A/N: It is December 22! (Aka Christmas Eve Eve Eve!) I realize that today was not a posting date...But I have one too many chapters left. So...Next few chapters will air on Dec 22 (Today), Dec 23, 24, and 25! These are the last four chapters! So savour them! Christmas with the Coulters, A Big Step, Shepherd's Pie, and Christmas Day!

ENJOY! And leave a review! Come back tomorrow for another thrilling story!

(Chapter Fifty-One)

Christmas with the Coulters

A cry pierced the air, waking Rosemary. She rolled over to look at the clock.

5 am! her mind screamed. Why do babies wake up so early?!

"Rosie," Lee called, turning over in his sleep. "The baby's crying."

Rosemary rolled her eyes and sighed, throwing the covers off. She jumped out of bed and ran to the crib where her baby was hollering.

"Shhh . . . Olivia," he quieted her baby as she lifted her up and rocked her back and forth. She thought the baby was a bit over-excited to celebrate her first Christmas.

"Don't you know what time it is? You woke your daddy up, you naughty little girl. Now hush," she said placing the baby back in the crib. As soon as she did so, Olivia hollered even louder than before.

"Why can't you just be quiet and go to sleep?" Rosemary complained.

She soon realized that her baby desperately needed a diaper change.

"Now, we're all set. Go to sleep, la de dah. You've had a very busy night," she sang to her baby in a familiar tune. By the time she was finally able to get the baby to sleep, she was horrified to read the clock. It was already 6:00!

That took a whole hour? Oh man, I'm so tired.

She rested for a few minutes, and then decided she needed to be up anyways.

She ran downstairs to start breakfast. Awhile later, Lee came walking sleepily down the stairs.

"Good morning, Honey Bunny," she greeted her husband cheerfully despite her unpleasant morning.

"Oh, no! Do we have to go back to that?" he expressed his disgust under his breath.

"Here," she ignored his comment as she placed a plate of waffles on the table. "Eat up. I'll get the milk and some berries. Would you like the maple syrup?"

"Yum . . . that sounds amazing. Thank you, Rosie."

She smiled broadly at her husband.

"Well, you enjoy," she said kissing him softly.

"Mhmm, I will."

Rosemary cooked a lovely Christmas Dinner while Lee took a walk to the café to play some baseball with young Cody. Rosemary was still new to the whole idea of "being a mother". She very often got exasperated with herself and her new daughter.

"Oh, Olivia!" she exclaimed. "Would you please stop crying long enough for me to make dinner? No, I figured as much."

When Lee came home, he announced cheerfully that he thought it was time to open gifts. He presented his wife with a little box. Rosemary was breathless. She already thought she knew what was in the tiny box, so the contents took her by surprise. She was expecting to see a necklace, earrings, or even a bracelet. But when she realized what her gift was, her eyes showed her thankfulness to her husband.

"Oh, Lee!" she laughed loudly. "It's just what I need," she said, holding the earplugs in her hand.

Of course that was not the only gift that Rosemary received, but she had a notion that it would be the most useful.

The finished opening presents and had their Christmas dinner. Charles and Sofia were to join them. The food was delicious, and the company pleasant. Everyone was stuffed from all of the turkey they had consumed. Plans were made for the evening hours. Christmas in Hope Valley was always special.