Christmas

Christmas 2014 was such a sweet holiday full of fun memories, cute boys, and a whole lot of love.

It was a Christmas miracle that Christmas was fun at all, since Jon came down with the flu right before (not the stomach flu, the flu-flu, which is infinitely more awful; and I know that is really saying something). The doctor said that maybe, if he was really lucky, he would start to feel better Christmas Day. I was prepared for a Christmas of cartoons and popsicles, and present opening postponed until everyone was better; since the six days before had looked like this:

But Christmas Eve at around 4:30, Jon got off the couch and started playing with his toys... when he hadn't done either in days! By bedtime he fell asleep in his own bed and was actually asking about Christmas. So Christmas was saved, and it was a really beautiful day.

Nay Nay provided the matching Christmas jammies. Daddy read the Christmas story while we acted out the nativity with our nativity set (still no costumes in this house, unless Joseph and Mary were firefighters).

In the morning, we had french toast for breakfast. And in keeping with my great Christmas culinary tradition, I burned  something (this year the Pannetone bread that takes twenty. four. hours. to rise).

Jonathan handmade his gifts for everyone, and his little giving heart was so full of excitement that he forgot he also got presents on Christmas... well, until he opened the first one and then he was pretty sure every present that wasn't from him was for him. He wore his fighter-pilot helmet and carried around his nerf gun (he doesn't know they have darts, just enjoys the satisfying "click") around for days. I absolutely love three-year-olds.

Jon played airplane with the cockpit panel 

Dap and I made him, and read all of his books with Nay Nay.

Jon had made a serving spoon for Vovo (hot glued purple beads on the handle),
freezer cookie dough for Dap,
a clay handprint bowl for Nay Nay,
thumbprint cufflinks for Daddy,
an orange clay "snowplow with a jet engine" for Danelle, who he is pretty sure is his big sister,
a rice hot pad (airplane fabric, of course) for Mommy,
and a taggie for Ben (more airplane fabric and super colorful tags)

And while most of these were my ideas (except Danelle's snowplow), he did a lot of the work. I would even say most of it. He loved the idea of giving so much that he made clay things for all of his friends in his church class--which were random and hilarious. A train for Ca, a "curling machine to curl things on the tracks" for Cl, a "June holding a toy" for Ju, and a "bulldozer" for T.

Ben had a perfectly sweet first Christmas. His favorite gift by far was his taggie from Jon, followed by his awesome Hankie Frankie (moms of babies, this toy is amazing--look it up on Amazon). He is so smiley and sweet, and Christmas Day was no exception. He is simply a joy.

The boys continue to teach me to focus on what is most important about Christmas. It really makes no difference that I forgot to take any "present opening" pictures or that I burned the Pannetone. What matters most is honoring Christ by doing what he did and continues to do: give.

Oh yeah--and Christmas afternoon naps. They matter a lot, too.