Christmas 2012

Christmas this year was a little different than normal, but then, life would be boring without a little different thrown in for good measure, right?   The Saturday before Christmas, we got ready to have our normal family Christmas dinner, just the five of us. Kevin had told me most of the day that he wasn't feeling great, but we thought it was just allergies...until bedtime that night and he was running fever.  By the time he woke up Sunday morning, it was full-blown sick.  

Flu.

At Christmas. 

Great.

I promise I really did feel bad for him. While I Lysoled every surface he touched.  And spoke to him from a distance of no less than ten feet.  And made the kids wear surgical masks.  

Not really.  But it crossed my mind.

He did go to the doctor... who sent the prescription to a pharmacy that was closed.  Which prompted an 8:00 trip to Tyler to the one pharmacy still open.  But the kids thought it was an adventure, so it was actually okay.

 Jackson got all the goodies he was hoping for.  He didn't ask for anything "big" but he asked for A LOT...he has no shortage of great gift ideas. :)  He didn't get all he asked for, but he was very excited about what he got (Note the football jersey we gave him--we can't let those pesky Longhorns in the family do all the indoctrinating!)

 Sadie's list was pretty short.  She wanted a doll house...and lots of babies. :)  She loved her doll that she said looked like Aunt Robin. :)  She also got the cutest bicycle from Nana, which was a big surprise for her that she loved.

 All Annabelle wanted was "toys."  No specifics.  Just toys.  She loved the time with family, the opening presents, the whole shebang. Santa brought her triplet baby dolls.  That are motion activated and move and laugh (creepy baby doll laugh) and cry at really weird times.  Trip.  Lets.  Not Santa's best choice.

We gave her a Little People nativity set, and she LOVED that.  All season long she's been pointing out "Baby Jesus" everywhere we went (Which made me smile. Every. Single. Time.), so I knew she would love to have a nativity that was hers that she could touch and play with.

I love the conversations it initiated.  I love that my kids are as excited to discuss the true meaning of Christmas as they were to talk to Santa.

 But the biggest, best surprise at Christmas was SNOW!  Not often do we have the dream of a white Christmas become a reality here in Texas, but this year was different.

And different, in this case,  is GOOD. :)