This Christmas was the best yet. I'm pretty sure. No, I'm positive.
My parents took Josie and Audrey to the lake a day before the rest of us came out. It helped with my brain functioning when I had so much packing to do. They played outside, made me birthday cards, and did some baking before any of us even showed up.
Side note: isn't the picture below just a little breathtaking? Her sweet profile looks too old, though, I'm not ready for her to look like a preteen.
Afterward, we headed in to see my grandma. We sang some Christmas carols with/for her before heading back home to have lunch and get ready for church.
After church (candle lit singing with a great message and they even had busy bags for the kids so they behaved and we could pay attention!), we headed home for our traditional appetizers supper and then presents! But first, I forced everyone to take family pictures, and we learned that my parents' wall colors do not do us any favors.
Amelia didn't have too many gifts to open (we've learned that it's just not worth it when they are so little... only took three kids to figure it out) so she enjoyed the wrapping paper while the rest of us enjoyed watching each other open gifts.
It seemed as though most of my gifts were rather large, so my view was a bit deceiving. The room wasn't actually packed with presents, although there were a lot. We all seem to think it's more fun to wrap every single piece separately - more to open that way!
The girls got great gifts and were coloring on the table with their new paper and crayons immediately. It was actually pretty relaxing and fun instead of stressful and overwhelming (like previous years, again, we're learning).
On Christmas day, almost all of my mom's family came over and we had soups and snacks to munch on all afternoon while some of us worked on a puzzle (I think it's a new tradition as this was the second year in a row we've done it) and the kids played their hearts out. I was too busy socializing to take many pictures... .
The girls did get their stockings, which was fun, but we don't put a ton of emphasis on it so it was fairly anticlimactic. The best we could do was pictures in jammie's and Amelia stuffed in her stocking.
Millie made this face. A lot. It's her prequel to a smile and it makes me and everyone else laugh over and over.
After two busy days, we took Saturday off and enjoyed our new gifts and the beautiful weather. All of us headed outside to play in the snow, too.
Wipe out. It needs to be said that Josie has hit the beginning of a super fun stage with sledding. She's completely into it and has no fear. She's up for it anytime and can go up and down the hill by herself (which is HUGE, am I right, parents??). Audrey isn't quite there yet, but she still had fun.
That night, my parents treated us by putting the kids to bed and us younger adults headed out to the bar/grill in Elizabeth. It was practically empty but we didn't mind. It was just fun to sneak away and have a burger and cider (beer).
And then it was my birthday. The girls surprised me by being extremely celebratory and excited for me. They hugged and kissed me over and over and sang Happy Birthday to me at least four times throughout the day. It was a quiet day with us staying at the lake until the end of the day when we headed home. Honestly, I'm happy with quiet days like that to celebrate another year passing. Having my family (parents, sister) with me makes it feel more fun than just a random day at home with the kiddos. My mom made me ice cream cake (because December birthdays don't usually get those) and Josie gave me her gift to me, the new Avett Brother cd/dvd. She was just as excited as me to have it.
Christmas couldn't have been more fun, honestly. As the girls get older and more aware of traditions, the meaning of Christmas, and the excitement of each part of it, us adults get to enjoy it with them that much more.
As cheesy as it sounds, I know that these are the days I will look back on and miss.
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