One more fun thing that happened on Christmas Eve was our surprise visitor. Our friend Scott showed up on the front porch on his horse with a bag full of presents. We opened the door to a huge horse on our front porch. The girls were so excited to see Jack (the horse) and Scott and get a little gift.
Growing up, my mom always let us open up one gift on Christmas eve, which was pajamas. I did that the last couple of years, but then I realized that it would make more sense to let the girls open up their Christmas pajamas early in Dec so they could wear their cute holiday pjs throughout Dec. I think I will start the the Christmas Eve pajamas when our kids no longer wear the cute santa pajamas.
This year, I had a lot more sympathy and gratitude for all the sleepless Christmas Eve's my parents had when I was a little girl. My Dad and Step mom bought this kitchenette for the girls and it took me 5 hours to put it together. I always love to see the reaction on the girls faces when they open a gift and so it is worth it to me to put it together ahead of time. I remember one Christmas when I was younger, I woke my Dad up at 6:00am on Christmas morning and he and my brother had just gone to bed at 5:30am. They had been putting together a waterbed for me all night. What a great Dad and brother. As the hours ticked by and I was trying to make everything perfect for Christmas morning. I quickly realized that my girls didn't need anything for Christmas! They honestly would be happy if they opened up a candy cane. We have blessed with so much and the sweet baby boy that will soon be joining our family is more than we could ever ask for. He has brought such meaning to this Christmas season. He has helped me focus on what is really important. Around 2:00am, I finally headed to bed, said my prayers, and laid down in bed. I started thinking about our Savior. The humble circumstances that He was born and the strength and courage that Mary had. I then started thinking of Lizzie and her baby. My heart flooded with love and gratitude and I just started crying. I thought of her strength, courage, and the sacrifices she was making for her precious baby. I then started thinking about her baby boy and my heart flooded with joy and love for him. I could feel how much Heavenly Father loves this precious baby and that He is a chosen spirit. I felt what a responsibility it is to raise this chosen son of God and that Heavenly Father trusts me and has prepared me. I started to feel all the things that Heavenly Father has in store for him. As I thought about the baby ( I'm going to call him Ren, because that is what Lizzie calls him and we have not picked out a name yet) tears just streamed down my face and my heart felt like it was going to burst open. 3:00am passed by and thoughts continued to flood my mind about Ren and what Heavenly Father sees in him. I am humbled beyond belief that Heavenly Father and Lizzie will entrusts him to our care. I am so grateful for these tender mercies in which Heavenly Father allows me to see what He sees.
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