christmas festivities 2013

Merry Christmas!  I hope and pray that you and your family had one amazing Christmas this year, filled with so many blessings and joyful memories.  Christmas this year was a bit different as our festivities were spread out and took place before Christmas due to us having a baby due on Christmas day.  Well, that said baby is very comfortable and enjoying his time inside and is not quite ready to see the world.  Let me just say that I cannot wait until next year!  With everything we did, I just wanted our little guy to be here to join in with us.  I can't wait for his eyes to fill with wonder and amazement at how special this time of year is! 

Last Saturday we actually had Christmas with both families, the Mr's in the morning and mine in the evening.   Of course we had to add a rooster to our never ending collection of hideous roosters! 

At my parents house it was such a blessing to see how many stockings were on the mantel.  Baby LaFuze had a stocking as well as my niece that was born in April.  I love all of these little additions to our family and seeing how much it has grown over the years! 

Monday night we joined family that was in town from Colorado and went to Candy Cane Lane to partake in some holiday festivities.  At one point we lost Nana, ended up with an extra kid that wasn't ours, and sang along to Christmas carols at one house.  Needless to say, it was a grand time! 

On Christmas Eve we went to church for our candlelight service which was just beautiful.  Then we headed up to my in-laws to visit with family that was in town and laugh until our bellies hurt.  

Christmas Day was the most different it has ever been.  Traditionally we spend Christmas morning with my mom, wake up at her house, throw the cinnamon rolls in the oven and make coffee, and unwrap our presents.  This year she had to work (wah wah wahh…) and we decided to soak up the time that it was just the two of us, and stayed home.  I made THE most amazing cinnamon rolls from scratch, we exchanged stockings, watched Elf, sipped coffee, and stayed in our jammies till noon.  This year was all about thinking about what traditions we wanted for our family.  And I love that we are carrying over traditions we both had growing up.  I also loved seeing the Mr. helping me in the kitchen when it was time to ice the cinnamon rolls.  

San Diego was beyond gorgeous yesterday!  As much as I wished it was colder outside so that we could have a fire in the fireplace, I had to remind myself to count our blessings.  The weather was warm and beautiful so we enjoyed a nice 2.5 mile walk to the park near our house.  Operation "walk baby out" is in full force and we have daily been walking all around our neighborhood.  The park was filled with kids on their new bikes playing and riding around.  After my mom got off work, she came over and we made a big delicious Christmas meal.  At times it is difficult to see things change over the years, traditions that don't happen anymore, family that isn't around.  And I must admit that I did let this get the best of me earlier this week.  I felt like the grinch, moping about not knowing if we would be in the hospital for Christmas and not having very set plans to spend our Christmas.  And even though we celebrated this glorious day with family earlier on, it still didn't feel the same.  But the beauty in life is looking at the larger purpose.  The reason for Christmas, why we celebrate it, means far more than family and traditions and I love that we made new traditions and still were able to see so much family over this past week!