The Plan

If you have met me, you know that I always have a plan and a backup plan and quite often a backup plan for the original backup plan. I'm okay when my plans don't work out, mostly because I have the backup(s), but I NEED to have a plan. I function best with little to no unknowns. So, I have a plan for the holidays--and a couple of backup plans, but those will stay in my head unless they're needed!

We leave 12/22 and will be home 12/31. This means that we will technically miss Christmas with our boys. They are 4 and 5, so I feel fairly confident that we can just delay Christmas without them finding out. If possible, I'd really like to hide the fact that we're ditching them over Christmas for their sister that they're already going to resent having in the home, most likely. I'm sure they'll figure it out as they get older, but if we can keep it a secret this year, that would be great. Fortunately, my whole family is on board.

We started our Advent "calendar" a week late. The kids really think that there are 14 days until Christmas. When we get home 12/31, we will celebrate Christmas Eve instead of New Year's Eve. Then, New Year's morning is just going to be our Christmas morning. I figure we'll be up around 4 am anyway, due to the jet lag, so why not?

We will spend lots of time with my family, which will be great because we're going to need some help with our boys considering we'll be tired, probably sick, and will need to provide ALL of Kayla's care--and we really don't know all that will be involved in that just yet.

This is the master plan. Of course, I have my backups for things like flight delays, but I really hope we won't have to deal with all of that. Last night, we did find out that we will get to spend Christmas Day with our daughter. So, at least we'll be with one of our three kids, although I really, truly have wrapped my brain around the fact that Christmas is just a date this year. We all know Jesus probably wasn't born December 25, so Christmas is when/what we make it. Ours will be celebrated 1/1/11.

But, there is still THE day that is called Christmas--the day we're supposed to remember Jesus being born for us. Honestly, I am kind of glad that Christmas Day this year will not be spent focused on gifts and food. Our Christmas Day won't be pretty, it won't be comfortable, it won't be lavish, but it will probably be the best Christmas we've ever experienced and the closest to how God actually wants us to remember the birth of His Son. I will miss my boys, but they will be with family who loves them and they won't know they're missing Christmas Day (hopefully). It will just be another day to them, which is perfect in my mind.