In the craziness that is this day with three very exuberant and energetic children, I find myself realizing that the true peace of Christmas is here, always, whether I get that quality time with each of my three that I imagined on this actual day, or not. Today doesn't have to be perfect...thank goodness.
So fitting that I wrote those two little thoughts on Christmas Day and am just now getting to posting.
We got the GI bug, we traveled, we lived life with three kids. What a whirlwind. What a blessing.
Please enjoy the pictures and my little musings!
Christmas Eve
Dance party to the soundtrack of Elf! Love it! Love these two!
Jimmy left a parting gift this year and a note...that said the boys could hug him goodbye without it hampering his ability to fly back to the North Pole. ;)
Landon had a playdate with his buddies. We decorated cookies and ate them, of course, put together a puzzle and yeah, they played a little X Box.
The kids were tracking Santa here! I never did this as a kid but Stan did. I loved watching their excitement grow as the day went on. Here, I believe Santa was in India. :)
Nanny came and spent Christmas with us. She, the boys and Midnight (our cat) were up to some mischief (as usual) before we prepared for the evening.
We got ready for church in record time and this cutie...posed...I am thinking blackmail here.
My babies. All just growing up. :)
Wonderful picture of Kay and the kids!
Our sweet family of five. :)
Me and my girl. It is so sweet, having a little mini me. She is such a precious part of me. I love having a daughter.
Our family at church. Christmas Eve service is a tradition in our family. It has been so special, being able to develop our own special traditions, joining Stan's family and mine.
Christmas jammies! One of our family traditions!
Nanny even got some! Here, Nanny had developed a game to occupy them as we got dinner together. That Nanny is always so creative!
A new tradition this year was getting Japanese take out for Christmas Eve so mama didn't have to cook! :)
Spreading reindeer food on the lawn...
Landon carefully selecting cookies, milk and carrots for Santa and his reindeer.
Landon wrote a note to Santa this year, thanking him for his past presents and telling him that he had tried to be good. :) Nanny helped.
Stan and Connor put together a puzzle. Sweet family times.
Landon explained to Lindsay Jane what these cookies and carrots were all about. He also made sure to tell her not to touch them, which was what was going on in this picture. :)
And, saying good bye to Jimmy. This was one of the highlights of my December with the kids. I had so much fun having Jimmy get into mischief. The whole premise this year was that Jimmy needed reminders from the boys about God's grace. Landon was caught multiple times explaining the truth about Jesus to Jimmy. It was really sweet.
Landon giving Jimmy the most tender little hug. It was so so precious. I cannot believe I got a picture of it. Seeing the picture again just melts my heart. How precious it is to be a child, to have imagination, to play, to believe the best, to have so few worries. How I want to let my kids be kids and enjoy this time.
Jimmy had a note on Christmas Eve that told the boys that it was ok to touch him and give him a hug good bye. If you don't know the story, the book that comes with Jimmy says that is you touch him he will lose his "magic" and won't be able to fly back to the North Pole. We kinda rewrote the story this year and focused on grace. I got a great idea on the lovely, Pinterest to write a letter about how Santa does not have a "naughy or nice" list, that he knows Jesus and knows that the boys do too and that its all about grace, not about whether they are "good or not".
Landon did NOT want Connor to touch Jimmy. :) Ahh, brotherly love. He was sure that Connor was going to hurt Jimmy.
We lit our Advent candles, including the Christ Candle and talked about the meaning of each. We sure enjoyed the time of reflection as a family.
It felt harried in many ways, this holiday season, but when I reflect back, which is always so good for me to do, I realize that we did get many important messages in as a family. I want my kids to realize the true meaning of Christmas. Isn't that hard in this world? Isn't that hard as a human who can't help but get caught up in the events of the season?
One last shot before bed...if nothing else, these three have fun together.
And....Christmas morning...I was in the moment and didn't get a ton of "first look" shots. We also had a minor meltdown (please tell me someone else has a child who gets jealous of a sibling's Santa gifts...) that I had to nip. in. the. bud!!!! So here are some treats I did catch...
Connor, so thrilled about a Skylander he got and accompanying card. Look at that delight!
LJ and her "baby place" courtesy of my dear friend, Stacey!! What a great great hand me down! Lindsay Jane loves this doll house and I do to! Have I ever mentioned that I love having a little girl?
Another delighted face of my Connorbug!
And...I think this guys was pretty thrilled as well.
Connor was so very happy that Santa did not forget our kitty cats. ;)
New Bike for Landon!
New Bike for Connorbug!
Santa wrote a letter back to the kids and Landon was reading it to me in this picture. It is such a great thing, having your child read to you. I love it and soak it up.
Lindsay Jane was so enamored! She even put her big baby in the bed...see top level! She has a great little sense of humor...
Comparing notes.
My sweet little boys. My, oh my, how they have grown. It is so hard to believe!!!
These two are just inseparable. And also cannot be in the same room at times! It is a love/hate relationship for sure. I love the bond they have but I hate the way they get at each other. It is certainly at least partly related to same gender, oh, and testosterone. My dad always reminds me how he and his brother were...and Stan's Uncle Alan, also reminds us of how he and LD were. I guess these two come by it honestly. Whew. Boys.....
And, sweet little girls... :)
Stocking time!
One of my very favorite quotes of the morning, "Look mom, I got Tom and Jerry underwear!!!!", said with enough enthusiasm to excite just about anyone!
Sly little smirk...
Santa bought Stan an NC State chocolate bar! That Santa, he is so cool.
One big gift from mom and dad.
Landon was a little more reserved with his gift opening. He did really like his gift, which was a baseball stand/net. He and our neighbors have played countless hours with it already. Landon is our little baseball fanatic and he might just have the talent to go with it....says the totally unbiased mother. :)
LJ got some new boots!
And, our sweet middle child who gets all of his brother's hand me downs...got his first new pair of shoes...Ninja Turtle, I might add. :)
And, a couple more babies from the brothers for sweet LJ. :) Look at both she and Nanny!! So sweet.
And, our annual Happy Birthday Jesus party! The kids get to eat cake every year for breakfast on Christmas day to celebrate Jesus's birthday. They LOVE this tradition and talk about it all year round.
See?
Oh how I love these precious children. Look at those faces. :)
And, we managed a game of "Beat the Parents". Santa thought it would be a good idea to bring a family gift this year, and this was a hit!
Connor even joined LJ in the "Baby Place" for a little tea party. :)
And mommy made Salisbury Steak, cooked apples, creamed spinach, rolls and green beans...all foods these little rascals like...I was hoping for a nice family meal where we reflect on all of our blessings and have civilized conversation...who in the world am I kidding? I have three kids 7 and under in this picture!!! Good try mama.
I did really put a lot of effort in it and I hope my kids remember that. We did manage to get most of them to eat but bedtime followed very shorty thereafter. It was a tough day and but a blessed one, indeed. I really feel like a lot of what I fight with on Christmas and other holidays are ideas that are really unrealistic that just play in my head. Reality is that little ones don't really know the difference between Christmas and any other day of the year, especially those under 5 or 6 years old, of which, I have two! Landon does get it more and I can see him trying...but the temper tantrums are all the same, Christmas or not. It's life with little ones. :) Nevertheless, it is hard when for one day, you just want everyone to get along and have little sugarplums dancing around in their little heads. :)
One last picture from that night, right before bedtime...LJ set up the table and had everyone in the family sitting ready to eat. I love that the table is a symbol of family community already at two years old.
See, then these things happen, and I see that they are picking up a few good habits from me... ;)
And....on to Nanny's house for the Cole Family Christmas with Nanny, Moo, B and baby Cole...and a few other special guests!!!
LJ would say that Katie Kitty was her special guest... :)
But, I was more thinking of these...Patti, Alan, Lillie and Ross joined us for the afternoon. What a special treat!
The boys tried out their new bikes on the old dirt road.
I snuggled my girl by the fireplace.
Stan wrestled Connor's sock to get a fly sticky trap thingee off...
Cole and Lindsay Jane had a bit of a turf war...
This cuteness happened...
Then this...of course...
And one might think that this picture could happen...
Better...
Just not gonna happen. Too much silliness! I think Nona and Nanny are the instigators!
Lindsay Jane LOVES to play with Lillie...and I don't think Miss Lillie minds one little bit. :)
Love these three!
Stan was so great at doing our Scripture reading and devotional this year. I was so proud of him and I know that LD would have been as well. I got a good one. :)
Of course, Cole wanted to get in on the devotional time too, taking some sweet lessons from his Uncle Stan. Our devotional was about a Rubik's cube... Peaked your interest? Ask Stan to share, it was quite creative. :)
Happy times, indeed. What a blessing to be able to share in Christmas traditions on both sides of our family. We had a great time with Kay, Moo, B and Cole and seeing Alan, Patti, Ross and Lillie made is really extra special. I will always treasure Christmas with the Coles as I remember my first meeting of the extended family, back in 2002. I witnessed their faith and love and said to myself, "This is a family I want to be a part of..." And look where I am. I am so thankful.
Insert a GI virus here, that delayed our next destination and made us miss the Cousin get together for the Cole side.... :(
And...next stop...Mommom and Pops!!!
We finally got to Pop and Mommom's cabin after a sick little Connorbug. Mommom welcomed us in with the singing characters. Lindsay Jane was very delighted. :)
The boys tended to the train, the Hokie Express, a Frey family tradition.
Pop and Lindsay Jane shared a sweet sweet little dance together with the blanket that he gave her when she was born, the blanket that is her beloved "nite nite".
Pop took the kids for a walk and they had to compare heights of their walking sticks. You know, with boys, it is ALWAYS a competition! How do you think I get them dressed in the morning!
Mommom played with LJ, as usual...and taught her some matching along the way...a teacher's work is never done! :)
Stan worked on his Rubik's cube. A lot. I will have to tell on him...he even has looked up the strategy and has taken noted. How I love this man and his mind... :)
Pop and Landon with Landon taking a turn to tell a Lewis the squirrel story this time!
A smart phone world...
Gearing up for a hike...a mere 15 or so hours after Lindsay Jane took her turn at the G virus plaguing our family...
Though this could have been a precarious position after a little vomiting the night before, Stan emerged unscathed.
What a sweet sweet pair. I just love this picture. :)
Later that night, Lindsay Jane put on this ensemble. She was so sweet, wanting to have an apron on like mommy (who was cooking with Pop) along with her rain boots.
Don't you want to squeeze her?
The master chef...
The happy little dumpling just hanging out reading a book while dad and I cooked...
New Year's dinner for the kids! We fed them early and put on a movie so we could eat a more relaxed dinner together with my parents.
The boys...up to no good, I am sure.
Me and my daddy. Cooking and of course, dad being silly.
This was one of my Christmas wishes this year...to cook with my dad. I wanted special time with just my mom and just my dad. It was amazing that I got both, esp. amidst so much sickness, but I am so grateful that I did. Dad and I made an amazing battered pork loin with a special mushroom sauce over mashed potatoes and broccoli. It was delicious. It was such a delight spending that special time learning my dad's little secrets and sharing our little inside jokes and making up new ones by the minute. I love my dad and the way he loves me.
Mom and I got out for a little shopping trip to Black Mountain. It was also such a delight and a needed bonding time. How I love my mama.
I really feel like I had a true change to catch up with both my mom and dad and really share my heart with each of them. I am so thankful to have the chance to spend that time with them and to treasure it. Life really is short and spending time with those you treasure is so very important. I am so glad I make that type of time a priority. This time with both of my parents was precious.
And...before leaving, we had to celebrate our January 4th birthday!!!
That is one happy little fella, right there!
Eight candles this year, folks!!! Look at that sweet happy little boy.
I cannot believe he is already 8. What happened to this guy?
Connor was happy to share in the festivities, esp since it involved chocolate cupcakes with chocolate icing!!
I think the "other Douglas" wanted a taste, too...what do you think?
Daddy and Lindsay Jane had no trouble sharing in the good either. :)
And, who can deny that this one has quite the little sweet tooth?
Another Nationals game this year, folks! I think Landon was very delighted about his gift from Pop and Mommom!!
Landon and Dad talking baseball and planning what game they might go to. I just love watching my dad with Landon. He is so good with him. My dad is just over the moon that Landon is so into baseball. :)
Mom and dad. Ready for sparklers to welcome in 2015!!!
Landon preparing, just in case there were fire works...
Obviously, welcoming the new year with sparklers was a blast for the boys. Worked for me too, as this occurred at 9:00 instead of 12:00. I am getting old, folks. No Midnight apple dropping parting for this mama...not at this point, anyway. :)
Yep, I think this picture sums it up. It was a terrific time had by all. I would venture to say, even despite having a GI bug for some of this trip with my parents, it was probably one of our best times with them. Being one of three kids, it was nice, not gonna lie, to have my mom and dad all to myself with my little family. I will have to remember that when my three are grown.
I hope you enjoyed my reflections from Christmas. We have had quite a bit of sickness and just altered schedules which has inhibited my blog writing. Sorry the Christmas update is late, but the sentiment is the same. Maybe this post can remind you of the joy of Christmas in this blah of January with winter weather approaching tomorrow. Love to all.
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