Christmastime is Here

On Christmas Eve, we got up after John's early morning feeding and exchanged presents with each other.  My favorite gift that Daddy helped John get me was my "Mother's Love" necklace and the poem that went with it

After we showered and got ready, we loaded up the car and headed to Garland to spend Christmas Eve and Day with Heather, Gam, and Grandpa Clarkson.  Christmas Eve was a lazy day- we played games, took a nap, and Peyton came over to visit.  We went to a Christmas Eve service at Spring Creek Church and John slept right through it.  Daddy kept checking on him under the car seat cover because the music was really loud, but that didn't phase him!

Aunt Heather and John

Christmas Eve Family photo

Aunt Heather gave John a polar bear exactly like Matthew had growing up called King Bear

It won best gift that night!!

John's "King Bear" and Matthew's King Bear- lots of loving!

Christmas Morning, we woke up and checked out our stockings- John got two sleep and play outfits, three lullaby CDs (Baby's First Hymns and Rockabye Baby Queen and Michael Jackson), and a Gremlins DVD.  Gremlins was all Daddy.  ;)  Then we ate a breakfast of biscuits and gravy, sausage, and eggs (yum) that Grandpa made before heading out to Tyler.  Heather, Gam, and Grandpa were leaving for El Paso soon after.

We got to Aunt Marsha's house and immediately had to feed John- he did so good on the trip from Garland to Tyler!  John got to meet Lane and Meghan and Luke for the first time as well as Mallory and Matthew.  The Hamiltons, Granny and Papa, Marsha and Don, Jonathan, Grandmother and Grandaddy, Andrew, and Papaw were all there too!  After singing "Silent Night" and having Papa say the blessing, we ate turkey and dressing, baked potatoes, and salad for lunch (yum again).  

Lane and John meeting!

They are going to be good buddies!

Then we sat around a talked for a while before "The Sisters" and Granny and Papa opened gifts to each other.  We then went around the room and everyone told what one or two gifts for Christmas over the years they had received that were their favorites/stuck with them.  It was so neat to hear what gifts stuck with people!  Not surprisingly, many of the guys said a certain gun or fishing stuff, the Great-grandparents said bicycles, some said dolls or stuffed animals (King Bear for Daddy!).  It opened up a time where we all talked about past Christmas memories which I love hearing!  

Christmas Night we got back to Grandmother and Granddaddy's house and exchanged presents with Andrew, Grandmother, and Granddaddy.  John got a ton of cute clothes, and, Mommy's favorite gift, his first Bible and Bible Stories book!  

It was a wonderful Christmas Eve and Day filled with family and lots of loving on John!!!