Christmas, Part 2

Here are a couple more family pics from Christmas. One with our oh-so-sweet nephew, Braden, who is now a ripe old age of 4 WEEKS! (oh, and Aunt Cortni too...) The other picture shows the constantly entertaining nature of our second child. Carlie decided it was really fun to have the Christmas bows on her head. Of course, I can't get the girl to keep her hairbows in to save my life, but she sure does love the fake shiny Christmas bows! If only those were cuter....

Now, on to three very significant parts of our Christmas:

1. Avalon, Starr, and Rose. Our adopted family this Christmas. In the past, we've done the angel tree thing or found an organization that has a need during the holidays. This year, we found someone a little "closer to home". My dad has started teaching in a school where the children have more needs that can possibly be met. As I talked with him about the kids he interacts with who don't have happy homes, or even the most basic necessities of life, I am overwhelmed with the burden to "fix" it all for them. One thing my dad said that stuck with me is that he has realized that he can't fix it for all of them, but he can make a huge difference for a few. That gave us all inspiration to find a family to make our own. This year, my sisters and I enjoyed hours and hours of holiday shopping for these three we had never met. Then, on December 22nd, we got to meet them. They were the most precious girls, whose spirit was infectious, despite their surroundings. As we delivered gifts to them, we got to play and visit and get to know them. In some ways, it was heartbreaking. In other ways, it was encouraging and uplifting. Overall, their most favorite gifts were their fuzzy houseshoes, new clothes (modeled in the above picture), and hula hoops. We also bought them scooters to be delivered from Santa later in the week. I know they must have loved them, because they loved everything they opened (except white socks for school...that didn't get much of a reaction.) So, this experience was great, and one that I hope to continue each and every year. What I am most excited about is continuing a relationship with this family, who is in need of so much.

The biggest thing I learned was from watching Kendyll react to them. It is always amazing to see others through a child's eyes. We drove up and Kendyll said "Oh, wow, their house is beautiful!" Not exactly what I was thinking, which showed me that Kendyll saw what really mattered. She saw the Christmas stickers on the windows and the lantern lights strung on the porch and thought beauty, and overlooked the other details that detracted from the "beauty". Then, to watch her play and play in a house that I would normally consider to be a safety hazard and very unclean....but it didn't matter that day. Because to Kendyll it was a perfect place to make new friends. Another reminder of why we are called to be like children. To love others the way the little ones do.

2. What I learned about Kendyll this year. A couple of things that I learned....first, that children are extremely teachable at these early ages. We have always stressed being thankful with her, but this year, we were really trying hard to help her remember how extremely blessed we are wtih all of our gifts, family, food, etc. I also reminded her when we were shopping that God asks us to be content and not greedy (this was explained in toddler terms and my speech usually followed her requests for every toy on every shelf in every store...) Anyway, I feel like these lessons were learned and I was very proud of her during all six Christmases she experienced. Although she still had the occasional "Is that all my presents?" or "What else is for me?", overall she was very content with what she received. She also gave a great reaction to every gift with an "Ohhh, ______ (gift-giver)....I love it!" or a "Wow!! This is great!" My personal favorite was "This is just perfect for me!". This was always followed by a hug for whoever the present was from and a thank you. The little things that make a mommy so proud. (Now, of course, we're on to asking for birthday gifts already. Today her birthday request was for a pet duck that she could name Shirley Temple. Don't ask me....I have absolutely no clue where this came from.)

The other thing we got to see in Kendyll was her absolute fear of new or unfamiliar situations. Now, I was the exact same way as a child, and still am, really. So, this shouldn't really surprise me. But, it was still shocking at times. This is the girl who doesn't like stuffed animals, fast rides, or large bodies of water, and has to be prepared ahead of time for anything we're doing "next". Every time we were headed to another family's house for the holidays, we had to prepare her for it. When we went to see the Ice Show at the Gaylord, we talked to her about it, but she was still so unsure through the whole thing...because it was new and different and she didn't know what to expect.

But, the thing that got me without warning was her absolute fear of Santa Claus...at the very last minute. The cookies were iced, the milk was poured, the carrots were arranged perfectly. As you can tell from the picture, she was happy as a lark on the way to bed because SANTA CLAUS WAS COMING!!! Then, we read Twas the Night Before Christmas and everything fell apart. The story, which was familiar to us as adults because we've heard it all of our lives, scared our little girl to death. As she saw the pictures in the book, she suddenly couldn't handle the idea of Santa in our house and proceeded to cry in her bed for an hour and a half. Luckily, I had great experience to draw on (my own fears when I was four) and told her Santa would leave the presents outside, just like he did for me years ago. So, we left a note on the door for him to read, and eventually, she settled down to sleep, only after yelling "I DON'T LIKE CHRISTMAS EVE!!!!" over and over and over again. Someday this will be a funny memory. For now, it is just another reminder of how much our little Kendyll needs preparation for anything she doesn't know everything about!

3. My new TV addiction. The final significant event of Christmas at the Jacobs was a gift from Mark's family----the entire first season of LOST on DVD. I know, I know, some of you are not believing your ears....yes, Mark and I gave in to the masses. Practically everyone I know watches this show. And, not only watches it, but is obsessed with it. Some to the point of annoyance. So, as a result, we always swore we would never get hooked, basically because everyone else was. So, I am now eating my words. Mark's parents have been trying to get us to watch it because it is filmed in their backyard...beautiful Oahu, Hawaii. So, it has been fun to watch it with them and know exactly where each scene is made (many places we have been!). Not to mention, how absolutely GREAT the show is! I am so hooked, it's not even funny. I still have a hard time buying some of the crazy stuff going on, but I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt and holding out for more explanations. We have been watching 4 episodes a night to catch up before January 11th. What a great gift!!

So, that's it! The final three stories I wanted to blog about Christmas at the Jacobs. Now, I can get on with the New Year blog. Hopefully, I'll get that one done by mid-January.