I know I said...

...I'd do a post on Christmas and how it was to have James with us.  What is today?  Yeh, January 17th.    Does life really have to move at such a steady clip?

The crazy thing is I did most of this post weeks ago and never posted it.  Just moved right along and forgot all about it...

These are some of the highlights:

1.  A night driving around looking at the tacky Christmas lights with our dear friends, the Johnsons.  The best part is we were all able to fit in Tiny (our enormous van), so it was extra fun to do it, like, together-together.

2.  Saturday night church services...so low-key, less crowded and all-around enjoyable.

3.  Lots of roaring fires in the fireplace.  JD builds -- and endlessly maintains -- a great fire!

4.  Lots of overeating.  Oh my.  So nice to have put that to an end with what has become an annual discipline for JD and me.

5.  Lots of giggles, laughter and noise from the kids.  At times, trying, but mostly music to our ears.  I'm still determined to capture James' awesome laugh and make it a ringtone.  Here's a sweet video of Avery and James performing (with our sweet babysitter, Madison, in the background).

6.  Lots of last minute Christmas cards.  It quickly became clear to me that the cards weren't getting out as early as in years' past, so my goal became getting them postmarked by Christmas.  I got them out on Christmas Eve!  Ha!  And, I believe I still have a few stragglers to send.  Doubt that's gonna happen.

7.  Christmas morning at home.  Pure joy.  Not one photo -- only a long video.

8.  Went to my folks' Christmas afternoon.  Christmas Part Two is below.  So great.

9.  Met old friends for dinner.  Enjoyed a long overdue evening catching up.  Sweet.

10.  So enjoyed a large, old-fashioned dance with DJ for the adoption community of greater Richmond!  What a blast!  We'll have to make this an annual thing.

As if the previous video wasn't proof enough of James' love of music and dance, he studied the DJ intensely watching him do his thing.  It was hilarious.  We all left there saying we could see DJing in his future.

11.   Went to see 'Les Miserables' with our dear neighbors and my momma -- and enjoyed yummy Mexican food afterward.

12.  Welcomed home all our college-student babysitters who we miss so much!  It was so great seeing them -- and having them here to babysit!  :)

13.  Had a quiet and lazy New Year's Eve.  Yes, I was in bed at, a-hem, 11:00 reading.  I soon dozed off and was awakened to the kids and JD screaming and gunshots.  Yes, someone nearby thinks the way to celebrate the New Year is to shoot off their gun.  Yikes.

Our elf, Jingle, is far less adventuresome as others'.  Oh my gosh -- if this wasn't the year of 'Elfs Gone Wild' I don't know when was!

One of our most favorite Christmas decorations is putting out our collection of carolers.  Oh how we love them.  The kids were over-the-moon when we were able to get a horse to go with our carolers this year.  Apparently Jingle was happy to have him, too.  

James' first Christmas was sweeet.  He didn't seem to get that Christmas day was the culmination of all the decorating, lights, music, baking, and celebrating, but he was very aware of the whole experience of the month leading up to the actual day.  He could easily verbalize that Christmas is Jesus' birthday, but does he fully understand and appreciate that?  Of course not.  But I believe he will.

All in all, it was a precious holiday season with Jimmy Jam here.  Who wouldn't enjoy that sweet child?  Albeit, he can be quite the fuss pot and crabby dude these days, if he so wishes.  I have to remember that he's three.  :)