James has accused me of packing our schedule too full this Christmas season, and now as I'm soaking in "recovery" week, I can see that he had a point. This is basically how Christmas happened...
With that being said, there was no shortage of fun!
We enjoyed a "Classy Christmas Party" at Caden & Ashli Huenefeld's house. I had the luxury of two handsome gents to escort me! Games, hors d'oeuvres, drinks, chit chat, giggles, and a gift exchange. Classy pants.
We had Christmas parties for several days in a row, and after all the hustle and bustle, Trevin continues to ask if he can open presents. Gratefulness is not in a child's nature, unfortunately. I'm still trying to explain why we give/receive presents at Christmastime, might not be totally comprehensible for a 2-year-old.
Trevin took part in his very first Christmas program! We've been practicing his songs for a month. (For proof, check out the video on my Facebook page.) His class sang Away in the Manger and Come on Ring Those Bells.
 |
| Trevin and Cousin Marah |
I was one proud mama. Although, he didn't sing a single word on stage.. He just stood there. All that work... was totally worth it! We still sing his Christmas songs daily and we'll still be singing them in July.
Trev's in the 2's and 3's class, so there was two 3-year-olds singing along with the two teachers. And everyone else just stood still and stared at the audience. That is, until...
The bells came out! C'mon Ring Those Bells! That's one way to get 2-year-olds to participate.
Christmas morning bed head. He can achieve this hair volume every single day. And most days, it stays that way.
We're starting our own family Christmas traditions and it's been fun to create our own special experiences. We start out by reading the Christmas story from Trevin's Storybook Bible. Then we sing Christmas carols, this year included the only two songs Trevin knows. Next we open presents and make ebelskivers to devour.
 |
| Ebelskivers with powdered sugar and homemade peach jam, bacon, and coffee. Can it be Christmas every day? |
 |
| I gave them Legos. This moment makes it worth every ounce of pain I'm going to experience stepping on Legos for the rest of my life. |
 |
| Listening to the Christmas story. |
*Some of my favorites*
And we had to play some games, of course! One bad roll of the dice and Scotty had to get beautified. Yes, yes we did send a picture to all of his friends on SnapChat. Hey, there is a use for SnapChat!
 |
| "He is Mighty God. He is Prince of Peace." |
 |
| Auntie Gracia surrounded by some of her ornery boys. Don't feel bad for her, she can handle them with ease. Growing up with James makes these guys a piece of cake for her, no doubt. |
 |
| Not much will give me baby fever, but this... this might. |
This gathering took place and these people are some of the best. They keep a party interesting and a night memorable. High school friends are the greatest. But The Game of Things was certainly entertaining with these folks.
I wish that I could capture every moment of the holidays, for I know, inevitably, the traditions will end. But for now, I'll cling to the laughter shared, the food consumed, the gifts given, the games played, the memories made, the hugs received, the conversations exchanged, the songs sang, the family gathered, the smiles spread, the time spent, and most importantly the Christ celebrated.
 |
| Grandpa Mart celebrating his 80th birthday with his great grand kids. |
James and I attended an Ugly Christmas Sweater party at Gracia's. James and I legitimately like our outfits from Goodwill for the party. I wouldn't be shocked if James attempted to wear his mallard shirt to church. Keep your eyes peeled. And my sweater was an old man sweater, that fits me and just feels right. I don't know how I feel about this, but I'm just not fighting that feeling. And the only real reason I shared this photo was to show off my zipper earrings. Yes, zipper. They were one of the greatest hand-me-downs handed down to me from my older sister, Brooke. Can't believe she let these out of her sight. I only break them out for special occasions and this party was screaming for some zipper earrings. (I literally just checked Amazon for zipper earrings and they are totally a thing. Of course mine are vintage, but you buy your very own. And amazingly they're dirt cheap! Text your friend and split the shipping! Call me when you wear them and we can match.)
What can I tell you about this kid?
+His giggle is the best thing that I've ever heard. +Currently his favorite place is "Stockham Church". +He loves Sunday School and literally throws a tantrum when we have to leave church. (Dobson never gave advice on dealing with kids who don't want to leave church, so basically we don't know how to deal with that.) +His favorite song is This Little Light of Mine and he shouts the last verse when we ask, "Where do we go church?" "Stockham!!" "Shine it over Stockham, I'm gonna let it shine..." +He can spot an excavator from a quarter mile. +And can here the word "candy" from about as far. +His words are funny and his mispronunciations are endearing. +He only knows the color black, everything else he just plays the guessing game, he may be the next Batman because of this. "If anybody has black parts I need them, ok? I only work in black. And sometimes very very dark grey." -Lego Movie
+Oh and he loves the Lego Movie. But I do too, so we're happy. +He's so much trouble and so much sweet. +He has bed head 90% of the time.
My latest obsession is "Oh to be Loved" by Thad Crockrell. This song has been on repeat all month. The raw melody is simply alluring; the lyrics are honest and emotional.
My other obsession... homemade applesauce. I have many memories of epic bowls of homemade applesauce at my Grandma's house. Brooke has reawaken my desire by generously sharing some with me a couple weeks ago. So I immediately bought apples and made more, and canned them. This is more valuable than gold to me. It is gold(en delicious. haha! Apple pun.) I'm a canning addict and there's no negative side effects. Booyah.
One of my favorite Christmas gifts was from Rashton. She and JT gave us a gift card to go out to eat and offered to keep the child while we had a date night. We dined at Red Lobster and caught the final Hobbit movie after. Not going to lie, I had tears in my eyes as the final credits rolled. It was the end of an era. The LOTR series started when I was in elementary school and we made it a tradition to go see it in theaters as a family. Years later, the tradition came to an end with finish of Biblo's adventure. Bilbo is my hero. The Baggins' bloodline is strong.
Merry Christmas!
And a happy New Year!
No comments:
Post a Comment