Christmas Eve

 We had our Christmas Eve nativity play at my parent's where Megan played Mary and Jordan, the angel.  Of course, Megan wanted to play the part of Mary because that meant she could take care of "baby Jesus" and so the whole day she practiced her part, with a towel over her head while she rocked her baby.  She even made sure to put her baby down for a nap so it would be well-rested for the play.  As soon as I put the costume on, she acted the part with a very serious, yet sweet expression on her face.  She rocked and kissed her baby while we sang "Away in a Manger".....such a sweet moment on such a special night. 

 Jordan was thrilled to play the part of the angel, although he and Megan kept arguing throughout the day whether angels are boys or girls.   He also took his role very seriously and I loved watching him as he listened so intently to the words to know what he should be doing. 

Christmas Eve is never complete without some string serenading. 

 Matching jammies from Grandma Sally

 We had forgotten our camera, but luckily Uncle Adam brought along his camera to get some great shots.  He loves taking pictures of our Megpie because she loves to pose for pictures and really hams it up, as you can see......

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree

Ta da!!  The finished product...well kind of.  The top of the tree was very bare when they were finished and we had to do some rearranging.  We laughed as we found branches that had 4 or 5 ornaments all clustered together and found ornaments that were hanging off of other ornaments. 

We put our Christmas books under the tree and I've been reading to the kids every day by the Christmas tree.  Megan loves it and decided to delight her babies with the same experience. 

It won't be the same this year.....

I've been struggling with getting into the Christmas spirit this year because everything about Christmas reminds me of Marianne. Ever since I was 8 years old and she went away to college I was always so excited for Christmas because it meant that I could be with her again. Every Christmas of my life, other than the one when I was on my mission in New York, I have spent with my sister. The other day I was making dinner and decided to put on a Christmas CD that Marianne used to listen to. I always thought everything Marianne had was just the best and coolest thing, so of course I went and bought a copy also. Everything was going along fine until the last song came on. I never had really listened to the words before, but as I listened, it totally summed up how I've been feeling. It's called "It won't be the same this year" and talks about how difficult Christmas can be when you miss the ones who have passed away. As I listened to the chorus..."All the stockings are hung, Silent Night has been sung, Christmas is finally here....it won't be the same this year," the floodgates opened because it was exactly how I was feeling.

This advent calendar is so special to me because Marianne and I made it together.  We spent so many fun weekends together while I was at BYU making the little ornaments.  When it came time to make the actual wall hanging, Marianne guided me through each step, showing me where to cut the fabric and what pieces to sew together.  When it was all pieced together, I held it up, so excited to see the finished masterpiece only to discover that for some reason it was crooked and looked horrible.  In frustration, I wadded it up in a ball and said there was no way I was going to take all the stitches out and redo it.  I never really thought about it again, but how surprised I was the Christmas I got home from my mission, to see that Marianne had done just that.  She's taken it all apart and redone it and finished it for me.  Usually this is the very first thing that goes on my wall once December hits, but this year I just couldn't bear to bring it out...too many memories that would just make me sad.  Finally, into the second week of December I realized that Marianne wouldn't want me to leave it in the closet.  She would want me to enjoy it, so on the wall it went even though it opened the floodgates once again.

People say this gets easier, and I'm sure it will.  I'm so grateful for my precious little ones, for my family and everyone who I hold dear that I hold to a little tighter now, knowing just how precious life truly is.  The birth of the Savior has added significance in my life this year also, for it is through Him that I know I will be with my dear sister again. 

Getting Ready for Church

Megan was spending quite a while getting "ready" for church last Sunday and I couldn't figure out what was taking her so long because I had already gotten her dressed and done her hair.  It wasn't until I heard her walking ever so carefully and slowly down the stairs in her high heel shoes that I realized just what she'd been up to.  I convinced her to wear different shoes and that sunglasses aren't really necessary for church, but she was very pleased with herself when she walked into church adorned with ALL of her beautiful jewelry.