This Christmas has been one for the memory books! It doesn’t hurt that I love this house and decorating it (even as minimally as we did) was a lot of fun and made being home something to be treasured…
and it doesn’t hurt that the kids are at such fun ages, where everything is exciting and they want to be a part of everything holiday…
and it doesn’t hurt that I love to invest myself fully into the advent season with a slow down in our schedules so that we can really focus on Emmanuel.
I remember fondly celebrating Christmas when I was younger. We always had our family Christmas and would invite my dad’s parents (who lived across the street – if only I TRULY knew what an incredible gift that was at the time) to join us. Then, we’d have a Christmas celebration WITH them and the rest of that side of the family. Then we’d usually travel to my mom’s parents and do Christmas there, which was Christmas done BIG. While we were there, we’d usually do Christmas with my grandmother’s side and my grandpa’s side. Christmas was always this full, loud, joyful, family-filled celebration and I loved every minute of it!
Things feel a little smaller now and while that’s not always a bad thing, I miss the multitudes of family and piles of paper and lots of cousins and aunts and uncles and mounds of good food and Christmas treats and the excitement of all of the different places we’d go and people we’d see.
This year, we traveled to Kansas to Waco’s for Phipps family Christmas. They just built a beautiful new house and we all got to be the first house guests – a really big treat! They were wonderful hosts and though it was a mad-dash, quick trip, a really good time was had by all!
We came home on Christmas Eve and had our family Christmas over the next two days. Since Wrex had the week off, we spread our gift-opening out so the kids could enjoy every last little thing!
For their big gifts, we splurged a little this year and got them each (save for Sayble) metal pedal tractors. We knew this was a gift they would love and really have fun with and could pass on to their own kids one day.
Sawyer’s other special gift this year was a Calico Critters set. She’s talked about them for a while and I had one as a little girl that I absolutely cherished! I wish I still had that thing… They were on sale on Zulilly one day so I got her her very own. Sweet girl cried because she was so happy. It was a special mother/daughter moment that I’ll always remember…
We’ve had daddy home all week and get home him for three more days! I never look forward to the Monday after our Christmas break but I’m sure we’ll survive…
2016 has been such a good year for our family. This has been a year of the Lord’s faithfulness (which I’ll share even more of later). In a lot of ways, I hate to see it end. I wish I could just freeze time right this very second…our kiddos are at such fun ages…we’re all healthy and whole…we love where we live…business is good… I’m not a fan of the unknown, but I know that whatever 2017 brings, He will be right there with us. He IS Emmanuel…