I've been in pretty good control of things this holiday season...did all of my shopping, wrapping, baking, activities, etc. with enough planning and time so that I never felt rushed or stressed out. BUT, it's amazing what happens when there are now two children in the house who are excited to open gifts. We've always been a family to take turns opening gifts, but not yesterday morning...we let both Ava and G open their gifts at the same time, and there was paper flying, ribbon everywhere, and cries for assistance on putting toys together RIGHT NOW. It was a little more chaos than I'm used to on Christmas morning! Ava was very patient and waited if we asked her to, but G would look right at us while we were saying "take turns"...and his little fingers would be working that paper open, and it was clear that there was no stopping him. So, we didn't. And it was fine! No, it was better than fine...it was wonderful!
I had Friday the 23rd off, and Scott was done early (did I mention it was his last day at his job??) so we met for lunch. It was nice to be out with my hubby, enjoying a lunch, with just adults. Then, that night, as a family, we drove around the nearby neighborhoods and enjoyed the Christmas lights/displays that everyone had put up.
Christmas Eve day was a busy one, as we were hosting Scott's side of the family for dinner. It was great food, good times, and a nice way to kick off 24 hours of celebrating. After dinner, we opened some gifts, and once everyone went home, the kids got into their jammies. We left treats for Santa and a reindeer (just one, I guess), watched "Rudolph" and even managed a reading of "Twas the Night Before Christmas". They said their final farewells to George (the elf) and scurried off to bed. Ava was pretty sure she saw Santa's sleigh in the sky, but then determined it was some trees. (I was hoping for it to be the sleigh!)
Scott and I stayed up way too late watching "The Man in the High Castle" and then made sure that Santa was prepped to deliver his gifts while we were all sleeping.
Christmas morning was awesome! We opened the stockings, enjoyed a yummy breakfast, and then let chaos reign with the rest of the gifts. Since this was G's first Christmas where he fully grasped the concept of Santa, gifts, etc., it was really fun to watch him discover the joys of Christmas morning.
After we cleaned up the family room, we all took it easy (I read a book!) until it was time to go to my parents place for Christmas dinner. It was another wonderful evening, full of good food (loved the butterballs!), conversation, and time well spent. G and Ava didn't break anything at their place (my biggest concern) and we somehow managed to come home with more food than what we brought over. We are going to officially drown in Christmas sweets...we have SO many treats and goodies!
On a serious note...on the ride home, Ava asked what "Merry X-mas" means, and I gave her the same lecture that my grandma (Mom's mom) gave me when I was her age. I explained that we do not use that abbreviation in this house, as it takes Christ out of Christmas. And without Christ, there is no Christmas. I will never forget how I felt after my grandma explained that to me...and I've never used that phrase since. I hope Ava takes this to heart, as well.
I'm pretty sure that last night, we just digested our food and watched TV. Everyone was tired and didn't fight going to bed. It was raining, with thunder and lightning, which was an odd experience to have on Christmas. It's very windy right now, so I'm not sure what type of weather the day holds for us.
We're taking G and Ava to see the movie "Sing" today. Should be fun! This will be G's first experience in a movie theater, so I hope he enjoys it. I know Ava will! Tomorrow, the kids go back to daycare/release day care, and Scott and I have the rest of the week off. He and I will be heading back to the movies tomorrow afternoon for a day date. FUN!
I had Friday the 23rd off, and Scott was done early (did I mention it was his last day at his job??) so we met for lunch. It was nice to be out with my hubby, enjoying a lunch, with just adults. Then, that night, as a family, we drove around the nearby neighborhoods and enjoyed the Christmas lights/displays that everyone had put up.
Christmas Eve day was a busy one, as we were hosting Scott's side of the family for dinner. It was great food, good times, and a nice way to kick off 24 hours of celebrating. After dinner, we opened some gifts, and once everyone went home, the kids got into their jammies. We left treats for Santa and a reindeer (just one, I guess), watched "Rudolph" and even managed a reading of "Twas the Night Before Christmas". They said their final farewells to George (the elf) and scurried off to bed. Ava was pretty sure she saw Santa's sleigh in the sky, but then determined it was some trees. (I was hoping for it to be the sleigh!)
Scott and I stayed up way too late watching "The Man in the High Castle" and then made sure that Santa was prepped to deliver his gifts while we were all sleeping.
Christmas morning was awesome! We opened the stockings, enjoyed a yummy breakfast, and then let chaos reign with the rest of the gifts. Since this was G's first Christmas where he fully grasped the concept of Santa, gifts, etc., it was really fun to watch him discover the joys of Christmas morning.
Ava gettin' crafty with the LB
G was unsure of proper ribbon removal
Ava was thrilled that Santa brought something for Bloop - he now has a leaf bed for his tank!
G couldn't quite get the "thumbs up" working...
After we cleaned up the family room, we all took it easy (I read a book!) until it was time to go to my parents place for Christmas dinner. It was another wonderful evening, full of good food (loved the butterballs!), conversation, and time well spent. G and Ava didn't break anything at their place (my biggest concern) and we somehow managed to come home with more food than what we brought over. We are going to officially drown in Christmas sweets...we have SO many treats and goodies!
On a serious note...on the ride home, Ava asked what "Merry X-mas" means, and I gave her the same lecture that my grandma (Mom's mom) gave me when I was her age. I explained that we do not use that abbreviation in this house, as it takes Christ out of Christmas. And without Christ, there is no Christmas. I will never forget how I felt after my grandma explained that to me...and I've never used that phrase since. I hope Ava takes this to heart, as well.
I'm pretty sure that last night, we just digested our food and watched TV. Everyone was tired and didn't fight going to bed. It was raining, with thunder and lightning, which was an odd experience to have on Christmas. It's very windy right now, so I'm not sure what type of weather the day holds for us.
We're taking G and Ava to see the movie "Sing" today. Should be fun! This will be G's first experience in a movie theater, so I hope he enjoys it. I know Ava will! Tomorrow, the kids go back to daycare/release day care, and Scott and I have the rest of the week off. He and I will be heading back to the movies tomorrow afternoon for a day date. FUN!
Random pic of the week...we pulled out all of my Barbies last Sunday, and had fun playing with them!
As Ava declared yesterday, "This was the BEST.CHRISTMAS.EVER!"
Comments