Christmas Blessings

What a great Christmas! I suppose I say that nearly every year but it was an especially good one. Our boys had a wonderful time opening gifts but were in no hurry as they enjoyed each gift as they opened it. They were each so excited to give the gifts they had selected for their brothers which was incredibly sweet! I saw a mature and giving spirit in the older two that blessed me - they truly enjoyed the giving almost as much as the receiving. It was a beautiful day and I so enjoyed just being with my family. There was no rush and no commitments just a day to spend together - talking, laughing, eating and playing.

I was suprised by the depth of emotion I felt and perhaps I often feel at the holidays. Not just the feeling of being blessed but the feeling of having already received the greatest gifts ever in the form of three little boys. Boys who do not share our DNA and who would not have "naturally" crossed our paths and yet are so definitely ours in every way...our own children...our blessings. It is not only overwhelming to see God's hand and work in our family but it is also overwhelming to know how many children don't have families. And that is something constantly on my heart. Rarely does a day go by that I do not feel burdened for them. So, intermixed with my amazing and awesome day, I couldn't help but feel sad for those children and wonder what more I can do, what more our family can do.

Anyway, it was truly a great day. The depth of love I feel for my husband and sons is unrivaled...they are incredible.

All right, enough sap. :) Pictures will be posted when I get them off the camera...in other words...soon. :)

Merry Christmas!

The plan for tonight as told to us by our boys is this, "We will tiptoe quietly down the stairs (Titus, we will help you get out of your crib). We will hide under the table and watch for Santa to come and eat the cookies and then go back up the chimney. Mom & Dad, would you like to hide with us?"

It has to be one of the sweetest invitations ever. The irony of it all is that we have never really "done Santa" and have always told them he is pretend. :) Nevertheless, they believe and we have decided to let them. So, we will put out the cookies, milk, and carrots, and we will write a little note from Santa to leave out for them. Who knows, you may even find us crouching underneath the table come midnight tonight. :) Oh to be young again.

Hard to believe we actually got not one but two pictures with all three smiling. :) And even Pippi got in on the action - she loves being held!

From our family to yours, We wish you a very blessed and Merry Christmas! You have blessed us in so many ways as we have gone through transition and challenge and joy this year!

A Christmas Eve Tradition

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve. Hard to believe this year is so quickly coming to an end! The boys are beyond thrilled that Christmas is almost here. Each time Santa appears in a book, picture, commercial, movie etc.,Titus has been exclaiming with great excitement, "Ho, ho!!!"

We open our first gift on Christmas Eve - it's always a new pair of pajamas. It heightens the excitement for the other things stowed under the tree, ensures an excellent night's sleep (seriously, who doesn't love new jammies?), and makes for cute pictures. It's a tradition we started when the boys first came home and I love it. We cuddle up in our pajamas, read a few stories, and drink egg nog or hot chocolate by the Christmas tree. It's cozy and sweet. I love these years of innocence and magic and wonder.

Anyway, the gifts are almost all wrapped and the house is (mostly :)) clean. Tomorrow night, after our fun traditions, we will stuff the stockings, finish putting the gifts out and then sleep as long as three very excited little boys will let us. I'm betting we will be up by 6:15 on Christmas Morning. :) 

A Boy & His Dog

These two share a special bond. A mutual admiration. Calvin is an animal lover in general and Pippi is always glad for the extra attention he gives her. He calmly and soothingly talks to her, scratches her neck, pets her, and holds her. It's sweet to see.

Does It Get Any Cuter?

I don't think so. He brings us the camera and says, "Cheese, Cheese," which means, "Please take my picture." :) He is talking up a storm lately which is adorable..I love it! Hard to believe our youngest is 28 months!

Open House!

We enjoyed having our open house last Saturday! It is always a joy to welcome people in to our home. I think we had about 60 or so family and friends stop by during the evening. Here are some pictures of the table and food - I was too busy visiting and re-stocking the food to take pictures of anything else.

Various Things

I have so much to blog about and yet am running out of hours in the day! So here are some quick updates:

- I've had the pleasure of taking each of my boys on a "date" night for their Christmas shopping and a meal out. Delightful. I love spending time with them individually and watching their thought process as they carefully selected gifts for their brothers.

- We had a wonderful open house and enjoyed welcoming family and friends into our home. It was a surprisingly stress-free day and we even got a few home projects done (like touching up paint on the walls :)).

- I went back into the cookie business for the holidays and so have made and shipped several dozen. I decided to do it because someone asked me if I would and I couldn't resist. :) I love to bake cookies! Simply Sweets is the name I settled on and $1/dozen is donated to one of my very favorite charities - Two Hearts for Hope.

- Christmas shopping is nearly done. Gifts is one of my main love languages - I love giving them and I enjoy receiving them, too. :) I like to think about the individuals I'm shopping for and so I carefully plan (starting in September or October) and then shop. Andrew was pretty much the hardest but I think he will like what I got him. :) It's actually been one of the hardest years - not sure why. I'm happy to be almost done so I can get things wrapped - I do not enjoy last minute shopping and preparation. I'm a planner. :)

- Calvin had an appointment for his ears this week in Chicago. We just love the staff at the Shriner's Hospital. The audiologist and ENT were the only ones we were scheduled to see this week but we said 'hi' to lots of others, too. :) We took them a cookie tray to say thanks for all they do - they have blessed our family tremendously and I know they bless many others also! Anyway, Calvin has fluid on his right ear again and has a hole in his left eardrum which actually prevents the fluid build-up and is okay. Thankfully, he passed his hearing test and is doing pretty well in that arena. So, we are waiting. We will go back in May for a full team evaluation.

- Tomorrow is my work Christmas party which will be fun! We are going to a local tea house.

- This weekend we are hoping to get some things done around the house and finish Christmas preparations. We thought about heading to a local creamery for their Christmas on the Farm but I think we will probably pass this year. We've had colds and it's been a very long and busy week. 

We are all looking forward to Christmas! The boys can hardly contain their excitement and honestly, I just love giving gifts, so I'm pretty excited, too! :)

Totally Gross

My son, P, is seriously concerned about whomever lives in the sewers. How did this come up you ask? Well, he is feeling a little puny today and so I told him that if he needed to vomit, he could use the bowl or the toilet. He exclained that it was quite disgusting to use the toilet - to which I shared the information that we dump the bowl there. He was rather shocked and explained that he is thinks those who live down there will think the yucky water is gross. I agree. But then again, let's hope it's just sewer rats and the like. :) 

Dreaming

Calvin woke up this morning and told me about a dream last night. It was precious and I simply must record it.

"Mom, I dreamed that someone took Pippi (our dog). And I called 911 and the police came. I got Pippi back and the policeman gave me the handcuffs so I could put them on the bad man. And Pippi came back.

Are you so proud of me, Mom, for saving the day?"

He then spent some quality time with Pippi - petting her and loving on her. I think it was a little too real for him - he loves our dog.

This is the first time that he has told us a dream in such detail. It was so sweet.