Christmas

Saturday, January 3, 2009

We had such a wonderful Christmas. It’s times like this that remind me how truly blessed I am.

Frank was gone from about noon til 9pm, so I started a few new traditions with the boys. Here are a few highlights from our evening:

- We went to the Christmas Eve Service at CCV. It was awesome, as usual. They’re always so creative and unique.

- We picked up dinner from Sonic on the way home from church. This was a special request from Michael. He LOVES their corn dogs and apple juice slushies!

- We watched Santa’s movements on Noradsanta.org and then tried to find him in the sky. As I was loading the kids up to go to church, Michael stood by the truck with his hands on his hips, looking up at the sky. He was so disappointed when he told me, “Mommy, I NOT see Santa!” I explained to him that he was still in China, but would be getting to our house later that night.

- We read the Christmas story, then watched Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. (Ya gotta appreciate those classics!)

- We prepared cookies and milk for Santa. Michael loved doing this.

- We made Jesus’ Birthday cake (angel food cake). Considering that this is a dairy-free cake, AJ was able to enjoy it with us.

- Frank and I enjoyed some special quiet time together once the kids were in bed. We sat by the Christmas tree and opened up our presents. What a perfect ending to a special day!

Michael got up early with Michael on Christmas morning. As soon as Michael got downstairs, he immediately went in search of the cookies he left for Santa. He couldn’t wait to tell Daddy that they were gone. Santa ate all the cookies and drank all the milk too! I love this age – filled with enthusiasm and still so much innocence.

AJ has been sleeping in lately (till around 9:30 or 10:00), so we waited until he was up and fed, then we let the kids open their presents. They had so much fun. Our families spoil these kids. What can I say…I guess it’s one of the perks of being the only grandchildren on both sides of the family.

The rest of the day was very quiet. I’m starting to get used to the quiet holidays now. Growing up, I was usually surrounded by my sister, parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents and great grandparents for the holidays. It was a lot of people, but always fun. It’s interesting to think how differently it will be for our boys. In some ways, I really miss being with all my family, but at the same time, I kind of enjoy the quiet, peaceful traditions that we have begun here. Without all the hustle and bustle, it makes it easier to appreciate and remember the true meaning of Christmas. I want that to always be the most important part of the holiday season for the boys. Who knows...maybe some day my family will be here for the holiday and we can all share in our new traditions together! :-)

I hope you and your families all had a wonderful Christmas!


Here are some pics from our holiday:








Michael showing me his favorite Christmas ornament.














Michael decorating the Christmas tree.
















AJ showing me the hanging kitty ornament.












My favorite present of all...a gift from Michael that he made in preschool!


















The boys-not wanting their picture taken.




















My favorite ornament- another special preschool project of Michael's.

















AJ unpacking the boxes of presents from MT...






















...and putting them under the tree.



















My other elf placing more presents under the tree.



















Michael sitting next to the cookies and milk we prepared for Santa.




























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