Merry Christmas!

Christmas morning started off very rough, with my two youngest girls breaking family rules, getting up at 5:30, and emptying all the stockings. Then they went and woke up their siblings and told them what was in their stockings. I was awakened by three tearful older kids who had the surprise of their stockings ruined by their two disobedient little sisters. I cried with them...made me so mad! Especially since the last thing I told them before they went to bed last night was to stay in bed until Daddy came in to get them, and absolutely not to touch the stockings and presents. Sigh.

After birthday breakfast for Jesus, things turned around. We didn't start right into gifts. We took time to do some reading and reflecting on what Christmas is really about. We also talked with the kids about thankfulness, and not taking Christmas gifts for granted. We opened gifts slowly, savoring each one. We took time to talk about the giver of each gift, too. It ended up being very sweet, even if the start of the day was marred.

We have friends coming over for Christmas dinner. The turkey is done. The mashed potatoes are in the crock pot keeping warm. The green bean casserole is in the oven keeping warm. The cranberries and cider are back in the fridge. Our friends are an hour late. If they don't arrive soon, I think we'll just go ahead and eat.

I plan to spend the rest of the day just relaxing and enjoying the Christmas glow. I hope your Christmas was beautiful and peaceful, and a time of joy with your family. I'll leave you with a new photo of me. I'm 24 weeks pregnant today, and this little one continues to be incredibly active. I'm enjoying feeling her dancing inside of me. Merry Christmas!

Emily