Christmas

Its so amazing...sitting back to watch your family have Christmas. All is well, and everyone is home. This year it was particularly special, because it was Tyler's first Christmas, and Jason's second Christmas. How funny to have a child one year, and another one the next! It definitely has been exciting, and so much fun.
Christmas eve I woke up early, made a Christmas Breakfast, and was setting the mood in my houes (tree lights on, candles burning, Christmas music playing softly in the background), when Jason came out of our room where he had slept the night before. When I said "do you want to open presents now?", he ran over to the tree, and picked up the gift that he had picked out for me all by himself, and gave it to me. It was so precious! How wonderful to have him already know the joy of giving, rather than racing to open his own gifts!
We had our little family time, eating breakfast, reading the Christmas story, opening gifts, and playing together.

We put everything in the car, and went to Jonathan's family's house. It was a bit of a crazy day there, but finally, everyone was there, and we had a wonderful time giving "our persons" their gifts :) It was great having all the kids running around. After that, we went to my parents house, to have Christmas with my mom's side of the family...the Cardinals. Both my cousins were home from school, and it was so nice to see them again! It was also the first time we were able to meet our niece, Madeleine! She is so beautiful!! It was also fun having Ari and Stephanie meet Tyler for the first time. We held each others' babies and had so much fun talking. Everyone sang carols, and then we, again, gave "our persons" their gifts. Jonathan got a remote control helicopter...goodness, you should have seen Jason's face watching it fly around the room, lights flashing!! He could have swallowed an elephant with how wide his mouth was open in shock and joy :)

After a late night (and a crying children all night long), we woke up Christmas morning, and had our family Christmas with my parents....all my siblings were together again-with a couple extra's ;) After breakfast, I helped mom wrap ALL her presents (we made record time!), and then we opened gifts, and took pictures, and sang, and it was so fun. I truly kept thinking about that song, "Have yourself a merry little Christmas".

"Here we are as in olden days, happy golden days of yore...faithful friends who are dear to us, gathered near to us once more. Through the years we all will be together if the Lord allows...hang a shining star upon the highest bough, and have yourself a merry little christmas now."

It almost makes me cry now, thinking about it :) We ate dinner, and then got ready to go to Grandma and Grandpa Mayfield's house. It was wonderful to see everyone, but almost as soon as everyone got there, we had to leave because Jason got sick. I had to admit that I was happy to go home with my own little family, knowing that all of our families were together and happy, and all was well still :) Jason was a trooper, and we stayed up late with him, playing "Yahtzee!".

All in all, it was a wonderful Christmas.