Christmas at Home

Christmas Eve & Day were low key, partially because we wanted them to be & partially because we had a sick puppy dog that needed to be cared for. Looking back at the week, it was perfect.  Christmas Eve we had planned to go to the service at CCC but Bennett had really started declining & had some labored breathing going on so we stayed put on the couch. 

The girls got their bath, put on some PJs & went to bed while the three of us began our cheese and wine night (or Diet Coke WITH caffeine for those of us who cannot enjoy wine ; )  The two bottles Robby bought were called "Bennett's Family" & "Irony." Not sure what else to say about that. I did have a sip of the Bennett's one & it was amazing. I ate my fair share of the cheese, crackers & nuts as we watched Home Alone before going to bed. It was quite relaxing. 

Christmas morning, everyone slept until 7:30. We got moving, made some sausage balls, sliced some fruit & sat down to read the Christmas Story from The Jesus Storybook Bible. The girls were crazy & so disinterested in listening or sitting still.  They weren't even aware that they were about to open gifts, they were just in one of those busy moods : ) 

They opened their twin babies & diaper bags first & we could have called it quits after that! They were SO excited & spent a good 30 minutes caring for their new little babies.  Charlotte's baby went poopie about 5 times in the first 10 minutes so we did a lot of diaper changing.  Eloise's baby was quite hungry so she took care of getting him a full tummy. I LOVE seeing them with babies & even pretend ones.  They are naturally so careful & gentle talking in the sweetest voices.  It will be amazing to see them with the real Owen & Anson! 

After playing with the babies, we convinced them to open another gift. Eloise gave Charlotte a new Hello Kitty necklace.  Eloise did not actually know that is what she got for her sister & even if she did, she would have probably had the same response ; ) Charlotte was delighted that her sister had chosen & wrapped a gift just for her. She opened the box to find a purple & pink beaded necklace with Hello Kitty right in the front.  She squealed & Eloise did too as she ripped it from Charlotte's hands saying "me! me! neckees!" It was great! Both girls love to accessorize so one more "neckees" to add to the jewelry box will surely bring some smiles. 

Charlotte buying a gift for Eloise this Christmas will be a story I never forget.  She has had a piggy bank for about 4 months now.  She earns coins for feeding the dogs, helping take them outside & various other things We have not really talked much about spending the money in the piggy bank until the weeks leading up to Christmas.  Once we mentioned it, she brought it up on her own one day saying that she would like to buy Eloise a Christmas gift with her coins.  I asked what she thought Eloise would like to have. She gave it a good 5 minutes of thinking time while we were in the car & said that Eloise would like to have a duckie for the bathtub.  I thought that was a perfect idea for two reasons, Eloise loves baths & financially that was a perfect first purchase with coins : ) 

So, while Eloise was in Houston with my parents, I called Bath & Body Works to see how much their duckies cost. They were $3.50 so I emptied about $4.50 out of the piggy bank & put it in a baggie in her purse.  We went on our little shopping trip, picked up a couple things for Daddy from the girls & then made our stop at Bath & Body Works. Charlotte is more & more girly every day so she just went crazy in there with all the smells & little things to touch.  We made our way to the duckies & Charlotte quickly zeroed in on the hot pink one with sparkles. She also selected a green one exclaiming that Daddy needed one to play with in the shower.  That was too cute to refuse so I figured I would cover the extra cost. 

She marched up to the check out & a line formed quickly behind us.  She handed the pink duck to the lady behind the counter who made a really big deal out of the situation. She said loudly, "Are you buying this duck?" Charlotte said "Yes! I am buying it for my sister!" She asked, "Is your sister in your mommy's belly?" to which Charlotte replied "No, no, no, my sister is at the airport." HAHAHA! I quietly reassured the lady that my child was not at the airport any longer, we had dropped her off with two loving & responsible grandparents who took her home to spoil her for a few days.  She told us that the total was $4.23 so I asked Charlotte to get her money out of her purse & set it up on the counter. I began stacking it in $1 increments & sliding them across the counter.  Char was watching very closely & became immediately tense. She started saying "Oh no! What are you doing with my coins? I need those!" I tried to explain with all the people grinning around us that in order to take the duckie home for Elo, we had to give the lady our money. I'm pretty sure it didn't click with her ; ) I paid the remaining balance & she had a break down in the store, I had to haul her out with her saying "I need my coins back! The lady needs to give me my coins now!" I had a hard time not rolling on the floor in laughter & wished Rob could have been there to see it.  

All said & done, she was really excited that she had spent her own money & helped me wrap gifts for her sister & daddy. She could hardly wait for them to open the gifts. They were well received by both. The green duck has been kidnapped by the girls which was okay since Robby does not really need a duckie for the shower ; ) 

We took our time playing, talking and laughing as we opened gifts. Eloise was excited about her new xylophone from Grammy & Papa.  She is incapable of playing it quietly, kind of like with Charlotte & her new accordion. Once the boys are here they can be deemed toys to play with when everyone is already awake ; ) 

Notice her beaded necklace.  G.Gran sent about 5 necklaces with my mom & they are worn constantly!

Charlotte got a neat dinosaur puzzle from Grammy & Papa that is impossible for her to do on her own right now but is a great way to spend time with her while she figures is out!

We got Scott a book he wanted & then surprised him with this shirt.....

We could not remember exactly when it was purchased but we think maybe when Scott was in early high school. It is an Abercrombie shirt & I apparently liked it enough to either steal it from him or borrowed & never returned it.  Which may be the same thing ; ) I think I have had it for at least the entire time I have been married. He asks about it time to time & I am guessing he thought I would never give it back.  He was surprised & happy to see it was in such great condition after all these years!

I love gift giving & receiving is pretty fun too.  My brothers surprised me with a beautiful James Avery necklace that I have worn every day.  I am not much of a jewelry person & have gone years without wearing earrings or a necklace so it is really special to have received a necklace that is from two very special men in my life, my sweet brothers.  The girls love touching is when cuddled in what's left of my lap ; )

Robby & Charlotte shopped together for a few gifts for me & it sounded like Rob gave a little direction & Charlotte made the final choice.  I got a SUPER HOT PINK snuggly blanket with 2 pairs of coordinating socks....SO Charlotte which is why I love them : ) They also picked out some new candle holders, candles & a biography about Sarah Edwards, the wife of Jonathan Edwards.  It was a "relax" themed stocking which is fitting for right now.

One really special gift we received is a book written by my Grandmother, Shirley Ann Loftin. She titled it Live, Laugh, Love & it is basically a beautiful combination of our family history & stories written in a journal like format.  What a treasure to have for years to come! I have done some skimming & can hardly wait to read from cover to cover.

On the front flap is Psalm 100 which was the scripture read at my Paw Paws funeral in 1993. 

"Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness. Come into his presence with singing! Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.  Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!  For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations." 

The final chapter of the book is titled "Reunion" where she shares the account of reuniting with her brother Mike after being separated at a young age.  Her mother passed away shortly after the birth of her 7th child leaving her father to care for the family alone.  The children were adopted by various aunts & uncles & were raised apart from one another.  After experiencing much heartache while missing her brother, once these two were back together after 46 years apart, she was delighted to be called his sister & share in such a special relationship. Uncle Mike died in November this year & will be missed by many but especially by his baby sister Shirley.  She concludes this chapter with "Seek His guidance in your life just as your ancestors did. Pray and be patient realizing prayers are not always answered as we desire but as He directs. His time, His way."  Her words are precious to me this week as I am praying for very specific things regarding the life of Owen & Anson while trusting in God's perfect provision for our family.  How great to be encouraged by Psalm 100 knowing that his faithfulness endures to all generations.  She has written countless letters to my girls that she mails them on special occasions or just because.  They are full of her feelings for them & her experience in life as a Grandmother & Great Grandmother.  What a gift. 

Back to Christmas Day : ) We rested during the afternoon then got to cooking our dinner, which I forgot to photograph. The Lent's were planning on joining us for dinner but poor baby Audrey was not feeling well & they ended up at the after hours clinic. We were sad to miss them but still greatly enjoyed a delicious Prime Rib with side dishes.  We snapped a couple pics of the girls, played with new toys a bit longer then went to bed.

Uncle Scott was a BLAST to have around & could get these girls gigglin' so quick!

Somewhat of a sad day with lots of bright moments as we snuggled with a sick dog while still enjoying time as a family.  We had many a conversation about how thankful we are for the great gift we were given in Jesus on that Christmas Day long ago.