We kicked off the break with Will's cousin Emma and his Nouna and Nouno (Godparents)....
On the 23rd we hit up Starbucks and drove around looking at Christmas lights. I told John I think we might have started a new Christmas Eve Eve tradition. It was so much fun-even Bentley got to join us!
Christmas Eve we made cookies for Santa...
And then headed to my cousins for Christmas with my side of the family...
Will is finally old enough to play with the big kids and it was on this day that he discovered the trampoline. Not sure life will ever be the same for him :)
We came home and put our matching pj's on and put out our cookies for Santa (and marshmallows aka reindeer food because according to Will, that is what reindeer eat). If you are wondering why his lips and cheeks look shiny, it is because we loaded them up with Aquaphor. They were super chapped after all that trampoline fun!
We enjoyed waking up at home Christmas morning (Will was up at 5:50, though I have to admit I had been staring at the clock since 5am anxiously waiting for him to wake up!). Both sets of grandparents joined us for breakfast and to see what Santa brought (Yes, Santa came through and delivered drums, even with such short notice!). Santa got creative and set up a battle scene - dinosaurs vs. army men...
Then it was naps for everyone before heading to John's parents house for Christmas dinner and more presents.
The day after Christmas my brother, sister-in-law, nephew, and niece rolled into town and we ate more food and opened more presents! The stockings are always a huge hit and it amazes me that my mom is still sane after carefully selecting items for 13, yes people, 13 stockings....6 adults, 4 children, and 3 dogs.
After the rip fest, we went downstairs for more gifts with my EE and Uncle Mike. This is where Will really started to show his tail. As I mentioned in a previous post, this break he has become a challenge. Looking back, I feel sure that his sugar induced, sleep deprived state over the course of a few days in no way helped AT ALL. That was our fault. He is still little, not even three. Days of madness was a lot for me to handle, let alone his poor little body. But at the time, I was frustrated, mad, embarrassed for his behavior. He didn't want to open gifts, he didn't want to say thank you, he didn't want to take pictures....he did, however, want to flail around on the floor, yell at the top of his lungs, pout, cry....you get the picture. It would come in spurts....he would be totally fine one minute and then lurch into complete psycho mode. I wanted to shake him! For pete's sake it was Christmas-there were new toys galore, cousins to play with, and tons of SUGAR. We survived and I think a few days resting and getting back into a routine will do wonders for our sweet little boy. As we near his 3rd birthday, people keep telling me that 3 is worse than 2. Say it isn't so!!
So there it is. Our Christmas came and went in a blink, much like I knew it would. There were things we didn't get to do that I wish we would have. There are times that I wish I would have taken more pictures. We tried really hard to keep Christmas simple and to not get wrapped up in all the hub-bub. Now that we have children of our own, it is clear to us that even at a young age, kids can "get it." Will soaked in the Christmas story and after being told only once, could tell you who Jesus' mommy and daddy was, where He was born (Befelhem), what they put Him in, the name of the Angel (Gab-br-briel), why we celebrate Christmas (it's Jesus' birfday party), and why Jesus is so important. Jesus shouldn't have to compete with Santa Claus. His story is much more miraculous and enchanting!!!I will leave you with a picture of Will's Nativity Scene. We have the Little People Nativity Set and I highly recommend it if you are in the market for one. Will LOVES it. I found some interesting set ups this season and I tried to snap a picture when I came across something funny! In this one, baby Jesus is on the roof and the Angel of the Lord is where Jesus should be. Will said that the Angel of the Lord was telling everyone all about Jesus. Makes sense to me....
I hate that I didn't take a picture of the T-Rex who came with the wise men to visit Jesus. That was my favorite!!
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