29 December 2016

Christmas this year was differently scheduled than usual.  An elderly couple in our ward usually hosts a waffle breakfast on Christmas morning, and since the husband passed away in early December, Mr. Brown offered to come and help with the breakfast.  We had our Jerusalem dinner on Christmas Eve, and then the kids had stockings on Christmas morning plus the gift box from Aunt Holly, followed by church.  Then Christmas afternoon was spent helping at the waffle breakfast, and that evening, after eating ham and mashed potatoes, we began opening presents.  We finished opening gifts the next day.  So it was slower than usual, but the kids were good sports, and we got to offer love and support to our friend Beth.


This was Rosebud's first Christmas, and although she didn't really receive a whole lot of gifts, she enthusiastically assisted in ripping wrapping paper off things.  My parents sent her a riding toy, and she quickly figured out 1) how to push the buttons that played music (which she dances to in the most adorable way); 2) how to climb on to it by herself and 3) how to scoot it around both forwards and backwards.  She has even kind of figured out how to steer it, by rocking back on it so the front wheels come off the ground and moving it so it faces somewhere new when the wheels come down.  I am not 100% certain this is intentional.


My parents also gave Nut Brown a screaming monkey slingshot toy, where you stretch out the monkey's arms and let him fly through the air, and he screams as he goes.  Nut Brown thought this was pretty fantastic, but Rosebud was totally upset by it.  She would insist on holding the monkey in order to keep it from screaming, and if we borrowed it and made it scream, she would cry and ask for it back in order to protect it.  So cute, if a little disappointing for Nut Brown!  She is definitely more attached to stuffed animals than any of our other children have ever been.


The kids know that we fill their stockings, and we do it by going to the dollar store and buying whatever looks interesting.  It's a fun trip for Mr. Brown and I, and Rose Pink told me that these were the best stockings ever!  The kids put a giant Ferrero Rocher in my stocking.  They know what I like!


Bobo identified what he wanted for Christmas when he was purchasing gifts for his brother and sister, so we bought it for him.  It's a Batman/Superman plastic play city, with trapdoors and lights and a flying thing.  It's pretty awesome.  He completely loves it.  He can't get within three feet of it without stopping to play with it.  He took it downstairs so that Rosebud would stop getting in his way. Later after a bath, I sent him downstairs for clean clothes.  After twenty minutes, I went downstairs and discovered him busy playing with it, totally naked, in our chilly basement.  And this is my child who hates to take off his clothes.  He really loves it.  Nut Brown loves it too.  He told me that Bobo got the best Christmas present ever.


So many people were so generous to our kids - we thank you for loving them and loving us.  Christmas this year was a wonderful time for us to remember the Savior's love and seek to follow Him in acts of love and kindness.  Hopefully we can hang on to it into the next year.