Merry Christmas

Boy, this Christmas season has been like no other.  Between work, first birthday planning on top of Christmas shopping, all while chasing around an 11 month old and sickness in our household every other week it has been bussssyyyyy.  I haven't done any baking, my house is a wreck and still have presents that aren't wrapped.  That is soooo unlike me.

I started my Christmas shopping the day after Thanksgiving.  So I should be done, right?  Not.  I still have to go pick up a few today.  Seriously!  Norah Kate is normally a good shopper, and bless her heart, she has been a trooper.  However, with Christmas shopping she has been quite the little diva.  Now that she has learned to walk, she thinks she is supposed to walk everywhere.  Riding in the buggy is no more fun for her.  She will tolerate the stroller a little better, but still gets ansty.  I am proud of myself because I have finally learned that I don't have to take her everywhere with me.  It's ok to let her baby sitter watch her for a couple of hours on my day off, or let Matt watch her, so that I can run into town.

Norah Kate had a cold, then I got mastitis, then I got her cold, then I got a clogged duct in the other breast, then she got bilateral ear infections.  Oh, then she had an allergic reaction to the amoxicillin they gave her for her ears and had to go BACK to the doctor. Whew.

Now, we are going to stay well until AFTER her first birthday!  I mean it!  I have been a hand sanitizing, Clorox using, germaphobe.

I still haven't finished decorating the outside of my house.  Haha!  Hopefully it will be decorated all nice and pretty for her party on January 5th.  I really underestimated how busy getting ready for both Christmas and a first birthday party would really be.

Regardless of all the hoopla, craziness, and sickness.  Jesus is still the reason for the season.  And I am embarrassed to admit that I had to remind myself of that a time or two.  It is so easy to get wrapped up into the present buying, house decorating, shopping extravaganza of it all.  This is a time we should be spending with family, making memories, and sharing the gospel of Christ.

Just to make mention of somethings I have loved about this Christmas:

 

-Norah Kate's reaction to the Christmas tree.

-Norah Kate pulling the ornaments off my tree and clanging them together.

-Norah Kate "helping" me wrap Christmas presents.

-Norah Kate finding her Christmas present and playing with it unwrapped but still in the box for a month.

-Her smocked Christmas dresses.  I will be sad when she can't wear them.

-Christmas music and fellowship at church

-Norah Kate's reaction to Santa :(

-Norah Kate leaning over to smell the Christmas candles, then trying to grab them from me so she can "taste" them.

-The bountiful blessings we have received this year and the fact that have presents under our tree for our loved ones!

 

I am so excited for Norah Kate's first Christmas and seeing my family that I didn't get to see on Thanksgiving!

Merry CHRISTmas, from our family to yours.  I hope everyone has a blessed and safe holiday!

 

"Then the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.  For there is born to you this day in the city of David a savior, who is Christ the Lord.  And this will be the sign to you; You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in  a manger."  Luke 2:10-12 NKJV



(Next year I am starting my Christmas shopping and party planning in July ;) )