And this year, oh this year, was the sweetest of them all!!! People always tell you how much more fun and precious things are when you have kids. But, you can never truly understand until you go through the experience yourself. And that's with anything really. Any life experience can never be fully understood until you actually go through something yourself. But, let me tell you, there is nothing like getting to experience all the firsts that come along with having a new baby! I know Seiden isn't old enough to comprehend even an ounce of what went on during Christmas. But, I do know one thing, this little girl knows the depths of our Savior's love for her. She has felt it ever since she was in my womb, felt it through all of her time in the NICU, felt it through her surgery, and continues to feel His love and His Holy Spirit moving through her each and everyday as He continues to heal her. So, I have no doubt that she already knows that Christmas is about celebrating Jesus's birth. But, she is just going to start finding out all the old and new traditions that our family will celebrate that goes along with this precious, joyous, loving time of year.
My family has always celebrated Christmas in the most fun and sweet ways. Ever since we were little, we have eaten tamales, pinto beans, queso, and chips on Christmas Eve. Then, we opened up presents from each other and watched a Christmas movie. It's always been The Santa Claus, ever since it came out in 1994. They've added two new ones since then, so we have tried to watch them as well. We've always watched How the Grinch Stole Christmas...the new one with Jim Carry. We would write Santa a note, leave him a big glass of milk and some yummy cookies on his special plate and then attempt to go to sleep. On Christmas Eve night, Michael would make a pallet on the floor in my room and we would wake up together, call my parents from my room so they could set up the video camera to capture our faces, then run into the living room to see what all Santa had brought us. Daddy always made sausage balls for breakfast and had Neil Diamond's Christmas CD's playing all morning long. Then, we would start getting the food prepared for a traditional Christmas dinner and just spend the entire day together as a family. As we got older, these traditions have continued. In fact, the Christmas before Cody and I got married, Cody slept in Michael's room and Michael still made a pallet on the floor of my room on Christmas Eve. There were also several other little things we've done throughout the years. Like, leave out reindeer food, make gingerbread houses, make Christmas candy, do Christmas crafts, etc. Santa also left behind evidence that he had been at our house, other than eating all his cookies, drinking all his milk, and writing us a note back of course! One year, there was a footprint left in the fireplace. Another year, he tore his suit on the fireplace and left behind some of his Santa suit. And yet, another year, he got his sooty footprints from the fireplace ashes all over the carpet leading from the fireplace to the tree. And of course, the reindeer always ate all their reindeer food that we sprinkled out for them in the front yard. There were many other instances where Santa left his mark on our house...and all of them were so sweet, fun, and memorable.
Because we had so many fun and loving memories of Christmas and Santa growing up, Cody and I wanted to make sure that we carried on some of these same traditions with my family. As well as start our own traditions. So, we still did my family's traditional Christmas Eve get-together. Except, we no longer exchange presents from each other. We decided to stop doing that several years ago. Just because we can really go and get anything we want throughout the year now that we are on our own. So, no need to spend the extra money. Santa does still fill our stockings and leave us with a few other goodies at mom and dad's on Christmas morning though! We also didn't stay to watch the movie this year. With Seiden's eating schedule and me having to get up so early to pump and such, we were both so tired and decided to head home and just relax after dinner and some visiting on Christmas Eve. Dinner was good, as always, and spending time with family is always wonderful. It was a nice, peaceful first Christmas Eve as a family of 3!
But Christmas morning was a totally different story!!! Because we have Seiden now, we decided to start our Christmas morning fun at our house. I made hot chocolate in the crockpot and had various toppings and goodies to go along with it. I also made a baked oatmeal and baked a cinnamon roll french toast. Daddy also made his traditional sausage balls and brought them over and I had Christmas music playing from my iPhone through an iHome. About 8:00, everyone came over to celebrate Seiden's first Christmas. And then...about 15 minutes later...someone else came in through the front door. It was none other than Santa Claus himself!!! He came right in through our front door "ho-ho-hoing" and saying that he had a special delivery for a very special little girl. Santa had a bag with Seiden's name on it that had come straight from the North Pole with him filled with all kinds of toys, clothes, books, and a special teddy bear with the year embroidered on it's foot to remember her first Christmas. Seiden loved seeing Santa and loved being held by him...it was precious! We took tons of pictures of course, then Santa had to leave to go back to the North Pole. We are already so excited for Santa to come back next year and visit Seiden and to see what her reaction will be to him when she is a year old! After Santa left, we ate breakfast together, and it was all so yummy! We did get my parents and Mimi a little something for Christmas this year. We got them pictures of us and Seiden and had them put in frames. We also got my parents customized burlap throw pillows with "Opa" and "Bella" stamped on them. They have them on their bed...so precious! After breakfast, we walked across the street to my parents house to see what Santa had left in our stockings. He got us all kinds of fun goodies! New pj's, blankets, Bath and Body stuff, candy, hunting goodies, socks, and some more fun stuff! Christmas morning has never been so fun!
After the fun festivities of the morning, Cody and I went back home for a bit. We left Seiden at my parent's cause we needed to run into CVS to get a couple of things we had forgotten. It also gave us time to put everything away that Santa had gotten us and clean up from all the fun from the morning. And...I'm sure that my parents didn't mind one bit having some time alone with our precious angel...they can't get enough! Cody and I got everything cleaned up at home, then ran into town for a bit. I have to say, it was nice to just jump in the car and go. It takes a little longer to get ready to go and actually run errands these days...a change that we welcome and love. But, it was nice just to be able to hop in the car and head out without having to think about what we might be forgetting. After we got home, we went back across the street and just hung out for the rest of the day until dinner was ready. Cody actually wound up going hunting that evening. So, it was just Seiden at I hanging out at my parent's. I actually went back home for a bit so that I could pump and also get things ready for dinner for Cody's family. They came over the day after Christmas for our family's get-together. My Mimi was here for Christmas this year. So, while I ran home for that hour, she held Seiden the whole time and was in hog heaven! Dinner was ready about 6:30 and we sat together as a family with Seiden snoozing in her bouncer and ate a yummy Christmas dinner. We are so, so blessed!
Cody's family came over that next evening to celebrate Christmas. We decided to take it easy on the cooking this year. So, I just made a huge batch of chili in the crockpot. I also whipped up some cornbread and had a salad to go along with it. And...I also made a pecan pie cheesecake for dessert. That was the star of the show! Oh man...it was SO good! I'll have to make that again for sure! His family got to our house about 6:30 and we visited for a bit, then filled our bowls and plates and ate dinner together and visited and talked for the rest of the night. We also don't exchange presents anymore. But, we do get something for the kids. So, the kiddos opened up their presents, and we opened up Seiden's presents for her. Chrissy, Cody's sister, got her the most adorable Cabbage Patch doll! Her favorite doll to play with when she was growing up was her Cabbage patch doll. So, she HAD to get Seiden one...and I just love it! She said she searched all over to find her the perfect one...and it is perfect! I can't wait for her to play with it!!! She also got some clothes, a reindeer stuffed animal, and some money from her Nana. And, a Fisher Price Laugh and Learn playing table and some money from her Granddude. We are going to put the money in a college fund for her...so that is a huge blessing to get that from them! We had such a good time spending time with Cody's family. The kids are growing up so fast. It's amazing to me to look at them and see how much they've grown and matured over the years. We are so blessed by each and everyone of them and it was so good to spend time together as family!
And...one final thing! Mom, Mimi, and I have always gone shopping the day after Christmas ever since I was a little girl. We don't really do the Black Friday thing after Thanksgiving. But, we have always gone shopping the day after Christmas. We used to go for the Liberty Falls Houses that Dillard's carried. But, they stopped carrying those years ago. So, then we started going to get Christmas decorations that were marked down half off. And now, we still go to look. But, we also go to several other stores to see what kind of deals they have on other things besides Christmas decor. This year, Seiden accompanied us!!! It was her first big shopping trip...one of many, many more to come! Mom and Mimi came over that morning for some leftover over cinnamon roll french toast bake and coffee before they headed out. I feed Seiden at 9:30, and they wanted to head out earlier than it would take me to feed her and get her all ready to go and loaded up in the car. So, they headed out after they finished up breakfast and Seiden and I met them after she had eaten and I had gotten all changed and ready to go. We got to the mall about 10:15 and she did SO good! She is going to be quite the little shopper...I just know it! We spent all day at the mall, she even had to eat her 12:30 bottle out there. When it was time for that, we went to Books-A-Million and got some hot water from Joe Muggs (the coffee shop inside BAM) and heated up her bottle in that cup. She ate the whole thing, then we got some coffee and headed back out for more shopping! About 2:30, I had to call it quits. I hadn't pumped since 8:00 that morning and needless to say, I was desperately needing to get home to pump! Plus, Seiden needed to eat again at 3:30. So, I was kinda pressed for time by the time we got to the car and I got her loaded in the car, then got home and unloaded her, took care of the dogs, then took care of pumping. So, I was making a mad dash to get home! We pulled in the garage about 3:00 and I managed to get her all settled, get the dogs fed, and pump before it was time for her to eat...phew! We had so, so, so much fun! My life has never felt more complete and fulfilled and I realize more and more every single day just how blessed we are. God is SO good!!!
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