Christmas Eve and Christmas Day

We decided I'd stay home with Benjamin and Michael would take Isabella to her Dr appointment. Which turns out was a good thing. He text me that she tested positive for the flu. And I stood in the kitchen and cried while I was baking until they got home. I tried to pull it together then, but was still so sad and disappointed. For her to be sick and feeling terrible and for all that would mean for our plans for the week. The Christmas gatherings we would miss. The family that would just be in town for Christmas we would miss. The possibility of us all getting flu and spending the rest of our time with Michael home with all of us sick. I was really sad.

Popsicles make it a little better, right? ;)

I tried to carry on with getting the things done I'd planned for that day. The pediatrician told Michael it would likely be a matter of time til the three of us had the flu as well. So I didn't know if that would happen or when and I wouldn't feel like doing anything but laying on the couch. I called Hayli in tears, crying so much she thought some thing really terrible was wrong. Sometimes something feels so bad in the moment, even when you know that later it will be OK. And it was all OK. I just couldn't stop crying for a while. Hayli brought over a variety of supplements and herbs for us all to take, to help Iz get better and hopefully prevent the rest of us from getting it. I worked on finishing up the baking I had left to do.

(And I realize that some day I might read this and be embarrassed if it seems a bit over dramatic. And that there are way worse things happening to people in the world than being quarantined to a warm home, with lots of great food, presents to open, and all of their immediate family members present. And knowing there are much worse things gave me some perspective for sure. But it didn't change that I felt sad to see my child sick, and was worried that at any moment someone else in the house would be sick, and super sad to miss Christmas at my Mom's and the other family gatherings we had.) 

Michael and Benjamin went to big Mitchell Christmas for a little while and Iz rested and when she felt up to it, she decorated cookies for Santa.

We opened one of the last books to read and did our advent devotional. I'm sad for these things to be coming to a close. It has been such a sweet season.

After we got the kids ready for bed, I set the table for breakfast and prepped some food.
The kids ornaments for this year: 

For the MLP fan 

And the little boy who climbs on EVERYTHING he isn't suppose to.  :)

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Isabella woke up first in the morning and we put up the last ornament on the countdown tree on her door and came out to the living room. 

And this look on her face in his blurry picture says everything about how she was feeling. Feverish and terrible.

She asked some strange questions, and was confused, it was like she still wasn't quite awake or just felt awful. The things she had been excited about wanting for Christmas might as well have been all socks. I felt bad that she felt so bad.
Benjamin woke up and joined us.

He got distracted by the goldfish in his stocking that he wasn't that interested in opening his gifts, so Isabella finished opening what was left of his.

He did really like this Thomas set. (Note his goldfish box wedged between his legs and paci near by)

Michael's parents joined us for breakfast. I was very grateful that they braved the possible flu exposure to come and to have some family come spend some time with us on Christmas since we wouldn't be going to see anyone. And Dad came by in the morning and dropped off a Christmas feast of food Mom had prepared and our Christmas stockings. So we still had lots of great food for a Christmas meal.

Making a bracelet from her new bead set.

Playing with the melting snowman Michael picked out for her.

Feeling a little better...

Benjamin warmed up to his Thomas train that he had been scared of. And spent a good part of the day stuffing things into the seat that opens.

Having an after-bath cookie, and a moment of feeling spunky. (Don't worry I have hundreds of outtakes of you Isabella that I don't usually post but will be ready for the moment they are needed for some senior slide show or something)

The day was quiet with lots of resting, and tylenol and ibuprofen for Iz and tons of supplements for the rest of us. It was for sure different than our typical Christmas week with lots of family gatherings. But I tried to still be grateful for the time together, just us, and the slowness of having no plans and time to rest. We have so many blessings and so much to be grateful for! Merry Christmas 2014!

December 21-23

December 21st- We had a full day! Isabella decorated her gingerbread house before church that morning. I let her have some of the candy, but she would have been happy to eat most of it! :) 

We went to church, and then picked up our last gift to purchase on the way home. Yay!
We had lunch and naps. Then headed to a friend's house to make bags for homeless people or people we see on street corners while driving. Everyone brought different items to contribute and it all added up to be plenty to fill a bag.

The kids decorated the bags and then went through an assembly line to fill them up. 

This night can also be known as the night many of the kids there got the flu...while trying to do good for others!!

We left there and headed downtown to enjoy some of the free Downtown in December festivities. 

We rode the free bricktown canal boats. Benjamin was clapping.

It was kind of crazy getting there, and parking with the thunder game, and getting to the loading spots for the boats which was moved due to construction, and getting in line...but the line moved really quickly and I'm glad we went even with the crazy because both kids really loved it. :) 

Then we went to the Crystal Bridge.

Mom and Dad and the Roberts met us there.

Mom got some Katiebugs hot chocolate for us to try, and then we went to dinner at the Garage downtown. It was a really late night for the kids, but they held up well and we made lots of fun memories.

December 22: We made salt dough fingerprint ornaments with the kids fingerprints for us and the grandparents for this year's homemade ornament. 

There were many imperfections in each of them, but I am not the craftiest person, so I was happy with how they turned out.
We were going to bake some Christmas treats this day, but it didn't happen.

December 23rd:
We had Christmas with the A Mitchell's. There is an A Mitchell in each family of Michael's immediate family. Isabella woke up from her nap with a fever, but still wasn't acting like she felt too terrible, but definitely not herself. We went ahead and made a Dr appointment for her for the morning.

Playing in the boxes presents were brought in. So much fun!
We had a delicious shrimp boil for dinner. And then opened gifts.

Benjamin trying out his new pillow and blanket Nana made him.

It was a good night! 

We've had a lot of fun preparing and counting down for Christmas! 

December 14-20

December 14th: The kids had their Christmas program at church this evening

Since there was a microphone right in front of her we could hear all of the funny things she had to say.

Noah was hilarious. He sang with so much feeling. :)

"Let it gooo, let it goooo!"

December 15th: Give two toys away. And go to Michael's work party that evening.

December 16th: Make the cookies for Dad's work and make snow paint.

 Peppermint chocolate crinkles

December 17th: Go buy pajamas to donate for the pajama drive at church and go to Cocoa and carols that evening.

December 18th: Go buy toothpaste for the packages we are making with friends for people in need.

December 19th: Go to north pole city.

The sweet lady that took our picture said she couldn't figure out how to get the phone to not take a blurry picture. ;)

 We had never been to North Pole City before. We listened to Santa tell the first Christmas story and then looked around. Isabella was amazed by all the decorations and the little houses to go inside. She rode the train twice and we got some fudge before heading home.

December 20th: Isabella had a sleepover at my Mom's with her cousins and made a craft and and a lego snowman. When she got home we started on our gingerbread house, but I didn't read the instructions that we would need two hours for it to dry before we decorated it and we didn't have time to finish it before we had to leave for a friends house, so we will finish tomorrow.

 Benjamin got to experience being an only child for a day while Iz was gone and got to have full reign of the bedtime Christmas book opening. I've had to move our bucket of books, after he kept trying to unwrap them all.