{reading 'Twas the Night Before Christmas' on Christmas Eve night}
It wasn't until I heard Mr. Keller say it to Morgan that I realized it wasn't just my sentimental old self that felt like this Christmas was unique and incredibly sweet this year. We've had such a quiet, peaceful feeling in our home all throughout the last week or so and I know we will all remember this year for a very long time. We ended up staying home on Christmas Eve, instead of visiting grandma and grandpa in Logan. It was a quiet, peaceful day. I baked rolls and cinnamon rolls and we prepared to have special treats for dinner. We listened to Christmas music, watched Christmas movies and lined up more presents around the tree. Danny went to be at 430, after not feeling 100%, and we had the rest of the evening to spend with Morgan. At first I was sad that they couldn't have that anticipation time together, as they try to fall asleep waiting for Santa, since Danny was still sound asleep when Morgan went to bed, but we ended up having such a special time with Morgan by himself. He played lots of board games with daddy, while I finished baking and cleaning, and all evening, they both kept a good eye on the Santa Tracker that daddy had on his phone. We were all sitting by the fire and something shifted in the chimney, and we all just knew it was Santa! Morgan quickly asked Mr. Keller to look on his phone to see where Santa was at on the tracker and they both determined he was VERY close to arriving at our house and he knew he HAD to be asleep in order for his presents to be left! It was the cutest little moment! Earlier in the evening, Morgan went to the cupboard and pulled out their Little People manger. It's one of our favorite Christmas things. Morgan arranged the nativity so perfectly and we all shared our feelings about the Savior. Morgan has such a sweet and perfect faith in Him. He is very genuine in this, for being so young. He is such a steady little strength in our family.
We read the Christmas story from the bible, and afterward, daddy read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas' to us. This is a Keller tradition we're carrying on, but I was SO happy to find the book I was raised with earlier in December. The drawings are litho and they are so so sweet.
Morgan was sure to leave out some of the sugar cookies we made earlier, and I poured Santa some organic whole milk in his mug. Since that stuff is $cash-money$, I only poured a little, and Morgan rolled his eyes at me and said, "Mom! Santa needs MORE than that!". It was so cute!
And then he was off to bed! We tucked him in and he was conked out in no time.
Here he is with his sweet little manger all set up.
Santa came!
Bright and early Christmas morning
Santa brought the Ninjago Encyclopedia Morgan asked for,
as well as the Baby Einstein lion Danny had been pining for the last few weeks!
A cute little wooden mailbox with erasable post cards, and a vintage Fisher Price toy, since those are my favorite and we're well on our way to a good collection of them. The boys LOVE this service station and I got all sentimental thinking about how this probably wasn't the first Christmas this toy had seen.
Such a cozy scene to me! I love my people.
Danny and I pouring over our newborn sibling, our beloved Lion Einstein
Opening presents!
And the snow! After the boys went to bed, I told Mr. Keller how foolish I felt for actually praying for snow. A few hours later, just before midnight, and right after Santa came to our house, we walked into our dark living room and watched out the window as the most beautiful flakes of snow began falling from the sky. We stayed there for a good long while, watching magic and feeling it.
It snowed all night while we slept and all Christmas day.
After we opened presents, Mr. Keller cooked us a breakfast feast. We stayed in our pajamas for most of the day, watching the boys run from here to there with all of their fun new things.
Morgan's favorites: a new interactive globe, a set of Hobbit lego figurines, and his Ninja book.
He also got a red firetruck, a new tool belt with cool wooden tools, and a nice big tool set with motorized tools that make lots of sound!
Mr. Keller got a cabelas gift card to put towards a new scope, the Good Wife on dvd, some sweaters, and a few too many kisses from me for growing that dreamy beard.
Santa left me perfume, a new nail gun and a big pile of pine planks stacked in the garage! The boys couldn't understand what I was so excited about!
Here are some more photos from Christmas day:
I have had this gorgeous illustrated version of the Hobbit stored away for over a year, waiting for Morgan to be the right age to give it to him. I was so excited to wrap it up, along with the set of Hobbit legos. These characters and their story are very dear to me. I'm so excited to share all of these wonderful stories with him as he grows older.
Cute little monkeys Santa left in the boys' stockings
We have arrived at the stage of boardgame fun! Our family got a stack of new boardgames and these two spent HOURS playing them over the last few weeks.
The day after Christmas all bundled up for snow-playing.
Christmas afternoon, we had a wonderful 'feast' as the boys called it. It was our first time cooking a turkey, stuffing and the whole bit. I found some killer recipes and everything turned out so perfectly. We lit candles and had sparkling cider and ate way too much food. (And for days to come --I have a food-baby pouch to prove it!)
After dinner, we decided to bundle up and take the boys night sledding. We headed to the park down the street, but realized it closes at dusk, so we went to the school parking lots and pulled the boys SLOWLY behind the truck, while I walked beside them. We had so much fun, even though it was so cold! We came home to a warm fire, baths, and then, at last, bedtime. The house was a mess, and the dishes were piled high, but it was quiet and we just had this exhale; this moment of gratitude for the memories that were made that day.
I've been thinking so much about how God wants us to feel joy. It is so evident to me lately how much He desires us to feel it. Everywhere I turn, in every season (both outside and in our lives), there is something God is beckoning us to notice, to feel, to find joy in. He has created all things with our joy as his focus. What a blessing it has been for me to have come to learn/notice this, especially this time of year. I'm so thankful to know what I know, for the things that I've learned this past year, and for the growth we've seen and the health we've worked so hard to have. God has blessed us so abundantly. And we are so grateful. For Him and for our Savior. For traditions we hold dear to our hearts this time of year, Santa Claus and all, and for that special Christmas spirit that makes this time of year so anticipated and so unique. We have surely found joy in it and will treasure these significant, sweet memories for many years to come.
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