Skip to main content

In Which We HAVE a Merry Christmas!

Christmas this year was a blast! I'll go ahead and say it...it was the best Christmas of 2012!! ;0)

First, we all ended up sick, except for Mom, though I promise we tried our hardest to infect her! Madi and Grayson both ended up with a stomach virus that gave them round the clock bouts of diarrhea (this also gave Madi a very angry diaper rash!), on and off fevers over the course of a few days, and all around crankiness. Brooklyn, Ray, and I now have head colds.  Even so, we've had fun. 

Brooklyn and Ray sang in the Christmas Eve service, which was so beautiful! I think the Christmas Eve service may be my favorite service of the year. We came together and we worshiped. We glorified the Lord in song and readings. It was loud and a little chaotic and people kept shuffling little ones and in and out (because their little bodies can only handle so much!), but we were all together for that one beautiful purpose. To acknowledge Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. The evening started and my soul settled into my chest with a sigh of relief and said, "Yes. This is it. This is why.". 

We had Apps & Zerts at Jenna and Brett's. The hot chocolate had the consistency of tomato soup, and the no bake peanut butter cookies just melted in your mouth! Mom gave us all an ornament to commemorate the year. We rushed the kids home to get them to bed (they were getting to meltdown mode). The babies went out quickly, Brooklyn set out the milk and cookies for Santa (and the carrots for his reindeer), and once she was in bed, Ray and I set about making the magic of Christmas real. It was midnight when we finally got to bed, and naturally, Madi woke up. ;0)

Christmas morning was great. We had agreed to keep the kids upstairs until 8 am so Jenna, Brett, and Jeffrey would have time to get to the house in the morning. Brooklyn woke about 7:45 (barking with her new cough). We read the Christmas story and then brought her down to see what Santa had brought. 

After that, the day was just relaxing. We had breakfast, opened presents, played games, and ate a nice meal, which we later decided we could really do without. Grayson was totally overwhelmed and even more so because he was not feeling well. Even so, he thoroughly enjoyed his new toys (and Brooklyn's!) Brooklyn was enthralled by everything, and Madi was a chatterbox the whole morning! 

The next day, Madi had her six month check up, and we planned to leave that afternoon for a few days with our Texas family. At the last minute, we canceled the trip due to everyone's health. We spent the day instead making new homes for all the new toys. 

The next few days should be relaxing. I'm looking forward to it.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

A Day in Jaime's Homeschool (ages 10, 6, and 4)

Our days in this season of life follow a very relaxed structure. Each day has such very different demands. While I would prefer to go with the flow, whatever that may be, my kids prefer a more defined plan. They like to know what to expect at any given moment. So our daily rhythm falls somewhere between these two extremes.  My day starts between 6:30 and 7:00 AM with coffee and my Bible. I love connecting through Hello Mornings because of its grace based approach to starting my day in submission to the Lord. Through accountability, community, and Bible study I get that flexible structure I need - a big theme in my life right now! My "early riser" (the four year old) will often join me on the couch while I read. My husband makes breakfast while I enjoy a second cup of coffee and supervise morning chores. By 9 AM he is out the door to work (except when he's not...because that would be too easy.) At this point I give my kids a warning that we will start our school day at 9...

In Which I Am Inspired

Two things really stand out to me at the end of this jam packed weekend.  First, my mom came into town to watch my kiddos while I attended a two day homeschool convention.  That act alone is not what inspires me, though I am so grateful for her willingness to help when I need her!  In the days leading up to the convention, she took us to the park to walk. We walked and rode bikes around Stoner and Overlook parks every day, sometimes twice! (we are all exhausted!)  When it comes to exercise, I have a million and one reasons not to do it. But walking around with my mom this last week I realized that it doesn't have to be complicated. I don't have to make any big commitments, or walk the track in a certain time frame, or wait for perfect weather conditions.  I just need to get out and move.  I DO need to remember to bring a first aid kit and to SHUT the doors of my car...but that's another set of issues all together. The second thing that inspired me was s...

Dear Grayson,

As I write this, you are about 18" long and 3.2 lbs. About the size of a head of lettuce.  We have approximately 8 weeks and 5 days to go before your scheduled debut.  But here's the fun of it. Daddy and I are planning a C-section, which is traditionally scheduled about a week before the due date. That makes the countdown 7 weeks.  Now we are also dealing with some blood pressure issues, and the doctors are just hoping to get us as far along as we can. The family is starting to take bets on when you will be born. Here is what's going on... Mommy's blood pressure is high.  It's staying around 140/80.  Since the first of the year, the doctors have had me on modified bed rest, meaning that I could get up and do a little around the house, but need to take it easy.  No going to work or hard partying ;0) It really hasn't been so bad. The first week I was able to do some work from home, which kept me busy.  Then last week Atlanta had a tremendou...