Today was such a wonderful day! We started the day off by getting ready for church and heading to my mom and dad's ward at 9:00. The Sacrament Meeting program was so wonderful. We had a few speakers who went through the Savior's life from birth until death with intermittent songs by the ward choir. It was an absolutely wonderful way to celebrate His birth and all He has done for us!
After Sacrament was over, we headed back to my parents' house for gift opening and snacking. I had so much fun watching Brooklyn open her gifts, and she enjoyed ripping them open. She was so excited that ripping paper today didn't get her in trouble. She got movies, clothes and toys. Shawn, Julie and Emma gave her an alphabet puzzle, which she was excited about too!
She also got a really soft stuffed cow and a blanket from Megan, which she loves to cuddle with. They are both really soft and as you can see from the pictures. The first thing she did after she unwrapped it was give the cow a hug. It was adorable!
As I spent the morning and afternoon with family, I couldn't help but notice that Brooklyn really helped me remember the spirit of Christmas. I know how special it is to bring a child into this world and how much they bless your life. I have been so blessed this past year to be a mother. It is the greatest calling a woman could ask for. There is no other joy in life that compares to the bond a mother has with a child. Brooklyn is so special and I love her no matter what! Oh what a wonderful Christmas, to get to celebrate it with a fantastic husband and daughter, and a wonderful family!!
I got my curlers I have been wanting forever!! (Santa brought me those in my stocking!!) I also got a sewing machine from my mom and dad, which I can't wait to get home and start on all my waiting projects. I also was surprised with a Cricket Expression from Shawn and Julie! Shawn got Julie the second edition and they gave me her other one!! I was so excited. I've been wanting one but it wasn't something I needed, so I never went further toward buying it
.
Tyson and I got an Acer tablet, which we conveniently left at home on our bed. I guess that was a blonde moment on my end. We got it all put away in the box (because we've been playing with it for a month) and it never made it to the car. Oh well, I guess we'll have to play with that one when we get home. Tyson got the Star Wars complete set from my mom and dad, which he has been wanting since it came out all together on DVD. He also got a board to hang on the wall at home with one of his favorite scriptures. Doctrine and Covenants 88:119. It took me two days, with the help of Angela Larsen and Heather Koster, to get all of the letters on the board. It was quite difficult but so worth it. I think he really liked it and he's been wanting that scripture hung in our house for a long time. We watched everyone else open their gifts and then had one more for my parents to open.
We gave the envelope to Brooklyn so she could walk a present over to them and she threw a fit the whole way. We finally had to give it to them since she was not going to. Here is the video of what was in the envelope as well as their reaction to it!!
I was shocked by their reaction to their last gift. I didn't expect tears but I guess it brought a lot of happiness to them. I was so glad that we decided to give it to them!!
After presents were all opened, we all grabbed a little bit to eat and got ready to go to Grandma Yates' for dinner and hanging out with more family. During dinner, my mom gave Grandma the same envelope we gave them and told her to open it. She said she wanted to share the Christmas card we had given them. Everyone was so excited when they heard what my Grandma said. It was definitely a shock to some but they all seemed happy for us. The food was great and the gifts afterward were amazing. My Grandma gave us a Ninja blender set, which will be fun to use, as well as a few sentimental gifts. Each of us received a piece of the blanket that Grandpa used to keep him warm during his fight with cancer, and all of the guys received one of Grandpa's ties. Both were embroidered with Grandpa. It was such a wonderful gift, to have a piece to remember him by. We were all so touched. All of my grandparents' kids received a sculpture of my grandparents holding hands. It was such an emotional night. All of the gifts helped us remember the true reason for Christmas, and we were all so glad to have had Grandpa for past 74 years. He was truly a magnificent man and I look forward to when I get to see him again! We finished the night off and all headed home.
No comments:
Post a Comment