Christmas Program

One of the highlights to our Christmas very year is the church program. Abigail was "Mary" this year and did a beautiful job. Everyone actually did great! One of the best sounds in the world is hearing children sing!

The morning following the performance, Abi had a little trouble coming to grips with reality. She was still in the actress mode, and felt the need to sit on the kitchen counter to eat.

Family Gatherings

Abigail loves to sit with Nana (Ray's mom) and Mr. Walter.

Hannah, Sarah, Lydia and Mary with Nana.

Papa loves to read to the littles.

Grandma (my mom) with Sarah and Brewer (my niece's son). Brewer fell in love with Sarah this visit because he found out that she's an EMT and gets to ride on an ambulance.

We had planned on having Christmas with my family at our house this New Year's but my mom got sick and couldn't travel. 

Christmas Morning

 We have the usual messy hair and pajamas pictures as everyone else. But I wanted to share a few of my favorite Christmas morning pictures.

When twelve people wake up to Christmas morning, the tree is going to look like we overdid the presents thing. This year we spent less, gave fewer gifts, and had a much more meaningful gift giving experience. 

Susannah and Josiah loved the playhouse.

 This gift was the the highlight of the gift giving all December. Someone learned that it had been Lydia's dream to play the cello. They bought one for her and gave her a year's worth of lessons. 

 She was blown away on Christmas morning when she found out.

The gifts didn't necessarily have to be so amazing as a cello to bring about great joy. Abigail, Susannah, and Josiah loved the box of peanuts that the cello came in. We had to literally drag them away from it to open presents.

Christmas Baking

I really like to make pretty food. When I started making a special cake for Christmas every year, I realized it was my favorite thing to cook. I've been using different recipes, some very detailed, some not. This year, I decided to make the easiest one I could find with the fewest ingredients -a vanilla cake with a buttercream frosting and we gobbled it up at our church Christmas dinner.

The day after Christmas, I was lamenting that I hadn't gotten to make any other desserts or special foods this year. I asked the girls what the one dessert they missed getting and without hesitation, they all agreed on pumpkin pie. I made one immediately and it was a huge success. 

Ornaments

There is a love/hate relationship with putting up Christmas decorations at our home every year. We love to see them up, but really dislike putting them out. We so dislike putting them out that this past year, we only put out half of them. 

But there's no doubt, one of my favorite things is the memories that each ornament brings. I have the ornaments that my mom bought in bulk and no longer wanted, the sweet handmade beauties from the girls, the silly elf-like things that are hidden on the back of the tree, photo ornaments that remind us of our aging, and precious gifts from friends and family. 

The girls each have a collection of ornaments that they have been adding to every Christmas. When they leave home, they'll each have a short lifetime of ornaments with which to begin their own trees. In this photo, I can see a glimpse of each of those treasures.

This funny looking bird was on a floral arrangement at my brother's funeral twenty-eight years ago.

Yes, I know Christmas is over, but I spent most of Christmas doing things other than blogging.

This is our den on Christmas morning. There are no "after" pictures.

This daily battle is over.

I no longer am fighting the urge to keep my house spotless because it's Christmas and trying to keep everything clean to give my family the Norman Rockwell image to remember. Nor am I letting the housework go because I want my family to have these beautiful experiences of baking cookies, wrapping gifts and sipping hot chocolate while we enjoy the glow of the season.

Is it a real battle? Or did I make that up? What's important? Now that Christmas is long past, can you even remember what you did on many days during December? Were you purposeful in your days or did you let each day fall out as it could?

Christmas isn't the only time I fight that fight. Do I stay very strict and keep the house running smoothly, or do I throw up my hands and and let the laundry land where it lands? I often battle the "idol" of order in my home.

Hopefully, my children will remember a balance. They'll remember being allowed to have fun in our home, but not being embarrassed to bring their friends inside. We live in our home and we live hard, and there's no one going to be eating off of our floors. The bedroom can't be a fire trap, but I may need to keep the doors closed more than I'd like.

Stacks of books mean people are interested in things. Toys mean that children are allowed to do their "work." Laundry on the sofa for a week? Well, that's when I start to get uneasy with myself. It's all about balance. Norman Rockwell didn't paint the picture of a messy house for a reason.

There's no Norman Rockwell theology here, just a message to myself about balance. Next week I'll be dreaming of dusted furniture and Abigail will probably still be riding her bicycle in the house.

O Christmas Tree

This past weekend we went to get our Christmas tree. It was such a fun day for us all! But a stop at Waffle House was necessary first. Everywhere we go, people stop and stare. It's always funny to see the people counting and trying to figure out which child goes with which parent.

Getting the perfect Christmas tree has become one of those traditions that we can't seem to stop.

We like a little waffle with our butter and coffee.

Sarah found someone to give her heart to...

Mary and Hannah accidentally matched too much.

Susannah was looking for a tree.

Have you ever seen Christmas with the Kranks? Just call me Nora and call Lydia Blair.

Josiah has won every girls' heart.

Ray and I don't get too many pictures in these days, but he's won my heart.

And Christmas Afternoon the 25th

So instead of going to spend the night with Nana, Ray's mom, we thought there were too many  of us coughing and not feeling good. By Christmas afternoon, Lydia was at urgent care because her cough and fever was out of control. She has bronchitis. 

As of today, everyone in our house has been sick since last Sunday. We have been in and out of urgent care and cvs with bronchitis and flu symptoms. All flu tests have been negative but the doctors aren't convinced that we haven't had the flu. Whatever it is, it's been painful! Abigail has had a fever off and on for seven days and has gotten quite puny. The symptoms have gone five to six days of fever, coughing, body aches, and some nausea. This is one Christmas we will remember.

Lydia was given a mask to wear because her cough alarmed the entire waiting room. She's been a trooper and helping a lot since she was the first one down and the first one to get get well.

Christmas Morning On the 24th

Because we were planning to go to visit family on Christmas Day and the day after, we wanted to have our Christmas on the morning of the 24th.

I filled large trash bags with each of the children's gifts and wrote their names on giant tags.

This is how Ray and I opened every present.

The fun started when the girls started opening their bags. We had also filled balloons and put them in their bags so that when they opened it the balloons would float to the ceiling.

It turned out to be a great idea and so much fun. The presents in the bags were also wrapped but the balloons kept little ones excited while they waited for their turn to open.

Our friend Josh made this amazing table and stools for Susannah and Josiah. The pictures that he put the top of it are some that Rachel had started when she was a little girl. The clear coat will keep them preserved for a long time and the table is perfect for snacks and playing.

Our ceiling was dotted with balloons all day long. The purchase of a small helium tank form Walmart was well worth its price.

Some Fun Christmas Events

Christmas cookies and Caroling at the Beals' home

 Church Christmas Program