Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Christmas 2012

The stockings were hung....but there was STILL no baby to join us for Christmas!! I have had so many texts and messages asking me how I am and telling me to "hang in there," and I really think I am hanging just fine! I feel fine overall and can't complain that I have a baby still super active and cooking inside me! There is so much hurt and sadness in our church and our nation this Christmas season, and I have NOTHING that I should be complaining about. Of course it would have been sweet to share a first Christmas with a newborn and convenient for all family in town, but it is not a sad thing to let this little one finish baking. One of my prayers is that little one would be born at just the perfect time, for him, and for Hollyn to be completely over RSV. Thankfully, it looks as if that prayer is being answered. So on to all the Christmas festivities....

 We had Christmas with my family on Sunday evening. Aunt Mel Mel and Uncle Jamo with their PRECIOUS little nieces. 
 We love our 89 year old sweet Mimi. She never says a cross word about anyone and is one of the sweetest souls I have ever met.
 Nana and Pops with their two girls. Anxiously awaiting their first grandSON. 

We talked to Hollyn this year about the appropriate reaction when she receives a gift from someone. I was SO proud of her. She did great at every Christmas and told everyone thank you. She waited patiently to open presents and was truly thrilled every time she got a gift. I love the two pictures below, such a sweet face, filled with joy this Christmas. 


 Since Santa knew that I was so close to my due date, I expected him to pay us an early visit this year. Nana has special Christmas cookies that she bakes and Hollyn really wanted to help her. Hollyn is wearing an apron that my mom made when she was about Hollyn's age. 
Going into this Christmas, Hollyn made it pretty clear that she didn't really believe in Santa. She said she liked him, but didn't want to visit him at the mall or really have anything to do with him. We watched Polar Express several times this season, and she leaned more towards believing after she watched that movie over and over. As expected, Santa did come one day early, on Christmas Eve morning this year. 

 Santa brought a loot this year!! Hollyn recieved an American Girl Bitty Baby and crib set to go with it. A super sparkly dress like she has been wanting and a stocking filled with all sorts of treasures. Little Brother got two outfits, an owl, and a stocking filled with diapers and pacifiers. We stayed up late the night before making cookies, and playing with new gifts so Hollyn went to bed at 11:00pm. I fully expected her up around 7 am because that is not a strange night for her. However, the child slept until 9:00 am! And oh the irony, I could NOT sleep! Scott and I just sat in the living room waiting for her to wake up. When she woke up I told her that Santa had come. She says, "Um can I sleep in a little more? I need energy for the day." Then she stretched and rolled around in the bed, taking forever to get up and see what he brought. Stinker! She comes out and says, "He brought this?" (In a completely monotone voice) Then she didn't even look at her things, she went to brother's and dumped all his stuff out. She finally started getting excited when she found Hickory Farms Beef Sticks in her stocking. And then she warmed up and kept saying, "Santa buyed a lot of money for all this!"

 By the end of it all, she LOVED her new baby and had decided "This is the best Christmas I have ever had in my ENTIRE life!" She inspected the cookie and carrot tray that we had left out for Santa and declared, "Now I believe in Santa more than all the other children!" Again, Oh the irony!
 Christmas Eve night we went to our church candlelight service and then spent the evening with Scott's family. By this point, Hollyn was ripping into every present, even ones that were not hers. She jumped around excitedly the whole night. We played a game of Bingo, and all received prizes from Cici. Hollyn was truly hilarious in all of this. I love this picture. She and Susan like to play this game where Hollyn goes limp in her arms and gives "armless hugs." Hollyn is always going for shock factor with Susan. She throws dirty socks at her and toots on her. They are both cracking up in this picture, and I think it is so funny. 

I always get to the end of my Christmas post and have left out a picture of someone! This time it is Greg and Jana and me and Scott. Maybe Jana will send me a few for the next post. (hint, hint)
I always love Christmas and hope that we are instilling in our child the TRUE meaning of it all. One of my favorite moments of the season is when Hollyn added to one of my prayers. She said, "And thank you for saving us when you came to earth as a baby." As my pastor put it, when we celebrate Christmas, we are really celebrating the manger, the cross and the throne. Merry Christmas!

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