Jolly holiday!
Is there anything like a kid at Christmas? I didn't really understand the meaning of this statement until this year. Hunter is just at the perfect age to be absorbed in the magic of Christmas, without anyone trying hard at all to get him excited. Christmas has been a month of eager anticipation that I can only remember ever feeling in my own life...as a kid at Christmas! I feel like the memories of my childhood are foggy but so many Christmas memories are crystal clear. It is so fun to think that Hunter is building those memories now. His enthusiasm is such fun to watch and Pippa, who might not otherwise think too much about Christmas either way, really bandwagoned on Hunter's excitement. I had forgotten that Hunter at her age had a super simple view of Christmas and didn't need much of it to have enough. Pippa caught the wave of Hunter's excitement about "Santa" and "chocolate" and the advent calendar. They truly could share in the excitement together which just amplified our joy.
We shared with our kids on December 23 the "first gift of Christmas," a new blank stocking wrapped with a picture of the ultrasound of our baby expected to arrive in July 2020! I was really nervous to tell anyone about this pregnancy but most especially the children. I guess I didn't want things to change even though they of course were going to? Maybe I could relate a little bit to Mary the mother of Jesus feeling like keeping it all in my heart. Philip knew better, that the kids would be so excited. It did end up being really fun sharing the news with them. Hunter said "I didn't think the first gift of Christmas was going to be a baby!" He had a bunch of different reactions over the course of a week from "three kids is too many kids" to "how are you going to take care of three kids? of course mom you can take care of three kids!" It was especially fun for Hunter to be able to share with our families the "first gift of Christmas" in the two days leading up to Christmas. He shared the news with Shari and Tad first, and in that moment Shari started hollering and shaking her hands, then Hunter did, and then Pippa, who hadn't registered the baby news yet. It was an adorable sight seeing them all hug and cheer. Pippa for sure didn't know what was being cheered about but she had to have her part. My mom is really excited and we also got to tell Stara mama and aunt Katie, and tell my extended family while we were seated to Christmas dinner. It was a busy and emotional few days to add to a busy month!
My back had been a wreck in November and an up and down recovery all of December. I was feeling better pregnancy wise. I got to share my joy with my children and family, and thus my joy started to grow! It was the sweetest Christmas gift for me.
No matter what resolutions I make to simplify the holiday season, I have such a hard time sticking to it. But I did try to focus where I could on the point of Christmas with my kids, the warmth and love for one another and the appreciation for the season. We played in a nativity set at the creche exhibit and visited a live Bethlehem display. We read the best Christmas pageant ever with Hunter which he really got engrossed in. He thought it was funny that Imogene called the wise men dirty old spies, but I think the tenderness of this rough family appreciating the Christmas story hit home with him. We dropped food off to a family with a new baby and the missionaries. We gave gifts- hunter even gave gifts to me (the nationals World Series patch that Philip didn't end up wanting for his hat), Pippa (a fun small rubber bouncy ball they LOVE playing with that he decided to wrap early December and put in her stocking) and tad and shari (a picture frame he made himself). Hunter feels the joy of being with family which is the feeling of warmth and love I want him to feel. There is a new nativity video that really shows the circumstances Mary must have been in, which I felt was particularly touching.
of course the magic of it overtakes the children. The chocolate advent calendar and the fabric advent calendar that Philip and Shari and I made over the course of 2 years. It was gratifying to see the kids love that ritual. Picking out the christmas tree and Hunter thinking of every Christmas decoration he could for the house. It really felt like living with Buddy the elf! I just Cherish these memories of Pippa riding her rocking horse and Hunter so surprised by his hot wheels set and getting the shark light he wanted from Santa.We don't have a lot of magic in our daily lives and so to enjoy the lights, the sweets, the wrapping paper, the leaving cookies for santa, and writing letters to santa is just a joy. It is A LOT of work for mom and dad...I found myself sometimes wishing life could be back to normal. but then just that quickly I missed that blessed opportunity I have to make a magical time for my two perfect children and to enjoy time away from work and normal life to soak in the success we have had over the past year. We really had such a wonderful holiday and loved especially the times we could share with family and the chance to be generous with one another.
We
We shared with our kids on December 23 the "first gift of Christmas," a new blank stocking wrapped with a picture of the ultrasound of our baby expected to arrive in July 2020! I was really nervous to tell anyone about this pregnancy but most especially the children. I guess I didn't want things to change even though they of course were going to? Maybe I could relate a little bit to Mary the mother of Jesus feeling like keeping it all in my heart. Philip knew better, that the kids would be so excited. It did end up being really fun sharing the news with them. Hunter said "I didn't think the first gift of Christmas was going to be a baby!" He had a bunch of different reactions over the course of a week from "three kids is too many kids" to "how are you going to take care of three kids? of course mom you can take care of three kids!" It was especially fun for Hunter to be able to share with our families the "first gift of Christmas" in the two days leading up to Christmas. He shared the news with Shari and Tad first, and in that moment Shari started hollering and shaking her hands, then Hunter did, and then Pippa, who hadn't registered the baby news yet. It was an adorable sight seeing them all hug and cheer. Pippa for sure didn't know what was being cheered about but she had to have her part. My mom is really excited and we also got to tell Stara mama and aunt Katie, and tell my extended family while we were seated to Christmas dinner. It was a busy and emotional few days to add to a busy month!
My back had been a wreck in November and an up and down recovery all of December. I was feeling better pregnancy wise. I got to share my joy with my children and family, and thus my joy started to grow! It was the sweetest Christmas gift for me.
No matter what resolutions I make to simplify the holiday season, I have such a hard time sticking to it. But I did try to focus where I could on the point of Christmas with my kids, the warmth and love for one another and the appreciation for the season. We played in a nativity set at the creche exhibit and visited a live Bethlehem display. We read the best Christmas pageant ever with Hunter which he really got engrossed in. He thought it was funny that Imogene called the wise men dirty old spies, but I think the tenderness of this rough family appreciating the Christmas story hit home with him. We dropped food off to a family with a new baby and the missionaries. We gave gifts- hunter even gave gifts to me (the nationals World Series patch that Philip didn't end up wanting for his hat), Pippa (a fun small rubber bouncy ball they LOVE playing with that he decided to wrap early December and put in her stocking) and tad and shari (a picture frame he made himself). Hunter feels the joy of being with family which is the feeling of warmth and love I want him to feel. There is a new nativity video that really shows the circumstances Mary must have been in, which I felt was particularly touching.
of course the magic of it overtakes the children. The chocolate advent calendar and the fabric advent calendar that Philip and Shari and I made over the course of 2 years. It was gratifying to see the kids love that ritual. Picking out the christmas tree and Hunter thinking of every Christmas decoration he could for the house. It really felt like living with Buddy the elf! I just Cherish these memories of Pippa riding her rocking horse and Hunter so surprised by his hot wheels set and getting the shark light he wanted from Santa.We don't have a lot of magic in our daily lives and so to enjoy the lights, the sweets, the wrapping paper, the leaving cookies for santa, and writing letters to santa is just a joy. It is A LOT of work for mom and dad...I found myself sometimes wishing life could be back to normal. but then just that quickly I missed that blessed opportunity I have to make a magical time for my two perfect children and to enjoy time away from work and normal life to soak in the success we have had over the past year. We really had such a wonderful holiday and loved especially the times we could share with family and the chance to be generous with one another.
We
We told our kids and families the baby news at Christmas!
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