It was a slow and quiet, peaceful and calm Christmas Eve. We soaked up the day to ourselves, just the five of us, and savored actually having Cody at home with us for the first Christmas Eve in years. The fact that he didn't get called into work and we were able to all be together was exactly what this mama wanted this year!
We set the table for a nice breakfast to start our day, lighting the candles and enjoying chocolate milk and coffee, fruits and cinnamon rolls. When breakfast was cleared, the boys enjoyed some games together while Kaitlyn played and I made our traditional Jesus birthday cake.
We didn't yet have our cookies made for Santa so we spent some time during the afternoon frosting pre-packaged cookies from Martin Brothers. Yes, I cheat when it comes to sugar cookies, but I sure enjoy eating them more this way. ;) This is the second year in a row that I've bought the pre-cut cookies from MB, and they taste really good so I don't feel a bit guilty about it!
We took our time getting ready for the 5:00 candlelight service and all melted over Kaitlyn in her new Christmas dress. She looked like an angel, and we just couldn't get enough of her.
Church went so well. Though she didn't allow me to actually sit through the service, she did stay quiet and peaceful as we spent some of our time in the coffee shop and some of our time standing in the back of the service. We re-joined our family when it was time to light those candles, and I held my new baby girl so very close as we all sung Silent Night by candlelight. God showed his deep love for us by sending us a baby over 2,000 years ago, and He continues to show His deep love for us every time he blesses us with a baby in our own homes.
One of my favorite pictures with her, my dream girl.
The five of us returned home to chicken tortilla soup out of the crock pot, sparkling grape juice in real wine classes, and chocolate cake for Jesus. Unfortunately, Brandon had been battling a cold for a few days and by Christmas Eve night, he was feeling and looking pretty miserable. He had been such a trouper, but seeing my Christmas-loving kiddo not feeling himself and not in his usual Christmas spirit was breaking my heart. I wanted to give him some hope to wake up to on Christmas morning - I wanted him to know he was going to feel better soon - so Cody and Brandon took a last-minute visit to urgent care at 7:30 on Christmas Eve night and returned home with a sinus infection diagnosis, some steroid nasal spray and that yummy pink antibiotic drink that I used to love as a kid. Just knowing he was going to have relief soon seemed to perk him up, and I was grateful for the doctors and pharmacy staff that stayed at work a few minutes late to take care of our boy.
We put our baby to bed, prepped Santa's plate with some cake and cookies, watched The Star on Netflix, and eventually tucked our boys in tight.
My favorite night of the year to sit quietly in our living room and reflect on my blessings. Getting to celebrate Christmas with three kiddos and all the magic that comes with it is my favorite thing.
...and to all, a good night!
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