Tonight kicked off one of my most favorite times of the year...Christmas gatherings with family. When I was a kid we had so many places to be all in the same day, the 25th, so when I got married I set out to do things a bit differently. I don't like to be in a rush to open gifts or rush my time spent with family. I just want to soak it in and fellowship. Thankfully, it's almost always gone my way since getting hitched almost 8 years ago. ;-) This year is no exception...we had Christmas with Jeremy's parents tonight. I so wish my brother and sister in law and nieces and nephew from Arkansas were here to join us, but I am so glad that one brother and sister in law and two nephews are here! Tomorrow evening we have Christmas with the Sullivan clan...and boy are there lots of us! When I first met this bunch TEN years ago (wow time flies!), I was SO overwhelmed by the number of people in Jeremy's family. Ever seen a big flock of black birds flying together? Well, there's like 17,595 of them all at once...I used to tell Jeremy that's what his family was like. Fast forward to today and I couldn't be more thankful to be one of those black birds. :-P Anyhow, Friday morning we will have Christmas at our house with my family and we will visit my dad's side of the family around lunch. I'm so excited for JohnDavid to open gifts this year! I can't wait to see the look on his face when he gets a JEEP and a real beta fish (that I hope I don't kill)! Life is really so much more fun with a kid!
I wanted to share an ornament tradition that my mother started with us. Every year for as long as I can remember, my mom has given us (my brother, me, Jeremy got added to the list when we got hitched, and JohnDavid now as well!) an ornament for something that was significant from our year. For instance, when I turned 16 and got a drivers license, my ornament that year was Santa driving a red convertible (the only red convertible they would buy me). Or the year I got a cell phone, I have an ornament with a mouse and a phone. She's bought us "just married" ornaments, "soon to be parents" ornaments, and SO many other special things. I just love love love this tradition. I also buy ornaments for Jeremy and JohnDavid. Here's a pic of a few ornaments to explain what I mean:
Top left: from my mom to us in 2012 when we both killed a deer. Top right: from us to JohnDavid this year to remember his tractor fascination. Middle left: from me to J in 2009 when he became a deacon. Middle middle: for us in 2011 when we got a motorcycle. Middle right: for J last year when he was on a workout obsession! ;-) Bottom left: J's love for grilling in 2010 and JohnDavid's obsession with Nemo this year from Ma, and bottom right: when J became a teacher at the college in 2009.
This year was a little hard for me to decide what to give Jeremy so I ended up just buying a family ornament. This ornament will always be special to me...it bears the short memory of our second baby. I couldn't decide what to write on the baby's hat so the lady that I bought it from just wrote Sullivan <3 . I suppose it'll do...although I've thought about erasing "Sullivan" and just putting the heart on there. I really am at peace with the Lord's sovereign plan for this child...but I find myself pondering tonight what the gender of our baby would be, what those kicks would feel like, how sweet that round belly would be, how JohnDavid would love this baby so much...
I hope that the Lord blesses my womb again someday, but should He choose not to, He is still good. I'm ever so thankful for the one blessing we have to hold each night and for the one blessing we will get to hold someday.
What Christmas traditions do you have and love?
I hope that the Lord blesses my womb again someday, but should He choose not to, He is still good. I'm ever so thankful for the one blessing we have to hold each night and for the one blessing we will get to hold someday. 
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