Christmas Eve

What a day...not because anything spectacular happened.  But this is the first Christmas I have ever spent at home without my mom, dad, sister and her family, grandmas, grandpa and uncles.  Today has been peaceful, exciting sad and happy all at the same time.  The kids and I baked and cooked all day long.  We prepared the house to celebrate the birth of our savior!  It wasn't until dinner when Drew read the Christmas story that I started crying because I wish I was with my family...and just thinking about my great grandma, who is very sick.  I spent last Christmas with her and it was SO SWEET!  For the first time ever in Drew's and my life we will open presents on Christmas Day!  We both grew up opening presents on Christmas Eve seeing as it was a Swedish and German tradition (he is from German decent and my fam is Swedish)  Drew and I wanted to start some of our own traditions so we will open presents tomorrow like the majority of America.  I suppose growing up I always felt left out on Christmas day knowing that everyone was just experiencing the excitement of presents Christmas morn....and we "didn't do anything" (in my kids mind).  Since growing up, Christmas day with my extended family is a time for us to craft and just be together.  But, as a kid I didn't "get" that.  I am very thankful that we are close to Drew's side of the family so we WILL get to have a yummy lunch with them tomorrow that I am preparing.
Drew had to work today and when he came home he had a FREE tree from Earth Fare in his car!  I totally wasn't expecting that so it was a fun surprise to swap out the little fake tree I had (adoption budget people, adoption budget!)  :)  for a real beautiful one.  Then, against my scrooge like ways, Drew took the kids to Lowes and bought $12 worth of junk beauty!  They came home and were soooo excited to replace my color coordinated ornaments with tensile, huge colored lights and plastic....stuff.  Mmmmm, I was NOT excited at first, but the joy on all THREE of their faces and the treasures they found made me say WHO CARES about my beautiful tree.  This sweet phase of the kids life will not last forever.  Put all the ornaments down low and clumped together...if it makes you happy.  :)  The tree looks....well, different from other years.  It looks LOVED.  And isn't that what this season is all about?  LOVE?

Well, I'm going to sound like a dork, but I need to go so I can watch the annual mass at St. Peters in Rome. I'm not Catholic, but I used to spend hours roaming Rome-off to reminisce.  

Merry Christmas!