Near and far...

Nathan and I tried our hardest to get life back to normal as soon as possible for the girls' sakes.  We put on our happy faces and made plans to go to my parents for Christmas.  The girls were excited and so was I.  I needed to be around family now more than ever.  My heart ached knowing that Mom Hawthorne wouldn't be joining us.

 

Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without making goodies at Mama's house.  Jeremy jumped right in and made Mom's famous spiced nuts, a family favorite.  Mama and KC had to attend Nancy Parrish's funeral with Daddy so it was just us kid's at home wreaking havoc.

 



Christmas Eve was the same as usual, family everywhere, carols being sung, candy being eaten and stories being told.



The kids dressed up to participate in the reenactment of the birth of our Savior.  Kaitlyn was so excited to be Mary this year.  My Taylor and her older cousins were the shepherds, something I don't think these pre-teen girls were to keen on, but they cooperated anyway.
 

 

This year I had decided to make the girls Christmas pajamas, a decision I had made long before Mom was admitted into the hospital. I had already bought the fabric and so I had to follow through.  I hadn't even started until after Mom passed away.  That was a hard day.  It was a welcomed distraction, but in the end I was sad because she wasn't there for me to show.  I could hear her now, "Oh, JODI!  There isn't anything you can do now is there!"   The girls were excited too! 

 

Christmas morning was chaos, but a welcomed chaos!  Now that Jamie and Jeremy live on the east coast they too stayed the night at Mama and Daddy's!  It was a full house. 

 

It is hard to believe that another Christmas has come and gone.  The girls are growing up so quickly.  Savannah was walking around not sure of what to think about all the excitement.  Later during the day all the brothers and sisters came to the house to have lunch and visit with each other.  I am thankful for my family.  I am thankful that we live near each other.  We don't see each other often enough, but the times we do get to see each other are way more than most families.  I am thankful my girls' are best friends with their cousins.  There isn't anyone else they would rather be with than their cousins, both near and far!