merry & bright

It was a very Merry Christmas, indeed! Here are some of my favorite highlights & memories:

• Our second annual birthday party for Jesus on Friday. We made Christmas mini pizzas and cupcakes, Josh read the Christmas story from Luke 2, we sang & blew out candles (and then Noah wanted the candles re-lit about 12 times so he could keep singing and blowing out), then he unwrapped the Baby Jesus from his nativity scene as a reminder of what the greatest Christmas gift really is. (please don't have visions of a perfect Norman Rockwell family sitting together quietly reading the Bible and listening to each word. It took some convincing to get Noah to sit in the first place, then things got really funny when he cheered on the shepherds as they traveled to see Baby Jesus. And Sam wriggled free about .25 seconds into the story and dumped out all the toys in the basket). 

This made me laugh a little :) 

• Christmas Eve cookie-making at Mimi & Papa Jim's. I love this tradition! It's always one of the highlights of Christmas. This year Mimi outdid herself by preparing a delicious breakfast for everyone as well. 

• An attempted Christmas Eve photo shoot with the boys. I don't think I'll get another good posed picture of the two of them for awhile! Sam-O is just too wiggly.  

• Christmas Eve church service. This is always one of my tip-top favorite things, and it just would not feel like Christmas without it. This year it was pretty much a series of bloopers for our little fam. At one point I was starting to tear up over the chaos and utter imperfection of it all, but I suddenly looked around, took a deep breath, and just felt completely at peace. We were there worshiping our Lord and Savior, celebrating His birth and the fact that He had Come to Save Us. That's about as perfect as I can imagine.
• Noah's excitement over Santa bringing him The King (from Cars) in his stocking. One day we will tell him how Santa went about getting this discontinued and hard-to-find treasure, but for now our lips our sealed (and we owe a certain Uncle Elf big-time). 

• Looking over during the chaos and seeing Sam helping himself to some of Santa's leftovers.

 

• Celebrating at Mimi & Papa Jim's with them and Rachel, Brian, & the girls; Dobbs; and Mom & Papa. I didn't get many pictures because I was helping with unwrapping and just enjoying the moment rather than trying to capture it. 

• My parents surprising the kiddos with a trampoline that Santa left in their backyard. (and the fact that Papa D spent 3 hours outside in the cold on Christmas Day putting it together for them. Thanks Mar Mar & Papa D  Santa!) 

• Seeing Mema in the Snuggie that we gave her. This gift was really for the whole extended family, in hopes that we may be able to turn down her thermostat a degree or two when we visit :)

(Josh surprised me with a Snuggie of my own, and I have to say I am honestly pretty thrilled and have spent lots of time wearing it already :) )

• My sweet husband putting together toys for 3 days straight. Daddy.Of.The.Year. 
• Watching the boys play with all their fun new things.

I hope everyone else had a Very Merry Christmas as well!!