December Recap Pt. 2

Last year my friend Kaylyn made Everett the sweetest Fiesta donkey stocking.  This year a new sweet friend Lauren knit Everett a full rainbow stocking and you guys, when I opened it I gasped.  It’s just gorgeous and kind and so thoughtful.  We hung them together and they feel beyond special.  There is nothing quite like knowing others are thinking about him because he never leaves our minds.

Sibling gifts were a huge hit this year.  I know everyone likes their kids and I am no different.  I just really really like them!!!  They make my heart joyful and I adore the little humans they are becoming…not that they do not drive me full on crazy sometimes, but I take immense honor in being their mom…all seven of them.

(Leo wears compression shirts every day to help with his sensory issues and we usually put another shirt over them, but sometimes we just let his inner Steve Jobs run wild.  You’re welcome.)

Christmas Eve was super chill.  We went to Chris and Kim’s house for brunch and played a bunch of fun games.  We headed home to grab Leo’s prescriptions before Walgreens closed for Christmas and then Andy, Becky and the girls came over just to hang out on the random.  Our holiday season is actually really laid back which I completely love.

(It makes me so sad Winter and Amon have zero personality.)

Amon had to use the bathroom and missed the photo op.  We all laughed because technically he’s still in it, just behind that window doing his thing. 🙂

We got super fancy for Christmas Eve dinner and had hotdogs.  Hahahahahahaha.  It still makes me laugh, but it was crazy delish too.  Any other Nathan’s Hot Dog fans out there?!?!

Right after Everett died I told myself I’d only buy varieties of rainbow wrapping paper for the rest of my life. 🙂  This is grief.  It pushes me to make grand and weird proclamations like this all the time, but I’ve got a really good feeling this one is going to stick and I love it.  Christmas is no different.  We look for ways to remember Everett is everything we do and so this is the second Christmas I’ve hunted out rainbow paper for all our wrapping needs.

(Mini paper stockings fashioned from wrapping paper are the perfect cash or gift card holders.)

When Josh Kelley and I were putting out gifts we found the world’s smallest gift to us from Hudson.  It was teeny tiny.  We opened it Christmas morning and it was the funniest drawing of an elf chiseling Josh and I out of big rock.  I don’t even know!!!!!  He’s beyond quirky and I am madly in love with his quirk.  The picture was accompanied by some really kind words.  Made my Christmas.

In our family we do three gifts for each kiddo.  Our big kids don’t believe in Santa anymore, but our littles still fully believe and I love it.  Harper, Hudson and Solomon play along great and help spur on the magic.  We’ve done the 3 gifts thing since Harper was born and it just works for us.  Different strokes, for different folks.  Each kiddo’s presents are wrapped in their own paper and we stick a piece of their wrapping paper in their stocking so they know which three gifts belong to who.  They love going through their stockings and keeping an eye out for their wrapping paper piece.

After a Christmas morning of sausage balls and cinnamon rolls and Fruit Loops and chocolate milk and OJ we headed to Josh’s parents house.  We ate lunch and played games and opened gifts and ate some more and the kids played their ever loven’ hearts out and we played a few more games and ate a little bit more.

And that was that.  It was good and it was fun, but we were all ready to send this holiday season on it’s way.  We did our best.  We gave it what we could, but we miss Everett and sometimes all those feelings are really hard to work through and balance out…for kids and adults.  So until next time Christmas.  Peace out.