Christmas Day

Can we say overwhelmed? If you're the mom of the family you know how stressful Christmas is. It isn't supposed to be but it is. As the mom I'm the one that needs to make sure this is the Christmas to be remembered. I'm the one who gets blamed if the gifts don't meet up to expectations. I'm the one who puts the pressure on myself, but others do as well.

I got up early to lay the stockings out and Em heard me. Her body clock says it's three hours ahead so she was ready to get up. We snuggled for a bit, but one by one the other children were up as well.

We opened our presents and then we all got ready and went to church. We normally don't go to church on Christmas Day but the years when Christmas falls on Sunday we go if we can. Everyone was excited to meet Em for the first time and she was overwhelmed and would run when introduced to anyone new. During Children's Church the children participated in a Happy Birthday Jesus party singing Christmas songs and indulging in birthday cake.

We had a great time with our church family but it was time to go home. At home I was serving the Christmas dinner and extended family was coming to our house. I was running on fumes at this point since two days before I had traveled literally all day and then the whole Christmas Eve tradition the next day, add in a new family member which involves new family dynamics.

I ended up in my room crying and very upset about something and didn't enjoy the Christmas dinner with everyone. Two of my sons came up to find out what was wrong with me. I'm not a cryer so when I cry it seems as though everyone is on high alert. Since my Bell's Palsy hit I have cried more in the past few months than the past thirty something years combined.

We muddled through the day and although I wish I could say it was as enjoyable as they have been in the past I would not be telling the truth. I was overtired and when I'm overtired, really exhausted, I'm useless. This happened to me in Ethiopia four years ago when we adopted two babies. We literally landed in Ethiopia, unloaded our items at the guest house, and left to pick up our two girls, my sixteen year old daughter and myself. I was useless and traumatized that trip. This reminded me of those feelings.

I have some great pictures of the girls in their dresses. Adah and Em fight like cats and dogs and then are best friends. Anna just stays out of the mix. She's a peacemaker that girl.  I need to find out where the pics are on my computer and then I'll post them. They are most certainly the cutest things!

I do have to say that I was so blessed to have my Jesse boy and Sage home for Christmas. I am blessed in so many ways and the only thing that could have made it any better would have been for my daughter and her family to have been able to make it home too.