December 25

Merry Christmas! 

Our family celebrated Christ's birth the way we always do: with a quite, low-key celebration at home. It was perfect.

I love that our kids somehow don't explode with anticipation about opening gifts, and so we are able to have a slow morning with breakfast and coffee before we open gifts. This was our tree:

Do you notice that there are not one, but two Cozy Coupes? We had planned for my parents to give the kids one, but I worried that sharing one might be really challenging for Eli and Lily. Then yesterday I randomly found one for $13 on a Buy/Sell/Trade Facebook page, and the seller was super close to me. Score! So in a 12 hour period, our family went from no Cozy Coupes to two. The kids are thrilled!

This dollhouse/bookshelf/toy storage unit was another Facebook find. Another babywearing mama was giving it away, and I knew our girls would love to have it. It's solid wood and in beautiful shape, and it was free! I love how God provides just what we need, even when we don't know we need it.

Four little duckies!

One happy family.

They were about done at this point!

My favorite part of Christmas this year was definitely Daisy. A few days ago, Chris took each of the kids on a solo trip to Target so that they could pick out gifts for their siblings. They were so sweet and thoughtful, and had so much fun choosing just the right thing for each person. But the best part was that on Christmas morning, they were so excited to watch their siblings open the gifts they chose! Daisy was especially adorable. 

For nearly a year, maybe longer, I have had a Post-it note on my oven that says, "It is better to give than to receive - Acts 20:35". We talk about it occasionally, but I think this Christmas really helped the kids to understand that verse better.

Except for one thing. 

Daisy has been asking for an American Girl doll for months now. The problem is that those dolls cost $100, and we don't feel like our 5-year-old needs a $100 doll. A few months ago I showed Daisy that Target has a similar doll, and we spent a long while scrolling through the website, deciding which one she liked best.

She chose Anya, and she didn't forget her.

So when she opened up her one big gift from us and saw Anya... 

That is the face of sheer delight.

A girl and her doll. After watching how tenderly Daisy has loved and cared for Anya, I realize she was probably ready for an American Girl doll. But Anya makes her just as happy.

Emily and I teamed up for another gift for Daisy. Last night, Emily gave her a silver, sparkly dress. Cute, but no big deal.

Until today, when I gave her a matching dress for Anya. This girl feels so fancy!

Eli loved the monster trucks Caleb chose for him.

And then we all ate more breakfast, played with toys, took naps, and then got ready for another Christmas with Chris' parents.

Grace and Adam left just as we arrived, so it was just his parents and us, but we had so much fun!

Eli refused to wear a Christmas outfit, and chose this one instead. He also insisted on sandals and socks. I blame his father.

I really wanted a picture of the kids in front of the tree, but this was the best I got.

Not the best picture, but I think you can see how very happy everyone (except Eli) is!

After all the presents, after the kids changed into jammies, we had birthday cakes for Jesus. 

There were even candles! Eli was focused, because "Happy Birthday" is his current favorite game.

Happy birthday, Jesus!