The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

It truly was a season filled with wonder and joy for us! Watching Jackson soak in the Christmas story and really get that Christ's birth is why we celebrate this season to the fullest was incredible. Watching Colin toddle around, redecorating for us constantly, chewing on the nativity set, rolling around ornaments...just being here with us this year was such a gift.  Probably my favorite moment of the season was hanging the stocking I made for him on our mantel.  Luckily I bought extra material when I made Jackson's so that they could be matching.  Our tradition is to add a charm each year on Christmas Eve.  A charm that reflects something to remember the year by.  This year Jackson helped me sew on, a small Star Wars Yoda charm for himself and baby shoes for Colin.

We celebrated to the fullest during the whole season of December in anticipation for the big day.  Decorating the tree, despite the almost entire day it took to take off and restring new lights, was so much fun with Jackson's level of participation this year and was so cute hearing Colin say "Wow!" as he pointed at the sparkly ornaments.  Many walks were taken around the neighborhood in the double stroller, aka Blaster Wheel, to look at the beautiful lights, many cups of hot chocolate were consumed, reenactments of the Christmas story using our Fisher Price nativity scene happened several times a day, Gordon our elf on the shelf made visits back and forth to the North Pole every day, many special Christmas stories were read every day and crazy Christmas living room dancing was probably the main event every day.  If I can get my hands on Jackson doing his own little moves to Emmanuel by Amy Grant it will be priceless. We had a playgroup Christmas party at one of our favorite restaurants, Jackson's class had a Gingerbread party, we visited two amazing "Bethlehem Towns" (if you haven't done this before you have to next year), made a trip out to Pecan Grove to view the amazing lights, and again this year attended the Kids Crazy Christmas puppet show at Second Baptist.  This has just gotten me up to the days before Christmas.

Yes, we were quite busy.  Busy in December is just part of it, but so is wonder and joy.  This year was really special being Colin's first Christmas and it was so special watching Jackson at four just soak it all in. 
The Reece Christmas, Christmas Eve and morning here, and the Angle Christmas will surely get posts of their own so I guess I could say... to be continued...