Merry & Bright
We have been anticipating Christmas Day for so long. It came so quick this year. It didn't matter how prepared we were or how organized we have been it still seemed to creep up faster than usual. Maybe because school didn't get out for the holidays until noon on the 23rd, Im not sure but whatever the reason Christmas came quick this year.
The kids were elated. We all sleep in our room on Christmas Eve. Penny was up the most throughout the night. The anticipation of Santa arriving and Clyde leaving and all the hussle of filling stockings and eating cookies really blocks her ability to sleep. Her and Bentley swore they heard footsteps around 2:30am. Everyone was awake from 3-4am. I thought my eyes were going to dry out and fall out of my face. Brian and I were so tired. They didn't go back to sleep until I got stern .." Shhh!! Go to sleep or we will have to sleep in!" .. They all fell back asleep just after 4am but still it was no surprise when they were all up before 6am ready to go.
We woke up and all went rushing down the stairs just before 6am. The shock/joy/excitment on all their faces was undescribable. Santa's cookies were all finished. Even the carrots we left for the reindeer were gone. Christmas Magic is real.
Our stockings were filled and Santa gifts were placed. It was all so exciting.
We opened gifts and hugged and spent an hour living in this perfect Christmas magic. It was a beautiful morning.
The next two hours was filled with kids in awe of their new toys. While they played Brian and I made pancakes, bacon and eggs and hashbrowns for breakfast. We tidied up and even got out the door to church on time (an actual Christmas Miracle!). Church was just what I needed. It really was a priority for me. To get there and feel the true meaning of Christmas in the wake of the Christmas Chaos. It was a beautiful christmas sacrament and I am graetful we went.
I tried to snag a family picture as we left but the sun seemed to be a little too sunny for some of our family members... HAHAHA! Love them so much!
We were hosting Christmas dinner this year and took the untraditional route. We all had appetizers instead of the classic turkey and stuffing dinner that we're all used to.
It was GREAT. Everything was so yummy. MY Dad and brother deep fried wings on the deck. Brian BBQ'd, Logan made a delishous homemade spinich dip. Everything was seriously so yummy. It was informal and perfect all in the same space.
We visited, played games and just hung out. The kids all ran around and played with all the toys and games that they could find. They spent so much time in the hot tub and snacking on treats. It was wonderful.
We did a cute white elephant game with all the cousins but this year we read a "Right and Left" Christmas story. The kids passed the gifts to the Right or to the Left everytime they heard the word and whatever gift the ended up with at the end of the story was the gift they got to open. It was fun, im glad it worked out!
We shared our gifts with my parents and they gave sweet and really thoughtful gifts to their grandchildren. It was so special to see and watch each grandchild open a gift that was perfectly picked out for them!
Brian and I shared a gift with my family that we have been thinking about for months! My family hasn't had an extended family photo since Penny was an infant. It was time to update but the reality is that we are truly never all toegther. My oldest sister, Courtnie, lives in Manitoba with her family. So, we hired a lady in our ward to create a character photo of our whole family and have it personalized. I am so happy with how it turned out and it was just a fun moment to have with my parents and siblings on Christmas Day. Watcing them each unwrap an 8x10 framed family photo was so fun. Giving really is the better than recieving!
Grateful for this imperfect, seemlingly ever stretching extended family of ours. Christmas this year didn't feel like "Christmas" it felt different. It didn't feel as special but also felt so perfect. Its hard to explain.
No matter what though, at the end of the day I am so wildly gratful for my little family and for our big extended families and the chaos that they bring. I wouldn't have it any other way.
I am grateful for the Saviour and his beautiful humble birth story. To remind me that I don't need temporal fixtures, I just need my family, our children, my brian and the everlasting love of a beloved Heavenly Father who knows me personally. That, above all, will be the richest life I could have ever planned.
Christmas 2022 is in the books and one of my favouite times of the year is just around the corner! The relaxing, cold and calm month of January is the perfect month to reset my mind and focus on the beauty surrounding me.
Looking forward to this week off with Brian and all the little adventure we plan to have with our three little best friends. We are so richly blessed. We really are the luckiest.
Merry Christmas.
The kids were elated. We all sleep in our room on Christmas Eve. Penny was up the most throughout the night. The anticipation of Santa arriving and Clyde leaving and all the hussle of filling stockings and eating cookies really blocks her ability to sleep. Her and Bentley swore they heard footsteps around 2:30am. Everyone was awake from 3-4am. I thought my eyes were going to dry out and fall out of my face. Brian and I were so tired. They didn't go back to sleep until I got stern .." Shhh!! Go to sleep or we will have to sleep in!" .. They all fell back asleep just after 4am but still it was no surprise when they were all up before 6am ready to go.
We woke up and all went rushing down the stairs just before 6am. The shock/joy/excitment on all their faces was undescribable. Santa's cookies were all finished. Even the carrots we left for the reindeer were gone. Christmas Magic is real.
I tried to snag a family picture as we left but the sun seemed to be a little too sunny for some of our family members... HAHAHA! Love them so much!
We visited, played games and just hung out. The kids all ran around and played with all the toys and games that they could find. They spent so much time in the hot tub and snacking on treats. It was wonderful.
No matter what though, at the end of the day I am so wildly gratful for my little family and for our big extended families and the chaos that they bring. I wouldn't have it any other way.
I am grateful for the Saviour and his beautiful humble birth story. To remind me that I don't need temporal fixtures, I just need my family, our children, my brian and the everlasting love of a beloved Heavenly Father who knows me personally. That, above all, will be the richest life I could have ever planned.
Christmas 2022 is in the books and one of my favouite times of the year is just around the corner! The relaxing, cold and calm month of January is the perfect month to reset my mind and focus on the beauty surrounding me.
Looking forward to this week off with Brian and all the little adventure we plan to have with our three little best friends. We are so richly blessed. We really are the luckiest.
Merry Christmas.