Merry Christmas...and a prayer request

So Christmas was crazy for my Kendall. The picture above sums up her exhaustion by the end of the day (and it's also my favorite picture ever). Christmas Eve was spent at church (awesome service - short and sweet and meaningful), then at my Aunt Tina's house with Ronnie's family (which ended up being more meaningful than I knew at the time...more on that in a minute).

We got Kendall to bed and played Santa for the first time, which was truly the best thing! We had a good time setting her things out for her. Granted, there was nothing to put together this year. The main attraction for us was a way cute toy box that she could have cared less about, but I know she'll use for years and years.

Mom, Ronnie and Meg came over for Christmas morning breakfast and to see Kendall's gifts. Then we got ready and went over to James' parents for lunch. We also saw a very close friend of ours that moved to Atlanta last year. He came over for lunch and met Kendall (and brought her the cutest Duke outfit that she'll proudly rock as soon as the weather gets warmer). Then we headed over to mom's for dinner and to open presents there. Whew! I know how tired I was, so I KNOW my KK was exhausted. She was not a happy camper by the end of the evening. Next year, we may have to rethink how we do things.

Kendall also made the all important move to cow's milk over the holiday. She doesn't seem all too thrilled about it, but I'm sure she'll get used to it soon. She's drinking from a cup like a champ, so I'm hoping if I consistently offer her milk she'll end up loving it.

Now on to other news. I mentioned earlier that Christmas Eve ended up being more meaningful than I knew. Last night I got the call that my cousin, Mikki, had been rushed to the hospital for a severe brain bleed. She had been battling a headache earlier in the day and started sort of talking crazy and was unable to function, so her brother called an ambulance. As of right now, she's in ICU, ventilated and receiving medicines to hopefully stop the swelling in her brain that the bleed caused. They have determined that the bleed was due to a stroke, but they have no answers as to why a 24-year old healthy woman would have a stroke. Please pray for Mikki. She is a sweet, sweet woman. A single mother to a 5 year old little boy. She spent a lot of time loving on Kendall on Christmas Eve and she and I spent a lot of time chatting and laughing that night. It makes me feel good to know that we were able to spend time together, but it also shows how quickly life can turn on a dime. I must admit that I'm not sure if Mikki is a believer or not and of course I'm full of guilt for not bringing up spiritual matters when she and I were talking. Also, please pray for her mother, my Aunt Tina, Ronnie's sister...she has known such loss and hardship in her life and I just know that behind her tough facade, she is dying inside. Please pray that God is glorified through all of this.

I hope everyone had an excellent Christmas and will have an awesome New Year! We are celebrating KK's one year birthday on Thursday. Gosh - time flies!