This year was our first Christmas as a family of four and we have tried to make the most out of the whole month! This time of year is my absolute favorite and I have such fond memories of Christmas as a child. I go to great lengths to make sure my girls not only love the magic of Christmas, but also remember that ultimately, it's all about Jesus! This year was great in both regards. Maddie and I talked about Mary/Joseph/baby Jesus almost on a daily basis. JTB really helped her put things into perspective this year too! She was also super excited about Santa this time and was always asking about him. A few highlights from our month were:
- looking at Christmas lights
- watching Christmas movies and drinking hot chocolate
- Maddie helping mommy decorate the tree
- shopping for our yearly Christmas ornament
- going to the Cracker Barrel and getting Brooklyn's stocking
- Tyler Christmas Parade
- Journey Through Bethlehem
- talking to Santa and later, writing him a letter
- making cookies and other snacks
- daddy's Christmas party in Longview
- Maddie's Christmas party at church
- young adult SS class scavenger hunt
- Christmas stories
It was a busy month (always is) and I intentionally cram as much in as possible! There are so many fun and memorable things to do! On Christmas Eve, we went to my parent's house and ate some fabulous chicken and sausage gumbo. Then we stuck around long enough to listen to my dad read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas so that we could all sign the book. Then we scurried out the door and drove down the road back to our house so that we could do our own things before putting the girls to bed. We made some cookies for Santa, and while those cooked, we read How the Grinch Stole Christmas (a favorite of Jaime's from childhood) and the story of Jesus' birth from Luke. Maddie was then allowed to eat one cookie and watch a short Christmas movie before heading to bed. I told her that she HAD to stay in bed tonight and go to sleep as quickly as she could so that Santa would stop by. I think she listened because I didn't hear a peep and began wrapping gifts around 10 or so. I was able to get in bed at about midnight only to be woken up at 2! Maddie told me that she saw a shadow and thought it might be Santa!! I asked her if she looked at the tree yet and she hadn't so she ran into the living room. She was gone for several mintues and I just knew she was destroying all the presents, so I got out of bed. However, I found her quietly sitting in front of the tree, thumbing through a Christmas book that was propped in front (she gets a new one very year)! It was so cute. For a few minutes we sat in front of the tree, oohing and aahing. We then decided we better go back to sleep! Luckily, the family slept from that point till 7:30! Then we got up, opened presents, ate breakfast and headed to church for a worship service. After that, we headed back out to Nana and Papaw's house to spend the day doing Christmas with them. We opened more presents, took naps, played with new toys, and ate the greatest chicken and dressing meal ever. The green beans, sweet potato casserole, homemade monkey bread, and turkey weren't too bad either! ;) Yumm! By the end of the evening, Jaime and I were completely worn out but it was such a fun day!
Now, a new year is approaching us. Jaime and I are about to celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary and we are both very excited to see what the Lord has in store for us this next year as we reflect on the past year of 2011. We are already so blessed!
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