At-Home Christmas Love

I love being home for this holiday.  I just do.  It goes slow and that is just my speed. Josh is off work and we savor the time all home and free with NOTHING requiring our time or busyness.  Myself, I did a lot of reading so far this break.  Josh and the kids did a lot of playing. 

 

Christmas Eve eve, we drove around to see lights on houses.  We enjoyed milkshakes along that ride.

 

 

 

 

We'll have to beef up our Scavenger Hunt next year. 

More Christmas mail! 

Enjoying the tradition of having all our years of Christmas cards all up in our tree.

Our neighbors brought over a bag of so many fun surprises for the kids - this wall decal tree (and a snowman) being the fave.  A tree I let the kids actually decorate - HA! Adorable.

Christmas Eve, we read and played and prepped for our upcoming trip.  And we opened one gift of each of the kids'.  Anna loved her boogie board (drawing tablet), Noah loved his virtual reality headset, and Lasa loved the play doh ice cream set Noah got her.  So fun!

Josh did NOT love realizing how much assembly was required for Noah's foosball set that night after the kids went to bed.  Rookie mistake!

 

Noah and I were up first Christmas morning, which was funny because I told them don't wake me up til 8.  But there I was at 6 with a migraine and tossing and turning anyway.  When I heard Noah creep downstairs, I figured, What the heck?  He and I played some rounds on his new table til everyone else got up an hour later. ;)

 

I kid you not, these silly coupons I made AT THE LAST MINUTE ended up being the kids' favorites.

All I asked for this year was for Josh to DEEEEEEP clean our bathroom.  He delivered and I love it!  He also surprised me with some pistachios that I have been craving here lately.  Josh got a nice new giant TV for Christmas. ;)

Selfie before Lasa got up.

Then cuteness woke up and the fun started all over again.

 

 

After stockings and Santa items, it was time to dig into presents.  Anna raved about the things they got this year.  Best year yet, she said.  Everything was so perfect for them. You know me so well, she said. 😍  Me, I am just stoked we didn't overbuy and we also didn't get a single video game or movie. Ha!

 

 

 

 

Selfie of all five of us.

This karaoke microphone Anna got is TOO MUCH FUN, y'all.  It just takes you over.  So fun.  And funny.

 

Christmas morning blessing - Angelique texted a really nice greeting.  It was fun to not bristle at her tone or content. We texted back with Lasa's "Mewwy Cwissmas" response and this hello. 

Lasa wore this gown alllllll the way to bedtime.  Only taking it off when she had to go potty. ;)

Speaking of birthparents, Noah bought Tania and Justin a gift this year of his own volition, paid for it with his own money and all.  We went back and forth about what sort of gift he should get them ... his first idea was a bible, we considered movie tickets for them all to see together.  In the end, we settled on something they could hang in their home to remember him with all year, something that would be encouraging, because we know how badly Tania misses Noah all the time.  Hobby Lobby gave us so many good options.  Noah landed on this as his favorite.  

His precious note on the back for them.  (I helped him edit and draft, but the heart and the message were his. I'm not crying, you're crying!)  I just know they will love it.  

The car got packed tonight, we let the kids watch their first ever "scary" movie (The Village) which was so random but so fun, Josh is already asleep, and I am headed that way now too.  The plan is for him to get us up at 3 or 4 a.m. and get ourselves on down to FL as fast as we can.  That means the kids have asked ME to drive instead of Josh.  HA!  Please Lord let us not get stuck in traffic.  Thank you, Lord, for a sweet at-home Christmas again this year.  

Make way, Memaw and Papa John.  The TN Browns are on the way!