christmas 2014

Christmas is over (happy/sad face)! Man, this part is always such a emotional mixture of disappointment and relief. We started taking down the decorations this weekend and it was nice to get things back to normal and clean up after living with stuff everywhere, but at the same time, I'll miss the pine smell and the twinkle of the lights on the tree every night as David and I snuggle on the couch. I'll miss the excitement in my kids' eyes as they anticipate Santa and the great moments we've had together as a family as David and I have taught our children about Jesus's birth. I'm also relieved that some of the pressure is off to have fun at this constant speed that was making me really stressed out. I realize I did that to myself, but I felt this nagging, like I had to think of festive activities for us to do the whole month of December. Now I can go back to just being a boring ol' mom. Ha!

It was a very quiet Christmas. Since we couldn't afford to fly to Arizona this year, it was just our little family. It was actually pretty fun except for when I FaceTimed my family or saw pictures of the big Christmas Eve dinner at my parents' house and then I felt ULTRA homesick. I've been pretty emotional this season about my parents especially, probably because I haven't seen them in over a year since their mission and because of my dad's heart attack. I really miss them! I am soooo thankful for technology so we can connect. ("Yes, I love technology. But not as much as you, you see...")

This year was extra fun since William really "got" Santa this year. He was so excited to see if Santa ate his cookies and drank his milk. There was also a present from Santa Mouse hidden in the tree. Our other traditions involved us making cheese enchiladas and "sopa" on Christmas Eve (David's family tradition) and then we made Æbleskiver (ebleskiver) on Christmas morning with buttermilk syrup. I also tried these little bacon, egg and toast cups and they were a fun, easy thing to make.

Later in the afternoon, we took a family walk around the neighborhood. There is a "secret path" down our street that goes in between two neighborhoods that the boys think is super cool. William is really into imagination lately and it makes me smile when I see him imagining something like a "magical forest".

Sweet Louisa. She is so delightful.