Friday, December 22, 2017

Only three more sleeps.....


The big day is almost here.  We have been counting down the sleeps until Santa comes all month.  Can you believe we only have three more?  One little boy at my house is sooooooo excited.  He can't wait.  He told me only Santa can get him a present and he only wants two.  I told him that his Dad and I might get him a few and he replied he only wants one.  Well in true over the top fashion he is going to be a bit overwhelmed, there are a lot more there than he is expecting.  I know I go overboard but I follow in my families tradition here.  My parents always made Christmas a very big deal.  Even when we didn't have a lot of money, which was most of the time, they scrimped and saved so we all had a very special day.  I remember a few of the special presents but most of all I remember being together all day long.  Waking up to see the bottom of the tree covered in presents that Santa had spread all around, eating cookies, opening presents, gathering for a delicious meal.  It was always so special.  I hope my children feel the same about the Christmases in their past, and of course this one, too!





Some lovely surprises have made it to my door from wonderful blog friends.  I cherish these special gifts so much as they are from the heart.  To send a lovely gift to a friend you have never met is truly special.  I thank all of you for your kindness and generosity.  The gift of friendship is the best, whether given in a kind thought, a wonderful comment or just taking the time to read a blog post.  You are all a gift to me.


This is our official family Christmas card photo.  This is who we are, casual, some of us irritated that we had to be ready for the photo at noon on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, and me irritated with those who were irritated.  A perfect family we are not, but there is a lot of love here.


On the back of the card is this photo of Little Buddy.  It is by far one of the best he has ever taken.  He was making all sorts of crazy faces and finally I said, could you just think about smiling?  Well he put his hand up to his face and thought about it, and this is what I got.  He is so darling.  Even though he has been over tired and emotional this week, haven't we all, he is still the light of our lives.


Wait a minute, we did get a smile after all!

I hope you are all hanging in there as the big day approaches.  For those of you celebrating Holidays dear to you and your families, I wish you love and  peace.  For those of you celebrating Christmas, lets hope it is as wonderful as we have tried to make it.  Just three more sleeps................

33 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a wonderful family photo --- and you can tell your son we will be watching the UCF game on New Year's Day and rooting for the Knights!!!!

Little Buddy is growing up so quickly. What handsome boys you have .....including the biggest one too.

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas.

This year has been a bit discombobulated with two moves in one year and anticipating another one sometime this summer! YIKES!

Hugs,
Dee

justd2me.blogspot.com

busybusybeejay said...

Lovely photos.Have a great Xmas.BarbaraxHope you take lots of photos as Little Buddy sees his presents!

Needles and Wool said...

Lovely family photo! Aw that is so sweet Buddy is so excited and really nice that he only wants one gift and he will be spoiled! I loved reading about your Christmases as a child and I get the feeling that your kids love what you do for them for Christmas! Merry Christmas Meredith! I hope you enjoy having your family around and spending the special day together.

Caffeine Girl said...

Sending hugs and love to you and your family. I am sure that you will all have a love- and memory-filled day together!

Neighborhood Watch said...

Happy Holidays! I always love so much to stop and read your blog. Hugs to you and all your boys.

Joy@aVintageGreen said...

Loved the surprise smile after the really great thinking about smiling photo. Thank you Meredith for a wonderful year of blogging and sharing. Love to you and your family. Hugs too.
Joy

Judy S. said...

Love that LB photo and as always, your blog. Merry Christmas, Mere!

Mac n' Janet said...

Beautiful family and an especially beautiful little boy. Hope your family makes great memories this Christmas.

kathy b said...

What a wonderful photo card. And lil b on the back! That sweet almost smile is so so wonderful. I hope your Christmas is great. The magic of the tree, the lights, the brothers at home, the presents and the songs, and all of the joy a little one brings to the day....Youll have them all!

Sue said...

As said so many times by other bloggers, what a wonderful family you all are. Super pictures of your little buddy, and Christmas ones too.
Love reading about your family, and wish you a very happy Christmas and new year x

Betsy said...

Love the Mickey blow up. But best of all are the sweet family photos and your little guy on the back. I love all of your sheepy gifts too. Merry, Merry, Christmas Meredith, to you and your family.
Blessings,
Betsy

CJ said...

Love your family photo, it's gorgeous, and sweet Little Buddy's 'thinking' picture as well, it's wonderful. His sense of humour always makes me smile. I hope you all have a fantastic day together. Sending you a festive hug, CJ xx

Grandmabeckyl.blogspot said...

Close to Christmas indeed. We loved lights in Portland tonight on cranes with a tree and another crane a star. Megan and I were at the Blazer game. Love all the lights around and all your good looking family makes me smile. Have a fun holiday at your house and love little Buddy...quite the character. Hugs across the miles!

Jo said...

Such wonderful photos, the family photo especially. Your childhood Christmases sound just like the ones I remember too and I've tried to make every Christmas special for my kids, just like the ones I remember. We're down to two more sleeps now, it's getting close.

Tracey said...

A very happy Christmas 🎄 to you all xxx

Delighted Hands said...

The family photo is real-all the love and irritations and everything in between that's who we are! You described my Christmas growing up-just like a fairy tale! I'm sure you accomplish that in your own home, too.

Araignee said...

Oh, those woolly sheep!!!! I am in love.

mamasmercantile said...

Such a beautiful family photo our family is not perfect either but the love we all have for each other is a delight. To be so close and not meet up is such a shame, we plan to come over again April but we don't have any definite plans in place as yet, I will let you know. Wishing you and yours a wonderful Christmas and best wishes for the New Year.

Nance said...

I love Just As We Are photos the best.

How terrific that LB isn't wowed and overtaken by the barrage of Stuff at Christmas. His desire for only a couple of things shows that he is happy, content, and can't imagine needing anything to make him feel any better than he does already.

Good job!

Linda @ A La Carte said...

The photos of Little Buddy are precious and your whole family is such a blessing I know. Mickey/Minnie Mouse are a big hit with Scout these days. She has a pink Santa hat with ears and big bow on the front! She made me wear it yesterday but thank goodness there aren't photos! I hope you have a wonderful holiday this year. Both my girls will be here and that always makes it extra special to me!

Jeannie Gray Knits said...

Great family photo! I'm absolutely loving those sheep. They are So adorable! Merry Christmas!

Una said...

Have a lovely Christmas and a peaceful 2018. I remember when I was Buddy's age all I wanted was a parcel wrapped in brown paper and tied with string. I'm still waiting!! Maybe you could give him the one present and hide the others for a couple of hours.

Mylittlepieceofengland said...

Beautiful family photo, have a wonderful Christmas xx

Teresa Kasner said...

I'm wishing for you a wonderful day full of happiness and excitement and love.. and I know all of those things will happen. I love seeing your little wooly family.. you are loved. Thank you for being a wonderful blog friend.. you truly are a blessing to me and Dayle, too. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

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Lee said...

Love your Family photo.Little Buddy just melts the heart.Happy Holidays.xxx

My Creative Life said...

Love your photos, I'm not convinced there is a perfect family, despite people claiming otherwise. I think if we 'try' to love and respect each other, 'try' not to get angry and be more forgiving we can't be doing too badly. It's putting that lot into practice that I find hard. Families, can make you so cross!
All the best and have a lovely Christmas, Cathy x

Olga Poltava said...

That's a beautiful family! There probably isn't such thing as a perfect family, but love is what truly matters. Merry Christmas to you and your family dear Meredith!
Hugs from California

Pradeepa said...

Such a beautiful family photo! Love your sheep collection. Merry Christmas!

Wanderingcatstudio said...

Hope the big man makes the little Buddy happy! Merry Christmas and a happy new year to all your family!

Tanna said...

LOL! I love what you said about the family photo session! LOL! My daughter could SO relate! It turned out beautifully and I love Little Buddy's close ups! I know you have made Christmas extra special for your family, Meredith! May it be all you hope for and more! Merry Christmas and all the very best in 2018! blessings ~ tanna

Jodiebodie said...

You have such a handsome family! That's a wonderful photo and I love the way you managed to get a smile out of your Little B.

It is interesting that your family makes a big thing out of Christmas and in my family Birthdays are always a little bigger than Christmas. This year, I really appreciated seeing on multiple occasions a phrase shared around the internet: "It isn't what's under the tree that counts, but who's around the tree," and that is what our family cherishes. When we all get together is is a large family so gifts have always been a token of appreciation but the main thing we cherish is the togetherness. As you say, it's having everyone together that makes Christmas special. We are both lucky to have our children around us on Christmas Day.

I am a little late in getting to respond to your blog post but I hope your day went well with everyone happy. Merry Christmas xxx

Suzan said...

Wonderful family shots.
God Bless each of You!

deb said...

wonderful family photo Meredith xo