Christmas Eve

Dear Heavenly Father,
Tonight, on the eve of your birthday, I want to thank you for all of the blessings that you have bestowed upon my family. I am so thankful for my husband, my beautiful children, my family...my LIFE! It is so easy in the chaos of the season to loose track of the important things and let the little things get in the way of our joy. I want you to know that never have I forgotten this Christmas Season what you have given to me, to us. I love you Lord, thank you...thank you for ALL that you given to me and for your saving grace that has blessed this world.


This past weekend was full of amazing and incredible memories that will last a lifetime. Being with our families this weekend was just completely a wonderful experience. The joy that it brought to me and my family in indescribable and truly, this is one of the most amazing holidays that I can remember. Being with my mom was something that I needed and SHE needed and it was just wonderful to be together and watch the children enthralled with the wonder of Christmas. Their innocence and sweetness will never be forgotten this Christmas. We took so many awesome pictures this past weekend, five hundred of them to be exact, and I have decided to make a video presentation of the holidays as a whole rather then post just a few pictures on my blog. But I am going to post pictures of tonight.

My mom and dad always come up and celebrate Christmas Eve with us and this year was no different. I am so thankful beyond words that we were all healthy to be able to spend all this time together. So, so thankful!! I always make the same the Christmas Eve dinner with the same cookies, I am all about tradition! We hang out, play with toys, and just be together. After my parents left the kids and Kris and I made cupcakes for Santa and danced to Christmas Music. We got the kids dressed in the Christmas Eve PJ's, set out the cupcakes, read them the Christmas Story, said our Christmas prayers, and tucked them each into bed...so blessed...I know I say that often but I can't help it. I really know that I am blessed to have them!

I just can't begin to explain how much this Christmas means to me....in so many different ways. This is the first Christmas that I feel complete with my family. I feel like we have it all and couldn't even begin to ask for more. These past few days with family has just made me appreciate it all so much more. I love my family so much. My mom and dad are both such an inspiration to me and we are so close. Being apart these past few months while the kids were sick and my mom has been undergoing her Chemo has been very tough on me. But this past weekend renewed me and I feel so happy. Christmas is a time for memories and family. Last Christmas I tried so hard to make it wonderful, and it was, but my heart ached for Mikayla. She is here, we were all together, and I couldn't be more happier OR more thankful. My husband, my children, and my family are everything to me.

I hope that all of you have a very blessed and wonderful Christmas. Please, be thankful for the blessings in your life and remember to relish in every single minute because life it so short and memories should be made when the opportunity to make them is HERE. And remember in the craziness of gifts, cookies, gatherings, and dinners to stop and thank Jesus for his loving grace, his faithfulness, and his forgiveness...for it is HE that we truly celebrate tomorrow!

Many Christmas Hugs
Mindy

My beautiful son
and my beautiful daughter!
Papa stealing kisses
Look at her...she is so beautiful...I can't help it...
Papa and his grand-daughter
Thank you Aunt Zell for sending this to us!!! I love it and we got it yesterday, well, Saturday but we weren't here so it was waiting for us when we got home!!! It has smelled up my ENTIRE dining room and I can't begin to tell you how much it meant to us that you made this for us and sent it here! Alec was SO happy to get Candy Canes, he has already eaten most of them and will probably steal Mikayla's too! THANK YOU! WE LOVE AND MISS YOU!

Me and my mom before bringing out dinner
My mom is SO amazing and SO beautiful!!!!
I love you dad!!!
Look at my sweet son, he is a trip let me tell you! So full of life! Here he is posing by his science lab that he got for Christmas from my mom and dad.
Here they are in their matching pajama's! Did you expect anything less from me? I looked for over FIVE weeks for the perfect Christmas Eve PJ's

Take Two
Bells will be ringing....
Loving this bell...she didn't want to give it up before bed!

Daddy and Alec
Mmmmmmm.....
Daddy and Kayla
Oh yeah?
Silly boy! Collapsing after dancing to Jingle Bell Rock

Almost time for bed daddy?
Look how sweet this nightgown is! It's her FIRST one!
Hello? Is someone calling me?
Alec hanging his special Christmas Eve ornament
He said he needed to put it up high with the rest so Mikayla didn't try to eat it. LOL

Kisses from DADA!
Mommy and a squirming girl
Awwwww..... I love it
Sweet baby girl
Mommy and Daddy...Good job photographer Alec!

Part one of making cupcakes....the mixing stage!
Daddy getting in on the fun
Part two of cupcake fun...ICING!
Will Santa love it??
I think he will!

~Goodnight~