|| Beau came down with a yucky flu bug the night before Winter break started! Three years in a row of someone in our house getting sick just days before Christmas. He stayed quarantined in the basement while I brought 25 roll-a-Christmas tree and roll-a-snowman crafts up to Mila's kindergarten party. I bound and determined to not let the puke in our house dampen my spirits, and getting to spend an hour with my little kindergartner and her adorable friends was just the antidote.
|| We had plans for a make-your-own-pizza night but replaced it with a little candlelit dinner while Beau recovered (still in the basement). We had charcuterie and watched the Jim Carrey Grinch, stopping halfway for a green Grinchy sundae for dessert.
|| Beau woke up pretty much back to himself and surprise! We didn't make use of any of the plastic bowls I had set around the house and beside the kids' beds the night before. So we settled into our Saturday morning and declared it "The Most Wonderful Day of the Year." And according to my kids, the most wonderful day of the year should always start with pancakes.
|| I'm pretty sure we only made it through about half of our advent books this year, but one Advent-related thing Cruz made sure to complete was his Lego Harry Potter calendar I gifted him on December 1st. One day at a time, Cruz constructed the Great Hall at Christmas time, complete with all our favorite Hogwarts' wizards.
|| We stopped to see our downtown Santa and grabbed some Blue Barn Barbeque before heading out to Hartman to take advantage of the beautiful December weather.
|| Then it was back home for a dessert board, another puzzle, and a cozy night viewing of Star Wars in the big theater! It was amazing!
|| I don't even remember what night this was! Our Christmas break involved a lot of Christmas pjs, cheese, and game nights. A perfect trifecta if you ask me!
|| And then, Christmas Eve arrived. One of my favorite days. The day runs with a similar plan year after year. There's the morning when I wake up early and make one mess in the kitchen - breakfast casserole, Katy's Christmas morning cinnamon cake, and my special Christmas Eve baked hot cocoa souffle we only just once a year. We set the table night, scrub the kids in the tub, and then I make them take a million pictures in that familiar spot by the window, even though this year we could sneak outside because it was once again that nice.
|| We went to 3:00 Christmas Eve service again, and I love this because it makes the rest of the day go real slow. I love that my parents come and join us for church and then we feast and usher in what is very likely my favorite night of the year - silent night, holy night, all is calm, all is bright.
Things to love about this particular Christmas Eve included Beau's bruschetta and cast iron skill mushrooms before the rest of our feast, sipping old fashioneds, Mila wearing her sunglasses most of the night, and Cruz asking if we could watch National Lampoon's Christmas vacation for the second (or maybe third?) night in a row. A definite sign that he's growing and his interests are changing...however the red striped Christmas pjs he happily changed into immediately after opening reminded me that that simple childlike innocence isn't too far away.
|| I love that sweet hour before the kids go to bed on Christmas Eve. The slow anticipation of it all throughout the month reaches a head and we bounce back and forth between wanting to go to bed because tomorrow is Christmas! and wanting to stay up and savor it all. Cruz and Mila were so dang fun this year. They sprinkled oatmeal on the driveway, squealing like little elves themselves in their red pajamas. They picked out the perfect cookies for his plate and Mila worked hard on a sweet card to leave for our awaited guest. Then we read their new Christmas books and tucked them tight, for there was some work to do on this side of the North Pole. ;)
|| And soon enough, it was just me, George Bailey, and those four knit stockings hung by the chimney with care. Oh, and this year, a dart board secretly hung on the wall to surprise Cruz the following morning.
I never want Christmas Eve night to end, but I especially felt that way this year.
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