Another blessed Christmas is in the books for our family. We had a great day celebrating Christ’s birth and spending time with family. Here’s a whole bunch of pictures and thoughts and even a vlog.

We started off our festivities on the 23rd with a trip to the mall. I was determined to take the kids to ride the Christmas train… but it wasn’t open. Womp womp. We made up for it by riding a fire truck, lol.

That afternoon, my mom and dad came over to exchange gifts and enjoy a special dinner with us! I was so glad, too, because Sadie started not feeling good (after she had just been sick 😞). My parents walked in the door and Sadie was laying on the couch and I burst into tears because I was worried about her. Sorry mom and dad!!

Sadie perked up a bit when we exchanged gifts but I made sure to book her an appointment at urgent care that night because she was running a temperature and just not herself at all.

I feel like I can always see in her eyes when she’s not feeling well and it breaks my heart!

I made mint chocolate cupcakes and we set the table with a special tablecloth and plates. My mom brought over meatballs (this is the recipe she uses and whoa are they good!) and I cooked a spiral ham.

Jimmy brought Sadie to urgent care after dinner and she was diagnosed with a UTI. Poor girl 😔

The next day was Christmas Eve! Jimmy had to work a half-day, so the kids and I stayed busy. We picked up Sadie’s antibiotics and grabbed Dunkin’ Donuts. I also had a customer pick up a cupcake order!

Everyone was ready for a nap when Jimmy got home from work!

While the kids and Jimmy napped, I worked on a birthday cake. My brother and sister-in-law host our family for Christmas, and my SIL asked me to make a birthday cake for Jesus so we could sing Happy Birthday! I made a chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream. I added chocolate drip, Ghirardelli caramel squares, and maraschino cherries!

In the evening, we headed to our church for the Christmas Eve service. Sadie was singing and did a great job! It was a beautiful evening with our church family.

Decky enjoyed running around the church!

We got home, I put Mordecai to bed, and Sadie and Jimmy watched a Christmas movie. Then, suddenly, it was Christmas morning! I woke up around 5:30 am and Sadie popped out of her bedroom asking if she could make a special breakfast for Jimmy. How sweet!

She hung out with me while I put gifts under the tree and then read my Bible while drinking coffee.

Once Jimmy was up, we opened our stockings and then waited for Mordecai to wake up! Niva loved having us all hanging out and snuggling up by us.

Sadie and Jimmy each bought each other a gift and we were cracking up because they got each other the same exact thing!

Sader Tot was excited for her new chapter book!! Mommy is just as excited to read it with her 🥰

Decky got in lots of playtime with his new sink!

We pulled out our Belgian waffle maker and cooked up some bacon and waffles for breakfast.

We took a few pictures by our Christmas tree before we made the trek across Pittsburgh to my brother’s house to celebrate with my family.

Hugs! It’s hard to believe that, Lord Willing, there will be another little one by the tree next year!

We had a fun, chaotic night at my brother’s house. There are so many grandkids and it’s fun to see them all run wild.

We sang happy birthday to Jesus and hung out for a bit before it was bedtime for Mordecai.

And that was our Christmas! I’m sad to see this season come to an end (though we still have New Year’s to celebrate!). I’m also looking forward to a more relaxed pace, getting back into the groove with school, and our new little gal’s arrival in 2025!

Each year, the kids grow more and it’s just so special to witness the joy of Christmastime with them!

Aaaaand to finish off this post, here’s a vlog of our day!

Tell me about your Christmas!