First of all, ya’all, I am pretty much caught up to “real time” on the blog. There are a few things I will still post about but for the most part, we are right up to real time in our relationship with Heather. That means as things happen and come up in this thing called life, ya’all are going to know about it, like, stat. Well maybe not that fast because, come on, let’s be real, I am a working mom, I don’t have that much time on my hands!!! But I can’t wait to share in this journey with you all.
But this last weekend we were invited to spend some time with Heather and her family as they celebrate Christmas. Heather said it was going to be her and her kids, her mom, her sister and her children, her aunt and uncle and her cousin and her children. I love when extended family gets to see us and Jackson. So, of course we said YES!
First, let me tell you the struggles because let’s be honest it wouldn’t be the holidays without a little drama! Mya (Heather’s daughter) was not having it when we first got there. She was being shy and hiding under Heather’s shirt. And at one point I told Heather I don’t think she likes me right now!! She was giving me some major stink eye! And you know, the more I thought about it, she might not at this time be all that fond of me. Think about it. We come in and everyone is excited to see Jackson and us (well, more Jackson than us, but that is ok!!!) and she loses a little bit of attention. And she is a middle child, so there is a struggle there to begin with! But she finally warmed up and the kids had a great time. Of course that was until it was time for us to leave and they got to see the “real” side of Jackson who did not want to leave, was over stimulated and over tired, leaving us with an epic meltdown all the way to the car, in the car, and the ride home! Let’s hope they still think we are good parents after that show!! Thank you Jackson.
But secondly, Heather told us “no gifts” per Aunt Mary. Which I think we were the only ones that actually listened to Aunt Mary, including Aunt Mary herself! We were all meeting at McDonald’s so the kids could play and the adults could hang out. Which much to my surprise we were actually able to do! Jackson is very much an only child and likes when mom and dad play with him, so it is a struggle to get him to play with other kids and not want his mom and dad in there too. We are working on this! But he did a pretty good job playing with the kids and allowed us to hang out with Heather and her family. We talked about planning a camping trip next year, which will hopefully also include my parents!!!
Upon our arrival, Heather’s aunt and uncle gave each family a $25 McDonald’s gift card to buy lunch. So much for no gifts! But how incredibly kind of them to buy these gift cards for their family but to also include us was incredible.
As the kids played and the adults talked, we talked a little bit about their family Christmas traditions. One of them being, Aunt Mary baking cookies and giving them to the kids to decorate. They also talked about Grandma’s wreaths that she has attempted to make but never taste the same as Grandma’s. It is amazing how in each family there is something Grandma used to make and no one is able to make it taste like Grandmas! As Mary and Jim were getting ready to leave she brought in these bags full of goodies and cookies to decorate for each family, including ours. This is where it is hard for me to find the words to describe how that made us feel. Oh, and the card she wrote just made my heart melt, describing their family traditions and how Grandma and Grandpa would love seeing all their grandchildren and great grandchildren decorating the cookies. This would be the Grandpa Jackson’s middle name is after, Lawrence. My heart just could not take it. Allowing Jackson to know his birth-families’ traditions and including him (and us) in them were all this mama could take for one day. Oh, and I thought the wreaths tasted great!!!
When we got home that Saturday we took full advantage of being part of their Christmas traditions and decorated the cookies from Aunt Mary! I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little emotional that night. I love being part of their family. I love knowing about Jackson’s birth family. I love knowing their traditions. I love being around them. I love this life we have created, together! I love this relationship that we have.
Three Is My Happy Place 
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