Christmas Eve

You know how you have that idealist part of your mind that envisions the way things "should" go at certain times? Like holidays, for instance.  I am pretty sure that my idea of Christmas Eve this year revolved around things like eating a lovely, warm meal for dinner, reading from the scriptures, acting out the nativity, opening one gift each, singing some lovely carols, drinking cocoa (though, somehow, without involving white sugar...not sure it's possible), watching some kind of cute festive movie (not sure they're ready for A Christmas Story, but really, can't ever imagine watching anything else on Christmas Eve) and tucking kids into bed with mild to moderate resistance (normal).  

How did it actually go? It revolved more around frantic attempts to get on top of dishes and laundry while the older two played at Grandma Teri's house with cousins for the morning, picking them up to find they had raided their cousins' candy stashes and charged themselves with the sugar they're rarely allowed to have (Sorry, I know it sounds grinch-ish and anti-childhood but do they really need all that junk circulating in their bodies on a regular basis when, as it is, we're fighting off colds every other week? No thanks. Is it an easy thing to enforce? No. Is their health worth it? Absolutely.) (Also, that reminds me...we owe some cousins a candy cane or two. Sorry, Carrigan and Brittney! I'll remember one of these days!) , missed/short naps, tantrums, sensitivity to any and all things that could possibly be upsetting (I think I meant to be talking about the kids but as I typed it, realized I should just admit that this one's probably more about me), barefoot children playing in the wet, cold backyard because I'm at my wit's end and this is the first thing that has made and kept them happy all day ("outside downstairs" shoes still caked in dried mud from rainy play day), having JC pick up Chick-Fil-A for them to eat for dinner (It may be fast food but at least it's the most nutritional choice among the options...), free play time after dinner to unwind a bit, watching/listening to/trying to get a glimpse of the "Reflections of Christ" DVD while settling the kids down and getting them in pajamas (Thank you, Polly! We love it!), trying to take a good Christmas-Eve-y family picture in our matching pajamas and, finally, tucking the kids in bed. I can't remember how easily they went to bed that night but it's probably just as well! 

Here are some pictures from our night:

After dinner, as we all hung out in the playroom, Scout crawled up on JC's lap for some affection. Scout loves JC.  Here, he is all sprawled out and I couldn't help but take some pictures. HE is such a huge cat.  Doesn't it look like he is hugging JC? 

Bethany gets in on the lovin.

Ben comes to investigate. Seriously. Scout is huge.

Scout gets tired of all the attention and buries his face to send a clear message.

JC's "wow, you are still taking pictures?" look sends the same message and I leave them to their cuddling.

The boys spread Christmas cheer by throwing all the books on the floor. Ben does this because he likes to look at them. James does this so he has a place for his animals to play.

Bethany was feeling more active and, literally, ran around for a while.  Around the playroom, out into the kitchen, around the kitchen, back in the playroom, around in circles, etc.

Ben and I played with the camera a bit. Here is our self(s) portrait.

After getting pajamas on and finishing the movie, I wanted to get a picture of the kids and I, if possible. My mom had the great idea of making matching Christmas Pajamas for everyone in the family. We each chose the fabric for our little mini-families and worked on the pants throughout the summer and fall.  Around Thanksgiving, we took a big family picture to use for my parents' Christmas card and it turned out great! I wanted to wear them all again on Christmas Eve.  But, apparently, I chose uncomfortable material and, since JC is the only one who really makes decisions for himself at this point in time, he was not too keen on wearing his again just for the sake of matching the other sleeping members of our family.  I figured I didn't blame him and, besides, I needed someone to take the picture, so...all that was left to do was get the kids together and get at least one good shot.

James was easy enough (for once!)

Ben didn't care what we did as long as I held him.

Now, coaxing Bethany. I have a look that clearly says "you're going to give us a hard time about this, aren't you?"

And she has a look that clearly says...

"Yes."

We tried to push it. Decided it wasn't worth upsetting both she and I and got a great shot of me with my boys.

Ben is less than camera shy.

And even Bethany agreed to go ahead and get her picture taken as long as it was by herself. Sure, why not?

I happened to be up after Santa came and noticed that he did a great job laying out everyone's gifts. He used pictures of the kids, nice and big so they would easily spot them in the morning, to label everyone's gift piles, spread out nicely in the room. He even moved all the gifts that were already under the tree, from other people, to the piles he made to make it extra easy in the morning.  I'm pretty sure he was thinking that, if not clearly laid out, there could be much confusion and chaos and fighting over whose present is whose. And he knows I don't do so well with confusion, chaos and fighting. What a thoughtful guy.

He didn't put a picture with mine and JC's but we can read the names on our stockings.  He had already given us our gifts early this year. He knows we need to be able to focus on the kids in the morning and that we have a hard time waiting to exchange gifts anyway.  (We usually end up giving gifts to each other on the same day we purchase them. We just can't wait!) But, some of our other gifts are set out and ready to enjoy. (Santa also knows that, at this point in life, wrapping isn't a necessity.) JC also got Rockband for the Wii but, of course, this was already upstairs being used by the time I took this picture. JC was up late after Santa came for that very reason.

The peaceful scene. My mom passed down her Santa and Mrs. Clause figures to me this year and the kids love that their candles light up and they move. It made for a nice addition to our Christmas decor.

After I took that last picture, I realized that something was missing! A while back, I started giving the kids "hay" for good deeds. I cut up a bunch of yellow yarn into pieces and whenever I caught them sharing, helping, obeying, saying kind things, etc. without a big fight, I gave them a piece of hay.  They would then go put it in this cradle that I was using as "the manger." The idea is that these are the kinds of things we do to invite Jesus into our home. So, I kind of played that up and told them we were building a soft bed for Baby Jesus to lay on in the same way that our actions were creating the kind of home Jesus would want to be in.  I don't know if they exactly got it (Bethany seemed to, to an extent) other than the literal part of building a bed for Baby Jesus. So, all these months, they have been adding hay (except for when things got especially hectic and I would just tell them I owed them hay...yeah...which left JC cutting up a LOT of hay late on Christmas Eve!) But, anyway, it's kind of a random idea I had and put it into action before I really refined it so maybe next year will go more smoothly...but I did want Baby Jesus to be there on Christmas Morning so they could see that he did come and was nice and comfy on the bed they built for him.  I can't say this is perfectly executed but I will tell you what IS perfectly executed - - that swaddling job. There are very few things I can claim to be an expert at. Swaddling tops the list. Wouldn't have EVER slept without that skill when my kids were babies.(Still, I did sleep very little but at least I slept SOME.) Ben slept swadled until he was like, eight months old. Yeah. If anyone ever needs advice on which blankets are the best for swaddling, at any stage of infancy, send them my way. 

Baby Jesus was a piece of cake though...really little and doesn't move. (But, I still for some reason, could not help but do it just right.)

JC and I spent the quiet portion of Christmas Eve eating Charleston's takeout (a favorite), wrapping last-minute presents, watching "Elf," going to bed as soon as possible after getting everything done (me) and playing rockband into the early hours of the morning (JC). 

It wasn't the same Christmas Eve as I had pictured but I am quickly learning that Idealist Mandy never gets her way and is an idiot for even thinking she should. :)

It was a good night.