Christmas Day

Our Christmas Day did not go exactly as planned, starting at 1:00 am when Chase woke up feeling sick. He spent the next several hours in and out of our bed, coughing, whining, and mostly just feeling sick. Then around 4:00 the throwing up started- and really didn't stop all day long. Poor Chase! I felt so bad for him. He was so excited for Christmas and it was such a bummer to be sick for it! I was super exhausted from being up most of the night with him- it just didn't get the greatest start. Chase is the sweetest kid ever when he's sick- so in between vomiting spells he remained pretty happy and excited about Christmas! He's such a trooper. 

When Hudson woke up around 7:30 we made our way upstairs to see what Santa brought. Chase rallied and was able to have a pretty fun time opening his gifts. He was really excited to see the bike that Santa brought him.

Side note: On Christmas Eve, Ray likes to call and pretend he's Santa and talk to the kids on the phone. When he asked Chase exactly what kind of bike he wanted Chase said, "One with training wheels and one that is my size." I love his sweetness! Then after the phone call Chase said to me, "Mom, if that was Santa, then why did your phone say Ray Hugo?" Busted! I made up a story about how Santa called Papa Ray first to get our number and Ray patched him through. Chase totally accepted it. Next year I'll remember to change his name in my phone prior to the call!

Hudson was so delighted to see his lawn mower. He didn't really ask Santa for anything, other than a candy cane, but we knew he'd be excited about this. And he was. And very protective, he got mad whenever Chase came near it. He was particularly excited that it came with a little gas can, so he can fill it up with gas every 2 minutes. 

 My boys stayed excited about all the things in their stockings- except maybe the clothes, which aren't that exciting when there are toys around. I felt like we cut way back on presents this year, but it still seemed like there were so many! Plus, our boys have doting grandparents and aunts and uncles who spoiled them as well. One of my favorite moments was probably when my mom gave Chase a wooden car carrier (a toy Chase has admired at different stores for awhile now- and tried to convince me to buy it for daddy for Christmas because Chase was sure he wanted it). Chase opened it and said, "I've wanted one of these for my whole life!" Every gift these sweet boys got was so thoughtful and perfect for them and their interests- they are lucky little boys!

Shortly after presents it was clear that Chase was feeling even worse and he couldn't even keep the tiniest amount of water down. He spent the rest of the day watching shows on the couch and throwing up. The only time he whined or cried was when Will and Katie and Nora came over and he wanted to be part of the party but couldn't.

We had a pretty chill day, which was what we'd planned anyway, thankfully complete with a long nap for me so I could catch up from the sleepless night before and be nicer to people in general. My mom made a beautiful and delicious Christmas dinner that we all enjoyed together- sans Chase of course- and a traditional Yulelog for dessert.

Christmas didn't go as planned, but we did still have some wonderful, happy memories. This holiday season I've been reflecting a lot about the Savior. I've been wanting to teach my boys about what Christmas is really all about. I don't know how well they get it yet, but with doing our daily service activities and talking a lot about baby Jesus' birth, it has really taught me something more about Christmas. Because of Savior every sadness in this life will be made right, every mistake can be forgiven, and we can have eternal happiness. I'm so thankful for His life and the gift He gave us all. Merry Christmas!