What can I say about this Christmas....? It was pretty close to perfect! :) For about 2 weeks leading up to the day, Neema would ask "Is today Jesus' birthday?" So we made a big calendar and marked off the day until we reached Christmas Eve....Oh happy day. The night before our Savior's birth! We must have read the Christmas Story a hundred times. Neema loved hearing about the wise men and how they followed the star. She learned a song at school about them and it lead to some really great conversations about who they were and why they were traveling so far to see baby Jesus. A fun tradition that we are starting is to put the wise men far away from the manger scene and everyday leading up to Christmas morning, move them and let Neema find them!
Unfortuanately, my church did not have a Christmas Eve service, so we went to St. Anne's Church with my parents and my sister. We had to wake Neema up from her nap in order to get there for the 4pm service so i'm not sure she really got to enjoy the sweet little pageant the children put on. We stopped by a friend's house after church and then delivered some Christmas goodies, by the time we left we were all pretty hungry especially Neema Girl so we drove around looking for a place to eat dinner. Is that totally tacky and sad that we were eating in a restaurant on Christmas Eve? We ended up at a yummy Italian restaurant where they put us in a private area with a family-like table so it was like we were home, kinda....Anyway, it was nice, no cooking, no cleaning....don't worry we had a real meal in the dining room with the nice china and silverware on Christmas Day. :)
After church and dinner she has pepped up a little!
On Christmas Eve, Neema was allowed to open ONE present...
It is so fun to start these traditions...she is so innocent and naive and has no idea what is to come...
Can we just talk about for one second how these pajamas are 2T??? They were the last size at Target and i was afraid they wouldn't fit her, but alas they do. She is so itty bitty! Fine by me, just means I can hold her like a baby for longer. :)
Christmas Morning!!! Oh the day we have been waiting for! Christ is Born! Even though Neema was with me when I got most of her presents, she still had no idea they were for her. I was able to hold her off until about 8:30am for the sake of my brother and sister who are not morning people. She was begging me for oatmeal, which she eats every morning, she is obsessed! She didnt know that on Christmas morning we make a big breakfast brunch, open presents, sing Christmas songs, have family over, drink cocoa, etc. Oh the fun of firsts.....We will never have another morning like that morning and I savored it!
I sent Neema to wake them and to each she greeted them with "get up, it's JESUS BIRTHDAY!!!"
Good Morning guys! Notice Will and Sims chugging caffiene.
Not sure what is going on here but I just think this picture is funny!
We gather here on these stairs every Christmas morning to pray and reflect on God's goodness and love. Neema still doesnt know.....
Woah!! A new kitchen?! She's like "this is for me??" :)
Just busy on the phone...
What a fun morning...
Kiki and Jud arrive...and with them more gifts. We are so blessed!! Neema loving her twin dolls. Kathryn made them these Lily dresses...how fantastic!
And if the day wasn't perfect enough, God sent us SNOW! Neema's first Christmas home and it's a WHITE CHRISTMAS!! Amazing!
We finished off the night with an amazing dinner in the dining room filled with family and friends. Neema and I made a birthday cake for Jesus and sang to our King! My heart is so full and thankful. His grace still amazes me! I can't believe that Neema is here with me forever and ever. In the busyness of life sometimes I forget how amazing this God story is! I'm sooooo thankful for Neema and that Jesus was born so that I could love her like I do!
Oh Christmas 2010, you were MAGICAL!
Christmas 2009 - Zanzibar, Tanzania. (Also, not too shabby!) :)
