aannndd...... it's done. Same time next year?

I think i can honestly say that this was probably the BEST christmas I've had in years. I'm not sure exactly everything that made it this way, probably a little of the fact that i was feeling WELL which is almost a first in a while (i was sick the week before christmas but not really on Christmas itself).

Contributions to a very-good-Christmas:

PRESTON AND ANGELA ARE ENGAGED! (I hope it was okay that i just announced that to the internet?) How excited are we all? brats (sorry) didn't bother actually saying anything when we asked them what they got for christmas (Angela: "I got this really nice mood ring" holding out right hand) until later when Angela as an 'afterthought' goes "oh, i got something else for christmas too" and holds out left hand.

I just can't tell you how much I love my family. I like Angela so much and I love watching Preston and Angela and Piper and Ava. They are such a beautiful family and fit so well together. Did I ever think Preston would meet someone who would just match his weird sense of humor? Not this soon anyway. Those to can just go on about stuff, and the rest of just are lost while they're giggling away. I'm SO proud of my not-so-little-anymore brother. And just those words don't do the way I feel near enough justice.

Little kids. Everyone has to admit that Christmas is just more fun with kids. Kids ripping into presents. Kids getting more excited about boxes and wrapping paper than the gifts themselves. Kids of total honesty. Babies to hold and play with. kids, kids, kids. And it's going to keep getting better. Next year there will be one more (Bec and Kev's third) and the girls will be old enough to run around with Kyle and Noah.

Three days of Christmas. Since Adam and I combined Christmases this year, we got double the Christmas. We had Christmas with his family on Christmas Eve, with the fabulous Prime Rib dinner that he always talks about, then Christmas day with my family and mom's side and then Post Christmas with my dad's family. Lots of food and flying wrapping paper!

Speaking of...Adam. It was wonderful to be included in Adam's Christmas and have him included in mine. It just made it all a little richer.

Everyone growing up. There were some Christmases there where the older cousins were old enough that I didn't know what to talk to them about and the younger cousins were all in high school and I didn't really know what to talk to them about either. They've all almost hit the out-of-high-school age now (four? are graduating this year, and the last one graduates next year) and I feel like I can talk to any of them with ease.

Family, family, family, A big family highlight was that my cousin Tricia and her family was back, and some of us hadn't seen them in 3? 4? years, and had never seen the girls. It was fun seeing them.

Maybe I've grown up a little or maybe I'm just getting sappy (hormones?). But this weekend I had so many moments of just looking around at the family and realizing just how lucky, no, BLESSED, I really am. I couldn't have asked God for anything better than what I have in my family, all the way around and extended all the way out. How many people can say that? Thank you Baby Jesus. And Happy Birthday.