give love on christmas day....

yeah I know, we are already into january, so this post just seems so outdated...but I needed to journal this Christmas.
This past year has not been a good one, in many ways, but financially it has been my hardest. I had decided that since Q was still pretty young, and I could get away with it, that I was going to forgo Christmas this year. I decorated the house, but I wasn't going to do much else. Christmas day was going to be spent with just me and Q, hanging out, watching movies...so pretty much just like any other day.  Now I do realize that Christmas isn't supposed to be about presents and all that, but there is nothing worse than the feeling that you can't provide for your family the things that other people can...so I wanted to forget that feeling. Forget the day. Family and friends had invited me to do several different things, but I had my mind set on laying low...

But my family and friends had other plans.

Christmas Eve, Jared and Lindsay arrive, and told me that they had told their kids we were coming, and we couldn't disappoint them...very cheap tactic...but it worked.

Before heading next door to grandma's for the festivities, I let Emily know that I would be gone all weekend...and a look of disappointment fell over her face.  I had no idea that Emily had come together with a couple other friends (Michelle and Vikki), and bought some presents for Q and I to open on christmas day.  Since she was staying at her parents house that night, she had planned to sneak into the house late at night, and leave the presents, a la Santa, under the tree to surprise us in the morning. When she was telling me this I was so stunned at the generosity and the love, and was so thankful that people cared...and then I saw the amount of presents...and I was overwhelmed.

After a wonderful Christmas Eve dinner at grandma earl's, filled with delicious food, great conversations with family, grandma pie, and a cute little nativity program, Q and I headed down to Tri Cities to spend the Christmas weekend with Jared's group.  And I am sooooooooo glad we did.  It was such a great weekend.

Christmas morning we got up and I got to see Q's face as we entered into the room filled with christmas lights, and presents...and a surprise...although I had gotten Q a little baby stroller, Santa had also brought Q a gift! And adorable little dollhouse.
And there was even more presents waiting for us under the tree.
What a great, miraculous, love filled christmas morning!

There was even a gift for me from Q under the tree. I found it under the tree at my house, and brought it along. I still have no idea who it was really from...so if it was you...Thank you! The card, written to me as if Q was writing, made me cry...I loved it!

The rest of the weekend was spent, sleeping, eating, playing with new toys, and watching movies.  Q had such a great time hanging out with her cousins, and I loved being with family.

Thank you to all my friends and family who made this Christmas great. Who did for me and Q, what I couldn't do.