Christmas 2013

Is there ever a more exciting day than Christmas morning?  I absolutely love waking up with that expectancy of a day filled with wonderful feelings- gifts, yes- but family, friends, FOOD, all the talking and excitement.  As a parent, I love Christmas morning even more.  This year we woke up at my parents on Christmas.  Uncle J and Aunt Tori were also there.  It was fun to have so many people get to experience the boys' excitement with us.

As I said before, Hudson was very into the excitement of Christmas.  This was the first year he really "got" Santa, wrote him a letter, was in awe of meeting him.  I knew that he would be really fun to watch this year.  Let me also say, that at this beautiful age, they still sleep in and don't wake up during the wee hours of  morning.  I am thankful for that.

Santa had set up both Hudson and Beau's gifts just from him, put together and ready to be played with.  Hudson got a Geotrax remote control train, which he loved and would refer to as the Polar Express! *meltmyheart* And our little fearless Beau received a little Kawasaki four-wheeler.

Andrew and I always struggle with this but then when Christmas morning comes around we are thankful we did it.  We are firm believers in making Christmas about Christ's birth, how it changed our relationship with God forever and how it is such a huge part of our faith.  That being said, we love Santa, the North Pole and all the magic that goes along with the season too.  In order to create balance, Andrew and I choose to limit the gifts the boys get.  They get one gift from Santa, a few gifts from Andrew and I, a few shared gifts like games or movies, and some things in their stockings.  Our boys don't want for anything.  It is a struggle in this commercial driven society not to cave and think we aren't giving our kids enough, but a couple of gifts in and our kids were content.  They weren't even that aware that they still had a few unopened gifts.  If you have ever wondered about doing something like this in your family, I highly encourage it.  

Our boys also received half the cast of Toy Story from Andrew and I.  They loved watching these movies over the summer.  It was fun to see them play with them together.  We also got them a few child hood favorites of ours; games that we remember playing with our families.  

After present opening, we were starved.  I had prepped some french toast casserole and had it baking while the boys opened presents.  How I ever survived before Pinterest is beyond  me! It was so nice to have a yummy, warm breakfast together with  no one having to miss out on the action in the living room because they were busy in the kitchen. So SO good!

  

I used this recipe.

Beau who had barely napped the day before, made it through breakfast, getting dressed and then zonked out! He was so tired, bless his heart! My other brother, Zach, his wife, Rachel and my nephews Graham and Emmett arrived about mid-morning.  Graham and Hudson are about 4 months apart and Beau and Emmett 7 months apart.  And as you can imagine, all boys so close together can be oh-so-crazy but FUN!!

A few years ago we decided to opt out of doing a traditional Christmas dinner.  It seemed that everyone got enough of that on Thanksgiving, and again, who wants to spend so much time in the kitchen.  Now we all bring sides and desserts and appetizers and my mom usually makes a couple of easy simple main dishes that we all eat on throughout the day.  It is comfort food at it's finest! I also love the variety of the meal! We decided to open presents and have a late lunch since the boys didn't seem to be hungry and Beau was still sleeping away. (By the way--that dude napped almost 4 hours that day! That is a record in this house!)

Hudson getting some Emmett cuddles before the opening ensued. 

Hudson and Graham loved watching everyone open, seeing what the other got.  My grandparents were there too.  So many people I love in one room.  I adore the holidays! 

I said earlier that Hudson and Beau got half the cast.  They did not have Woody or Bullseye. Little did they know that Gammy and Papa would be adding them to their collection.  Hudson's face was priceless.  He was so ecstatic!

Please just take a moment to soak in his excitement.

It was seriously a present opening free for all.  Beau did get to join us on the tail end but he was so interested in the ripped paper and boxes that Andrew and I opened most of this gifts for him! With Hudson's help of course!

Sweet Emmett with Uncle J and Aunt Tori

Can you see the chaos in the room? LOL

We were all seriously starved after the present opening.  I loved getting to sit and talk with my grandparents, laugh with my siblings, and watch my boys play with my parents. I soak in those moments and the details as much as I can.  It all goes so quickly but I want to remember it forever.

After everyone left, Hudson napped and, well, Andrew and I let our food settle.  

Later that night Beau was tired and not going to make it doing anything, so Andrew cuddled him while my parents and I took Hudson to see Frozen (again!) jammie-clad and all! It was the perfect way to end our Christmas!

Christmas Eve

We woke up Christmas Eve morning at my in-laws house.  We arrived the night before.  Andrew left work early afternoon and we made the drive back to Decatur.  We had to drive separately because the boys and I were staying the week, and he had to go back to Pittsfield for some work.  

When we got to my in-laws on Monday night my sweet nieces were there and Hudson and Beau could not have been more excited to see them and Aunt Jaci.  I've talked about how close our kids are (Hudson and Lila two months a part; Beau and Paisley two weeks a part) so they are the perfect playmates.  Mimi's (to the grandkids, Vickie to the rest of us) house smelled wonderful. She had fresh baked sugar cookies and she and Jaci and made some yummy candies.  Andrew even talked her into making peanut clusters.  Me, still trying to stick to as clean eating as possible, immediately saw temptation every but didn't overindulge (too much! Ha!)

One of the things we miss most about home are all the yummy places to eat, one being Andrew's grandparent's pizza shop- Del Carmen's.  It is so so so good and Vickie had it ready for us for dinner.  It was such a treat.  All the kids devoured it, especially sweet Paise!

On Christmas Eve, I woke up and since I had made a breakfast casserole ahead of time, I popped that in the oven to bake while everyone slept.  Once everyone woke up we shared breakfast and the got ready for the day.  We played all morning.  Hudson and I baked a birthday cake for Jesus for later that night.  We chose a candy cane cake from our favorite cake site.  

Jaci and the girls showed up mid-morning to play. Uncle Aaron had to work that morning before heading our way.  We attempted some family pictures too.  Those were a bit of a flop! :)

  

Once Aaron and the boys' great-grandparents arrived, we ate lunch and then the present opening began. 

Lila and Hudson were SO into it! It was so much fun to hear their shrieks and giggles. Now I could upload the hundred thousand pictures I took but I will just upload some favorites.

After the present opening, more visiting, lots of snacking, we packed up some of our things and headed to meet my parents and brother and sister in law at church.  I love love LOVE Christmas Eve service.  I love the way the church looks.  I love being with our church family on such a special night.  I love all the music. And of course, my favorite part, the candle lighting during Silent Night to close the service.  This year our pastor read the most wonderful story.  It was perfect.  The church was dim. Beau snuggled in and was totally content on Aunt Tori's lap.  And Hudson, my big two and a half year old, snuggled in and fell asleep in my arms.  Perfect. Night.

We left church and headed to my parents.  We had dinner with them and then cut the cake Hudson and I made earlier.  We put in candles in the cake (which Hudson blew out immediately he was so stinkin' excited!) and sang happy birthday to Jesus.  I hope we always strive to put the focus for this holiday on it's true meaning.  

Since they had already had baths before cake, we moved right on to a tradition as old as me.  Every Christmas Eve my brothers and I were allowed to open one gift. And every year we opened up a new set of Christmas jammies.  As we got older those pajamas became less holiday themed and more comfort based but this tradition is one I knew I would carry into my future family.  Even before kids, Andrew and I would open up one present Christmas Eve, gifting one another with pajamas.  When we had Hudson, I think I was more excited about this part of Christmas than any other.  

So we sat in front of the tree and the boys opened up their gifts.  I got their pajamas from Pottery Barn Kids this year.  I absolutely loved these classic pajamas.  Hudson had the Elf on the Shelf art on his from the book and Beau's had the classic Santa, snowman, and other winter items on his onesie.  

After they were all snuggly, we had one more tradition.  We read the Christmas story using this wonderful children's pop-up book we got when we were pregnant with Hudson. It was truly a wonderful Christmas Eve with our families.  I will always remember their smiles, giggles, and just how blessed I felt.  

December Post #1

I hate trying to think of titles for my posts.  I am just not good at it.  I want them to be witty, or appealing, or inspiring, or something.  Today's is not.  I'm ok with it.  Let's just look back together, shall we?

This year it was my goal to do something each day/night of December.  I choose various fun activities with some acts of kindness thrown in there too.  I want my boys to grow up with a firm knowledge that Christmas is not about what we receive but also how to give.  I get so much joy watching others open gifts that I have chosen for them.  It truly makes me happy.  But I also want to teach my boys to bless others, people that serve our community, strangers, anyone.  And of course, more than anything, that the truest reason for the season is our Savior's birth and how that changed everything for us all.  In addition to our activities we read a verse or two of Scripture each night.

Via this blog (couldn't find her original post of it)

My goal was to take a picture of each advent activity but that didn't happen.  What I realized as the advent season went on, that doing an advent calendar and stressing about it wasn't the point.  If we missed an activity, or had to do it on another night, so be it.  That was sure better than me screaming at my kids or yelling at Andrew or ending up stressed because it wasn't going to plan.  When we did fit in our activities, it was really special.  I am so thankful that we took time throughout the month to pause and enjoy our family.  To share Christmas movies with Hudson and Beau that Andrew and I love; to bake goodies with them; to shop for our troops; to send treats to our mailman.  Whatever we did it was fun to make the season more magical, more meaningful. 

I'm already looking forward to next year's calendar and the memories we will continue to make with our boys!

In no particular order...a look back this advent season:

We decorated our large window with gel clings.  The boys LOVED those things and surprisingly, didn't ever pull them off!

Making snow donuts to watch with a Christmas movie later that evening. 

He loved adding the face and buttons 

Jack..some days he was sillier than others ;)

Beau couldn't always make it to the end of our evenings 

Dance party to Christmas music 

We went with our nieces to Chuck E Cheese.  It was our first time. It may have been our last! HA

Making stockings 

Salt dough ornaments 

A snow package from Mimi