Think You Can Hold Up?: The One where we had a MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Time: 5:42 New Year's Eve.
Still catching up here......

Merry Christmas, everyone!
Jack still has bronchitis.
My upper respiratory infection moved UP and developed into a nice sinus infection.
And Mary got diagnosed with pneumonia the day before Christmas so we had to cancel the festivities that we had planned and ditch our yearly traditions.

But do you think that got us down? Discouraged us? Made us feel sorry for ourselves? Put a damper on our Christmas?

Heck yes it did.

I"m sorry to say, we were all a bit bummed that SICKNESS messed up our Christmas plans.
I had to dig REAL deep to try VERY hard to keep our Christmas spirits up.
I finally wrote the word JOY really BIG on the chalkboards hanging in our kitchen.... right under where I'd written HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JESUS.... so we'd all be reminded that it isn't the plans and traditions and activities that bring JOY during this season..... It is JESUS.

And although we LOVE JESUS, we were a bit thrown as to how to act and celebrate without the traditions and faces that are supposed to be in place on Christmas.

BUT, we as we pressed on towards JOY, we actually had a WONDERFUL Christmas!

Here's a whole mess of pictures to show the JOY: (although some things weren't documented cause I was sick as a dog.....)

Christmas Eve:

Max has always thought that a mug shaped like a toilet would be hilarious.

I, apparently, agree. You can find just about anything these days.

And although sickness kept us from going to the Christmas Eve service at church AND going out to look at Christmas lights, we settled in that night and all watched The Nativity Story together. Cause THAT IS SOME JOY RIGHT THERE.

CHRISTMAS DAY:

We will get back to this little bag on the mantle later.

Santa brought Mary lots of things for her babies and her kitchen!

But before she even SAW all that, she had to help her Daddy in the real kitchen. Like she does every day. On her stool.

That stool. She carries that thing ALL over the house to get what she needs. And if ANYONE starts cooking or washing dishes or loading laundry in the washer or brushing their teeth or ANYTHING, she plops that stool right down beside you to HELP.

This is both precious and annoying all at the same time.

Is it time yet?

(Mary has already been downstairs for about an hour..... but she had no idea there were presents in the living room..... she spent her time in the kitchen with her Daddy cooking muffins and eating grits and helping Mama make the rest of breakfast...... then we sent her upstairs to get the boys.)

While Max and Mary saw their stuff from Santa, Jack was very, VERY quiet. Cause there wasn't anything for him.... or so he thought. Then, we pointed out a very small bag on the mantle. WONDER WHAT THAT IS???

Hum. Keys.

WONDER WHAT THOSE ARE FOR?

Max was in on the surprise and had been charged with getting the video. He did awesome.

CAUSE LOOK WHAT JACK GOT!

Merry Christmas!

He sees his truck for the first time!

Well, not the FIRST time.... cause it's the same one he test drove a month earlier.... but he had NO IDEA that he would actually GET that truck OR that he would get it for Christmas!

I just love a good surprise!

Once the excitement of the truck was over.... and after we all jumped in and rode around town a bit..... it was back to the house for a little outdoor fun since we'd all been cooped up for DAYS.....