Christmas 2010 - The Weeks Before, Of, and After

You would think that since David had so much time off around the holidays that I would've posted more...or written this particular post earlier!  Or maybe that I would've at least signed in for a Thankful Thursday post instead of skipping TWO in a ROW!


Instead, we were busy with prep, then celebrating,  and then, when all was over, we were mostly lazy bums.  And it. was. awesome.  Read on for the details, or go straight to the picture gallery and see what I stayed up until 2:00am last night doing.  Just be sure to come back and catch up.


Hmmm...where to begin?  I guess I'll start with the Saturday before Christmas, if I can remember that far back.  I did turn another year older while on hiatus, you know.  


We always celebrate with David's mom's side in Alabama on the Saturday before Christmas.  This year, we left the house around 10am and got there close to 11:30am.  We ate lunch almost immediately and, as usual, Grandma had outdone herself with ridiculous amounts of every meat, casserole, and side dish imaginable.  Audrey got to taste test a little herself this time and really enjoyed it.  But then, how could she not?!  We cleared the table and let Audrey begin opening her presents.  She enjoyed being the center of attention way more than the actual gifts, but those were appreciated too.  She got spoiled rotten by everyone:  A new baby doll complete with a full head of hair to brush, an Elmo doll that has buttons/snaps/zippers, a Sit n' Spin, a Raggedy Ann doll, a giant coloring book (that Mommy and Daddy later enjoyed too), a cookie cutter/baking set, and counting cookie jar were just some of the toys she received.  After she went down for a nap, David's cousins took turns opening their gifts.  The biggest by far was his cousin James' new truck!  It was such a sweet surprise and I'll never forget the look on Uncle Don's face when James nearly tackled him with glee.  After we'd all checked it out, we came back inside and the adults did our White Elephant game.  We did three rounds: one for girls, one for guys, and a gag one for everyone.  There was only minimal stealing, but there were a lot of laughs and we ended up with some great stuff.  Audrey woke up from her nap and, after an obligatory homemade roll, really started putting on a show for everyone.  We finally got her settled down enough to strap into the car seat and drove home around 5:30pm.  My only regret was that we don't get to spend more time with them.  How blessed I am to get to say that about in-laws!


On Sunday we ran some errands and then I spent a lot of time baking while David did yard work.  It has always been a Martha Stewartesque dream of mine to deliver cookies around Christmastime.  Since I was more on my game this year and actually had a spare minute on my hands, I decided to go for it.  I packaged them all up with a thank you note and a little info card from our church.  On Monday, I loaded Audrey and our cookies up and drove down to the local fire station about two miles from our house.  We gave the tins to a young fireman who seemed genuinely touched (and kept calling me "Ma'am", but I'm sure it was out of respect and had nothing to do with age).  We rushed back home in time to meet the garbage men and the mail lady to give them their treats.  They also seemed super grateful.  Of course, by that point, they hadn't actually tasted the cookies yet.  Still, though, it was exciting and fun.  I don't share all this to brag, but to remind myself and others how sometimes it is the super cheesy "does-anybody-really-still-do-that?!" kinda stuff that make the holidays so special.  I was way more blessed by giving that day than they were with my measly ol' cookies.


On Tuesday I had a dentist appointment, so David's mom came over and kept Audrey while I went to that and ran a couple of errands.  Lest I paint too stress-free of a picture of our holidays:  the printer at Wolf Camera was down when I desperately needed some pics made, the dentist didn't have my next set of trays ready so the drive and appointment were unnecessary, and I went to three stores trying to find a last minute gift only to come up empty handed.  Instead of letting it get to me, though, I cranked up the Christmas music and waved my white flag of surrender all the way to the nail salon.  I got a pedicure while writing Audrey's 18 month update.  That night, Audrey and I went to another Wolf and then tracked down that final gift.  The day turned out great.


Wednesday was nuts.  I woke up bright and early and spent 20 minutes writing out my two page grocery shopping list.  After we spent an hour at Publix, for which Audrey was an angel, we came home and I spent at least 45 minutes putting it all away.  All that time and I hadn't even preheated the oven yet!  I wasn't even making anything big or special!  How on earth do people enjoy cooking?  The planning, shopping, prepping, cooking, and then cleaning up....ugg!  After we got everything all put up, I began cleaning the house and preparing it for company.  When David got home we, laughably, ordered a pizza and packed for his parents' house.  


On Thursday we loaded up our sleigh and drove to his folks' to celebrate with them and David's dad's side of the family.  Audrey looked adorable in her fancy Christmas dress.  (There was no way I was going to let it get only twenty minutes of wear for a tearful Santa picture.)  We got there around 11am and played until it was time to eat. And eat.  And eat.  When she went down for her nap, the adults opened our gifts (we'd drawn names) and oohed over everyone's loot.  We got a card game going, pool was played, and stories were shared...some we'd all heard before, but those are the best ones.  I remember having a "it's finally here" Christmas moment.  After AJ woke up, it was more playtime and more eating.  After everyone had left, she opened her big gift from her grandparents:  an adorable little play kitchen.  She loved it and said "Oh WOW!"  We ate quite a lot more that night, but thankfully most of it was pretend food she cooked up for us.  After she went to bed, David and I exchanged gifts with his parents and then we crashed, feeling spoiled rotten.


On Friday we got up and ate a delicious breakfast and then let Audrey finish opening gifts from her grandparents.  She loved it all - the new toy guitar, books, clothes, and the interactive stuffed dog that barks and sings with certain cues from a storybook.  She was more into opening things this year than she was last year, but still didn't quite understand the whole concept.  I was fine with that, as I'm sure the lectures on gratitude are coming.  We ate lunch, took a few more pictures, and loaded up our sleigh, this time with goodies for us to keep.  I pulled out every trick in the book trying to keep her awake on the ride home so she'd nap when she arrived.  It worked (barely) and David and I unpacked, put everything away, and if I remember correctly, took a short catnap ourselves.  


We woke up from our naps and played before cooking our traditional Christmas Eve dinner of tacos (I have no idea when or why this started, but sometime before we were even married, we declared it and have enjoyed it ever since.)  We set down as a family, thanked God for the sweet season, and stuffed ourselves.  After we gave Audrey a bath, we put her in her new Christmas pajamas and let her open one present:  a tiny "See and Say" replica ornament, which is another tradition we started with her last year.  Eventually she'll catch on that her Christmas Eve present is always going to be a boring old ornament, but hopefully one day she'll appreciate the thought that went into choosing something to commemorate her year.  We let her help hang up her stocking and put out cookies and milk for Santa, then we read the Night Before Christmas and the Bible story of Christ's birth.  We tucked her in and spent a little while tidying up and getting things ready for my family's visit so we wouldn't be so busy the next day.  We worked together cleaning and polishing most of the hardwood floors (why we chose Christmas Eve to do this, I don't know) and then sank into the couch, tired, but so glad to be home and warm and well.  Around 11pm, we got things ready for Santa's arrival and quickly went to bed...in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.


On Saturday morning, David and I woke up giddy.  The only thing that comes close to being a kid at Christmastime is having a kid at Christmastime.  We got ready and I threw some cinnamon rolls in the oven.  We went upstairs and got Audrey out of her crib, realizing that next year she'd likely be running in our room waking us up.  I sat at the top of the stairs with her, letting her snack on Cheerios while David started a fire and set up the video camera.  (My brothers and I always had to wait at the top of the stairs until we received the go-ahead from Mom and Dad.  I fully intend to put her through the same torture.)  When everything was ready, we came down and let her check out her loot from Santa:  a new just-her-size chair, the book How the Grinch Stole Christmas and a stuffed dog Max, a ride-on, a reusable sticker set, and a Matchominoes game.  She said "Oh Wow!" and began checking it all out.  We let her play a few minutes and then sat down for breakfast.  After we ate, we let her open her stocking.  There was a jingle bell stick, a Veggie Tales DVD, and a toy microphone with a recorded message from Santa!  She accidentally erased it and after the thousandth time of her asking "Clause?", we put it away and promised we'd try it again after her nap.  She "helped" us open our stockings and then we played with some of her toys for awhile.  


By the time lunch rolled around, Audrey had unwrapped the clock (see pic in gallery for details), books, and Rolling Acres small ramp toy from us.  After we ate, we let her open her biggest and last gift from us - a Little People house.  She loved it and we spent almost half an hour playing with it before we put her down for a nap.  We cleaned up, checked in with family, and opened our gifts from each other.  D gave me an iHome dual docking station alarm clock and some great camera gear including a lens hood and a remote to take pictures on the tripod.  I gave him a a Tech running shirt, a toy Blizzard maker, and tickets to see the Blue Man Group.  It was great!


I got started making dinner and dessert and before we knew it, Audrey was awake and my brother, sister-in-law, and niece were on their way over.  The snow had finally begun to fall at our house (it took so long to start that I wondered if we were really going to have a white Christmas) and it was beautiful!  They arrived safely around 5:30 and we visited, ate a big spaghetti dinner, and let the girls dance and play until bedtime.  We got them settled in, sat down with massive servings of my oreo cake, and watched Elf.  I started editing and organizing pictures and Kim fell asleep at some point, but it was wonderful to all be in the same room with a warm fire, a beautiful Christmas tree, and family.  We put ourselves to bed around 11pm and I fell asleep happy that our house was full and excited about the next day.


Sunday morning dawned and I went downstairs to find my brother and niece already awake (she's a very early riser, unfortunately for them).  Before long, the rest of the house slowly began to stir and we all got dressed while continuing to check weather and traffic reports.  We knew that if everyone could just get to the interstates, they'd be okay.  It was a slippery trip, but they made it.  The hours that followed were a frenzy of wrapping paper, food, laughter, and picture taking.  This was the first Christmas without my grandmother and we all felt her absence immensely.  Of course, there was hardly a dull, quiet moment to dwell on that with three toddlers running around.  The kids were so much fun to watch and we tried to soak it all in.  She would've loved it.  My favorite moments were watching everyone open their gifts, especially when my parents opened the pictures all nine of us had done at a studio without them knowing.  We got some wonderful things (really! No returns this year!), and greatly appreciate everyone's thoughtful generosity.  


Before we knew it, it was dark and time for all to make their treks home.  When I closed the door after helping my Mom out (who refused to spend the night despite our nagging), the house was sadly quiet.  It had been an amazing day, but it had gone entirely too fast.  We fed Audrey, gave her a bath, read our last Christmas library book, and tucked her in.  We put our feet up and I tried to push away that awful "I can't believe it's all over" feeling.  All of that prep work for hosting...all of that excitement about having everyone over...and it was here and gone before I could even catch my breath.  Still, everything was amazing and I know it'll be a Christmas I'll never forget.  


The week that followed was full of fun and laziness, with very little productivity.  On Monday, we bundled Audrey up and played in the snow.  She was less than impressed and it didn't last too long.  She likes admiring it from inside a warm house, just like her Momma.  We had a blast playing with all of her new toys and only left the house for a quick trip to the store, mainly just to fight the cabin fever that was setting in.    


Audrey spent the night at David's parents' house on Tuesday and we had an early birthday celebration with a delicious dinner at Bonefish.  We were complete and total bums the next day, sleeping in until a whopping 8:30am.  We lounged around and played UpWords, watched some of the Band of Brothers BluRay set my brother had given David, and didn't bother going anywhere until we made a quick trip to the mall before meeting the three of them for dinner to get AJ.  It was luxurious.  She came home to two very refreshed parents!  


On my birthday, we got up and ate breakfast before heading out to stroll around the bookstore and craft store (two of my favorites)!  We ate lunch at Chick-fil-A (another favorite), stopped by the grocery store (later discovering it was for a cake), and went home for family nap time.  When we woke up, I'd gotten a sweet Edible Arrangement fruit basket that included chocolate covered strawberries from my dad.  After taste tasting a little, I opened my gift from David (a picture scanner) and when Audrey woke up, I opened a sweet card and gift from her.  She loves playing with my measuring cups and has misplaced my 1/4 cup, which happens to have a red "1/4 cup" label on it.  She now looks for what she calls the "red one" every time she opens that cabinet, to no avail of course.  When I opened the package from her, there was a new set of measuring cups with a note that read "Dear Mommy, Sorry about the red one.  Love, Audrey."  Melt my heart.  The day ended with delicious pizza from our favorite place, a ride in the car to check out Christmas lights, and Publix birthday cake.  Perfection.  


On Friday, we headed over to a friend's house to hang out and have lunch.  We met them a few years ago at church and reconnected at birthing class before our daughters were born (they have a daughter who is three weeks older than Audrey).  We talked nonstop, let the girls play while interjecting constant "share" reminders, and enjoyed a delicious lunch before driving home.  I can't remember, but I'm pretty sure that afternoon included another nap.  We knew we were going to be staying up until midnight, after all.  The warm weather was so nice that we decided to go for a very short-lived run before dinner.  It felt so good.  We ate together and after putting Audrey to bed, we started undecorating the big Christmas tree while watching another Band of Brothers.  We went upstairs at 11:45, watched the countdown, kissed, and were asleep by 12:10.  Last year we didn't even stay awake, so we're getting better.


New Year's Day was cold and rainy, which was fine for staying indoors and taking all of the decorations down.  We spent most of the day packing it up and got dressed for our first Saturday evening service at church.  Audrey didn't cry when we dropped her off at nursery, and we enjoyed a great worship service and message.  We picked her up and stopped by Five Guys for dinner on the way home.


Sunday was sad, with a giant "reality is coming" cloud looming over us.  We finished packing away all of the Christmas decorations and took a trip to the library to get Audrey some new non-Christmas books.  We snuck in one more nap (hopefully you're not counting, because I think we officially crossed the threshold of being bums) and then David and Audrey ran to the grocery store while I began the daunting task of uploading pictures.  I finished the Facebook album and paused for dinner, AJ's bedtime routine, and another Band of Brothers viewing.  When David went to bed, I stayed up and finished the Picasa gallery, so don't forget to go view them!


This morning dawned early and came on strong, but so did my resolve to get back into a routine, eat something other than total junk (I dare you to count my food references in this post), start my work-outs back up, and quit those afternoon naps.  I wouldn't call those resolutions.  They were more just requirements of getting readjusted to the real world.  The world where I don't have David's help all day nor eat leftover birthday cake every night.  Thankfully, I succeeded at all but one of goals for the day.  I won't say which one, but I must confess I'm not all that tired right now.  


It was a wonderful few weeks full of the people and things we loved and lots of downtime.  I feel so blessed to have shared it all with such great family and friends.  I'm especially thankful that we all stayed well and safe.  I hope you and your family enjoyed it as much as we did.  Only 11.75 months to go.  :)