We had a such a great Christmas this year. It was busy and full and we enjoyed it a lot. It was special to us because it was Caleb's first Christmas, so I know even though he won't, we'll remember it for a long time.
December is most definitely my favorite month of the year. I love the lights, the music, the snow (when we get it...), wrapping gifts, baking, decorating... it's all so much fun for me. It's even more fun with a kiddo, and I can imagine as our family grows and grows up, it'll just keep getting better.
December is most definitely my favorite month of the year. I love the lights, the music, the snow (when we get it...), wrapping gifts, baking, decorating... it's all so much fun for me. It's even more fun with a kiddo, and I can imagine as our family grows and grows up, it'll just keep getting better.
But something odd happened to me this holiday season. Despite Caleb being here, despite being in our first little house, despite being happy with my little family unit, I felt myself longing for my childhood days again. I got really wistful thinking about all the treats my mom makes every year, the advent calendar we used to fight over completing, the tree-decorating, all of it. I'm learning that it's quite strange to be a real grown up and not be as much a part of my first family and all its traditions anymore. It made me rather sad, I hate to say. My parents only live 30 minutes away, but I couldn't be there all the time, obviously, and for some reason this year, I really wanted to be. I felt a little like Peter Pan- I don't wanna grow up! I'm happy to have so much family to celebrate with, but it's hard for me to get up on Christmas morning and not sit there with my brothers, waiting for the Christmas music to start playing so we can tear down the stairs and behold the gifts waiting for us. I miss having doughnuts and breakfast casserole after the gifts were opened. I miss just hanging out in the living room all day, playing with our new toys or reading our new books. Growing up, it was just the five of us because we didn't have any family close by. So Christmas Day was sacred and I miss our traditions a little bit. For some reason this weighed heavily on my mind this year.
Despite my nostalgia, we did have a wonderful Christmas. I feel so blessed to have so much family to celebrate holidays with. This year we had six separate Christmas celebrations! It got a little crazy, but it was so enjoyable to visit with so many people- cousins, friends, parents, grandparents, siblings, aunts and uncles... our abundance of loved ones is most definitely a blessing.
As far as gifts go, we kept it simple for Caleb. We gave him a cute little Russell Wilson jersey onesie. It was hard not to go crazy and buy him lots of fun toys and cute clothes and whatnot, but we had to be wise with our money, and we knew his gifts were for our benefit this year, and not really his. He isn't old enough to get it. Besides, he already has lots of nice things, so buying stuff for the sake of it isn't really what we want. Of course, his grandparents spoiled him like crazy! He has all the bath toys he needs now. :)
I went in with Andrew's brother and parents to get him a nice guitar for Christmas. It's a Fender and he really likes it. He's already been looking up music and playing it in the evenings, and singing to Caleb. It's so adorable! One of my most cherished memories of Andrew is him playing his guitar and singing to me, so it's nice to have that happening in our house again.
I have more fun finding presents for people and watching them open them than I do opening my own gifts! Giving and receiving gifts is my love language. This year I was super excited to give my brother a phone case that looks like a Nintendo controller, to give our parents pictures of Caleb in frames that Andrew built, and to give my mom a huge box of fancy yarn that I acquired a few months ago that's been sitting in my closet. I was also pretty stoked about Andrew's gifts... I have so much fun picking stuff out for him.
My favorite gift was definitely a sweet running watch given to me by my in-laws. It tracks my mileage, time, calories, and heart rate. It's so motivating! I was out on the trails with Caleb in the jogging stroller the day after Christmas, breaking it in. :)
As much as I love Christmas, I'm always okay that it's over. I love the new year- fresh starts, goals, new beginnings. I love to reflect on the past year and I love to dream about years to come. I look forward to seeing what holiday traditions we'll start for our kids to look back on someday. I hope we can have fun and create warm memories while also encouraging our kids to have grateful, giving hearts. I want them to really remember the reason we celebrate, beyond the packages and cookies and decorations.
Despite my nostalgia, we did have a wonderful Christmas. I feel so blessed to have so much family to celebrate holidays with. This year we had six separate Christmas celebrations! It got a little crazy, but it was so enjoyable to visit with so many people- cousins, friends, parents, grandparents, siblings, aunts and uncles... our abundance of loved ones is most definitely a blessing.
As far as gifts go, we kept it simple for Caleb. We gave him a cute little Russell Wilson jersey onesie. It was hard not to go crazy and buy him lots of fun toys and cute clothes and whatnot, but we had to be wise with our money, and we knew his gifts were for our benefit this year, and not really his. He isn't old enough to get it. Besides, he already has lots of nice things, so buying stuff for the sake of it isn't really what we want. Of course, his grandparents spoiled him like crazy! He has all the bath toys he needs now. :)
I went in with Andrew's brother and parents to get him a nice guitar for Christmas. It's a Fender and he really likes it. He's already been looking up music and playing it in the evenings, and singing to Caleb. It's so adorable! One of my most cherished memories of Andrew is him playing his guitar and singing to me, so it's nice to have that happening in our house again.
I have more fun finding presents for people and watching them open them than I do opening my own gifts! Giving and receiving gifts is my love language. This year I was super excited to give my brother a phone case that looks like a Nintendo controller, to give our parents pictures of Caleb in frames that Andrew built, and to give my mom a huge box of fancy yarn that I acquired a few months ago that's been sitting in my closet. I was also pretty stoked about Andrew's gifts... I have so much fun picking stuff out for him.
My favorite gift was definitely a sweet running watch given to me by my in-laws. It tracks my mileage, time, calories, and heart rate. It's so motivating! I was out on the trails with Caleb in the jogging stroller the day after Christmas, breaking it in. :)
As much as I love Christmas, I'm always okay that it's over. I love the new year- fresh starts, goals, new beginnings. I love to reflect on the past year and I love to dream about years to come. I look forward to seeing what holiday traditions we'll start for our kids to look back on someday. I hope we can have fun and create warm memories while also encouraging our kids to have grateful, giving hearts. I want them to really remember the reason we celebrate, beyond the packages and cookies and decorations.
Enough words. Yay photos!