i’ll spare words today as they would, most certainly, cheapen the magical stuff that is floating around our home.

the boys are with their mom, but should be arriving shortly.

in the meantime…

there was magic of the christmas eve sort last night…

…as we sang away in a manger at the little church up the road. it must be the candlelight service. cuz that’s what i had as a kid, and that’s what i want for my own. and it was beautiful.

and then home to wrap presents, sit by the fire, sip champagne, put lainey to bed and begin the magic.

when brett pulled the first piece of the kitchen out of the box, i cried. it was one of those moments in life you just don’t forget. i sat forever, organizing food, painting the plaque that would hang above, hanging cups and dish towels on little hooks.

(oh, and p.s.: merry christmas to me, i finished my photo wall)

and then, at one in the morning, i was ready for bed.

and brett & i laid in the dark with a warm, snuggly plaid-jammied baby between us. and i felt thankful. not for what was to come the next day, but for that very moment. the whole world could have melted away, and i would have been happy right there in that bed with my family. so, i closed my eyes and went to sleep.

and this morning was everything it was supposed to be.

and here’s where words fail me.

oh, i cannot believe i have a little girl, and she has a kitchen. somebody pinch me.

…and i gave daddy a dvd i made for him with all the pictures of him and his babies over the years. and we watched it together, and he cried. cryderman rule: it ain’t christmas ’til somebody cries.

and then we spent the morning stirring pretend soups and sipping fake coffee that she poured for us in little tin cups. and it was delicious.

we are happy to have grandma here, happy to have brothers on the way, and happy to be relishing in all the little joys of christmas.

merry christmas from ours to yours.

hot cocoa walk.

initiated last year in an attempt to christmas-fy anything and everything after making the decision to not be up north.

wagon completely bedecked with lights and garland and filled with festive babies, we set out, blaring our christmas music, knocking on doors, passing out cups of hot cocoa to neighbors.

lainey had marshmallow duty but i think she ate most of them herself.

i love traditions, and i love that our friends became a part of ours this year.

i wasn’t going to post, but no one is waking up in this house and i’m two cups o’ coffee in, tip-toeing around trying to keep quiet and, well…tapping a keyboard is a quiet task indeed.

and i just wanted to make it known that i am truly thankful i’ve made it ’til december 23 without hearing that awful drive-your-car-off-a-bridge song about the little boy and the shoes and his mama wanting to look pretty when she meets jesus on christmas eve. whoever wrote that song must have certainly been doing some sort of social experiment on suicide rates during the holidays.

seriously, i picture a bunch of college musicians and a bet over who could write the saddest christmas song. they each take their turn to perform, the others sarcastically bent over in pretend sobs while it’s played and at the end, some applause. then, the last guy goes. hugh martin…i looked him up. and hugh sings…”it’s christmas eve and these shoes are just her size…” and the other guys are gaping. and crying…for real. and like searching for nooses and stuff. and then at the end, the other guys just reach out of their pockets a wad of cash and throw it at hugh. because he so won.

hugh, why’d you write that song? why?

in much happier christmas festivities…

we’re just doing christmasy stuff. and homey stuff. and kitchen stuff. and family stuff.

…and we were so happy to enjoy brett’s little sister here with us for a short trip…

…and happy to have grandma krissy arriving today…for more christmasy stuff. and home stuff. and kitchen stuff. and family stuff.

…enjoying the happy things. ~k