Christmas 2009

We had an amazing Christmas Eve night and Christmas morning at our house, just the four of usthis year. It was a pretty traditional (or at least traditional for us) Eve. We put London to bed a bit earlier than I planned (and if you read the last post, fill free to chuckle at me), so she didn't partake in quite everything, which is really OK because she wouldn't have really cared eitherway. But Dylan REALLY enjoyed every tradition this year.

The night was started off with a new thing for us,we had an ardors dinner, just a bunch of finger foods and dips. We let the kids sit in the living room around our coffee table with tree all lit up. It was so laid back and easy. We love it and Daniel and I plan for this to be a "forever tradition".

Then I read The Night Before Christmas to the kids. I always get a little choked up when I hear or read the first few lines of that story... it really does get me every time! After that, we put London Lou in the bed and continued the night with Dylan.

He and I made cookies for Santa, then laid on our bellies under the tree to write Santa a letter. I had to show him how to write a few of the letters, but he did "Dear Santa", "I 'heart' (with the heart shape) U", and signed his name. He interpreted the rest to me to write out for him. He also drew Santa a picture. I think the picture was of Dylan being Iron Man, or Zelda (I wish I would have written that down!). The text that he had asked me to write said "I want lots of toys. I have been good every year. That will be all." I had to giggle!Part of me wanted to prompt him to say a little more, but then the letter wouldn't have been straight from Dyl, so I let it be!

By then our cookies were ready, so we put them on there special plate and laid them by the chimney. This is when panic set in for me that we had used that last bit of milk already! It was snowing out (and we don't drive well in snow down here in the south!!) and everything was closed early due to Christmas Eve. So, I sent Daniel next door to our SWEET neighbors house to borrow a glass. Our neighbor just chuckled when Daniel asked for glass of milk for Santa and sweetly let us have. Whew. Crises averted. London was going to need a milk sippy first thing in the morning... so Santa saved the milk for her! haha.

With Milk and Cookies laid out, we curled up onto the couch and listened to Daniel tell the Christmas Story. It was nice to share the Birth of Jesus with Dylan and let him know why we, as Christians, celebrate the season. Then, it was bedy by time for him!

Daniel and I stayed up and put together a play kitchen for the two of them from "Santa", fixed up the stockings, and placed the presents under the tree. I was so excited to see the kids faces in the morning, that I was the last to bed and first awake!

Christmas morning was pretty much perfect, complete with it being a WHITE ONE (the first white Christmas I have EVER had!). I couldn't have asked for anything more. I just kept thinking the whole time how happy my heart was, watching my two sweet babies experiencing Christmas joy. The kids loved all of their presents. Dylan ripped into all of his, stopping only for a second to admire what it was that he had gotten. London wasn't too into the unwrapping process. She would get excited to see a baby doll or pony, she just didn't want to open it herself.

We let the kids play for a few hours (and mommy snuck in a nap), had lunch, and then packed up and headed out to Mississippi for 5 days of time with our family. We so enjoyed our trip! I'll come back and tell more about it in the next few days. We are so glad to be home again and have spent the evening just relaxing. The morning will be all about getting things into order again.

Hope everyone had as an amazing holiday as we did!

*On a side note, this post is getting too long... so I will post pictures of Christmas morning tomorrow! :)