The night before Christmas, Trevor put together Brynlee's new bike.
And I arranged the toys that we were gifted (for free) from a friend who's kids have outgrown Barbies.
In Raelyn's stocking is my first (and only) porcelain doll, and Brynlee got my Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls that I got from my Grandma Dorothy when I was a child. These are special items and have been tucked away in a box since I went to college. I remembered them and realized that the girls are old enough now to enjoy these.
All ready and waiting.
The girls running in Christmas morning
Processing and taking in the inventory
Rae loves the doll. And she wanted to name it Dorothy (her own idea).
Brynlee likes her dolls too.
They are special because a blind woman (who was under the care of my Aunt Diana) sewed them by hand, a set for each of my sisters and me. Gma Dorothy gave them to us when we were older and could take good care of them. On their tummies is embroidered, "I love you".
Zhu Zhu pets.
We had a nice relaxing Christmas day. Trevor didn't have to work Christmas Eve or Christmas day this year, which made it even better. We just spent time with each other, playing with our new toys and nibbling on food all day.
In the afternoon, we went to visit a friend of ours (Sis. Lavely), who takes care of her elderly mother 24/7. We sang The Nativity song for them. The girls, who are normally super shy and scared about visiting other adults, were friendly and nice. It helped that Sis. Lavely used to be Rae's nursery teacher and so she warmed right up to being there. It really shocked Trevor and I. The elderly woman, Emma, was such a firecracker of a personality. I really enjoyed visiting with her and listening to her lovingly tease her daughter. I normally don't like being around elderly people who are dying and are strangers to me, but this just seemed to be different.
We also had done the 12 days of Christmas for Sis. Lavely and her mother (along with the help of 2 other families). We got to drop off presents and hide every third day. It was really fun and helped bring the spirit of Christmas in our hearts. But the best part was when we were able to visit with her in her home and see the change that it brought to help a sister in our ward feel the love of the Savior for her through us.
Wow, that is a Christmas present for Trev not having to work either days!! How long has it been for that to happen? I laughed when I saw the bike....Brynlee was so against it last August and now is excited..lol Barbies, Barbies, and more Barbies ....oh boy....next thing they'll want is a Barbie house, but at least they will play together for hours and gain mother some sewing time...
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad your kids are able to learn importance of serving especially around the holiday season with those most often forgotten, who really appreciated it more....and the girls warmed up that was especially great. I think this family you served also enjoyed the company of the little ones as well.....
ReplyDeleteWow, I'm such a sap. This post made me tear up! Especially when you said Rae named the doll Dorothy. I remember that porcelain doll of yours! I didn't know you still had her!
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