Well after all the planning, shopping, wrapping, traveling etc. it’s all done. Christmas this year came in a blur of activity and haste, but I have to tell you that I think it was one of my most favorite holiday years since our married life began. How could this be? So many lovely Christmas events over the past years, they were all special and magical (isn’t it great how that just happens?).

This year I felt like our “little” family hit our stride, we were able to drift blissfully between two extended family households with the grace of a Prima ballerina. I felt non-stressed most of our mini vacation, simply content to lap up all of the love and attention of our families, and not feel the distressing heart palpitations of punching the family time clock. This is what made the holiday for me, just feeling that whatever was best for our family was A-OK! The children were overcome with a Christmas morning of abundance (far more than I recalled buying or wrapping). It was so enjoyable to hear their laughter, their anticipation and surprise. One of my favorite moments was when my brother Brett was laughing hysterically about how totally overboard I had gone on Christmas toys and exclaimed “I want to be your kid! Adopt me!”. I think alot of this might have been brought on by the resurge of Transformers on Christmas morning, this was a huge throwback for Brett and Nathan to their childhood’s too, so seeing Brigs overcome with joy at opening Optimus Prime sent them back to their youth in an instant! I wondered if the Transformers would actually make it back to our home or if my bro would secretly sneak one to his house to keep. LOL!!

We have the most adorable Nieces and Nephews on the planet! We loved being able to hang out with each and every one of them. It was hectic, noisy, and throughly entertaining to see them playing and sharing (sometimes voluntarily). They have all grown so much, it’s really too much fun to watch their expressions and demeanor to see so many similarities to their parents. Let me indulge for a moment by mentioning that Liz’s baby Seger (your youngest Nephew at the moment) is this solid little chub of a baby. I could take him home with me in a heartbeat and tried to convince Dylan to replace him with a stuffed animal in his carseat as they were leaving, just to trick his Mom and Dad. LOL!! Um… yeah I’m in total baby love with him. Freyja, Cora, Evan, Vienna, Seger, Justin and Andrew - we love you kids so much!

Now to the food, which was so earth shatteringly delicious that I dare not begin to describe it in detail for fear the words themselves would carry too many calories for human consumption!

My husband also had a Birthday over the holidays, he is catching up to me finally and I’m most eager to allow that to happen. In fact, I’m almost willing to bypass Birthday parties for the next few years just to allow him to catch up fully. Happy Birthday Honey.

Thank you so much to both sets of parents for welcoming us home with so much warmth! We had a very Merry holiday. It’s now heaven to be back in our own home however, we really like being “us” too. I’ll share some Christmas pics when I’m able. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday and felt the joy of the season.