We spent the afternoon at my parents house, playing toys and getting reacquainted. Its been a pretty long time since the kids have been there so it was really really good to get accustomed again. And Laela is suddenly the master at turning around to go down the stairs properly, so yay!!! Nice to not have to worry too much about that anymore. For the two stairs anyway. I also did our laundry in the afternoon, since we didn’t have a chance this morning and I am NOT going to do laundry tomorrow!
When the kids went down for their nap, Brady and I rushed to the church to meet up with the group we were singing with this evening. We ran through and practiced for a solid two hours before heading back to my parents and a yummy supper. We ate together and then the part that I find the most fun came – getting ready! I so rarely get to be all dressed up and made up, so I really enjoy it when the times do come. I played in my makeup and picked between a couple of dresses and jewelry options. Once I was comfy, I rooted through the options I had brought for the kids and picked their clothes as well. Dekker was getting pretty snotty for some reason at this point so he wouldn’t cooperate for pictures too much, but look at my darling Laela!!
So in case you can’t see, she’s rocking a little red clip in her hair, an adorable white and red floral dress, an undershirt and tights, and little white shoes. The dress I actually bought months ago from Value Village for less than five dollars, I’m pretty sure. I thought maybe it would be cute for Christmas, and a bit non-traditional, but I didn’t recognize the brand and the size was a bit small. However, she rocked it!! And she could definitely rock it again with the wiggle room she had.
She is the cutest little hambone that I ever did see!
This was the best we could get for a family picture, as Dekker wasn’t feeling awesome, but I wanted to put one up! Laela and I were rocking the traditional Christmas colors to a degree, and the boys were keeping with the blues and greys. If you can see, Dekker is wearing bright blue pants, a grey v neck, and a dressy vest. I think those boys are just smokin’ hot.
At the church, the kids were pretty twitchy and didn’t sit especially well. But when a service starts at bedtime, there’s only so much one can do, and thats ok. No one seemed to mind. The service was beautifully laid out and organized, with readings and carols and special music spread throughout. We did our more upbeat song first, and if I’m totally honest, I felt like no one really cared for it 🙁 Maybe its just my attitude, but its SUCH a fun song and I felt like we got very little response. But hey, we had fun! Towards the end of the service, we sang a beautiful a cappella version of Silent Night and that seemed to really please the masses, which felt nice. It was by far the more complicated piece, and at a more important part of the service. It was good.
As for the kids, Dekker’s runny nose was in full swing the entire time, progressively getting worse. Brady then pointed out how warm he was. Perfect time for a fever. So he wouldn’t play or occupy himself too much. He just wanted to sit on laps and heat everyone up. Laela, on the other hand, was ticked about most things, and needed to be held and carried at the back. She was getting rosier by the minute as well, but not actually warm, so I blame hers on teeth and fatigue.
The fun came after the service. While we all visited before making our way out of the church, people came by to speak to the kids, and Dekker responded beautifully to everyone!!! He smiled and was charming and didn’t get upset once! Then, Brady went to go get some stuff together on the stage, and once he was already way at the front of the church, Dekker decided to go after him. He trucked on up there all on his own and sort of oversaw the whole operation. He drummed a bit afterwards, which didn’t put anyone off thankfully, and hung out by himself away from us! Laela eventually noticed and toddled off in Dekker’s direction, again, totally unaware that she was leaving her safe haven of her mom. They squealed and chased each other around a bit up front before we had to start making our way out of the sanctuary.
In the main lobby, we were getting everyone into their jackets, while still visiting with friends, when Laela went missing. Yup. Found her wandering the sanctuary on her own, in her cute little dress and bright pink parka. She was just all mischievous smiles as she walked back to me. Such a ham. I love her.
The drive home was a little sad, but Dekker is feeling considerably worse. I’m very sad to say that I think we’re calling off our Christmas party plans tomorrow :*( I know the kids won’t be up to socializing, and I don’t think its fair to bring them into settings with lots of people to spread their love/germs. So Brady and I are feeling pretty discouraged, but neither of us are feeling on top of the world either so I guess it’ll be good. Just lonely.
Both kids are tucked in and quiet, minus the occasional hacking cough. I’m anticipating a hot soak and some tv tonight still, but hopefully another deep sleep and late morning like yesterday. We’re planning a really delicious breakfast that I’m already hungry for 🙂
So! To all of you who read, I wish you the merriest of Christmas!!
<3