Christmas: Part 1

The first part of our Christmas celebrations took place in Pennsylvania this year.  The kids had school through the Wednesday of Christmas week, and were literally quivering with excitement as they counted down the days until Winter Break.  On Friday morning, we drove to PA to join Mimi, Grandpa, Gawa, Beanie, and Mia (Beanie's dog).  For the past several years, we've gone to Chocolate World on Christmas Eve morning.  It's decked out with holiday decorations, and hardly anyone is there, which makes it the perfect way to enjoy a sweet morning in Hershey.  

 

Milkshakes are a must every time we visit!  

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We continued our "sweet" theme as we decorated cookies for Santa in the afternoon, and Leah helped Mimi bake an apple pie: 

This Santa hat has literally been on the heads of my children since late November.  I can't stand the cuteness.  

We dressed up in our Christmas finery for the Christmas Eve church service, and Mommy was in denial that they really do look like such big kids...

After church, L&L set out a cookie plate for Santa and left him special messages:

The children sprinkled reindeer food in the yard, to help Santa's crew find their way to Mimi's house:

 

Love the magical reindeer glitter!

All is (almost) calm, all is bright!  

It looks like the reindeer food worked!  Here's our favorite little reindeer! 

We agreed on 7:00 a.m. as the time that we would go downstairs on Christmas morning.  However, we didn't count on the fact that Luke would be "too excited to sleep" and would wake up at 2:30 a.m., tossing and turning, staring at the clock.  Leah woke up, too, as she was in her sleeping bag on the floor beside her brother... and in an attempt to keep the kids quiet and in our room in the middle of the night, we all ended up being awake until 6:00 a.m., when we finally drifted off for a short "nap" before heading downstairs shortly after 7 a.m.    Luckily, the excitement of Santa's arrival and presents carried us through the day, and no one melted down.  I write this because I am sure that some day, I will have to wake up sleepy teenagers at a much later hour on Christmas morning, and I would like them to remember that at one time, they did actually try to be awake for as many hours of Christmas day as possible! 

Waiting at the top of the steps on Christmas morning.

Santa left special presents for each child:

Leah's fish tank, accessories, and "coupon" for a betta fish.

Luke's NERF tri-strike modulus and stealth ops kit.  

We opened stockings first, which were full of fun toys, games, and goodies:

Santa gave the kids real walkie talkies in their stockings,  which were a big hit!

 After years of cheap plastic slinkies, Santa decided that the kids should have old fashioned "real" ones.  L&L adored these, and I love this picture of my giant elf in his footie pjs, playing on the steps with his new slinky.

This Christmas was filled with Pokemon cards & binders, and Lego sets for both children.  Luke received a telescope, science kits, a magic show, and many books.  Leah was thrilled with her games, crafts, Finding Dory movie, and new pjs/clothes.  We spent the afternoon playing with new toys, and soaking in the enthusiasm of our children on Christmas Day.  

 

Our Pennsylvania Christmas was full of family and love, and a wonderful start to Winter Break! 

Time Travel

So, Facebook does this "thing", where it reminds you of posts that you've shared on the same date in past years.  These memories are a way to mentally travel back in time, and they remind me of how quickly life changes.  Today, this memory popped up on my Facebook feed:

This picture was taken 3 years ago today, on Luke's last day of South Carolina kindergarten.  I dropped him off in the morning carpool line, and before he walked into school, he turned and gave me this cute little wink.  It was a very uncertain time for our family.  Mark's position at GE in SC had been eliminated, and we had gone through several months of soul searching before we decide to relocate to North Carolina, where Mark found a job with a new company.  At the time that this photo was taken, Mark had already started work in NC and I was holding down the fort in Greenville with two young children and a dog, counting the days until Christmas break, when we would join him in temporary corporate housing and begin the next chapter of our lives.  There were tough months ahead of us, in a tiny apartment without the comforts of our belongings, not knowing when our house would sell, unsure of where our new home, community, and school would be, and without the wonderful support system that we had built in South Carolina.  

Traveling back in time to that adorable photo of Luke, I wish I had known what that wink indicated.  It's as if he's saying, "We've GOT THIS, Mommy.  The blessings of the next 3 years will blow your mind!"   

That wink now says to me, "You will find a beautiful new home, Leah and I will go to a wonderful school, and we will live in an amazing community full of people who will become dear friends and family to us.  We will join a church where we will be lifted up in the body of Christ, and there will be so much joy in watching us grow..."    

Leah is now the same age as Luke was when he gave this prophetic wink, which makes it easy for me to recall this period of our lives.  Emotions always seem to be heightened around the holidays, too, and it's a time where it's easy to look back with sentimentality and nostalgia.  I recently peeked at some pictures in our family blog books of the kids decorating our Christmas tree in SC, and they seem so little...  

But, if we travel in time to present day, I see that Luke was right:  Blessings abound, and life is full of darling moments. 

There are letters to Santa that make us smile and school work that makes us giggle:

There are holiday parties to plan, and festive snacks to prepare:

There are field trips, fun with friends, and stars that guide our way and remind us of the true reason for this season: 

Side note:  I had an entire blog post planned about this field trip to Old Salem, where I chaperoned Luke's third grade class. It is a lovely, historic village which depicts the first American Moravian settlement here in the mid 1700's, and a neat way for these kiddos to literally time travel for a day.  There are restored buildings, actors in period costumes, a living history museum, and quaint shops and buildings.  The village was decorated beautifully for Christmas, and Moravian stars illuminate the covered bridge and serve as an important symbol of Advent.  And among all this picturesque beauty, these are the photos that I captured of our day:   

 I chased 8-year olds and took pictures the backs of their heads as they ran with unbridled enthusiasm through the village.  They only sat still to eat the treats that they purchased at the Old Salem Bakery, and then wore off the effects of that sugar high with silly antics such as these for the next few hours: 

 Finally I got smart, and realized that I had a group of bookworms.  I took them into the bookstore, and here is how we spent the last beautiful half hour of our day in Old Salem:

Thank you, God, for peaceful moments and inquisitive minds!

There is so much to celebrate this Christmas season.  If you would have told me three years ago that the little boy who winked at me would wear that same Santa hat as he helped his Daddy make a delicious dinner for the ladies in his life, I would have been amazed.  

So, although it's fun to do a little bit of time traveling this time of year, it's clear that there's no place I'd rather be than the present.  Merry Christmas from our family to yours!