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Written by Rowonna McNeely – Kiera asked Santa for two items this year. One was a purple hover board and the other was a girl elf that she could touch. If you are familiar with the Elf on the Shelf, you will understand. Santa was able to deliver both items on Christmas morning. She was ecstatic.

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Her girl elf was one of the first things she noticed Christmas morning. She immediately pulled her stocking down to read the note that Huxley, her elf, and Santa left for her. Her face lit up as I read the note to her, explaining about her new girl elf.

Her purple hover board was the last thing she unwrapped. Excitement radiated from her voice as she squealed, “A hover board!”  Thankfully, Santa had made sure it was fully charged as she rode it for the better part of Christmas day.

But, one of the most priceless moments was when she opened a book from Aaron and I.

Back in November, Aaron and I were quizzing Kiera on what she wanted for Christmas. One of her requests was for a “picture book of our memories.” We were kind of surprised that she asked for something like that.

Over the next few weeks, she mentioned it again. I logged onto a site that makes hardback picture books and began to layout the pages with picture after picture. A little button popped up offering to build the book for me, but being a graphic designer, I just couldn’t do it.

For a couple of days, I worked on the book, searching for pictures and reminiscing. Finally, I was pleased with the results and sent it in to be produced.

Fast forward back to Christmas morning; Kiera sat on the couch preparing to unwrap the memory book. She had been talking non-stop, handing out gifts and of course, bouncing all over. I focused my phone on her and began to record as she unwrapped the book.

As soon as her she saw the picture of us on the front cover, she said in awe, “A memory book! Just like I asked for!” And then there was silence as she opened the book.

She didn’t make a sound as she flipped through the pages. She only smiled a soft smile as she looked from picture to picture. The book didn’t get tossed to the side when she was done. She hugged it to her chest and whispered, “It’s mine.”

Our day ended with Daddy curled up in bed with her, reading the blurbs in the book and looking at each picture.

Sometimes, it is easy to get caught up in all the craziness of buying the most amazing, most perfect gift.  But sometimes, we need to slow down and remember that one of the simplest and best gifts is making memories with our loved ones.  It’s kind of funny how it takes a seven year-old to remind me of that.

From our family to yours, we hope you have had a blessed and Merry Christmas.

Thank you for sharing in our weekly journeys. If you have missed any of our past stories, check out our new blog page at www.lifea2k.net or drop us a line at [email protected].

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Rowonna McNeely works with her husband, Aaron, at Willie’s T’s in the Art Department, regularly volunteers in the community, and has her hands full with her daughter, Kiera, along with two dogs and one cat.

Rowonna is a graduate of May High School (Go Tigers!) and grew up on a dairy farm. She enjoys reading, creating, swimming, and planning events. She’s also a bit of a klutz.

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