Mandy came home around midnight on the 23rd and spent Christmas Eve at Grandpa Kracht's, so we were very happy to see her when we got there. It was also the first time we met Levi, and he was so kind and thoughtful. He has an easy laugh and fit right in with our crazy crew. It was a much-anticipated introduction, as Mandy and Levi have really become serious and she cares for him so much. I could easily tell how much he cares for her in return. It was sweet to see her so happy! Dad, of course, had a wonderful wood fire blazing so we were snuggly warm, and mom had all kinds of snacks out when we got there. GG was helping mom in the kitchen by snapping the fresh green beans for our holiday dinner later on that evening. The only piece missing was my brother, who we missed terribly. We got some cute pictures of him with Uncle Bob and Aunt Nancy at their daughter, Janet's, gorgeous house. (He was standing in front of a 25 foot Christmas tree looking elfishly cute.) I just wish he could have been with us, too, but I'm glad he is so happy and was with UB & AN.
We had a GREAT day. Here are some highlights! (Okay...after the upload, I'm realizing it's a lot of "highlights". Oh well! Your baby only has one first Christmas!)
Beckett and Aunt Mandy are reunited and pick up right where they left off...Snuggling!
The reindeer hat was a present from GG...He looked so cute, and he tolerated it for awhile...
...and then...
Here is Mandy and Levi helping with dinner preparations. Well, Levi is helping. Mandy is laughing because Levi is cutting the butter into slices for everyone to use more easily. I thought it was nice!
Gramps is distributing his famous salad. It was awesome - TONS of carrots, celery, tomatoes, olives, mushrooms, lettuce varieties, and about 15 dressings to choose from. Note the large bowl...the salad will be lunch for a few days, I have a feeling! (And it's on the CAVE MAN DIET!)
Mom always sets a beautiful table with her china. The crystal is also taken out for Christmas! Now that's a birthday party fit for Baby Jesus!
Before we ate, we had a toast to "Remembering Christmases past, hoping for Christmases in the future, and enjoying the gift of the present. Thank you, Lord, for your many gifts, but mostly that of your Son!"
Here you can see Mandy and Levi! They were only home through the 26th and had to catch a flight back to Tampa. They are such a cool couple.. In two weeks, they leave for Brazil. (More on that below...)
Check out this feast fit for a King!
Again with the mashed potatoes...
I got to be the present elf!
Notice Beckett doesn't get too far away from Aunt Mandy's squishes...
I like this picture of Grandma and Mom. I feel like it shows the ease of their relationship - they get along so well and have good talks. They are very good for each other! I see a lot of my relationship with mom mirrored here. This is Grandma's first Christmas without Grandpa, and I'm sure it was very hard for her to be without her love. I am SO happy we got to have her with us - Beckett loves her, because she tries to come over on Wednesdays to be with him and mom at the same time. She is really, really good with him (lots of practice?) and he is fascinated with her.
Oh, those Kracht girls... Poor B...
After a delicious dinner around 3, it was time for presents! Beckett got a lot of books from Mandyand Levi, including this one: The Itsy Bitsy Spider...the extended version, which started Dad's rendition of the song, over, and over, and over, until Mandy was ready to strangle him. Desired outcome.
As anticipated, the wrapping was just as intriguing (if not more) than the presents! (Why didn't we just get boxes???)
One of the BEST gifts is featured below...A few Christmases ago, we had an Ugly Christmas Sweater party at Grandma and Grandpa Cox's Christmas. Mandy and I went all out, heading to Walmart to find a bunch of supplies and these lovely Hanes Crewnecks. Armed with our glue guns, excessive amounts of energy and Christmas accoutrements, we stayed up All Night Long the night before her party to create these masterpieces! In identical puffy-painted frocks, we thought we were shoe-ins to win the competition. Unfortunately, Grandma thought they were too pretty, and she gave the prize to someone else. This year, though, my sweater came out for the school-based version of the competition, and I WON! Redemtion, baby. Mandy was mad that I still had hers, so I wrapped it up to spread the holiday cheer to Florida.
Grandma had to get going around 4:30 because it was getting dark. She got some snuggles from her little buddy, opened some gifts, and headed over the river and through the woods. We had such a nice time with her! (Doesn't she look pretty, too?)
MORE PRESENTS!
Not sure about this awkward pose...but please note the pajamas and full-on "didn't-do-my-hair-or-makeup" look. Yikes. And I knew there was going to be pictures!
Eventually (inevitably), the hat returned...
Mom had a special gift made for each of us: A picture collage of our family. She designed each one differently to match our personalities. It was very thoughtful!
So, I told you I'd return to the Brazil trip. Here goes! Mandy and Levi are going to Brazil on January 17th for a couple of reasons. One is because they are raising money for an orphanage and plan to work with some missonaries there. The other reason is because Levi runs MAXI Marathons. Like, majorly maxi. The race in Brazil is 135 miles (yes, running) and goes up 30,000 feet in altitude. He will be running through the rain forest and taking short breaks every 15 miles or so. He will start running on Friday night and has only until Sunday to finish! He has done several such races, but 105 miles is his longest, so this will be a huge challenge! (Duh.) Mandy is on his race team, which is a car that will meet him at designated spots where the roads are passable enough for car traffic. The rest of the time, he will be on his own. Scary. He is very passionate about this, and it is really cool in an extreme way! He is a doctor, so you know he understands the human body and its limits...Let's just say his body has different limits than mine! Check out his blog for more information: http://levirizk.blogspot.com/
Anyway, mom and dad made a donation to Mandy and Levi for their work with the orphanage. I love what they said: "Our family has been blessed with more than enough - in terms of material things and love. Please take whatever we can give you to share with those children who don't have either." Isn't that the truth? They wrote a beautiful letter explaining how they felt about it and how proud they were of this venture. I am very proud of them, too. I hope they are safe and have a wonderful time! It's the meaning of the season and being a Christian without needing a certain season to do it.
Anyway, back to the party: At this point, I'm pretty sure Beckett was on sensory overload from three straight days of PARTIES! Grandpa K's on the 23rd, the Farm and Hilds on the 24th, our house the morning of the 25th, and then the Krachts! Talk about off schedule. He was such a happy boy the whole time, though, and did GREAT! I love this smile, even though his eyes are half-closed.
Unwrapping...
Unwrapping...
Unwrapping...
CRASHING!
(That thing he is holding is a deer call! Shonn taught him how to do it, and it's hilarious. I have a video of it I need to trim and then I'll upload it. So precious.)
That last picture summarizes how we all felt by the end of the night. Tired and happy. It was such a blessing to have Mandy home! We all laughed and talked, and then Mandy and Levi came over for awhile. It was a lovely Christmas day, full of family and good memories. (And food. Lots of food.)
XO
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