Merry Christmas

Finally! Jonas was more than excited for this day. He was so excited, in fact, that he woke up at 1:20 a.m.! Thankfully, Santa is smart enough to place some gifts in my room for him so that Jonas can enjoy some Christmas fun without going into the living room or waking everyone else up. And, fortunately, Jonas was still too tired after seeing the puzzles, coloring book/pencils, and candy that he was totally ok to climb in bed with Jeff and I to fall back to sleep. Unfortunately, I wasn't really able to go back to sleep being sandwiched between Jeff and Jonas, but I wouldn't have had it any other way. These years are fleeting. I am enjoying the magic of the season through Jonas's eyes. Finally, 6:00 rolled around and it was time to get everyone up. Jonas was beyond excited to see that Santa not only brought his bow and arrows but also a target to shoot! Santa was also generous with what he placed in all the boys' stockings. For the next hour or so, our living room was a flurry of wrapping paper and excitement. In addition to the Christmas surprises, Danny and Jonas also opened a Disney gift card and were informed that we would be going to Disneyland at the end of January! I have wanted to take Jonas to Disneyland for awhile. I had planned to do so in 2020 but COVID put an end to that. Now we are finally able to go. Jonas will be fully vaccinated by then and Jeff, Danny, and I have even received our booster. We are excited!

The rest of Christmas Day was just spent with family. We had our traditional waffle breakfast that morning and our traditional prime rib dinner that night. During the day, Jonas bounced from toy to toy. Danny helped him construct his Legos. Jacob showed him how to shoot the bow. All the boys (minus Jacob) went on a little One Wheel ride (because we got another One Wheel for the family for Christmas). Unfortunately, Casey crashed and hurt his shoulder pretty bad. Thankfully, it wasn't more serious, but it was painful enough that he needed to get some imagining done. Jacob and Amber left around lunchtime but Gma, Grumpy, and the missionaries joined us that evening. We played more games and enjoyed a little chocolate and vinegar tasting. Jonas wasn't too impressed with the vinegars, but we all had fun. All in all, it was the perfect Christmas. It was a day of giving (and receiving). It was a day with family. It was a day of fun and laughter. And yes, it was even a day when we were able to take a moment to remember Christ.

(As a side note: for Christmas, Jeff got us a date to a cooking class at Harmon's. We've done this once before and really enjoyed it. This time was just as enjoyable. It was an evening of seafood. We learned how to make crab cakes, shrimp cocktail, lobster macaroni and cheese, and coconut beer battered shrimp. It was really fun and really yummy!)

Christmas Eve

I'm pretty sure Jonas thought this day would never come! He was so excited for Christmas and the few days leading up to it seemed endless to him, but here we are...finally! We started our day with making Santa's cookies then just hung out with the family until it came time to start our Christmas Eve traditions. Around 4:30 p.m., we started to assemble and put out the luminaries; however, the wind was against us that evening. The bags would not stay upright no matter how much sand we put in them to weigh them down. I just knew that all our efforts would be for naught if we continued. As we discussed the situation, I saw Jonas go over to the garage stairs and kneel down to pray. Tears filled my eyes as I saw this small act of faith. My heart was overwhelmed to see him pleading to the One whom we were celebrating that night. In that one act, Christmas was complete for me. In all the traditions, activities, and magic, Jonas still remembered Christ. Unfortunately, the wind didn't stop. We were unable to set out the luminaries that night...or even Christmas night. We were finally able to set them out Sunday evening after a beautiful sacrament meeting that morning and a heartfelt study of the Living Christ at home that afternoon. It was actually the perfect way to end our holiday weekend. I'm not sure what Jonas prayed for that night. Perhaps he wanted the wind to stop right then and there...and it didn't. Perhaps he wondered if God heard him or answered his prayer. I hope that Sunday night he realized He did. Sometimes God doesn't answer our prayers in the way we think is best or even in the time we desire, but He is always listening and the answers do come. 

After deciding to postpone our luminaries, we went inside to continue our Christmas Eve traditions. We had our Bethlehem dinner and Christmas Eve devotional. Jonas and Jacob played a Silent Night duet as we sang. I then read Luke 2 (intermixed with the children's book, Celebrating a Christ Centered Christmas). Danny played O Come Emmanuel on his cello and Laurin, Casey, and Carter dressed up as Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus as we all sang Away in a Manger. I cried again. I couldn't help it. I felt the Spirit in our home that night as I was surrounded by family. While I missed my own parents and siblings, I had gathered together our own little family. We were all there. This was Christmas for me. Because of his birth, life, death, and resurrection, I can continue to gather my family for eternity. 

The evening was finally coming to a close. We were getting closer and closer to Christmas morning. After our devotional, we celebrated little Carter's birthday. Laurin wasn't concerned about having a big party, but I still got some balloons and little decorations. He "opened" (with help) his gifts then he helped his family open their Christmas jammies...only to discover he's going to be a big brother!! Yup! Laurin is pregnant again. The next baby is due August 4th! We were so surprised and excited! We then put on our jammies  and played a couple of games before we decided it was time to go to bed so Santa could come.