Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Best Christmas Ever...

It's safe to say that this past Christmas beat out all others. Having Mr. Samuel here has totally changed the way we look at Christmas morning. Sure, he's too young to get excited, wake us up before the sun comes up, and race to his presents. BUT, he is here and now we get to share in the joy of celebrating the holiday with him. I love it. We love it. It was by far the best, and not one I will ever forget.

The night before was spent wrapping last minute gifts, while Sam continued to escape in his car. At one point, we noticed that he had turned the corner and headed for the front door. When we went to turn him around, we caught him in the act -- trying to pull down the decorations...


Poor Obadiah wasn't safe from his skilled driving either...


Before we put Sam in his bed for the night, we grabbed a quick shot of him -- ready for the big day...


Sweet Sam...


After we finished up, I grabbed a shot of the tree and stockings, then headed to bed ourselves. I have to say, this is the first time (ever) that we actually filled the bottom with gifts...


Thanks to a Pinterest idea, I saved ourselves from buying a crazy number of stocking holders -- who knew...a curtain rod worked great! The only thing I slightly worried about was the weight, so I waited until the morning to fill the stockings. Notice, Jacob, Jordan, and Olivia all have their little stockings hanging up -- along with Obadiah's...


We were set and ready to celebrate a holiday that we had protested for the last two years. The excitement sort of hindered a peaceful sleep as I felt torn. I was so excited, yet I couldn't help but think about the emotions felt in the past during this season. Most importantly, I was looking forward to a change. A new way of spending the holiday. A fun morning with a little boy. Who wouldn't look forward to that? Just thinking about Sam getting excited over new toys brought a smile to my face...and eventually helped me pass out.

It wasn't long before the sun showed up and there it was...Christmas morning. To start out our day, we decided to carry on a tradition in my family -- sort of. Growing up, my dad always read Luke 2 to my sisters and me before anyone opened a gift. After all, Jesus' birth is the reason we are celebrating this holiday -- the presents are just for fun. Well, considering the fact that Sam's attention span is minimal, we chose to alter it a bit this year. We read a board book version of the story of the birth of Christ. Sam was pretty fascinated by the music and lights that came from the book, not to mention the fact that it tasted pretty good, ha.


After we each opened a few presents (Obadiah included), I promised James that I'd put the camera away and just enjoy Samuel in the moment -- not just through the lens. Here are a few of the shots taken before that happened...




Side note, he's fascinated by Mickey Mouse Clubhouse...


Go Colts!




And the winner for the day was his new Indiana University basketball. He laughs hysterically when we play with it!


Poor Obadiah needed a little dental floss after the wrapping paper got caught...


Oh, and before we called it a day with the camera, James snuck a shot of Samuel and me with his cute puzzle that a dear friend got him...


What a great day. We could've gone without presents and it still be great, but it was so fun watching Samuel experience it all. We spent the rest of our day vegging out to Christmas movies/music and watching Samuel play with his new toys. We couldn't have asked for a more relaxing, enjoyable way to spend the day. I'm thankful that while we continue to remember and honor our 3 angels, we also get to enjoy their little bro here on Earth...

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