Christmas is the only day of the year where I will drag myself out of bed and sit and wait for my kids to get up. But, you know, cinnamon rolls…

I made these and they were so worth the early morning.

I sat on the couch, waiting for them to get up and see their reaction.

We had to wait a few minutes for everyone to be ready to open up presents.

We went youngest to oldest. We do one present at a time, so it’s not mass chaos.

Gus definitely has the best reaction to his gifts.

The story behind this one is that Gus did the holiday shop with Reed and Lena for the first time this year. But, he didn’t totally “get” it and was bummed that he couldn’t take a car home himself. Reed hinted that he got Gus a car back when they did it. And this was Gus’s reaction as he opened up the car.

Gus might have the most enthusiasm, but they all display quite a bit.

In case you think everything goes super smoothly here, here’s how things really look sometimes. On the left is Gus asking me if it’s HIS turn yet.

The mess from above.

We spent our morning playing with new toys, inside and outside. But, after his nap, Gus wasn’t feeling too great and even running a fever. So, he got to watch a video on my bed. Meanwhile, the older kids tried out one of their presents– Mariokart. They only have one other game for the Wii and it definitely wasn’t as awesome as Mariokart.

We had a pretty laid back Christmas. I enjoyed it, but I’m glad it’s over for another year.

Merry Christmas!!!

Four years ago, we had just arrived home, hours before, with Reed and Lena.

Big L is totally giving me the “do I have to do this?” face. Meanwhile, the other 3 are totally hamming it up.

Putting the gifts she got for others under the tree.

Aaron had never seen Frozen and decided tonight that he wanted to know what it was all about. Finally, as the rest of us have seen it multiple times.

I am pretty sure that we have the world’s ugliest Christmas tree this year. It doesn’t help that I couldn’t get the star on top myself and forgot to ask Aaron to do it.

And, one of my favorite Doctor Who quotes…

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas.

Big L is back. Aaron had to fly down to Texas to pick her up and they were scheduled to get back late, after midnight. I told the kids that they could stay up to see them if they’d take a nap in the afternoon, which they agreed to.

I passed out Christmas pajamas and we had a movie marathon. However, their flight ended up being delayed even more and not everyone stayed up until their arrival.

He was so excited to see her, too. When he seemed to getting tired, I asked him if he was ready for bed. He’s the kind of kid who will often admit he’s tired and say he’s ready, but last night he said “I want to see [L]. I want to see [L]. I want to see [L].”

Only Reed and Lena made it. They quickly hugged her, gave her a present (pajamas) and headed to bed themselves.

I put Big L to bed pretty fast too, as it was super late.

So, this morning, we all slept in a bit, Aaron especially. But once they were finally up, Gus was SO excited. “[L] is here!!!” and he ran in and gave her a very much returned hug. He then proceeded to show her around the house. Telling her things like “Dats Christmas tree. Dats where Christmas grows.”

We had a pretty laid back day at home. Decorating our Christmas tree. Lots of chilling on the couch and Big L tickling Gus’s feet.

He really adores her.

She’s doing pretty well. She’s jumped right back in with the kids, Gus especially. She hasn’t been shy with me, but definitely more reserved. But, it’s barely been a day, so I think that’s still to be expected.

That was our first day together again. 🙂

It’s Thanksgiving week. I thought about doing a series of Thankful posts, but my heart just wasn’t in it this week.

It’s not that I’m not thankful for anything. I try to make sure I’m always thankful, in every season. There’s always something. But, this season is a particularly weary one. The fatigue is outweighing my grateful heart right now. Literally, I am worn out by too much doing and not enough rest. It’s also a season where I’m surrounded by emotionally hard and heavy things.

I have loved ones dealing with death and illness and depression. Those already hard circumstances are often further complicated by this “joyful” season. The situation with Big L is still uncertain. The events of Ferguson have not left my mind, nor the death of Tamir Rice, barely older than my own kids. And, I can’t help by reflect on where we were 4 years ago– Donetsk, Ukraine, meeting Reed and Lena for the first time. This is a happy memory, but it’s only a memory. Now, Donetsk is at the center of war. Constant shellings, lack of resources, banks closing, and starvation are now the reality there.

My gratitude for a warm, safe home, for my health and my family’s health, for our security, is ever present, but it’s surrounded by prayers for the world around us. Prayers for peace, here in the US and in Ukraine and around the world.

If you too are feeling more tired and weary than thankful and joyful this Thanksgiving season, you’re not alone. And, I think it’s okay. It’s okay to be tired and weary sometimes. It’s okay to feel heaviness of the world around us.

However, one thing I am thankful for this season is my belief that it’s only temporary. That the struggles of this world are only for a moment in time. Because… Christmas is coming. Because Jesus was born. Because he came to heal and his work is not done. Because, as Crowder sings “Earth has no sorrow that heaven can’t heal.”

I’d love to hear where you’re at. Totally feeling thankful this season or just trudging through it with me?