I wondered what this Christmas would be like... both the kids a little older, and there was lots of talk about Santa from them throughout the season. We did lots of fun holiday activities - decorating constantly (Thanks to Liam!), outings and crafts. We watched Christmas movies and talked all about Christmas (Liam said his favorite thing about the holiday season was spending time with family!).
And after it was all said and done, it was my favorite Christmas yet.
We spent it here at home, which allowed us all to enjoy it, plus get a little relaxation in (after all those late nights of online shopping and wrapping, it was needed). Even better, my sister and her boyfriend came home a few days around Christmas (my sister, mom and I even snuck in a morning of brunch and shopping just us three girls).
We had our first celebration the Friday before Christmas with my mom's side of the family. Santa Claus made a surprise appearance, which was super exciting... for Liam. Nora was not amused (you may have seen on my Snapchat!). But by the end of his visit, she had mustered up enough strength to give him a high five.
On Christmas Eve, we went to an early dinner at 3:30pm on the Plaza (planned it around Christmas Eve mass, but ended up being a good time with littles, as they were really well behaved)! We took some family photos and got to "ooo" and "awe" at the lights before heading to church. After church, we headed home to make cookies for Santa.
After a semi-late night wrapping presents for Santa and arranging it all in a way that were surprise and delight the most, we actually got to sleep in until 8! The kids, I guess equally tired, gave us the greatest gift of all that morning - sleep! My parents even made it over to our house before they came downstairs, and my sister and her boyfriend (who spent the night) were up and waiting. The nice thing about Christmas, everyone stays in their jammies!
Liam was at the tree first, excited but reserved. Nora was a bit shy and unsure, but after she say Liam go in, she got the nerve to join him. The big gifts from Santa this year was a dollhouse for Nora (but Liam likes it, too!), a talking Yoda and remote control bat mobile for Liam. But we also got them a few things that they needed, like bike helmets, new dishes, books, winter coats and hats.
Then there were tons of other fun things from their mimi & papa and aunts and uncles. We'll be playing with new toys for months - and I'm doing a good job getting some of their less-used toys cleaned out/bagged up before they even realize (still have a lot more work to do there, though).
After a long, lazy morning of gifts and breakfast - we got ourselves ready and headed to my parents home for the big Christmas celebration with my dad's extended family. There were 60+ people there, and lots of kids for my kids to play with. They had a fun night with their second cousins while the adults had a "white elephant" gift exchange. Those are always interesting... but fun!
Getting to spend so much extra time (since I'm off work/they're out of school) with my family has been wonderful. It's always a little daunting to transition from a working mom to stay at home mama (even for only two weeks) - both are so hard in different ways. But I'm so appreciative of this extra time - extra adventures, cuddles, and even sleep! These things were my most prized gifts.
I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas yourselves, and cheers to a happy New Year!
{My top outfit with the pink coat - see here, Nora's cream bow top & skirt (on sale!), Liam's khakis & buffalo check shirt, Nora's black dress, Liam's buffalo check jammies}
