Christmas 2008

Santa Claus was good this year! Answering the hopes of a 5 year old's request for a BRATZ hair color doll, a 2 1/2 year old's request for a firetruck and an assumption of a 18 month old's desire for a ride-on toy! He also brought a surprise gift of BRATZ, CARS and Princess slippers, CARS and 2 Princess sleeping bags, an Aqua Doodle and a tent and tunnel for the toy room!
The giant stockings were a hit, too, full of Dollar Tree toys!

As for family gifts, I got Kennedy fancy dress up shoes, Jackson a Blue's Clue's Handy Dandy notebook (that Chandler Grace wishes were hers) and Chandler Grace handheld sweeper and dustpan.
Daddy got Kennedy the Jumanji DVD, Jackson a NERF football, and Chandler Grace a baby doll.
Jackson and Chandler Grace got Kennedy a doctor kit. Kennedy and Chandler Grace got Jackson a Mr. Potato Head. And, Kennedy and Jackson got Chandler Grace a huge Doodle pad.
I got Jordan a coffee pot, golf book and Starbucks gift card. Jordan got me photo editing software, and an Old Navy gift card.
Kennedy got me dress up necklaces and her daddy "Billy Bob teeth" from the Dollar Tree. We take her each year to pick out our gifts.

We had Grandma's sticky buns for breakfast. And for lunch and dinner we had ham, mashed potatoes, dressing, corn casserole, corn, green beans, rolls and macaroni for my picky son.

We were a happy bunch. Then came the flu, cold, sinus infection, hay fever or whatever it is that we got late Christmas day and still have. All but Jordan, that is. Not that he's in the clear-he has the awful job of being the only one to take care of all of us. Not easy.
A combo of fever, runny nose, watery eyes, coughing, diarrhea, vomiting and headache between all 4 of us not how we'd hoped to spend our Christmas break together. We are hoping and praying for a healthy crew.

One of the most special parts of our Christmas was our church giving us the opportunity to choose a boy off of the Angel Tree and a shoebox to fill for a girl that is Kennedy's age in Honduras. It has been a tradition with me and Jordan to do the Angel Tree since we dated and one that we love continuing with the children.

Christmas Eve

We had our 2nd annual Christmas Eve breakfast at the Waffle House. No Dale Earnhardt, Jr. this time. Oh well.

Another special event this year was the Christmas Eve service at our church. They had a live nativity and sang Christmas songs. It was so great to focus on why we celebrate Christmas. Jackson and Chandler Grace went to their regular class, but we took Kennedy with us. She LOVED it! They read the story of the birth and then showed Joseph, Mary and baby Jesus on stage and brought in the wise men (dressed in elaborate robes) and shepherds and during Joy to the World the robes whipped as they bowed to the baby Jesus. Kennedy leaned over and said, "This is awesome." I couldn't agree more.

After the special Christmas service, we came home and made and decorated Christmas cookies for Santa. We left out some milk and then went to bed. Kennedy was so overcome with excitement she literally didn't sleep. She slept from 8 until 12:40 and then was up until 4! Jordan was a hero and let her watch a movie on his video IPod. We had to keep her from coming downstairs. She would've opened everyone's gift!