspot.com
Danielle - Just found your blog today. I must say the gift your mom and dad gave you is the coolest thing ever. I can totally see why you burst into tears, just reading it made me!
Wendy - Meg, I have not been by in forever. I’ve been immersed in setting up my photo biz. I missed it here.
What a sweet gift your parents gave you! I love sentimental gifts so much. My mom made us three girls (tatertotsandjello is my sister) quilts made from my dad’s old fleece sweatshirts and sweatpants. She has kept them for 5 years since he passed away with the intention of finishing these beautiful quilts. I just love mine. It’s the best Christmas gift I have ever been given, I think. I need to post pics on my blog.
Anyway, I shall be back more often.
Diana - Oh, Meg, you dear, sweet girl….
One of my favorite shows was “Little House on the Prairie” and in one episode Ma speaks to Laura about a wife and mother being all things… teacher, nurse, etc. And, personally, I believe that no matter what, we mothers have the best “job” that God could have ever entrusted us with.
And honey, just wait… it gets better. Wait ’til you are a grandma. 😉
P. S. You do not need that makeup {I would never have guessed}… you are LOVELY as you are!
Kanefamilyties.blogspot.com - Tears on this end – so special!
Kari
Ann - My mother in law gave me a Santa drawing my husband did when he was 8 – especially touching since my oldest son turned 8 in December. I think I had the same reaction you did. I love your blog.
Sew Create It - Jane - Hang on while I get a tissue…that gift from your parents is so touching! You just can’t make that stuff up…just beautiful…thanks for sharing!
teri - Incredible gift! Your parents are something special for keeping that all these years for you!
And this reminds me to save all the special things my children write.
Thank you so much for your lovely blog and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
Allison - That was such a wonderful post!! It’s always the simple things that make Christmas such a special day.
Is there any way you can post how to make the color pencil “R”? I love that!
aimy - amazing gift from your dad. i, too, cried. the “R” is sweet. i collect “Y”s and this gives me an idea for a homemade one. loved it! also… those peppermint sticks are THE BEST. wal-mart special? bobs peppermints… made in mexico… hmmm…. but yum!
Sandy - It made me cry too. Thanks for sharing your holidays with us. I also love the candle lit dinner that the kids helped with. I wish my kids were young again so I could steal some of your ideas, but my oldest is 20 and my youngest is Lauren’s age…enough said. 🙂
design wanna-be - I love the colored pencil “R”! -oh, and the framed letter was also sweet 🙂
rhonda - thanks for making ME burst into tears over the gift from your parents!
adn i love the R!
Janet Biernacki - Last year for Christmas I gave our 3 kids framed letters. They were written to them from their paternal grandpa. Originally they got them in 1991 in response to get-well letters they had written to him. He died in Jan. 1992 from cancer. When I re-discovered them tucked away in my desk..I knew I wanted them to have them now, but how to keep them safe? (our kids are in their 20’s and still fairly mobile in life style). So along w/a photo of them w/grandpa Dave, they got their own letter in a frame large enough to not get lost in various moves.
Yes,there were tears from all of us, but that’s okay. It was a very tender time.
3 cheers to your dad for his gifts to you.
Kristine - 1. my mom made me a scrapbook for my 30th birthday and included some of my writing from my youth. i wrote in an essay similar to yours that i wanted to have a boy and a girl and name them either Dennis and Denise or Tiffany and Toby. and i wanted to be a teacher so i could boss kids around. anytime someone needs a good laugh we recall some of those embarassing notes. my my…
2. any chance your sister wants to take some orders for that amazing pencil letter?!?! when i saw the pic i thought surely it was made by you. your family is so crafty!
Andrea - Your present just made ME cry.
Donna - I love the gift from your dad! Those are the best gifts!!!
traci - oh meg. that gift from your dad is just precious. how thoughful. looks like you guys had a great christmas. love all the photos. happy new year!!
Karin Katherine - What a fantastic gift from your father!
I want to do that for my kids one day!
Christy - That letter from when you were a kid totally made me bawl! Even before I read you cried (which is another sure sign I will cry – when someone else does). *lol* That was so touching! I think in a matter of speaking you have accomplished everyone one of those things in your role as a Mother & I definitely think you are an Artist! Love that it is a part of your parent’s tradition to give you gifts like that.
PS. That R is awesome too!
Nina - that’s such a special gift from your mom and dad…very sweet. You’re an awesome person!
luci - You made me cry too. A very special Christmas gift indeed. Best wishes for joy, peace, and prosperity in 2010!
Kasey - What a thoughtful gift from your dad! It made me cry too. : )
jeanne - I am laughing from Kana’s comment!!! So funny. I love what your dad gave you and your reaction. On days that are hard I really try to remind myself…stop…remember….you have everything you EVER dreamed of. Doesn’t perspective change everything?? I love who you are!
Kae - Happy New Year!! I love what your dad gave you! Your reaction is priceless. Thanks for sharing that. hehe Best wishes to your family this year & thanks for your fun blog!!
kana - I am just LOVING that crying photo of you….doesn’t that tender heart make you mad!!! Happy New YR to you and congrats on the blog finals!
Sarah @ Clover Lane - You made ME cry with that one! Isn’t that SO cool? You hang that right on your kitchen wall where you can see it everyday…all the days of total chaos when you need to remind yourself that you are doing your life’s work.
the wild raspberry - you have such a good heart meg.
happy new year to you and your family~
chasity
Dina - What an amazing gift. My aunt gave me my grandmother’s recipe box this year and I can’t even describe (well, you know how I felt…:-) …) that special special feeling to be so blessed as to not only receive such a special gift but the fact that my aunt gave that little box to me…ME. It truly is the thought that counts. The fact that your dad saved that paper all these years and seemed to know the perfect year to give it to you:-) Makes a heart happy.
Elisa - Happy New Year Meg!
Erin Goodman - What an awesome gift! You are such an accomplished person! You inspire me through your blog. I can only imagine how blessed your family and friends feel you have you! I don’t have kids, but if I did, I would want to be a mother like you.
Erin 🙂
maribeth - i cried with you! so sweet that he kept that all these years and knew when to give it back to you. it is an amazing accomplishment!
carissa... brown eyed fox - must be… has to be… is the best gift i’ve seen!
your hand written note.
such insight you had! and how accomplished you ARE!
a TEACHER to MANY!
a NURSE of boo boos & spirits!
a truly terrific MOTHER!
made me cry too… to see your joy!
what a FULL Christmas… thanks for sharing!
and meg… wishing you & your beautiful family a blessed NeW YeAr!
bountiful in goodness & love!
Meredith - Aw Meg…you made me cry. Imagine how proud your Dad must have been finding that note, framing it for you and so excited in wanting to acknowledge and honour the woman you’ve grown into.
Sometimes, if we’re really lucky, real life turns out to be better than we ever imagined…even as a 2nd grader. Meredith xo.
p.s. being a mother, surely you qualify as a nurse and teacher anyway, right?
Elyse - I love your dads gift!!! you ARE an accomplished woman, in the most important, incredible, awesome way! Happy New Year~
Julie - I started to cry when I read the last line, too! Such a thoughtful gift. You are *such* an accomplished woman.
I love the “R”, too! That’s awesome!
immyyas - What an amazing gift from your mom & dad!!! I teared up as I was reading it… almost sounds ust like me when I was that age – except the artist part… I’m not good at any of that stuff. Being a good mommy is a HUGE accomplishment – from reading your blog it looks as though you are great!
P.S. Totally dind’t notice you didn’t have makeup on but then looked closer after I read that… then I thought to myself I would have thought people noticed too. How funny!
Kara - Copying what the others have said…What an amazing gift from your mom and dad! I love sentimental gifts like that. Loved the R too.
Gina - This is the first time for me to visit your blog. I immediately cried after reading the gift from your Dad…how wonderful!
I love the pencil covered R…I would love the directions to make one.
I will definitely visit your blog again.
Happy New Year
emily - what a wonderful gift from your dad!!! and that “R” . . . how fun!!!
but the reggie jersey . . . now that’s fantastic!!!! a saints fan all the way in kansas!!!
Tammy Alfultis - love the gift from your dad. it made me cry too.
Heather Giustino - That present your dad got you is so, so sweet! I would have been bawling too! You are such an accomplished woman, and I thank you for letting us read about your fun life!!
Wishing you and your family all the best in 2010!
Kirsten - Oh your dad got me with that present – totally teared up!
thanks so much for sharing your family…my mom is from Kansas, and it’s been 30+ years since I visited, but you make me want to come knock on your door. Oooh, I hope that doesn’t sound stalkerish.
Becky @ Farmgirl Paints - You know the reason I read every one of your posts?? You let us in and share your sweet life. I have so loved getting to know you this year.
You made me cry…just seeing you cry about that framed piece…that is something I would have done. You just have a tender heart:)
Loved the hat and the colored pencil letter thingy. Need a tutorial on that:)
Hope you have a fabulous year Meg. Thanks for being such a blessing to me day after day!!
Jess - It sounds like you had a wonderful Christmas. How fun! You HAVE to teach me how to make those colored pencil letters. I love it! I have lots of colored pencils left over from teaching. :o)
Kelly - Oh my word! That was so sweet of your dad! I teared up reading it! What’s weird is your’s is the third blog to talk about lifelong dreams and motherhood today.
Can I ask why you pointed out that the Abercrombie shirt is a hand me down? I have a strong opinion about that company so I was just wondering.
I loved your Christmas recaps! Thanks for sharing!
H-Mama - such a wonderfully fun and creative family you have!! love that!
Michelle - What a lovely gift from your dad. So precious that they’d kept it all these years!
I have to get directions for making the colored pencil letters!! Do you have a site where you learned what to do? I’d love to do it for/with my daughter.
~Michelle
Melanie - Oh Meg, you are just like me. My mom gave me Caden’s handprints that she had copied on the copy machine at work when he was two yrs. old. and I cried like a baby. I love things like that that don’t cost a dime but really mean something. Thank you for sharing that with us. It was beautiful. You had great penmanship (sp?) back in the second grade!
Courtney - I love that your dad does that for you guys each year – and I’m glad I’ve heard about it now so that I can be mindful of it so that I can give that special gift to my kids someday – you know when they’ll appreciate it lol.
The paper you wrote was precious, and the fact that you’ve now got it framed, and what you said then to have the meaning it does now in your life – yeah, it made me cry too and it’s not mine and we don’t even know each other LOL!
Priscila - seriously super cute!!!! I would cry too. the only think I have of when I was little was a christmas card someone wrote me in Kindergarten. We still have it…its says ” I lick you” instead of I like you. We laugh every year hahah
Angel/TaDa! Creations - Oh my! I started tearing up when I read what your dad gave you, just before you said that you had cried too. What a beautiful gift!
Loved the colored pencil “R” what are they all attached to? I’d love to make one for each of my kids to hang in the playroom.
Tonya - What a great gift from you daddy!!! I also have an awesome relationship w/my dad….it was rocky growing up, but God has done a good work for us.
I also love that “R”. My maiden name also starts w/R. How exactly does one go about making a colored pencil letter? Could the colored pencils be sawed of the various lenghts?
kathy b - You packed so much family time into this Christmas. Your dad’s gift made me cry too.
God honored the desire of your heart.
Kathy b
Vera - That made ME cry!! What an awesome, awesome gift!
Seleta - You just made me smile…and cry.
Happy New Year. 🙂
Kirsten - What a wonderful gift from your dad! He sounds like such a thoughtful man. (I love that he’s given you and your sister framed pictures from when you were little – what a great idea! I want to remember that when my kids are grown.) I’m sure you’ll give it a place of honor in your home. Best wishes to you and yours for a new year filled with peace and promise.
Tanya - What a magical Christmas. I love the gift from your Dad. How amazing. Happy New Year!
Micah - Oh my goodness. I can’t even believe that I’m sitting here crying over what you wrote when you were 9. It is precious. And even more special that your dad saved it all these years and gave it back to you. What a nifty idea for my own children! (I guess i need to stop throwing all these papers away – sigh)
Jaimie - i cried when i read this. that is SO sweet. beyond.
and the R is my new inspiration. : )
Shannon - Oh, I started crying when I read your post about the gift your dad gave you. What a precious memory. Thank you for sharing.
Amy Coose - That is one of the most amazing gifts I’ve ever seen. Kudos to your mom and dad for that. Love all the pics, what amazing memories you’ll have.
Jacci - Why haven’t I been following your blog all year? I’ve visited more than a handful of times, several weeks pass and then I type “Meg Duerksen” in the google search bar to find you again and catch up on your posts. No more. I’m here, you’re in my blog’s sidebar, and I’m reading every little post from now on 🙂
~Jacci in Ohio
Summer - I love that. I cried through the rest of your post!
Stephanie Carroll - I love that you cried. Keepin’ it real!!
Jill - Thank you for allowing me to follow your life this year!
Jen - That is such a great present. Wow. And, could you adopt me into your family? My family is filled with hurt feelings and judgment. I’m available!!
Sarah @ Dream In Domestic - That is the sweetest gift ever! I almost cried when I read it! I’d definitely say you have accomplished a lot. My dream is also to be a mother, so I hope one day I will feel accomplished even when my house is a mess and all my children have attitudes.
Happy New Year, Meg!
Hattie - What a wonderful present you got! So sweet. I love the “R” your sister made. Hope you & your family have a Happy New Year!
Heather - Oh my goodness! I cried too! And then I saw you crying and really broke down! I am so emotional. YOU ARE an accomplished woman! You are everything you wanted to be on that list. You are an amazing artist, a teacher, a nurse and a mother. What a wonderful blessing! Such a great gift to receive something like that!!!
And no make-up?? No fair! You are beautiful! If I didn’t wear make-up I would surely scare everyone around me!!! LOL
Looks like you and your family had a wonderful and blessed (and busy) holiday season!
PS LOVE the R
Blessings,
Heather:)
aimee - happy new year meg!! the page you wrote as a little girl is just priceless!
sarah - I burst into tears myself, when I read that last line (I’m a total sap), so I can just imagine the feelings you felt. What a special gift. Wow.
And you are very accomplished. An inspiration to me.
the inadvertent farmer - Love the striped sweater, the polka dot hat, the kid blowing snow but most the love and family that comes from your shots…so very sweet! Kim
Dana Banana - Thanks for the first cry of the day. I guess that it’s better than the first spill (or puke)!!
DreamGirlLisa - What a wonderful way to end the new year. Love the gift from your dad. I bet your parents were dying to see all of you, but in the end it just made Christmas last longer, no harm in that!
I definitely consider you an artist too, and every mom is a little bit nurse & teacher! I think you accomplished all you dreamed of!
Happy New Year!
Jess - i have just loved reading all about your Christmas. what a wonderful father you have.
Megan - Ok, I just fell apart when I read that. My son said “Mom stop reading those, they always make you cry”. I told them they are good tears. You finally made me realize that just being a mother is a wonderful thing, thank you!
Meg
Jo - The gift totally made me tear up too!!!! AT WORK!!! 🙂 It does mean a lot, it’s so sweet. Thanks for sharing
emlovesdrew@gmail.com - that gift made ME cry!! So sweet!
kbonikowsky - Beautiful Christmas posts, Megan. Thanks for sharing!
Cassie - geez meg,
that totally made me cry.
is that weird? 🙂
apparently not considering the previous comments…
Lisa - I got all teary eyed along with you. You are definitely an accomplished woman in my book!
purejoy - is it weird that I burst into tears when i read your framed piece of art? so precious. i love that your family is so intentional.
great photos (as usual). i sometimes don’t take photos because i don’t want to be “that mom.”
rats.
The Unconventional Doctor's Wife - It is good to put the true value we have as mothers into perspective sometimes, isn’t it! What an awesome gift! Somewhere deep inside of you, there is a 2nd grade version of yourself saying, “See….you are as great as I thought you could be!” Precious!
A pocket full of posies... - Crying with you…what an AWESOME gift!!! and b.t.w.- I feel you are quite accomplished in LOTS of ways!!! 🙂
Happy 2010!
Many Blessings!
Jill
Trasie - You are very accomplished and blessed!
I knew I was saving everything my kids write on notebook paper for a reason…….A family tradition when they get older!!!
Happy New Year to you!!!
Georgia - Awww Meg! Thats an amazing present from your parents, i felt choked when i read it too. 🙂
You only have to read all the lovely peoples comments on here to realise you ARE an acomplished woman! your an amazing Mother, and im sure your children and Craig are very proud to have you in their lives.
Geo xx
Susan - I have tears too! The amazing thing about being a mother is that you are also a nurse, artist and teacher! I enjoy your blog so much. Have a happy new year Meg!
amy jupin - oh you silly, silly girl!
the gift from your dad couldn’t be any sweeter.
an artist, a teacher, a mother…oh the foreshadowing here! 🙂
happy new year from your equally as crazy southern friend!
kristen - i feel like a dork, but i burst into tears when i read your gift too. everytime i read your blog i think to myself how you are everyday doing the things i would love to be filling my days with. i am envious that you knew you wanted to be doing these things in 2nd grade… i am 29 and just figuring this out. if only i would have realized this in 2nd grade, it would have saved me three years of law school and loads of student loan debt! 🙂 you are a very accomplished woman! don’t question that for a second! 🙂 xoxo
Rachel - What a wonderful Christmas! Such a sweet gift from your dad too. It’s so fun to look back on stuff like that!
Dianne Avery - OMG! What a great present!! I teared up too when I read it.