Christmas 2014

This was the first year I haven't been with either one of my parents for Christmas. Mom was in Kansas with her family, and dad and Micah-Ray went to New Mexico with his family. Every year for as long as I can remember we've always gone somewhere for Thanksgiving and Christmas. One holiday in Kansas with mom's side, the next with dad's in New Mexico. Then we'd alternate the next year. The older I get, the more I realize how special it was that we got to do that year after year.

This year, us Byrds had to stay for a few reasons, and Jordan decided to stay since Tricia is a few weeks away from her due date.

Christmas Eve we had Sammy over for dinner and cookie decorating. He made a pineapple ham and the cookies, and we made bread, a potato bake dish, and sauteed and seasoned green beans with almonds. It was all delicious!

Christmas morning we let Sophia open her stocking and Santa gifts as soon as she woke.

We tried to hold off as long as we could before opening our other gifts while we waited for Jordan, but Sophia's anticipation was growing as she was "arranging" them. We decided to go ahead and open ours before they came.

When they got here we had a big breakfast of homemade biscuits and gravy, sausage, scrambled eggs, fruit, and yogurt. Then they opened gifts, and we let Sophia see her last gift from us. A playhouse!

Little side note. We recently made a few lists of short and long term goals for things we needed and wanted to buy. We put a play house or swing set for Sophia on the list, but it was towards the bottom. A few days before Christmas, a friend asked if we wanted their new play house because they were gifted a newer, bigger one for their kids. How cool is that? How cool is God? My mama heart was overflowing with excitement for Sophie.

It was a different Christmas. Not bad, just different. And very sweet.