Finding Christmas

I had a hard time getting into the Christmas Spirit this year. I think it's because I was too distracted by too many things. Like my pregnancy. And no snow in Seattle. And no going home to spend the holiday with all our family. And mailing gifts to loved ones instead of delivering them in person. And trying to help a husband through finals. And doing my best to keep up with a 2-year-old while being 8 months pregnant...you get the idea.

I'm happy to say, though, that I found Christmas. Just in time. And here is how.

Bradley
He is one amazing guy. First, he finished his finals, then quickly proceeded to get our home ready for Christmas. He sang carols all day. He took us shopping to make sure we had everything we needed. He played with Lainy constantly (she had missed her Daddy terribly during finals). He made dinner. And at night, he read us Christmas stories under the Christmas tree.

Our Lainy Girl
Brad's parents got Lainy a Fisher Price nativity set. She has spent the last three weeks playing with it. She has slept with the angel and Baby Jesus. She's even learned the whole story (with very few prompts). My favorite part is when the angel appears to the shepherds. Lainy says: "Angel say: "Glory to God in the Highest. On Earth peace, good will to men." It's adorable and so, so sweet.

2 Parents-In-Law
They came the Sunday before Christmas and filled our home with love and cheer until they left Christmas Day. They did my dishes, cooked meals, bought groceries, vacuumed my house, played with Lainy, brought a plethera of our favorite Christmas movies, treated us to some fun activities, and acted so excited to be spending Christmas with us, even though it must have been hard to be away from their home and other children. Our house felt very empty and quiet after they left.

The Ronald McDonald House
Brad wanted to be sure and make time to do some service this Holiday Season. We wanted it to be something Lainy could be a part of. So Brad grabbed his violin and we headed up to the Ronald McDonald House. We collected a small audience and Brad played them Christmas Carols. It was so neat to see the peace that beautiful music can bring people. I could tell that Brad's little concert helped get their minds off at least some of their worries. It was a special evening.

Nazareth Night
My favorite Christmas tradition. We turned off all the lights, lit candles, prepared simple food, dressed in ancient Israeli garb (towels on our heads and robes wrapped around us) and had a nice quiet night thinking and talking about that sacred night in Bethlehem. We read this talk by Elder Holland, which really brought the Spirit into our home. It was such a nice break from the hustle and bustle of all our other Christmas preparations!

The Christmas Ship
I'd heard about a tradition in Seattle where a cruise line decorates one of their ships in Christmas lights, hires a choir to sing on board, and sails around to the beaches and waterfronts of Seattle. Anyone who wants to decorate their own boat can follow behind the Christmas Ship, while people on the shore watch and listen to the choir. We decided to go. The beach was lined with hundreds of luminaries, and we arrived just in time to see the Christmas Ship pull into shore. What a fun tradition! The choir on the ship was great! The parade ended with the people on shore joining the choir in "Silent Night". It was something we could only have done in Seattle, and it made me grateful to be here.

Christmas Eve pageant
You can't let Christmas Eve pass without doing a little pageant. Not in our family anyway. Brad's Mom brought her script and the five of us acted it out as best we could. Lainy played Mary, Brad was Joseph, Mom was the angel, I was a shepherd, and Dad played a wiseman. It's always so neat to read the account straight from the scriptures.

Christmas Morning
Lainy was sooooo excited that Santa actually brought her a dollhouse and eaten the cookies she'd left out for him. I surprised Brad with a little gift that actually made him cry. I was shocked to discover that Santa had left us a double jogging stroller/bike trailer. (Hooray!!) It was so fun to open gifts and think about each giver. Isn't Christmas morning always magical?

So that is how I found Christmas this year. It was a little different, but wonderful and magical in so many ways! I hope you were able to find it too!

A Few of My Favorite Things. . .

This Mrs. Claus ornament. I think she looks so sweet!

This sweet Santa my parents gave to Brad and I a few years ago.

My Nativity.

The Wisemen that were added to my Nativity this year.

Having a 2 1/2 year old at Christmas time. She's so excited about everything and makes it magical for all of us!

And, of course, this man who just finished his finals and probably wishes he were back on a beach in Hawaii, but has been helping me cook, clean, and get ready for Christmas instead.

Merry Christmas Everyone!!

Baby

Today Lainy pulled me into her room saying she'd put her baby to sleep. This is what we found:

Cute hu?

Maybe I need to teach her not to cover up a baby's face with the blanket before we have a real baby around. . .

Speaking of real babies...ours is due in less than a month! Crazy stuff. We're getting excited!

Dr. Hansen (aka Brad) has put me on temporary bed rest until he finishes his finals on Wednesday.

Why did he put me on temporary bed rest? Well, maybe it's because I decided to carry all of our groceries up our three flights of stairs (in one trip) last week, which led to some contractions...which stopped after I layed down for a while. (In my defense, I couldn't decide if it would be worse to carry them all up in one trip, or to go up and down the stairs 3 or 4 times...I guess got my answer.)

Or maybe it's because I felt an overwhelming urge to re-arrange the furniture in Lainy's room (so it can accomodate another little girl soon), which led to some contractions...which stopped after I layed down for a while.

I'll have you know I'm being a very good patient now.

And Dr. Hansen is doing phenomenally well on his finals.

That's all for now. I hope you're all having fun getting ready for Christmas!

Singing Tigers and Honest Toddlers

So Lainy and I watched a few minutes of the Christmas Tree lighting at Rockefeller Center in NYC tonight. (On TV, not in real life.)

Aretha Franklin sang "Joy To the World" to start the show.

This is what she was wearing:

After watching Aretha for a minute, Lainy (always the commentator) turned to me looking thoughtful and said: "That tiger sings really good".

Ha HA ha!!!

I'm still laughing as I type this...