Christmas 2009

For Christmas this year, it was just our little family at home.  We had a really good time together and are thoroughly enjoying each other's company.  Reid has off until after the new year and we're excited for that time with him.

On Christmas Eve, Kai helped me to make cookies for Santa.  We made M&M cookies, since they are Kai's favorites.  Kai also went outside to play in the snow with his daddy in his new snowpants.  Unfortunately, the snow was not good sledding snow, but they had fun with the snowballs.  Most them went up and fell back on Kai's head--he loved it!  His little face was all red when he came in.

That evening, we went to a friend's home to enjoy a traditional turkey dinner.  They had invited another family and so there were 16 people in all (counting Finn).  The dinner was delicious and the company fantastic.  Reid spend most of his evening in the basement with all of the kids watching them play as Kai was slightly hesitant to go by himself.  I, however, got to converse with the adults and snuggle with Finn. After dinner, the family had a short program that included trumpet and piano pieces, story reading, and sing-alongs.  It was fun.  The evening finished with pie and hot wassil.  Yummm!  Finn was a hit in his Santa suit.



We got home for the Christmas Eve festivities around 8:30pm.  Kai quickly got ready for bed and laid out cookies and milk for Santa.  Reid and I did not make it to bed until much later, but we were able to see Santa arrive and watch him set-up the toys!  So fun!  Shhh....don't tell Kai, he'll be sad he missed it.

Christmas morning was fun.  Kai slept in until about 7:30 and then got up to find that Santa had come and eaten all of his cookies and milk.  Kai also found some fun toys in his stocking and under the tree.  Kai had asked Santa to bring him trains and a baby doll stroller.  Under the tree was the stroller, but then Kai asked "Where's the doll?"  Apparently, Santa did not get the memo about the doll and thought that Kai just wanted the stroller to push around his other toys.  So, we told Santa that mom and dad would take care of that later.

After opening all of his presents, Kai and I were playing upstairs.  Suddenly we got a call from Daddy to come downstairs and see what he found.  Kai was happy to find a train set that he had wanted all set-up in our basement.  He has spent HOURS with that train set already!  Santa was very good to Kai this year and he was very happy.

As promised, the day after Christmas, we all went out to get Kai a baby doll.  Now Kai can say his Christmas is complete.  To sum it up, he got an airplane, race cars, books, trains, playdough, a slinky, and a stroller and baby doll.  What more could a little boy want!!

 Note the leg up.  This is a required step to launching

       any car, didn't you know??  :P

Oh and Finn got a few things too, but you'd never know--both Kai and Reid have enjoyed his toys more than he has! 

We are so very blessed to celebrate this time of year together as a family and to remember the Savior's birth and all that it means to us.  For me, this year was a bit more tender as I thought about how the Savior's birth ultimately lead to his atonement and resurrection.  With Finn's health condition, those blessings seem so much more essential and special and I am so grateful for them.  I look forward to teaching him about the promised blessing of a resurrection with a perfect body, not one burdened by CF, and the joy that will be his when it is finally received.  What a wonderful plan and gospel!  I thank the Lord for Christmas!