Merry Christmas

It is here...Christmas week.  Here is a picture of my first present....

 

Things to be thankful for on this day...everyone was ok.  Boy that hit me had insurance.  And now, I have a van that is unique to me.  No one else has one like it. :)  I felt like we were in slow motion when it happened.  I was sitting at a red light in a turn lane.  He was leaving the BP station.  He didn't see me, but I saw him coming.  There was no where that I could go and I saw him coming straight for David.  I was blowing my horn.  There for a second I thought he missed us, and then I felt that I was wrong.  Victoria slept thru it, David not so much.  But David was awake before it happened, and I am sure the sight of this big Tahoo's lights coming right at you had to be scary.  He had a little mark from the seat belts, and Ranita and I were a little sore, but all was well.  What was I most upset about? We missed our dinner that Stacey cooked for us.  I was really looking forward to it.

We had a photo session at grandmommy and granddaddy's house to get some fun first Christmas pictures. Here are a few.

This one brought back memories when they were too close before they were born.

She liked to sleep in the sleigh.

For Christmas eve we went to the candlelight service at my brother's church and then we all went back to mom and dad's. 

This wasn't Christmas Eve, but she did love to nap under the tree.

Mom and Dad

My twin nieces..too busy for a picture

My nieces shared their present full of dress up clothes

My brother got to play, too.

All this opening of gifts was too much for David

My nephew being a good big brother

Bama

Granddaddy time

I somehow didn't get a picture of Nancy at Christmas, so here is one from Cason's birthday

For Christmas morning, mom and dad come to get their stocking left from Santa.  This year, we had two extra stockings.  We had breakfast and then we opened our stockings.  David and Victoria, slept at different times, so we had Christmas with them at different times.  Victoria didn't even know that anything was going on.  David, when he saw his Santa pile, made a funny face and he kept his eyes wide open the whole time.  Then we played some Phase 10 and bowled on the wii for a little while.  We ended the night with Ranita putting together one of his puzzles from Santa.  And the babies spent time playing with their new gifts from Laura and Abby.

Santa left a little of his last cookie.

Santa knew just what daddy wanted.

David and Victoria had a special gift for dad.
A coffee mug with their photo

Victoria's side

David's side

Santa knew what kind of "candy" David likes in his stocking this year.

One last thought for Christmas week.  I was really sad to see one of my piano's go.  See Ranita knew how much I loved to play the piano, so one day he surprised me with a piano.  Then several years later, my brother was getting rid of our childhood piano.  I couldn't let it go.  So I had a small house with 2 piano's.  I knew that I should get rid of one, but I loved how pretty the piano Ranita got me was.  But I finally let it go.  It was taking up too much of D and V's playroom.   I was very sad to see it go, but I remembered something Alex told me.  See Alex was a little boy that used to spend all of his time with me and Ranita from the time he was about 9 years old.  We took him on trips with us, and he was with us every weekend.  Well, he graduated from high school a few years ago.  He asked us to come to his Senior art exhibit.  He is an amazing artist.  I was so impressed.  His comment to me was that I am the one that started his love for art.  I didn't understand. He said one of the first presents I gave him was an art set, and that is what got him started.  It is amazing how God can use us without us even knowing.  So I started thinking about the piano.  The man that we gave it to said that he has two daughters, and they are starting to get interested in music.  He hopes the piano will inspire them.  I hope so, too.  I may never know how God will use that piano with those girls.  I realize that sometimes we may not even realize how special a gift can be to someone.  I don't even remember buying that art set, but Alex remembers.  Be open to let God use you and your gifts.  You may never know the impact it had.

Smile

Mother Theresa once said, “Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing. “  I received my gifts last night, and it made my day.  I was on the late shift yesterday.  I spent the morning reading books to David and Victoria.  When I got ready to go get in the shower, David kept looking at me with the look of momma, please don’t leave.  It broke my heart to leave him, but I knew he was in good hands.  His daddy was spending the day home with them yesterday.  I made it.  Work was over, and I was on my way home.  I had received a call and a couple of text from Ranita that he didn’t think that the babies felt very good yesterday.  They have started the teething process.  He even thought that Victoria might be running a little fever.  So, I was ready for a night of fussy babies.  But when I came in, as soon as Victoria heard my voice she started smiling.  Then I looked and David had a big smile on his face for me as well.  I found that Victoria just wanted to be held by her momma and she became content.  Then David let me know it was his turn.  He was happy as long as I was near him.  So what did I spend my evening doing….getting the most precious gifts from David and Victoria.  Let me share a few of my favorite smiles with you…

Randoms

So it is inevitable that there are times when it is time to eat when the babies are in tow.  I learned quickly that if I turn off the radio, and I start singing the babies will stop crying.  I would like to think that my singing is so pretty that they want to be quiet to listen, but I think the real reason is they are thinking if they stop crying, I will stop singing.  Regardless of the reason it works.

Yesterday someone asked me what did I have to give up since the babies came that I miss the most.  I thought for a minute and I couldn’t truly think of anything that I have given up.  I tried to come up with an answer anyway.  My first thought was sleep.  But I have found that the nights that my babies have slept the whole night (which is almost every night now), I  found other ways to give up my sleep.  Things like trying to get my Christmas cards designed, so they could be ordered and returned before Christmas.  Or getting hooked on a movie on TV when I should have never even turned on the TV that late.  So, nope not an answer.  Next thought…going to the movies.  But no, we had already started giving them up before I got pregnant due to trying to watch our budget better.   However, we have been blessed to have people that ask to keep the babies for us to go to a movie, so we have actually been to 2 movies already.  So nope not the answer.  If we want to go somewhere, we just pack up the babies and we go. In our lives, we don’t really go to places that isn’t kid friendly.  So my answer has to be that I haven’t given up anything for the babies, but gained a ton.

So Christmas decorating is a little harder this year.  I have started and hopefully by Christmas I will finish.  We started about week before Thanksgiving.  We put our tree up, but didn’t turn on the lights, because we wanted to wait until after Thanksgiving.  But then we realized that the babies like to look at the lights, so we turned on the lights, but made sure we kept all curtains closed.  What would the neighbors think. J And let  me just add that the week we put up the tree, we had 6 surprise visits from people.  They all had their comments, but my response was you don’t have twin babies.  We do what we can, when we can.  So Thanksgiving night I proudly opened my blinds.  The day after Thanksgiving I headed to the store at 6 am to purchase the tree I wanted for Victoria’s room.  It wasn’t because it was on sale or anything like that.  I just never could find the time to go and get it, so I braved the black Friday crowds.  I wanted to go first thing because I didn’t want them to sale out.  My husband told me he didn’t think there would be a run on pink trees, but I didn’t want to take the chance.  So on that Friday I finished Victoria’s tree and David’s tree.  That afternoon we put the wreath up outside and over the next week, we slowly got the lights on the bushes and finished the outside.  The stockings were hung on that Saturday.  Now, I do have a small skinny tree that goes in the kitchen that I hang all my ornaments from Mexico on.  It is a slow progress.  When it made is way down from the attic it was covered in insulation.  It took me a few days to get all the insulation off.  (still wondering why the box was open in the first place) Then I realized the top of the tree was missing.  So I am hoping this weekend to either find the top or creatively figure a way to disguise it.  Then there is the Nativity scene.  It hasn’t even started making an appearance out of the closet.  But in Mexico you are supposed to put it out on December 16, add baby Jesus on Christmas and then add the wise men on January 5.  So we will pretend that is what I am doing.  And yes, if you come to my house after New Year’s, my tree will still be up.  We are going to celebrate Dia de Reyes which is when the kids put out a shoe with hay.  The hay is for the camels and the three kings bring a gift that night to replace the hay. Even though it is hard to find time to decorate, it is something that I will always do. They babies love the lights as well as their mom.  Their father loves them to, but he will never actually admit it.  Here are a few pictures.

Victoria's Tree

Victoria's special ornament

David's Tree

David's special ornament

Family ornament.  Thanks to Caley

Adopt a Table-the Foundry