Christmas 2013...

We started Christmas break with one sick kiddo but we made the most of it reading lots and lots of books and watching some movies.

Christmas Eve was extra special this year because Wes led worship for 4 services at church and Micaiah joined him playing drums for "Go Tell It On the Mountain."  Joshua was part of the kids choir that sang that song too.

One of my favorite memories other than Christmas Eve service will be the boys giving gifts to one another.  They were so excited to pick out the gift and I loved watching them interact as they gave/received the gifts.

Christmas morning came early with Joshua continuing his Christmas morning tradition of looking at his stockings, getting really excited and then throwing up...yep, real life there folks.  Sometimes it ain't pretty (especially if you have a strong gag reflex).

  Micaiah was just as excited as you can see in the pictures below.

Eli's facial expressions are always fun to see.  He definitely is the most animated when opening his gifts.

Will was so excited to find M + M's in his stocking...

Poppy joined us Christmas morning...

Eli showing us his really loose teeth on Christmas morning...

Will playing with his new favorite train...

And then he snuggled up in Mommy's sweater after a long morning... I have memories of doing the same thing with my mom.

Christmas day was what I would consider "ugly-beautiful." It came with great joy, anticipation and delight but also with feelings of sadness (missing family members that are no longer with us, broken family relationships and the realization that some family members live too far away to enjoy a meaningful connection during the holidays).  

I think these are common feelings at this time of the year.  If we allow them to...they ultimately point us to the one that promises redemption.  He came as a child to live among us and promises to return and make all things right.    

 "If we can see Christmas as a foreshadowing of future lasting joy and not an attempt to fulfill our dreams, we can unburden it from unrealistic expectations and transpose the melancholy of its passing into hope." ~~Jon Bloom