Hopeful Post Christmas Melancholy

We had a fairly simple, good Christmas this year. Even though I know it was not physically easy for my dad, he made the trip out to our house with my mom early Christmas morning to be with us as we opened our gifts. Piper was excited to see him and said, "Papa, Papa!".
It was Piper's first Christmas home, and the significance of that was not lost on me as I watched her celebrate with her family. I still cannot fully wrap my mind and heart around the fact that she spent last Christmas in an orphanage in Xiushan, China. I know God was there with her, keeping her safe, and preparing her for what was to come. Next Thursday is the 1 year anniversary of the day we first saw her sweet face. Though that day was just like every other for her, on the other side of the world, a family of four became five, as we stared at her picture, and thanked God for His wonderful gift.

The kids love their super duper jumper thingy, although it made marks on our wood floor (ugh) and had to be moved upstairs. Nothing like the sound of jumping elephants above your kitchen!

Hunter thinks he's just too cool now that he has a real live shark, that he named Zambi. Hunter and Ella now include Zambi in their mealtime prayers, that he'll "have a good, long life". Ella has spent many hours playing with her new Twin Doll House and Diego vehicles. She and Hunter have many scenarios worked out that involve the twins and Hunter's plastic dragons and Siberian tigers. It doesn't quite look like the picture of the kids playing on the outside of Twin Doll House box, but hey, it keeps them occupied.

Christmas night, my parents had our family, my brother's family and my sister in law's parents over to open our stockings and celebrate my brother's birthday, which he happens to share with Jesus! Ella was amazed when she realized (after 5 years of celebrations), that my mom actually gave birth to my brother on Christmas day.
(In complete astonishment) "So your birthday is the real day you were born, and it stays on that day for the REST of YOUR LIFE???"
It was as if the world stopped for a moment as she took in this newfound bit of information. Why hadn't anyone told her this before?

It always takes me a couple of days to "recover" from Christmas. It strikes me as odd, how much I need some quiet time alone with God to reconnect after being so very busy celebrating His arrival on earth. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this little gem by Jon Bloom, that finally put words to what I have experienced for so long.

Scott took Hunter and Ella to the movies and I have a completely quiet house while Piper naps. I'm off to take advantage of this rarity, and do something crazy, like maybe sit in a comfy chair and do absolutely nothing for a few minutes!

Post Christmas nap, minus the sleep

"Close your eyes, Piper, and pretend you are asleep!"
I love this picture.
"Who needs new toys, pretending to sleep is so much more fun!"

And to all a good night...

It's 10:30 pm, Christmas Eve. Santa has done his thing, the stockings are filled, the super duper jumper thingy is FINALLY put together, though we will need physical therapy to regain use of our upper arms. I cannot wait to get to sleep, because it's bound to be an early morning, but instead I'm watching water heat up - really.
All Hunter wanted for Christmas was a shark, so a shark he's getting. A red tailed, 3 inch long shark, who prefers his water to be a toasty 78 degrees. It's not easy keeping a shark hidden from a 7 year old on Christmas Eve.
OK, just checked, we're up to 76 degrees and he seems to like it, as he's just started doing lots of neat tricks for me, like swimming backwards and doing loop de loops. 2 more degrees, and it's lights out, buddy.
Merry Christmas!
Dena

The Little Christmas Tree that Could...

Our little Christmas tree was given to us by my parents a few years after we got married. My mom wanted one of those new fangled trees that were 'pre-lit'. So our little tree was free, and it looks really good at night when it's all lit up. We've turned it into a pre-lit tree, as we just leave the lights on, year after year, wrap it up in a sheet, and drag up to the attic once again. Every year I think it's going to be it's last year, but each year, it lights up, and it's still free. We attached it to a table to make it taller, and somehow, over the years, it has grown on me. I usually wrap fancy gold ribbon all through it to spruce it up a bit, but not this year. This year, the kids put most of the ornaments on themselves, and I am enjoying the simplicity of it, along with the brightly wrapped gifts. Usually I buy gift wrap that matches our decor. Not this year. This year, I wanted bright polka dots and Christmas red. It looks like kids live here this year, and I like that.
I'm getting to point where I don't want another tree. This is our little Christmas tree. The top likes to flop over and it looks nothing like the decorator trees I see in the stores. As I sit here looking at it, I am so glad I didn't give into the temptation I felt so many years, and get one of those trees.

Little Tree, I know you must be tired and growing weary after all we've put you through. I know for many years I didn't appreciate you and said terrible things about you. I am sorry, Little Tree. You are part of our family now, and with all of your little quirks, you fit in just perfectly. Please hang in there, Little Tree, I know our best years are yet to come!
Love,
Dena

More of our Miss Patty Cake day

Ella was a bit star struck when Miss Patty Cake first came out.
But then she realized Miss P. Cake needed her help.


Piper's favorite activity of the day. My sweet nephew went up and down these stairs at least 150 times just b/c Piper wanted to.

We met Miss Patty Cake, oh yes we did!

Miss Patty Cake LOVES Jesus, yes mam!
If only she could muster up a little enthusiasm.
Piper, Ella, Miss Patty Cake, and my niece Ansley

When Hunter was around 2 years old, we discovered Miss Patty Cake. Both he and Ella have spent many hours singing their hearts out while helping Miss Patty Cake tell her stories with the most dramatic of motions. So, though Hunter and Ella have kind of passed their Miss P.Cake stage, we couldn't pass up the chance to meet her and see her LIVE! My sister in law, Karen, works for the children's ministry at their church and invited us to their Christmas Extravaganza where Miss P.Cake was appearing. Karen even got to pick her up at the airport, and word is, she is just as full of energy in her regular life.
It did make me bit sad when Hunter opted to go see the Christian Magician instead of seeing Miss P.Cake. The relief on Scott's face when he realized he would get to take Hunter, instead of sit through Miss P.Cake, was classic. I tried to convince Hunter that used to LOVE Miss P. Cake and didn't he want to see her? "uh, no."
So, it was me and the girls. And me wrangling Piper, who desperately wanted to go touch Miss P.Cake in all of her stripey goodness.

Our baby girl

With all that's been going on lately, I realized that I haven't posted much about Piper Grace lately. To put it simply, she's doing great. At 19 months, she's changing everyday, copying everything she sees us doing and saying. She just started putting 2 words together, saying things like "Mommy shoes" or "Ella shoes" (of course it's about shoes). Scott and I are no longer mama and dada, but now, MOMMEEEE! and DADDEEE!. I would describe her at this stage as funny, sweet, cuddly, snugly, curious, and way too smart.
She is loving the Christmas tree and Christmas music, and we are loving the fact that we get to have her home this Christmas. It's so tough on those still waiting, wanting so badly to have their babies home for Christmas. I remember last Christmas, waiting on news of Piper, thinking it might come before Christmas. We didn't get the call until January 3rd, and we missed her so much. I remember thinking, how do you miss someone you've never met? Now that we know her, it makes perfect sense.

Today is a school day for Ella, so that means it gift wrapping day for me (as well as laundry catch up day unfortunately). I did something this year I've never done before. I bought almost all of our gifts in one day. Last Saturday I shopped from about 10:00 to 4:00 and got just about everything. So today, while Piper naps I'll get it all out and wrap away. I'd love to have a wrapping party and invite a few friends over to wrap together, but I just couldn't get it together for this year. We decorated our tree last night, which the kids loved. Christmas is starting to take shape. I am really enjoying Christmas music this year, especially "Our God is With Us" by Steven Curtis Chapman.
Hope you are enjoying your Christmas preparations this year too.

Because Christmas wouldn't be the same without a Christmas Eve challenge...

I want to get the kids a trampoline, but b/c there is not a level place to be found in our odd shaped backyard, here's what they'll be getting instead. I read the reviews on amazon, then ordered it through Target.com, $20 off, and free shipping. I ordered it on Sunday and it arrived yesterday. The reviews say the kids LOVE it, but the assembly is somewhat brutal. When I read that, I felt a surge of adrenaline, the gauntlet had been thrown. You know what we'll be doing Christmas Eve!