Christmas Morning: Not What We Expected

Christmas morning, I woke up. Nate was gone to church with Jessica. House was quiet. Kayty was unconscious (not really, but almost). I wanted to see my regular Mormon Tabernacle Choir broadcast on the computer via BYUTV.org. Lots of lovely music. As I said, I really am touched and inspired by music, so I began monkey bread, a Christmas morning tradition for years. I had frozen the dough balls when I made this week's bread, so I followed my recipe and listened.

Jessica and Nate surprised me by coming home...before her ward meeting was over. She had overslept, so they came to be with us. We roused Kayty (not a wise thing). They lined up, as traditionally. This time, oldest to youngest. 

Stockings

I fill Dee's stocking. This year, it was drill battery chargers, new granite grinding pads, new table saw blades, scissors, pens, his traditional Dilbert desk calendar, and a few goodies. 

Santa

Santa brought Kayty books to hold her myriad of dvds and a beany zebra with a green bow on his neck, just like the one on the freeway billboard advertising the Phoenix Zoo. (I really was not sure how Beau would take sharing his yard with a zebra, and boy, if that zebra pooped in the yard, would I ever hear it!)

Nate got a camera for his mission. Yes, this is the mission Christmas.

We ate monkey bread...awesome this year with the addition of walnuts. 

They received gifts from Mom and Dad...Kayty was into Star Wars stuff, and Nate got...white shirts and socks. We gave Jessica a hoodie that says "Someone In South Korea Loves Me"

One of the awesomest of all the awesome gifts...

Last year, I saw this at Allison's and I wanted one for myself...very badly! A tree from my grandkiddos handprints: Adam on the bottom, Grace in the middle, and Josh on the top. 

I was very happy, as you can see. 

Allison also gave us a portrait of those three sweet grandkiddos.

Different, but good. and then we went to church, which was totally awesome. 

Again, talks were great, but the music just made my whole holiday, with all the busy times, lists, disappointments, exhaustion, etc. melt into goodness. A sweet young mother in our ward, Jesse Lindstrom, sang. The song was as if Mary was singing to her sweet baby, the Savior. I know the song. I have always loved the song. But somehow, when you are a mom, or even a grammy, and hold a sweet little one, and think of Mary, holding her sweet newborn, and singing, "...but you are a king...but tonight you are mine." Jesse has the voice of an angel, and as she sang, she was overcome with emotion, and had to stop, time and again. Those emotion filled pauses, though, were truly the sweetest things I experienced. Thank you, Jesse, for bringing Christmas to my heart.