Day 8: Christmas Cards Orders

Because it's late and not all of our lovely new family photos made it on the front of our Christmas card, I'm just going to leave a couple for you right here!

I love these little girls heart and soul.
They are precious to me.
They're my favorite little girls in the whole world.

Grace and Peace

Day 7: Morning Time

Life. Is. Busy.

So busy that no good words are coming out tonight. I keep typing and back spacing.  I'm trying to make space for all that I have going in my head, but not able to squeeze out any worthwhile thoughts.

This old blog used to be a space for me to pour out every feeling I had, but by the time I get  around to tapping out these Christmas posts, it is late and all I can think is "I am so tired, take me to my bed."  I actually think I wept when I finally laid down last night.

Since it is much the same tonight-late, I'll leave you with these pictures from morning time.  Everyone woke up happy today.  We played a round of Christmas memory, read a sweet story called "The Puppy Who Wanted a Boy for Christmas" and recited  phonics and math flash cards....

Life is busy, but life is good and we are blessed.  Please don't ever confusing my tired state of mind as complaining.

Yes!  It's good.

Grace Peace and Rest

Oh Christmas Tree Part 2

I know that I already wrote about our Christmas Tree, but I thought it was worth mentioning again because the lead up excitement to decorating it was huge!  Every kid in my house asked everyday, can we decorate now, can decorate now, can we decorate now?  This went on right up until the moment of actually decorating, when one child ask why I never let her have play dates with so and so.  I gently responded, BECAUSE WE ARE DECORATING THE TREE, REMEMBER THE THING YOU HAVE BEEN ASKING TO EVERY THREE MINUTES SINCE FRIDAY.  There was one point that I looked up and realized that I was the only one in the room decorating.  

Ah family togetherness. 

Tonight, I remembered that I had taken a few pictures of the joyous event.  I think they'll paint the picture nicely of how we gathered as a family to make a beautiful Christmas memory.   I don't know which picture is my favorite, the partially lit tree, or Cooper lying on the floor expressing himself.  You pick!

Holly jolly friends!  I'll try to snap some better pictures tomorrow.

Just a Little Sadness: Day 5

The very first time I ever watched White Christmas, was at my Gram's house in Florida.  If I close my eyes I can picture it in mind, photos of every family member taped together in frames draped with  palm fronds, knick-knacks on every shelf and red jello in the fridge.  The candy dish on the coffee table properly stocked with Werther Originals and Coffee Nips and the neighborhood phone book stacked underneath.  

I can hear the way my lovely Grams would say my name, "Hi Car," never my full name, which maybe is why I shorten just about everyone's name I know. I can hear her saying "you take care, ya here," at the end of every talk. Oh, I can hear her laugh!

I got a Christmas card in the mail today from one of my aunts and just for a moment, I thought it was from Grams.  Their handwriting so similar, I thought for second that even in her absence she was prepared to send me a Christmas card.

I do miss her.  Sometimes I don't think it's possible that a woman with such energy and zest for life could be gone.  I've  reached for the phone just to chat with her because I forget that she's left this life for her forever home.  She is at rest with in the loving arms of our Creator but she is so dearly missed.  So just for today, I'll bring the Christmas hype down just a notch to say that  losses are hard, goodbyes are sad, but Christmas is good.  The promise of Christmas is that we do not mourn with those that do not have hope.  We know that we will see her again.

She'll be the one on the dance floor, laughing and smiling and having the best time.

Christmas Photos: Day 4

Dear Kids,

Mama needs a good picture to mail to all of our friends and family this Christmas.

Could you
1.  All smile at once
2.  Not run away from the camera
3.  Not cry while pictures are being taken


Thanks.

Love,

Your Doting Mother

Oh Christmas Tree

We have the most beautiful Christmas tree this year.  It is sitting in our living room with no lights and  only the bottom half decorated.  We might get it decorated by December 24th. Maybe.  We also have to demo the kitchen, do the laundry, close out my business for the year, educate children, go grocery shopping, and the list goes on and on.

We promised the kids on Wednesday night that we would take them to get a tree, but that fell through.  Then we promised to take them on Thursday night which also fell through.  Friday night we were really tired, but we sucked it up and took them anyway, and had a great time.  The kids ran through the labyrinth of tress, too excited to actually help us pick one.

They hid behind the giants and claimed they wanted the small ones all for themselves.  To make their night even more special, right before we finally picked our tree, our friends pulled up  to pick their's!  So what was already a fun night, turned into a Christmas Tree picking party!

Happy tree trimming folks...I hope that ours will get there eventually.

Grace and Peace

Any Excuse To Get Dressed Up: Day 2

My sister told me that when we were little my Mom took us to see the Nutcracker.  I might have a vague recollection of this but it's a fuzzy memory at best .  Today, I took Libby and Maggie to see the Richmond Ballet and Virginia Symphony Orchestra perform their rendition of the Nutcracker.  It was so beautiful.  I wish I had a picture to show you because everything from the costumes, the set design, the dancers, everything was beautiful.  By the end of the second act, Maggie was twisting in her chair and asking for a snack, but other than that, it was perfect. The girls favorite part was when the little brother in the beginning of  the ballet gets a spanking for being naughty.  My favorite part was the Snow Queen and King dance with the Snowflakes.  Here are a couple pictures I snapped of the girls before we left this morning.  They were excited to wear their Christmas dresses for this year.

December is off with a bang.  We got a Christmas tree tonight and I'm happy to report, there was no repeat of last year.  I'll save the Christmas tree story for another night.

Grace and Peace

Dear December: Day 1

Dear December,

Welcome back!  It's time to dust off this old blog and bring it back for another Christmas countdown.  I know, I know, at this point I might as well just use some other form of social media since I've all but left this one behind.  But the truth is that late at night, when everyone else is sleeping I visit this old thing and remember how charmed our lives have been for the last eight years.  I just can't say goodbye yet.

Somehow, we are facing the end of another year, but first Christmas!  December, on your first day you brought excitement to my children that only an idyllic picture on the front of a Christmas card could.  The kind where snow gently kisses the branches of evergreen trees and the warm glow of a fire lights tiny houses.  The kind where cookies don't cause you to gain pounds and children are always nestled snug in their beds never fighting bedtime one bit.

I'm glad your back. I have been trying to create traditions  and memories for my darlings for years now, but this year I hear them taking ownership of our traditions. Ready to hang those stockings just where we do every year.  Gently reminding each other that the handless wise man goes on the other side of the Nativity shepherd, and be careful with that that camel, remember what Coop did to the head last year.

No one ever told me how fast all this would go, a sentiment that I've said a million times before.  Tonight my little girls sat together in bed and told stories of Santa and everything they loved about Christmas. When they weren't looking I wipe a tear from my eye and wished so hard that I could freeze time.

I'm happy you're back December,  your memories are some of my favorites.

Grace and Peace

Pictures Are Better Than Words

December 23rd: Jones Family Christmas Eve

I think tonight I'll call it a wrap.  Tomorrow will be our Jones family Christmas, and then all bets are off for me getting back to a computer to write.  

We have listened to a lot of Christmas music these last few weeks.  I have Pentatonix on repeat.  I have caught myself daydreaming that my voice would blend perfectly with their stunning acapella tunes.  Then I think this is what heaven is going to sound like, except like a million times better. Then I wonder if the thousands of people who sing these songs at Christmas have any idea of the magnitude of the words that they are singing.  They so beautifully deliver the most powerful story in history.  We casually walk through malls or grocery stores and hear these words and I wonder if I have become numb or immune to the power in their words.  

With all the fun, and all the red and green, the cookies, the hot chocolate and everything else, I hope that we can always remember why we take a whole month out of  the year to celebrate.  I hope that we can let the power of the Christmas story penetrate us right down to our souls.

 Tonight when I tucked Cooper into bed, I asked him what Christmas was about and he answered Jesus.  Why, yes, my little son, you are correct.  May !

Happy Christmas friends! May yours be warm and cozy and all you hoped it would be.

December 22: The Big Santa Fail

We go to see the big man every year.   I love it.  I love how I can feel their excitement surging out of their bodies on the drive there, walking the red carpet to his chair and then pulling back a little when they realize seeing Santa involves sitting on a stranger's lap.  I wait for that magical moment  when they see him and their eyes sparkle with all the hopes of what meeting this man could mean...

Well none of that happened this year.
Some of it happened, I guess, but let me retell our Santa-tale for you.  Obviously, we are kind of running out of time to see him.  I mean, Thursday is a pretty big night for him. The kids had not asked to go see him, but of course I think that their childhood might fall to pieces if we miss sitting on Santa's lap one year.

I washed them and dressed them pretty, I even brushed their hair. We drove 45 minutes because a Santa that is say, 15 minutes away isn't good enough for my kids.  Nothing but the over-commercialized best for my darlings.

Let me stop here and say that the reason I forgot my post yesterday was because I was wrapping presents into the wee hours of the morning.  When I finally did go to sleep, I think I had to wake up for the day.  To say that there was no coffee cup deep enough is an understatement, but I was determined to see Santa, not matter if I was kind of sleep walking all day.

When we walked in to the mecca of Santaland at 2 pm a cheery snotty little elf handed me a "Santa-Pass" that said come back at 6:30 pm.  Four and a half hours wait to see Santa.  Yep, you read that right, four and a half hours to see Santa.

So basically I shimmied the kids up to the edge of the red carpet and said "hey kids wave to Santa, from a distance, maybe just shout what you want"  like "hey Santa, if you could just add a train, a robotic cat and every stuffed animal in the land to your list you'll have the Jones kids covered."  I gave him a thumbs up and a wink as I was shouting and clicking my camera but I think he just gave me a dirty look.  I could feel his sparkling eyes and his cheeks like cherries starring me down saying "hey lady, where's your Santa pass?  Take a number and get in line with the rest of these crazy parents."

No worries Santa, my kids liked the train better.

So that was it, we missed Santa. While I might be crazy enough to drive 45 minutes to see him,  I know better than to wait 4 1/2 hours in a crowded store when I'm running on no sleep and Starbucks.

I'm pretty sure that Babs and Grandma are much more attentive than Santa anyhow...
Until next year.

Happy Christmas xoxo