Morning Snuggling and Holiday Cheer

Yesterday a lot of businesses were closed due to observation of Christmas.

I declared it an observation-of-Christmas day here, too, and didn't blog. 

I awoke this morning from a dream where I was trying to nurse a baby boy. 

I had found him, realized that somehow he was like two weeks old, and I hadn't been nursing him.

I was waiting for that familiar feeling of a comfortable latch and the subsequent smooth tugging that follows.

I wondered if I could bring my milk back, starting so late.

 And, just for the record, I'm not pregnant.

Then I woke up and Mia was lying in my bed, snuggling next to me, awake, waiting for me to wake up.

She snuggled in to me and put her arms around me.

I told her, because I was still thinking about my dream, about she and I and our nursing days.

Right after we moved in our house, I'd hear her awake in the morning.

It was one of my favorite times of the day.

I'd go and get her out of bed and return to mine.  We'd snuggle together and she'd nurse for a long while.  The boys would play elsewhere, so my room would be quiet and it was just she and I.

I think I thought those days would be gone once she quit nursing, but not with this gal.

I felt especially grateful for it today.

She still crawls in to snuggle and relax and be quiet.

I love it so much.

And I have so much I could blog about from the weekend.  It'll have to come in stages.

So, for the first installment.

On Christmas Eve we gathered round the table for a sumptuous spread and listened to The Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols.  It was lovely, complete with admiring the Rudolph features on the Rudolph's car.  (Yes, their last name IS Rudolph...two of my favorite folks in this world.)

Then, off to the family cabin for time with family.

My very favorite part of the nite was when my father-in-law talked with everyone about the birth of the Christ child, and then asked all of the adults to bear testimony.  A sweet, powerful, palpable feeling filled the air.  I felt connected to my husband, to this family we're raising, to the spiritual experiences of the past few months, for all that we're going through, trying to understand, being incredibly blessed with, and watching the whole general thing unfold.

Then, we goofed around.  And it was a blast.

I love these ladies and these men.