dear bella and emmy,
it's a couple of days after christmas and i always feel a little sad when it's over. i have always loved christmas, and now i love it even more because i get to be your mama. i love watching you experience all of the excitement and joy of the christmas season, and how your eyes light up with childlike wonder as you take it all in.
there is nothing sweeter than you at christmastime.
this year we have had so much fun. even just everyday things are even more exciting during the holidays!
decorating the tree together...
you both were a little crazy around the tree for the first few days... we have the "one finger rule", where we allow you to touch the ornaments, but only with one finger. you both can do a lot of damage even just with one finger!! in the stressful moments, i always tried to remind myself that it won't be like this for long. before i blink, you will be all grown up and i will miss the days of having to tell you "no!" a million times a minute :)
meme got you each a little tree for your bedroom... you love having it lit while you play or even while you sleep. bella, i don't think we have turned yours off in quite some time! you will have an adjustment when it's time to take it out of your room... emmy, yours is pink and turquoise to match your room and your favorite ornament is elmo. bella, yours is multicolored an your favorite ornament is a pink ballerina. when i bought them for you, you both carried them around everywhere and even wanted to take them to bed with you and your babysitter's house!
then there is looking out the window at the first snowfall... you always get so excited!
and picnic lunches on christmas blankets while watching
"frosty the snowman"...
and the very special television version of
"the sound of music"... bella, you stayed up waaaay past your bedtime but it was so special to sit up with mama and daddy until you fell asleep on the couch, watching one of our favorite classics...
and birthday cakes for jesus with our friends (which was really just a coffee cake i made for a snowy playdate but bella, you asked if we could make it into a birthday cake for jesus, so i completed it with candles and a song)...
and cuddles after naptime, while watching cooking shows on foodnetwork.com (your favorite, bella!)
one weekend we went to see santa at a fancy house up on a hill... you loved meeting him and even gave him a hug! the next day we took a special trip to portland to ride on the
"polar express". it was a great weekend, and you both were so excited!
this past weekend we had a baking day at meme's. bella, you and jude helped make gingerbread cookies! you did a great job and had so much fun.
christmas eve-eve (december 23rd) has always been a super special day for me. when i was a little girl, auntie and i would always spend the night at great grammy and great grampy's. after dinner, we'd get in our pj's and bundle ourselves up with blankets and drive around to look at christmas lights. we've started doing that with you guys, too, and you love it! this year you brought hot chocolate in your sippy cups. emmy, you were really fun to listen to. you kept shrieking
"WIGHTS! WIGHTS!" every few seconds and
"pwetty! pwetty!" you loved it. we couldn't go far this year because there was a big ice storm and the roads were pretty icy. a lot of houses were without power, too, so we found a few streets that were still lit up. when we got home, we all snuggled in mama and daddy's bed and daddy projected
"frosty the snowman" and
"elf" up on the wall of our bedroom! you guys loved it. definitely a new christmas tradition for us!
christmas eve dawned bright and beautiful. it snowed through the night, so the trees were shiny with ice and shimmering with snow. i told daddy this was the prettiest christmas eve i could remember. i had to take a few pictures of our house and yard!
christmas eve morning, we went to meme's and had bagels and cream cheese from our favorite... the bagel shop! uncle byron and aunt dawn and aunt holly, uncle scott, matthew and rachel and auntie, uncle brian, jude and lulu were all there. you guys opened up presents from uncle byron and aunt dawn; a giant piano mat! when you dance on it, it plays music. pretty awesome.
we came home so you could nap and then we went back to meme's for a roast turkey dinner before going to christmas eve service at church.
emmy, meme had to take you out halfway through the christmas eve service at church. you were a squirmy worm and talking very loudly! bella, you twirled like a ballerina to the christmas carols, and wanted to join in on communion when it was served. daddy and i did our best to explain it to you. before both the cracker and the juice, you prayed and thanked jesus for dying on the cross for you. when you took a bite of the cracker you said loudly (in a very quiet church) "mmm that cracker was yummy! i'm thirsty now, i need some juice!" :)
after church, meme came with us and we drove to look at a few more lights. we got home and took a few more pictures before getting you settled, putting cookies out for santa, and finally getting you (especially you, bella!) to sleep! you were so excited. i love this picture of my two favorite girls:
when i was growing up, on christmas eve bampy would always leave one candle in our windows lit up overnight.
"it's for jesus", he would say. i made sure to do the same thing before we all went to bed. it's so important, my girls, to remember that he is the reason for this special time of year.
it is his light that brings hope into the dark seasons of our lives. and that, my sweet girls, is the best gift we could ever have.
so as i feel a little sad that my favorite time of the year is over, i am just so thankful for our little family. we are so blessed to have each other! and most of all i'm thankful for jesus, and that christmas didn't end... it began on that day so long ago when a tiny king was born in a stable. and the joy, peace and hope of christmas lives on forever in our hearts because of jesus and what he's done for us.
i love you more than words could ever say, sweet daughters of mine.
and you at christmastime is one of my favorite things.
love you to the moon and back (and back again),
mama
