Christmas 2019

Our bet worked and everyone got to sleep until six thirty on Christmas morning. This in itself is an absolute Christmas miracle! This means we all started the morning rest and happy. This year I toned down presents. Fewer toys and more things that they will use or need. Think pajamas, hoodies, hats, a board game, art supplies, and a lego. Unless of course you're two then it's a handful of pajamas, a giant firetruck, and some super hero toys!

 Rowan has been eyeing this fire station lego for a solid year. He was so excited about it and finished it before the end of the day.

 Zane's previous Harry Potter tie had seen better days. It had been well worn and it was time for a replacement. Oh and who doesn't like full body suit, fuzzy jammies with all your favorite foods on them.

  Thatcher in his new Batman jammies hugging his new Toy Story jammies. He spent the rest of the day changing between these three sets of pajamas in about ten minute intervals. It was THE cutest thing in the world and the perfect way to spend Christmas day.

Zane put on his new stocking cap just how my dad use to wear his, ears out, for no particular reason.

Rowan asked for very little year for Christmas. He wanted this fuzzy hoodie, from Walmart, one of the Polaroid cameras all the kids have, an etch-a-sketch and a stop watch. The hoodie was a huge success. The camera he got on Christmas wouldn't turn on and the one we got him the next day ended up not working either. So as it stands we've taken/or sent all the cameras back and we are trying to figure out what type of camera would work better. This was your classic Christmas day devastating situation for a six year old. We've all had them and poor Rowan, my little emotional child, handed it well.

Zane and Rowan's big gifts from Santa were new Axe bats. Luckily for us it was seventy degrees on Christmas day which meant we were able to try them out.

The past few years Christmas day has been a long, drawn out tired mess, with no one being able to decide what to play with first or next. It ends in Zach and I being furious that we just spent a fortune only to have the boys want to watch TV. That was not the case this year thanks to toning down the presents. Everyone worked their respective Legos. We played each child's new board game. We used the bats, we read our new books. Then we baked and prepared for family Christmas in the evening. I was fully aware at how wonderful this day was. I stayed present in this wonderful moment, with our children at these magical ages. I'm so grateful for such a joyous Christmas. 

In the evening we headed to Abbey's for Blakley family Christmas. There was another round of presents, complete with another Batman costume for little T .Then we all took a trip to the park to enjoy the gorgeous weather before dinner. 

We ended the evening looking at Jupitor through Zane's new telescope. There were no fits, no meltdowns, no arguing and only a few tears from Rowan over his broken gift, which was understandable. It was a great Christmas, that I ended with a stomach bug that night, but the day was perfect.

Christmas Eve 2019

For the past few years Christmas Eve and Christmas day have not gone too smoothly. Everyone ended up tired and crabby and I ended the holiday season wishing we could reign it all in, take it all down a notch, and be able to enjoy it a little bit more. Heading into the week of Christmas I did not have high hopes. Zane had been sick for almost the entire week before and Rowan had promptly gotten sick right after that, with his fever only just breaking on the twenty third. Zach and I were waiting for the next person to get sick. I was furiously sanitizing the house everyday.

However, we woke up on Christmas Ever morning and for the first time in two weeks no one had a fever. The sun was shining, it was seventy degrees, and we began to have a glimmer of hope. If I'm being honest Christmas eve is my favorite day, even more so than Christmas day. It's a day of fun and Christmas excitement and it ends with a beautiful mass, cookies, elf hugs, and an evening of putting out presents. All the joy with none of the let down that comes with the end of Christmas day.

First up is cookie baking. We have done loads of baking this holiday season, but Christmas eve is set aside for cut out cookies. Most years people lose interest quickly and I'm left cutting them out by myself, slightly annoyed as I don't particularly care if we make cut out cookies for Santa or not. But not this year. This year everyone cut out cookies until the dough was gone. Win! With our previous struggles I had set intentions of being very grateful for every tiny victory. This included no one having a fever and the cookies being a success.

 Zach got in on the baking fun with his first attempt at a fruit cake which turned out very tasty indeed.

 Since the weather was gorgeous we were able to get out of the house and get some of the kids nervous/excited energy out. This was another huge victory. I love that our Christmas eve's are always very low key. We don't have any family gathering or really anything to do until evening mass. Sometimes this means loads of time to kill, sitting inside, on a cold winter's day. As much as it being seventy degrees outside made it not feel very much like Christmas, it was very nice to be able to get out and run/ride bikes during the day. Thatcher took this day to absolutely master the art of scootering. He'd tried to scooter before but had never been to successful nor did he seem to care about learning or practicing. Christmas eve 2019 was the day he mastered it and made almost an entire trip around the lake on his scooter. He was so proud to be a part of the riding fun with the big boys.

 After naps it was time to frost the cookies. Thatcher absolutely loved this phase this year. I love cookies decorated by toddlers with no help from adults. Our sugar cookies are never going to be gorgeous, but they are unique and the children are so proud of their creations.

 This is also the time to get rid of some of those Christmas sprinkles that are taking up so much room in my pantry. Let a toddler at them, they'll have so much fun, and you'll end up with very festive cookies.

 Finished product! Santa loved them!

 Then it's time to get dressed and take the all important brother pictures in front of the Christmas tree. Frankly I am amazed every year that I have been able to find matching shirts for my boys for this long. I buy them early because I'm always scared I won't be able to find all the right sizes in the same shirt. I know this will end soon, but it brings me so much joy in the mean time. Thatcher was very excited about picture time so we got loads of great ones.

 

 I mean look at all this cuteness, how could I ever choose just one?

Then we head to mass early to get seats. This leaves us with a solid thirty minutes or more to walk around the church looking at the Christmas decorations. Thatcher went to child watch per usual, but joined us for the last song. Toddlers bring such magic to every aspect of Christmas. He was so excited to see all decorations, he loved the singing, and just to top off the cuteness he left his mismatched mittens on all evening long. I so enjoy that Abbey and I go to the same church which means we get to share these sweet moments together.

 I mean look at this cuteness. So darling. I dare not think about how much bigger he will be next year at Christmas. The thought of no more toddlers at Christmas time is just heart breaking. Next year T will be almost four, much less cute, and much less magical.

 Once we get home it's a whirlwind of joy, matching jammies, cookies, milk, hugs and good byes for Gary. Hurrying off to bed so Santa should come. I should mention here that in my continued attempts to make Christmas run smoother and be more enjoyable this year Zach and I made a bet with the big boys. We bet them that they couldn't sleep past six am. Last year they came out of their room at 4:50 a.m. This did not make Zach and I's Christmas start off to well. So this year we said we'd pay them each $10 if they slept until six, $15 if they slept till 6:30 am, and a solid $20 a piece if they slept until seven (they never sleep until 7am). I had little to no faith in this experiment, but was fully prepared to hand over all my money if it meant we had a more rested, enjoyable Christmas.

 This is our first year with full family matching pajamas. They were so cozy and so cute. I loved it! 

 Gary and all his friends ready to head back to the North Pole.

 So the boys went to bed and Zach and I finished It's a Wonderful Life. We had watched the first hour of the movie the night before so we could get to bed a little earlier, just in case our boys woke up super early again. Stuffings were stocked, presented were brought down from the attic and assembled, everyone was well and I went to bed full of excitement for the following morning.

 If you want to see what thirteen years of marriage looks like, this is it. Zach and I did not talk to each other about what we were getting for our stockings and this is how it ended up. I love it so much!

 Here's the final set up. Thatcher had asked Santa for a fire truck and boy did he deliver. Thatcher woke a few times that night coughing and asking when we can have Christmas. I was terrified he was going to walk out and see this giant fire truck and want to open presents at 2am. Luckily this did not happen, but the fear of it happening did make it nearly impossible for Zach and I to sleep. However, in good news the bet/bribe worked and the big boys did not wake up until six and they stayed in their room until 6:30 when Thatcher came in and got them. It's the best thirty dollars I might have ever spent.