Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve day.  Morgan had sent us some shells, to wear, tim tam cookies and some other candies, which were eaten by the time I thought to take a picture of the fun things she sent us.  We ate the Tim Tam's she sent and then I found some at world market so we could try the Tim Tam slam hot chocolate drinking game, which we never got around to and we just ate the cookies again!

That afternoon Tanya came up to spend the night and have Christmas morning with us.  She got here just as MJ and Laila came over to open Christmas.  Laila was super excited to eat candies off of the gingerbread house.  So it was fun to see her open and play with the Moana doll and boat. It did take a little coaching on my part to get her to unwrap the gifts :)  Laila will be 2 in January so it's really the first Christmas and Birthday she's been old enough to start to figure out what is going on and what gifts are!   Laila is Victor's daughter, but he doesn't really have anything to do with her which is really sad because she is an adorable little girl.  It's fun to be with her and MJ, but it would be nice if Victor actually brought her over for these types of family things.  He's missing out on a cute, yet fleeting part of her life.

Of course the highlight of Christmas Eve was Morgan's skype call!!  Oh, it was so good to hear her laughter.  Grant and Kirsten also Skyped in from Texas and it was so nice to chat and visit with her for that hour of the day.  What a blessing to see her so happy and to hear about all of the good things that she is doing in New Zealand.  She loves the people and she loves sharing the gospel.  She just got a new mission companion the week before Christmas and they get a long wonderfully.  And we chatted for a minute with the sweet woman who let them use her home and computer to call home.  So many good people in the world and so grateful that Morgan can serve the people of New Zealand.

Holiday's are always a bit more stressful since the adoption.  This year seemed to be going well, until the morning of the 24th I was changing laundry and Ana had some clothes that weren't hers in there.  We have had a lot of trouble with Ana getting into Tatiana's things.  So then I went in her room and her phone and laptop were in her room, which they are not allowed to be.  Due to past experiences the kids can't have electronics in their bed rooms.  So I took her things away and Ana refused to come out of her room for the rest of the day.  She missed Laila opening presents, Morgan's skype call (she said, "I will see her on Mother's day"), Tanya being home with us just for Christmas Eve Day and Christmas eve opening grandparent's gifts, jammies and reading the birth of Christ in Luke.  So then I was a bit disenchanted with even wanting to put Christmas out that night.  And as per adopted child, the next day she came down to Christmas as if nothing had ever happened.  Seriously, worst with relationships and communication.  I then struggle the rest of the season trying to over come December winter blues due to awful inversion, which I didn't remember closing in on the valley until January, and loving ungrateful, traumatized children who deserve our pity, but make it soooooo hard.  Thus I'm done with holidays and just want to skip them by going on vacation...  Why doesn't anyone else in my family want to go on vacation instead of enduring the stress and waiting game of what crap will happen this holiday season.  I'm definately heading out of town for Mother's Day, it's the 2nd worst holiday of the year.