“This is Christmas” by Kutless has become our family’s favorite song this year! We listen to it over and over again. It has been a constant reminder to us of what we really celebrate! There are some special things to me each year as we get the house ready for Christmas and they have nothing to do with gifts.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE the card tree we got last year. It is such a fun way to display the cards that we get this time of year and remember all our friends and family.
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| We love to see each family update and reflect on all the relationships we have been blessed with. |
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| Our annual Christmas card photo! |
Since the first Christmas we were parents (the Christmas of 2005 when we were eagerly preparing for Gracie’s arrival) we have done a photo ornament of each of the girls that hangs on the tree.
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| This was the one from last year that we had done. Maggie's is identical with her photo. I also added the letters for our names this year to the tree and just love them! |
Since we have been married we have added a glass Christmas ornament to the tree as well as purchase one for each of the girls that is put up for when they have a place of their own. They will have ornaments for their first tree! I love the glass, the colors, the shape, and the uniqueness of each of them.
I am already thinking of what other neat things we will add through the years that will make up our Christmases as the girls grow and look back on the holidays at home.
While I am very OCD about packages and how the gifts I wrap are under the tree just right, if there is ever a day when the gifts to me from Jimmy and the girls are wrapped perfectly I will be very sad. Its fair to say that gift wrapping is not a gift that Jimmy has, but I always know they were picked out with love and me in mind and wrapped with just as much love and care!
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| Ready for Christmas Morning! (the green packages are my gifts) |
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| We made chocolate chip cookies for Santa and a few for us Christmas Eve night. |
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| Cookies were ready1 |
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| One of our favorite things to do is to give the girls new Christmas jammies on Christmas Eve then make hot chocolate and drive around and look at houses decorated with Christmas lights. |
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| I always wrap their jammies in thee cute paint buckets! |
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| Red and white! Its getting harder to match them the older they get! |
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| Sweet sisters! |
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| I love how their eyes sparkle! |
Lyrics:
What is Christmas?
If there never was a Savior wrapped in a manger.
What is Christmas without Christ?
Remember how the story goes,
God's gift was wrapped in swaddling clothes,
Beneath the star, one great and holy night.
The shepherds heard the angels sing,
The wise man brought an offering,
Peace on Earth began in Bethlehem
Have we lost the reason that we celebrate each year?
This year Jimmy’s parents spent Christmas Eve and Christmas morning with us. We had told the girls they could not get up until 6:30am, but Lynn said Gracie at about 2:30am starting asking every hour if it was time yet? Maggie woke up several times and ended up in our bed about 5am eager to wake up. She said she wondered if Santa has brought her the baton she asked for as well as a Kindle and a puppy! What? I quickly figured out she meant a kennel (to go with the puppy) but told her I was certain that a puppy was not waiting for her!
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| Waiting while everyone makes coffee before they could go out into the family room. |
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| So excited and trying to wait patiently. |
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| One of my favorite pics of them tip toeing out! |
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| Stocking time! |
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| Yes, she got the "baton that will not break" |
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| Gracie loves jewelry! |
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| Gracie got make up as she asked for. |
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| These smiles sum up Christmas in our house! |
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| Papa! I think they enjoyed the morning! |
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| Grammy! We loved having them here to watch the girls! |
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| Papa says "Super Sisters". The girls each picked out these shirts separately for each other. |
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| The big surprise…...iPad Minis! |
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| The girls are quite excited about iPad Minis! |
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| The girls both got a Vera Bradley purse from Grammy and Papa and have toted them everywhere we have gone! |
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| She looks so grown up! |
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| Art time on their new art mats! |
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| Two peas in a pod, Maggie and Papa |
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| We love having family with us! |
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| Silly! |
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| Christmas morning pic! The girls had already changed into their new clothes and were out of their Christmas jammies! |
We had a lovely morning enjoying sharing gifts and watching the girls faces in surprise. Jimmy cooked pancakes on the grill which has become a family favorite and we spent some time visiting before Grammy and Papa headed to Atlanta and we embarked on “Operation Christmas Take Down”. Yes, for this OCD Mommy and a husband who likes to enjoy the rest of our time off without chores we always get the house back in order and by Christmas night it looks like it never happened.
