Christmas Recap

It was a lot of fun this year watching both bigger girls truly understand what Christmas is all about.

The excitement and childlike wonder makes it all the more special. Joe and I are often wonderfully bewildered that we are now in charge of creating family traditions, memories that will go with our girls for a lifetime. In fact, lots of times one of us will whisper to the other, "Can you believe we have three kids?!"

Christmastime is prime time for the making of such memories. Seeing as how our home is in shambles, random road trip bags spilling out all over the floors, and our car only about half unpacked... I'd say so.

It's a lot more fun at present to unpack my camera, though I am determined to get us back in working order if it's the last thing I do tonight. Until we see if I just made myself a big liar, behold... The Christmas Recap!

Holly jolliness officially kicked off once PopPop, Nana, Rocky, Uncle Billy, and Aunt Andrea walked through the door. You know family has arrived when, if you take a shower, it's only to go from pj's unto pj's.
Unto white chocolate cranberry cookies and cappuccino punch. Or was it unto homemade raspberry pound cake, cheesy artichoke dip, "Sunday Morning" breakfast quiche, and maple cinnamon rolls?

It's all kind of a blur, but I do know I'm glad jammy pants are stretchy.

Throw in a late night drive to look at twinkly lights accompanied by decked out hot chocolate and George Strait's holiday album, a birthday party for Jesus, and the faces of three little girls on an opening whirlwind Christmas brunch kind of morning...


Sweet recap.

It's a pretty good thing a lot of that time was lazy because we stepped it up a notch the Monday after Christmas. Thirty+ car hours round trip, four different lovely house guest hosts, and more cousin fun than should legally be allowed.

It was so good to see Joe's side of our family because it doesn't happen nearly as often as we would like. Highlights included a couple of family/friend Christmases, the girls baking berry cupcakes and Grandpa's birthday party, and mine and Joe's extended date.

Oh yeah, you read that right. Extended. Date.

Our big gift from the whole family was a night away at a nearby gor-geous resort. Uncle Russ, Aunt Ellen, and crew crazy generously babysat all the girls for a full 24 hours to make this happen and even treated us to a fancy dinner beforehand (Hi, sweet Julia, now that I know how much you enjoy coming here to read about your adoring girl cousins!!!!). Sharing BBQ shrimp over sweet potatoes and cranberry slaw, she crab soup, and some delectable entrees by a roaring fire was quite romantic. Even more romantic was pulling up every so often in their driveway with a quick text of, "We're here!" just so they could sneak Alysse out to nurse before we went on our way. :)

We spent the next day strolling through historic Leesburg... quaint antique shops, coffee and scones, having time to both start and finish some deep conversations. It was so exciting that I forgot my camera! Thanks to my sis-in-law for the loaner and the promise of pics of our time there and with them.

I'm not saying all of this cheer was without its work, its organization, its coordination, its little quirks and hang-ups.

I'm saying that even still... Recap, how I love walking down your memory lane.

Alysse's first Christmas won't soon be forgotten.

~Katrina