Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! I feel absolutely, incredibly blessed today! I have had the best Christmas season ever, I think. We kept things so much simpler this year – spending less, giving more, not trying to go to every activity, making sure we had time for just R and me, time for just our family of 3, and time with extended friends and family.

I am so proud of Bug right now! She was amazing yesterday and today. Last night she got to open a present after church. She knew she was going to get one, and she was so excited about it. She had it all built up in her mind, and you could just tell she thought it was going to be the best thing EVER! She even talked about how we would all get to play with her new toy and how she would share it with us. I was concerned she was going to be disappointed when she realized it was just jammies.

But, she was so excited about them and put them on immediately. Unfortunately, I should have washed them first because they were a little uncomfortable on her, so she put her old ones back on, and was so content with it. What a little blessing she was with her great spirit and attitude!

Today, Christmas Day, she was so sweet and tenderhearted. She was patient, kind, loving, and a pure joy to be with! We opened stockings first, and she took her time, enjoying each and every thing that came out of her stocking. She stopped to play with or enjoy each item. When we stopped to go play in the snow (first white Christmas in North Texas in 83 years!), she got involved in that, and had a great time, never once asking about the other gifts under the tree or rushing us.  Once we came back to the gifts, she wanted R and me to go first (but we didn’t take her up on it).  She was truly thankful and appreciative for each of her gifts (doll clothes, and 2 animal skeleton books). She took time to play with them and look at them without rushing, then she showed genuine interest in what R and I opened as well.

She did this in the afternoon at my parents’ house too. We got there and hung out a bit, and we actually had to tell her that she was the kid and she was supposed to ask when we opened presents!  When we were opening them, she took her time to enjoy the gifts, to really stop and play with each one as if it was the only gift in the world she had. She slowed down and watched as others opened their gifts, and seemed genuinely interested in what they were doing. She was kind, polite, thankful, and so much fun to be with! I am so proud to be her mommy!

I was proud of my parents and R’s family too! Everyone was very generous with their gifts, but also kept it simple and reasonable in their gifts to Bug. She was able to truly enjoy her gifts without being overwhelmed with too many packages to open. She received things that she loves and enjoys and things that are perfect fits for her personality and interests – really meaningful gifts.

R and I were a bit spoiled by our parents – even more than Bug was this year. I feel humbled and so blessed to have parents that love us so much, and that even though we are out of work and can not reciprocate this year, they went all out to get us things they knew we wanted, but would never buy for ourselves.

I also feel blessed because we got to spend the day with my parents AND R’s family – in ONE location – as usual. My parents, his mom, his grandmother, and his uncle, all getting along and having a great time. We’ve always been very blessed and fortunate that not only do we get along with each other’s families, but they also get along so well with each other and really enjoy each other’s company.

I feel like we finally got it right this season. We slowed down and kept the focus on Christ. We gave more than we received and did our small part to help the “least of these”. We gave thoughtful, meaningful gifts rather than gifts for the sake of giving. We cherished our time with our family.

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for coming to us over 2000 years ago, in such a humble beginning even though you deserved so much more. Thank you for coming as a baby, so that you could grow and experience life on earth as a human. So that you would know about anything we could ever go through, and be there for us. So that you, could live a sinless life and die for our sins, so that we could live with Our Father one day in Heaven. We love you! Happy Birthday, Jesus!