A Christmas Story

The Christmas season has been quite a month-long event this year. I'm not sure if it has to do with having a baby or being more settled in Houston this year, but we have been going non-stop, had a great time, and are officially exhausted.

We started with Christmas with Russell's mom and stepdad and his family a few weeks ago. Russ got his Christmas wish that weekend...Campbell suddenly decided she was ready to start sitting up (literally, one day she was couldn't stay up, the next day she could sit up for hours). She also demonstrated a love for this Texas football that delighted both him and Bob.

Christmas Eve has been my favorite day of the year for as long as I can remember. Since I was little we started the day exchanging gifts with my immediate family, then going to my mom's mother's house for the afternoon, then to my dad's mother's house. It is long, exhausting, and crazy, but I see almost all my relatives on one day and it never fails to be completely entertaining! Now we do basically everything the same, except my parents, Russ, Cam, and I, and my sister, brother-in-law, niece, and nephew meet at my parent's house in our pajamas in the morning to exchange gifts.

Campbell was such a champ. She slept for like an hour all day, stayed up until 11:00 that night, and charmed everyone in sight.

We got up Christmas morning, Campbell opened a few presents (I opened the presents, she licked the wrapping paper) and we headed back out the door. We had brunch with his dad and stepmom, visited with our good friends the Pereira's and met sweet Hudson Lee, had lunch with Russ's mom and stepdad, and hung out at with my family some that evening. Campbell was a doll again and literally looked relieved to get in her crib at the end of Christmas day.

We have been trying to recover for the past two days. Aside from dinner last night with the Rhodes', we have reverted back to newborn status (pj's, dirty house, sleep when the baby sleeps). Luckily today we are starting to feel like humans again and our house no longer looks like Christmas exploded in it. Just in time for Russ's 27th birthday party tonight!

Despite the constant movement, Russ and I have been so mindful over the past few days about what we want Campbell to be aware of about Christmas. While the presents, food, and family time are great, as she grows to understand what is going on we are so aware that we want her to have great understanding - both at Christmastime and throughout her life - of the Truth and Freedom of Christ and the availability of His presence in our lives.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

We Kings are bursting at the seams with holiday cheer. Campbell has already experienced a lot of Christmas festivity (decorating the tree, unveiling daddy's hard work putting up outside lights, lots of Christmas shopping, visiting Santa, and a holiday photo shoot). Of course she is mostly oblivious to it all. I did catch her trying to eat pieces of the Christmas tree off the carpet.



We call her nosy Rosey (Campbell Rose is her name), because she would break her neck to see what someone else is doing. We could barely get a picture with Santa for her looking at the people in line waiting to see him.

Props to her GiGi (Russell's mom) for the most gorgeous Christmas dress!