Christmas 2023
And just that like, the sun set on another beautiful Christmas. Christmas morning is always a mix of magic and exhaustion but it is oh so good and I will miss these Christmas morning with children surrounding the tree ripping open their gifts with complete happiness and gratitude. We did our annual sleepover and somehow convinced the kids that 6:30am was the earliest they could wake up. They were all up and ready to run downstairs by 6:20am... which honestly was better then I thought it would be!
Brian and I put our gifts for them under the tree... actually, scrath that... the couch and tree are too close together so nothing actually fit under it and everything was just infront of it! lol Santa came too!
Their smiles were so good.
We made eggs for breakfast and got the house put back together because we were hosting Christmas dinner for my side of the family. Penny was so sweet and help me set up everything a couple of days before. Bentley and her even made all the name tags for us.
Family arrived between noon and 3 and our kids were SO excited for cousins to all be here. Mom and Dad arrived at noon and started the turkey.
The entire afternoon and evening was filled with visiting which cousins hung out and played, eating a yummy feast of turkey, stuffing, ham, potatoes and lots of delicious veggies. Grandma and Grandpa handed out their gifts to the kids, who were all so happy!
Then, the cousins shared their gifts with eachother. This year, Bella suggested we do a cousin secret santa and I think she had come up with a perfect idea because this was just the best! They all were so happy and giggling and smiling and it was great.
We even made sure to spoil Grandma and Grandpa!
We finisihed the night off with a cometitive game of cherades and dessert.
Once we said goodnight to the last family and it was just the 5 of us again we got ready for bed and tucked in the kids, one at a time. I love this sacred moments of parenting. Those 3 minute pillow talks about the day and hearing what a fun Christmas they had. The exhaustion is worth it, every single time.
The morning after Christmas always feels like a bookend. Brian's gone back to work, I got up early with him so I can start to box up the madness of Christmas. Take down the tree, light a candle and put our house back to a calmer state. I am so happy to have the kids home for the next two weeks. To adventure, even though we have no plans. To sleep in, even though they never sleep in. And to just take a moment to breath in that cold winter air without rushing from one activity to the next. I love the January season of calm and quiet and I am ready to welcome it all.
Merry Christmas, Everyone!
Brian and I put our gifts for them under the tree... actually, scrath that... the couch and tree are too close together so nothing actually fit under it and everything was just infront of it! lol Santa came too!
The entire afternoon and evening was filled with visiting which cousins hung out and played, eating a yummy feast of turkey, stuffing, ham, potatoes and lots of delicious veggies. Grandma and Grandpa handed out their gifts to the kids, who were all so happy!
Merry Christmas, Everyone!