What a wonderful year we have had. With SO many changes. New job, new house, new car, new baby, new schools, etc...It has been a little too eventful, but we are grateful.What a great Christmas we had! We had a few classic meltdowns...but I choose to ignore those and try to just remember the good. :-) Needless to say, Garrett won't be getting pj's without a pj top next year late on Christmas Eve. Highlights: Passing out caramels and caroling to our ward friends. Some of the older people couldn't get enough of the little people in their Santa hats singing(and Garrett jumping up and down and singing all at the same time). I was running out of songs that I had taught them. Note to self for next year, learn more songs. Our repertoire will have to be much larger for our older friends. Caroling to Sam's patients on Christmas Eve. When loneliness is seen so close up, my crazy children don't seem quite so crazy anymore. Christmas Eve and while doing Luke 2 we didn't think that Hansen would cooperate at all by laying still in the "manger" but he spent a couple still minutes(which is Christmas miracle 2009) just looking up at his sister(Mary) and his brother(the shepherd). Singing Silent Night and watching him be so still was memorable and priceless.
25th---Having Garrett sneak down to see if Santa came and running back up and whispering so excitedly, "Mom, Dad....Santa brought me CHEETOS!" Molly after opening a few presents looked up and said, "Mom, look(pointing at her stuff), are those ALL for me?" and after she opened them saying, "Thank you mom and dad." It was a highlight too as she was able to read all of our tags, my personal favorite, that even got her laughing, "To: The one who threw up on the way to the temple open house...From: the one who took you" She was so cute as she was guessing who each present was to and from. Garrett being scared of the robot dinosaur, not daring to get to close. Hansen wandering around breaking stuff. :-) Molly making me smell the empty milk cup that was left for Santa, "Look mom, Santa smells like nothing!" Eating Christmas eggs(then having Garrett pretend he liked them so he wouldn't ruin my Christmas with a fit). Watching them watch our family video while they waited for their next turn to open a present. It was crazy to see how much they have grown in just a year.
26th---Sam's birthday was pretty fun as well. Family came and celebrated with us as we did a cheese fondue and a chocolate fondue. It was fun...and the kids had a great time with cousins. They just kept asking where the cake was, and I kept telling them I didn't make one b/c daddy doesn't like cake. They kept coming up and asking thinking that I was kidding. I wasn't. :-) He'd rather just have a milkshake...and that is so much less work. He is so wonderful in every way.
So all in all it was a Happy Christmas and a Happy Birthday. This was a year where it was a different Christmas spirit for me personally. As there have been challenges in the lives of those so close to me. I came to the horrible realization that SO MANY people are struggling in so many ways. And life is hard. This changed me a bit this Christmas but reminded me that we are so blessed and need to be grateful every single day.
