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| Making sugar cookies! |
With a six week old infant, traveling for Christmas was out of the question for our family. So, my family came to us! Because our house we are renting in the Chicago suburbs would not fit everyone comfortably,we rented a bigger house in southwest Michigan for a week so that everyone could shower and sleep comfortably. It was a blast having everyone together and we kept up some of our family traditions that we do every year- even with a smaller kitchen and unfamiliar house. Before Christmas, we made sugar cookies- some in the shape of Star Wars characters thanks to Mariah and Zach- and everyone except the Moms (my mom and I) went into Michigan City to catch a showing of the new Star Wars movie. Growing up, we watched the original three Star Wars movies many, many times, so it was a momentous occasion for all.
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| Landon was a great helper cutting out the cookies |
Our house in Michigan was in the small town of Harbert, along the Red Arrow Highway. There was a park across the street and the beach was within long walking distance. It was warm enough that we all got out and made our way through the woods to the beach of Lake Michigan. Landon enjoyed digging in the sand and Greg and Dad had an impromptu rock skipping contest. Claire, Mariah, and Zach did some running to keep up Claire's training. Christmas Eve, we made pies, chex mix, and rolls and explored Warren Dunes State Park, which was incredibly cold and windy!
Christmas Eve night, we read Luke 2 and acted out the nativity. Owen, as the newest member of the family and baby boy, was baby Jesus, with Austin and I as Joseph and Mary. Claire was an angel, Mariah and Zach were shepherds, and Landon was a wise man coming on his camel (Grandpa Doug). It was impromptu, fun, and most of all, I think Landon got the whole story! We sang some songs and celebrated Jesus' birth.
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| Landon with Cranky! |
Then, finally, it was Christmas day! I think I may have been more excited than Landon for Christmas morning. Landon was very specific in what he wanted from Santa- Cranky the crane from Thomas the Tank Engine, a green car and an orange car. Santa came through! Landon and Owen had real stockings from Grandma Ev and Grandpa Jim, but the rest of us got socks stuffed with candy and a small gift from Santa. We were sleeping the warmest room in the house- right under the stairs- so Owen didn't get cold, and I kept waking up thinking I heard Landon on the stairs. Ultimately, I went out into the living room to wait for him because he slept in pretty late and I wanted to see his initial reaction. He was super excited to see Cranky and his cars, and he ate most of his candy before our big breakfast of french toast and bacon.
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| So excited for Cranky! |
Christmas with kids old enough to know what is going on is the best! It was so magical to experience this Christmas season with Landon!
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| Christmas morning in jammies |
After breakfast, Landon handed out gifts. Claire helped him read the tags and he did a great job delivering the gifts to their recipients. We did a gift exchange among the adults to keep costs down. Highlights included the homemade matching aprons Claire made for Mariah and Zach, and the gorgeous blanket Mariah crocheted for my mom. Of course, being the only kids, Landon and Owen made out like bandits with awesome toys and outfits from all the doting relatives. They both received beautiful quilts from my grandma that will be keepsakes for years to come, as well as warm and beautiful on their beds for now!
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| Landon handing out gifts |
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| The puny fake tree we brought from Chicago, and all the gifts! |
Austin got me a new 2-in-1 tablet and computer because Landon helped me shatter the screen on my old one over the summer. I love it so much! Thanks, sweetie! Austin got some stylish work clothes so now he looks super professional while he's working on the business side of his company.
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| Enjoying his truck book! |
I never thought I would have to reign it in to not spoil our kids. Owen this year was pretty easy- he's a brand-new baby so he has no idea what is going on, so just got him a few things from Santa and called it good. I found so many things that I knew Landon would love that I had to cut myself off and say we were done! Toys for his age group, especially the small toys that we gravitate towards so that he can take them with him traveling, are so cheap that it is easy to buy up a bunch of things. I think he had a wonderful Christmas and that all his little boy Christmas dreams came true. He asks me often when Santa is coming back, and I explain that Santa only comes once a year so we have to wait a long time until he comes back again!
All too soon all the presents were unwrapped and the surprises were over. I had to get one last pictures of these two cuties in their Christmas jammies from Grandma Ev and Auntie Em!
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| Merry Christmas, everyone! |
For Christmas dinner, my dad and the other men of the family appreciate their prime rib. My mom and I hate prime rib, so we compromised this year and did a smaller prime rib and an herbed turkey breast. I made my yummy new roll recipe from Thanksgiving, and we had muddled herbed red potatoes and broccoli. We tried to cut down on the side dishes to simplify things since we weren't in a familiar house or kitchen. It's funny all the little kitchen tools that we come accustomed to having at hand, that we don't even realize we have until we don't have them. Then it's an issue!
We had a wonderful meal, played games, and just enjoyed being together.We Skyped with my sister, Hannah, who is on her mission in Florida. She's currently serving in the Ft. Myers area in the Spanish ward and she absolutely loves it so far. It was a totally chill, totally awesome Christmas and I'm so grateful my family made the sacrifices necessary to ensure that we were all together.
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