Christmas morning mommy got a little bit of quite time waiting on everyone to wake up reflecting on the past year and God’s mercies we have received throughout the years. This is only the second year that we have woken up at home and the second year we celebrated without Papa but thankful we celebrate this time of year since it means we will get to see Papa again one day. After a little while mommy went to wake daddy up so the two of them sit waiting for the little princesses to stir. It was nice sitting in the stillness by the fire with a cup of coffee before the squeals of excitement fills the air.  We should treasure this time sine it will not be to long in the future when on Christmas morning when the girls come in our room at 4 in the morning while we have sugar plums dancing in our heads. Mommy and daddy both went up to get the girlies. They were excited to see the surprises Santa left and dig through their stockings. Ivy helped both mommy and daddy with their stocking too,; she was into opening things this year! Leia was more interested in playing with her toys. I love that both of them savored a few moments with each item before moving onto the next present – stretches out the present opening time and lets mommy/daddy savor it a little longer, instead of it being over in a flash. After the girls saw everything Santa brought we read the Christmas story – the reason that we celebrate this day. After our reading we opened presents from each other then loaded  up in the car to go to Mimi’s for brunch. As we started to sit we sang Happy Birthday to Jesus and let the girls blow candles out on cinnamon rolls before we enjoyed a big breakfast. The girls were all very patient waiting to open their gifts from Mimi and their cousins. It is fun to see the personalities opening presents. One wants to see how fast she can open to know what all she has, another takes their time looking and examining each item before moving on, a third wants to open and play with the toy she just opened before opening another, while the fourth one is a mixture depending on her interest level in what she opened. The mess seemed smaller this year than years past (maybe because Lisa was cleaning as we went). The girls played with their toys as the adults sat watching a Christmas movie before taking girls outside (we’d brought Leia and Ivy’s new bike/big wheels). Sweet Uncle Mark ended up hoping on a bike too so the girls got to ride more than just the driveway if the wanted too. Leia asked for hot chocolate to warm up then we went to send balloons to papa in Heaven and tell him Merry Christmas. The four princesses let heart balloons fly up into the sky while Mimi, Stacy and Lisa put stars in the ground. Again we praised God for His faithfulness, letting daddy walk into the kingdom of Heaven without suffering a battle here, and praise Jesus that He chose to come to earth so we can live eternity in paradise together; we also pray for God to direct, guide, hold, and carry us through each day. This year was harder than last, maybe because last year we were in survival mode or still in shock. We stopped by Nana’s a little bit in the way back to Mimi’s house for rest time. The adults lounged around watching Christmas movies and fellowshipping before cooking dinner. Afterwards, we packed up to head home. The day seemed to pass very quickly and must had worn our girls out since they drifted off to dream land swiftly. Good night to all and Merry Christmas!

Santa enjoyed his cookies

The loot santa left

Good morning sweet angels
  

Santa Fun began
                     

Mommy and daddy opened presents too but they are not near as fun as the kiddos opening them for us 😉

The girls had fun playing with their toys but when they heard Sara and Katie were at Mimi’s and there were more presents they were ready to go
  

When we got to Mimi’s breakfast was almost ready …. thank you Mimi and aunt Stacy for cooking

We sang Happy Birthday to Jesus

The adults started throwing food like at Japanese places trying to ring each others mouths

Love these ladies more than words can say
  

Presents and play … love our Christmas tradition of PJs and play
                   

We love our Mimi!

Had fun playing outside with the toys santa brought and some of the favorites at Mimi’s
   

Unfortunately the only way we got to celebrate with Papa other than in our hearts was to go release balloons to him at his graveside. I so miss my daddy and our Papa! I am more grateful everyday for the gift God gave us when He sent Jesus to save us and reunite his children home with him one day…