Christmas~Part 1

What a busy, busy time of the year it is.  I feel like we have been on the go this entire month...with dance recitals, Christmas programs, school parties, visiting family and of course the usual winter colds...whew...I am ready to slow down.  Even though we have been so busy that I often did not know whether I was coming or going most days, I am thankful for being so busy.  It definetly kept my mind occupied and not allow me to focus on Jason not being here for yet another Christmas.  Sure, I missed him (A LOT) sure it was lonely and sad, sure I was crazy busy, but I felt a very real and comforting peace through it all.  That does not mean I did not get sad or cry (cause I did).  It's just hard to put into words right now what I was feeling...have you ever felt sadness, comfort, peace, and joy all at the same time??? That is how I felt. That is the best way I know to describe it at this moment.
 
I am glad that we got to visit with our family.  Even though packing and traveling alone is not fun, I am so glad that we were able to do it.  (How is it that a 3 hour road trip turns into a 4 hour trip when 2 kids are in the car???)  (=

Our first stop was Christmas at my grandmother's.  Below are a few pictures from that visit:

 The kids with my grandmother (their great-grandmother)  They made a Kiss-Mas tree for everybody. 

 Here we are with my mom.

The kids, my grandmother, my mother, and me..I wonder if we will ever get to the point where we all look at the camera at the same time.

Jackson opening a present.

Madeline got a jewelry box.  As soon as she got home, she filled it with her doll's accessories (silly kid)

I managed to get in one picture with the little busy thing.

Speaking of being busy...we had the elf this year. The kids named him "Dan"  Dan likes to get into all kinds of trouble while we sleep.  The kids were afraid to leave him at the house alone, so he made the road trip with us.  We stayed the night at my grandmother's house and Dan had a little too much fun ;)  He found my grandmother's undergarments and hung them on the tree.  I wish I would have taken a video of the kids reactions to this.  When they found what Dan did, they both just stood there with the most serious look on their faces.  Then Jackson turned to me and said "Mommy, has mamaw seen this yet?"  Trying to hold back my laughing, I said "she sure did"  Jackson replied "Oh no mommy, I hope she is not mad.  Do you think she will let us come back to stay ever again?"  (he was so afraid that Dan caused so much trouble that mamaw was going to make us leave) HA!  (little does he know it was my grandmother who put the stuff on the tree)  I assured him that mamaw thought it was funny and was not mad.  He said ok, but still did not laugh.
After we left my grandmother's house, we headed over to my Mamaw Beth's house.  This was our first Christmas without my granddaddy and I was already feeling a lot of emotions about that.  It turned out to be a very precious time. 
Below are some pictures:

 The kids with cousin Michael.  These 3 had so much fun together the whole weekend. 

Sweet Jack sitting in my granddaddy's recliner...I have a lot of memories and pictures of him sitting in this chair holding the kids.  Sweet, sweet memories.  It was hard not seeing him sitting there.  Hard not watching him making the dressing.  Hard not hearing him bless the food.  But so comforting to know that he is celebrating this season with our maker in a way that I can only long for and look forward to one day.

The kids giving Mamaw Beth her Kiss-mas tree.  Mamaw Beth went out of her way to keep Christmas exactly as it always has been.  I am so thankful for that and so thankful for her.  I can not imagine how hard it must have been on her, but I know those same feelings of comfort and peace, and joy were with her too.  There is one story that I want to share about that day.  Mamaw Beth had lost one of a set of earrings that my granddaddy had given her.  She lost it back during the summer.  She looked and looked for that earring and did not ever find it.  Well, as we were all sitting around, one of the children found an earring on the floor by the couch.  Wouldn't you know it was the earring that Mamaw Beth lost back in the summer.  The same earring she had searched and searched for with no luck.  And there it was..just laying in the floor plain as day.  Just a little sign to let us know he was with us...gives me chills to think about it.

A big group picture, almost complete (minus my hubby, my brother, and my uncle and his family)  ;)

Stay tuned for Christmas parts 2 and 3 (ha, I know, what can I say I like to take pictures)