Christmas 2013

Here's how our Christmas went this year....

The weekend before we went to Idaho to visit Miles.

Oh how we miss that boy.

It never does get easier going there for me, especially when it's so cold.

We had a wonderful Christmas Eve dinner at my aunt's house.

Vivian played Mary in cousins nativity act.

(She will tell you that she got married though.)

Clara played baby Jesus. 

Vivian loved holding her and Clara slept through the whole thing!

Christmas morning we woke up to cupcakes and marshmallows!!

(click here to read why)

Vivian was so excited she didn't even see anything else!

We will ALWAYS wake up to cupcakes on Christmas morning now!

Oh and popcorn on the tree too, that will always be on our tree from here on out 

to have a part of Miles with us each Christmas.

The girls got these special monkeys that we call Miles Monkeys.

A sweet lady I live by made these for me out of Miles' old baby clothes.

They are so cute and precious!

Thank you so much Vicki, we will always cherish these!!!

(She made me two extras for future children too!)

The pattern called for a cape, as they are superhero monkeys, but Miles' bibs fit perfectly.

Brave bow and arrow....maybe Vivi's favorite present.

Along with her very own backpack.

That's right...she can now haul around her own things. 

Yeah for mom on that one!

Clara just loved all the excitement, noise and....

the wrapping paper. 

That may have been the most exciting thing for Clara.

All in all it was a good/hard/happy and tough Christmas season.

I miss Miles more than ever and the holidays are really hard!

But it was nice having Vivian understand more this year and bring some magic back to our house again.

Poor girl though....I took all of Christmas down on Christmas night.

Mark asked me why and I broke down crying and told him I made it through Christmas and I was done holding in all the emotions from the season, so I quickly tucked it all away...just as I do with my feelings too often.

Nonetheless it really was a good Christmas and 

the true reason for the season was truly celebrated in our home!

We are so grateful for our Savior Jesus Christ, for his birth, his life and his atonement.

It's because of him we will be with and celebrate with Miles again as a family.