Thank goodness my dad and his sweet wife, Connie, were in town because I could not have made it without their help. We had lunch for 12 at noon on Christmas Eve and despite the crummy way I felt it went off pretty well. It was special treat to have my sister, Shannon, in town with her twins along with my dad and sister, Laura. I made a pork roast in the Crockpot with cranberries and holiday spices that was not fantastic, but was okay and easy. The sides were all yummy and we got some stuff from Whole Foods that was good—I highly recommend the caramelized leek and bacon mashed potatoes! My sister brought fabulous desserts including an amazing red velvet cake from Dessert Gallery. We had lunch, opened tons of gifts (everyone was way too generous and I love my new Kate Spade bag, Laura) and sang Happy Birthday to Jesus before enjoying dessert. Margo’s cousins were so sweet to her and were a great distraction and she only started to get fussy toward the end when she also clearly needed a long nap. The day did feel a bit rushed for everyone to make church, but it seems that is the case every year. The cold nasty rain kept us cozy indoors and we had the afternoon to clean up and recover in preparation for the next day.
The night of Christmas Eve was fun preparing for Margo’s Santa stuff. Dad and Connie bought Margo an awesome wagon complete with cup holders, an umbrella and more! Fortunately, my handy dad was there to put it together or Cary and I might have strangled each other before it was all said and done. I few glasses of wine made me feel better and everything else was easy to set out. Margo received a Pottery Barn chair, an activity cube, books from Santa’s reindeer and other small things including her stocking stuffers. I must say, with the wagon and her other gifts from family, she made quite a haul! She only woke once in the night with a low grade fever and slept until 6:30 am the next morning, thank goodness. She was much improved in the morning and seemed to have fun with all her new toys from Santa although she clearly had no idea what in the world was going on. It was a fun memory and the only thing missing was her Christmas jammies, which I am still sad about. I went to six stores in the Galleria, finally found a pair at Hannah Anderson that was pricey, but I was desperate. Got home only to learn they were the wrong size (because they have this weird European sizing) and when I called they didn’t have any in her size in stock. Cary went to the Gap the next day, got a precious pair, only to discover that the top was the right size and the bottoms were 2T. Christmas jammies were not meant to be this year. Maybe God was trying to tell me not to sweat the small stuff!
Dad and Connie said goodbye at 7:30 am, so they could head to San Antonio to visit my sweet Uncle Wilson who is in a home for brain injured adults. We were sad to see them go so early, but grateful for our precious time together which is all too infrequent. Cary and I actually managed to relax, drink coffee, play with Margo, open our other gifts, etc… until his parent’s arrived around noon. Thank goodness for their help, I was able to shower and reheat leftovers in plenty of time before Cary’s cousin and aunt arrived and we all had a wonderful afternoon together! Margo only needed one dose of Advil and put on a show for all of us, dancing in her chair, kissing her new baby doll and showing off her gymnastic skills doing somersaults! She was happy on Christmas Day and I was so grateful for that! It was a relaxing afternoon with family and Margo brought so much joy to all of us that day!
The day after Christmas Margo was pretty much back to normal and although it was hard surviving Christmas with the sleep deprivation and my heart hurting for my sweet baby who was clearly suffering, we were with family and there is nothing more important! It was a wonderful time to reflect on the gift of our Savior and treasure our time together!
Love this photo by my dad, captures Christmas in the best possible way!
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