Also known as the Christmas where I took terrible photos. Bear with me, because we had a great time despite the blur and grain.
This was an interesting Christmas. I felt equal parts at home and unmoored. We are loving the new house and the space to stretch out and living with my parents, but it’s weird not having your own things around. My mom told me a hundred times in November that I should get all of our decorations out and do whatever I wanted inside, but without our own furniture, art and accessories — it still felt foreign. We pooled a few of our decorations that worked well together and made it work, but I can’t wait to decorate next year. Even though it will be our second holiday in the log house, it will feel like doing it all for the first time.
I wouldn’t change a single thing about this year. It has been so sweet to spend this season in my childhood home and even sweeter to share it with my parents. Josh and I have both joked about adding on a few rooms and trying to convince them to stay. The girls have loved having them here and four extra hands is a Godsend. It will be a major transition for us all when they move out next year.
Christmas morning came very early this year. Since the girls are upstairs now and our bedroom is tucked away behind the stairs, I worried they would come creeping down and we would miss their reactions. I made Ella promise that she would text me when they were up, so that Josh and I could grab a cup of coffee and be ready to see their faces. Well, Ella texted me at 2:55 a.m. Apparently she had been awake for an hour and couldn’t go back to sleep. After some negotiation, I turned her iPad on (their apps disappear at bedtime) and she watched television until Sophie woke up (at 5:41 a.m.). In hindsight, we should have let them get up and open gifts after that first text message and then tucked them back in for a long nap. They were both exhausted and ornery after a few hours.
Ella’s only request from Santa was a foot spa and Sophie requested a microscope and science experiments. Check and check. They both got luggage for our trip to California and plenty of clothes and necessities from mom and dad. Mostly, it looked like a tornado in our living room for the better part of the morning. My dad kept trying to clean up after them, but I try to let it go for as long as possible.
Josh and I usually exchange what I consider a modest amount of gifts. I bought him some mocassin slippers, some new clothes and a subscription for a sock of the month club. A few weeks ago, he told me that he bought me the best gift and that there was no way I could outgive him this year. I knew it wouldn’t be extravagantly expensive because we have a lot going on, but I honestly couldn’t decide what it might be. I thought trip, dog or diamonds and I was pretty much correct!
Red Rocks is definitely on our bucket list and every year we stalk the concert calendar to see who is playing and if we could make it work with our schedule. By some miracle, Josh scored a great show for the week of our fifteenth wedding anniversary next August. We are super excited to get away for a few days and have plans to go on a rafting trip while we’re there. Seriously, concert tickets are always the way to my heart — especially when they are a surprise!
One of my favorite parts of Christmas this year was having everyone together in the kitchen. My dad was working on the turkey for lunch, mom and I were cooking breakfast and Josh was helping the girls make whoopie pies in the Easy Bake Oven. Yes, please.
Here’s your first peek into what will be my dream kitchen in a few more months. The cabinets are my dad’s handiwork and I can even begin to tell you how excited I am to have more than three. Everything will get a fresh coat of paint and with concrete floors and countertops and all new appliances, she is going to be a beauty!
This unicorn hoodie is what Ella bought for Sophie for Christmas. It is so reminiscent of her Halloween costume, that we couldn’t pass it up. She loves it and wore it over her pajamas all morning. Sophie bought Ella a straightening brush for her hair. She is just old enough to start doing it herself, but not quite capable of operating a flat iron. We’re hoping this will be the ticket!
In years past, while my extended family met for a huge breakfast buffet, we always stayed at home and joined them later in the day for lunch. When our girls were little bitty, being home with their new toys always trumped any other activities. Now that we live within walking distance of breakfast and there is a sidewalk through the woods, we donned our Christmas pajamas and walked up the hill to join everyone later in the morning.
The girls opened a few gifts and Sophie was ecstatic about these Shopkins! Both girls also got Disney gift cards that they will be able to use on our trip next month.
This girl right here… let me tell you about our adventure. My brother in law bought Kamin a beautiful diamond necklace for Christmas and she couldn’t wait to show it off. After breakfast, she walked to our house to see what the girls got for Christmas and only as they were leaving did we realize that her diamond was gone. We grabbed a search party and started walking the nine-ish acres to look for it. Let that sink in for a minute. Eventually, we searched both houses, the cars, opened gifts and porches. How in the world she spotted in under the front porch, I’ll never know, but Josh did a quick army crawl and rescued it for her!
After all the excitement, we headed back home for more present playing, lunch prepping and pajama wearing. We went to my uncle’s for a late lunch that turned into dinner and ultimately into a midnight hand of cards. Doesn’t that sound perfect?
