Early Christmas

This year Christmas was early for us.  Madison is going with her daddy and Grandma Roxane this year for Christmas weekend (she usually does the weekend before with them).  So, we adjusted our schedules so we could all celebrate Christmas together (good thing we don't do Santa because not sure how we would explain that one).

Tuesday evening my brother's family and my cousin came over to do our Christmas exchange.  I just LOVE being with family on Christmas and enjoy living so close to my brother now that we are able to get together for so many occasions now.

 Wednesday morning was our CHRISTMAS!  We have been doing an Advent devotional with the kids all month long but since ours came early, I got off and we never got fully caught up.  I think they had the point of Christmas down though.  ;)  Gage woke up first and had to wait patiently until his sisters woke up.  I made a big breakfast and then Autumn woke up by the time we were done eating. 

These ended up being Madison's most expensive present since I got her big present on sale.

 Autumn does not care for wrapping paper and refuses to touch it.  When she sees something she likes under the paper though she will actually look at the paper but until then she's not having any of it.  She is the most stubborn child EVER!  My mom thought I was bad, and then we thought Madison was bad but Autumn has us both beat.  Even when she's venturing out of her room in her wheelchair...she will be smiling but as soon as we see her and say something, she turns her head and goes back to her room.  Oh, that child!

 She LOVES book now.  She will sit for awhile just flipping through the pictures but once we sit down to read it to her, she's done.

 Yes, my 12 year old daughter drink coffee and wanted a Keurig for Christmas.  It was either that or pet rats.  We have already done the pet rat thing so that was out of the question.  James and I do NOT drink coffee so I can't believe Madison likes it so much!

 Since Autumn's FAVORITE thing to do is watch TV, we decided she needed a new flat screen TV. She also needed one for safety reasons since she slams her drawers of her dresser when she's in her wheelchair so we got one we could mount on the wall.  The cute thing was as soon as she saw it, she looked at the TV in the livingroom and then back at the box, repeat.  She recognized instantly that it was a TV in that box and I think she liked it.  ;)

 Gage got an ipod for Christmas.  He's been wanting one for 3 years!  As soon as he saw it, he asked if it was real 3 times! 

 He's pretty happy!

 I feel beyond blessed this Christmas with my 3 beautiful children.  I am so proud of each one of them!

Our Christmas day ended by being able to give a Christmas wish to a needy family.  The local Christain radio station does this every year and they go to different locations in the DFW area and have notebooks full of pages of people needing a Christmas wish.  In past years, we select foster children from the Angel tree to buy from but this year I had put off doing anything and when I heard the Christmas wish was in Rockwall, I went to check it out.  I did not know that once you pick the family you want to help, you contact them, find out their needs, and then deliver the presents yourself to them.  I thought this should be our new Christmas tradition because the kids not only get to shop for the family but also get to deliver it and see how they are helping which I think is important for the kids to do at a young age to really understand what it is their doing for others.  So, we picked a single mom of 3 kids who had lost her job and apartment and was living with her sister who has 5 kids.  We bought clothes and toys for her 3 children and her niece who needed some clothes.  We also were able to get the mom a few things for herself.  My SIL helped as well and we loaded up the 4 kids (hers & mine) to deliver the gifts.  It was so fun being able to fill underneath their entire tree and to see my kids helping out.  It makes you remember how many people are struggling and hurting at a time you are rejoicing and have plenty.  I want my kids to be humbled by this experience and understand God has blessed them more than they realize.  We hope you all have a MERYY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!