I am calling our Christmas post "Joy to the World," because that was one of Will's favorite songs this month. He is so cute...whenever he hears a new song, he will ask me to sing it at bedtime and naptime...like over and over and over...until he knows all the words. Then we get little gems like this:
Christmas was SO much fun this year! Will went through a phase at the beginning of the month {and middle...and mostly until Christmas Eve} during which he really wasn't into Christmas. He told me not to decorate, but to "keep it plain," and when he would find out that one of his favorite bedtime songs was actually a Christmas song, he would ask for a different one. This KILLED me, as Christmas is my absolute favorite time of the year, and I love to decorate, sing, bake, wrap, and enjoy every moment. Luckily, Will finally came around, and I'm pretty sure that he will be totally on board with the whole season next year. :)
We finally got matching stockings this year, and I love them!
{Luckily, we also got a mantle when we moved, so I had a place to hang them!}
We had so much fun visiting with all of our family on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. However, afterwards, I realized that while wrangling three little bitties, there isn't much time for taking pictures! We luckily took lots at home on Christmas morning, but I ended up with only ONE picture from the rest of Christmas...oops!
This year, Will was old enough to get excited about making cookies for Santa. He has really been loving to bake with me this month, so we made gingerbread cookies with lots of sprinkles! He also narrated his letter to the big guy, and signed his name at the end. You really have to look for it....sideways...but I'm sure Santa knew who it was from. You may notice that all he asked for was greek yogurt. All month, whenever anyone asked him what he wanted for Christmas, that was his answer. Keep in mind...he had only tasted greek yogurt ONE time before Christmas, so we're not totally sure why he wanted only this one gift. But I will give him credit...Santa brought him plenty, and he has eaten greek yogurt every day since Christmas. He LOVES it!
Of all mornings, Will decided to sleep in on Christmas day! We had to wake him up because we were so excited for him to see what Santa brought...and also because we had lots of things to do, places to be, and presents to open that day.
Our sweet boy at 8:30 am...rise and shine!!
Santa came!
Santa's big gift...a bounce house! Will knew exactly what to do when he saw it.
Santa left a note for Will
Caroline and Emily got in on the present opening action as well, although they needed a bit of help. Will was happy to open their gifts for them, and play with them too. As expected, they enjoyed the wrapping paper as much as the presents. :)
{pro tip...in all of these pics, Matt has Caroline, and I have Emily}
And...our one picture from the day....Will playing in his new car from Mimi and Duke!
Unfortunately it's been too cold for Will to play with his car from Mimi and Duke and his giant trampoline at Nana's house, but I think the weather is going to be nice this week, so it will almost be like a second Christmas for him! He is one lucky boy to have grandparents who love him so much, and who know exactly what makes him happy....cars, keys, and jumping up and down!
One of my favorite parts of Christmas this year was that Will is old enough to understand what it's really about. We read a book with an easy to understand version of the Christmas story, and we spent lots of time talking about baby Jesus. We even made Jesus a birthday cake! Christmas is so fun when you get to see it through the eyes of an almost-3-year-old.
I also spent a lot of time reflecting back on last Christmas, and feeling so very thankful for Caroline and Emily. Last year at this time, we didn't know if they would make it here safely, how premature they would have to be born, or what the future was going to look like for our family. God is so good to have blessed us with these two perfectly healthy, happy, beautiful, growing baby girls. Last year, all I wanted for Christmas was for our family to be exactly what it is right now, and I haven't forgotten to be thankful for that gift. Every single day. What a wonderful life. Merry Christmas!
