The Magic of Christmas Morning

Instead of waiting for the children to wake on their own, Chris and Kelsey roused them at 7:00 a.m., so we would have time for the morning festivities before leaving for the 10:30 worship service. When Chris first woke Clara, she didn't want to get up. Then he asked her, "How many more days until Christmas?" There was only a moment of hesitation before she sprung out of bed with her answer . . . "NONE!"

Santa didn't disappoint! Robert got a train table (he's really into trains, planes, trucks and cars!), and Clara got a beautiful baby doll, as well as the yo-yo she asked for. Robert, sporting an awesome bed-head style, was so smitten with his train set that it was hard to get him interested in opening the other presents. Clara looked cute in the adorable cupcake hat that Santa left in her stocking (I think).



Clara seemed pleased with the world globe that we got for her. Since her Daddy has traveled all over the world with his job, we thought she might like being able to see where he's been.


Here's the carnage that was left after the packages were opened.


Kelsey outdid herself in the kitchen this Christmas. For breakfast she made a pan-full of scrumptious Monkey Bread.


And for dinner (no picture . . . sorry) she prepared a bone-in ham along with all the trimmings.


(Gloria R., do you recognize the clothes the children are wearing in the photo below? You should!)


It was a joyful Christmas for all of us in Spring, TX. Sadly, though, things didn't work out so well for Tim and for my Mom. Before we left, we exchanged gifts with Tim, and handed over Mom's presents, since he was planning to take them down and spend Christmas Day with her. But a huge snowstorm hit New Mexico right before Christmas. (It actually chased us out of the state and on into east Texas, where the snow turned to pounding rain.) Mom said there were 11 inches of the white stuff in her yard, and I-40, over which Tim would have had to travel, was closed down for awhile. Tim had to cancel his trip, so both of them spent Christmas without family. Mom didn't even get her presents, which were still in the trunk of Tim's car! As the snow began disappearing in Carlsbad, ice took its place. On Christmas morning Mom took a fall on her sidewalk, which was a sheet of ice! She tells me she's doing okay, but continues to suspect that she may have cracked a rib. Chris did try to make her Christmas morning a little more cheery by connecting through Skype, so that she could watch the children open their gifts.