I hung Christmas lights on our roof in 100 billion degree weather while wearing a tank top and flip flops. As I balanced over the peak the hilarity of the situation struck me. Growing up I froze my tushy off helping my dad hang lights. My life officially is the opposite of anything I would have expected.
All the baking, decorating, card writing (that didn’t happen), crafts and Christmas stories – these were the things I planned and were the things I thought would help us to celebrate the Birth of our Savior. But the things I didn’t plan….well, the unexpected moments of joy are the parts of this Christmas that I will treasure.
Little Man came down with another cold the week before Christmas. He has had a hard month adjusting to his prosthetic, us trying to figure out physical therapy and being sick on top of it all. His high fever last Saturday almost kept us from church, but at the last minute he was feeling better so we went. We took him into service with us rather than exposing other children to our germs. As we sang Christmas hymns Little Man joined, his unrecognizable babbles and sweet clapping marking his first Christmas.
After the service all four kids played. I seriously have 4 of the sweetest kids!
Little Monkey asked for Legos “that are for girls not boys.” She was thrilled with the pink tub of pieces her Aunt gave her and the set Hubbie and I found to add to it. She opened the boxes immediately (huge deal for our sweet girl who usually won’t open anything new but likes to save them.) What I found an hour later….Soccer Dude sprawled out on the floor with the directions. I watched from the door as he explained how she could follow the directions in the booklet and find the pieces for that page. They were like that for the afternoon. It was beyond precious and I treasured the moment in my heart.
Roo could be voted the most fun child to have around for a holiday. She appreciates every gift, big or small, and is always making something and giving little heartfelt gifts. She exclaims loudly “thanks so much. I love it!” even if she is not sure what is in the box!
Roo cheered for her little brother when he figured out how to peel the paper from a gift…..causing him to cheer loudly. The rest of our day, any time a gift was opened we heard the loud cheers of an excited 2 year old! Such joy! Little Man’s favorite gifts were a big bird and trucks of course!
It was a great first Christmas for Little Man and for our family in Florida.
Casting A Stone 