Auto Class for the Win!

When we need things done on our car...we have our own budding expert! Ben is forever having Daniel help just so he can keep learning and practicing. I think it's great. I love it. 

I saw this comic on Instagram recently and thought it was cute and perfect! 

Christmas with Family 2024...Round Two!

Yesterday we celebrated Christmas...again! With Christina's family this time! 

This was a smaller scale affair, but no less fun with the little ones! Hannah and Graham are just as cute as can be and I love their energy and their antics. They are such fun to be around.

The Amazon "delivery truck" I got Graham was a big hit! It's too funny and cracked us all up. The kids had a ball with that! I knew as soon as I saw it that I had to get it for Graham! 

I'm SO glad we finally got to see my sister's family. And I even got some cute pictures! 

And NOW we're all done celebrating Christmas, haha. But I say long live Christmas anyway! I could never been "done." It's my favorite. I'll just be over here enjoying my trees for a good while longer...

Christmas with Family 2024

For Christmas Eve, we went to Grandma Mary Kay's house, as always. After a lovely dinner (Brad, Rose and Gwen are in town, too!!), we took them all to see the Winter Lights Festival a few towns over, like we did last year. New tradition unlocked- and it's my favorite! It's the BEST little walk among pretty displays of Christmas lights. SO fun!

After Christmas morning on our own bright and early, we spent the rest of the morning at Grandma Mary Kay's house. Gwen helped everyone open their presents. It was fun to have her energy for Christmas morning! 

 

Annabel got her much coveted Owala water bottle! She's very excited to have it!  

Daniel is taking photography class next semester and Grandma Mary Kay and Grandpa Larry got him a camera for class. Daniel was very excited! 

Next up- Christmas at Grandma Cheryl's!! We ate lunch here and did presents. It's busier here with so many people, but the bustle and family time and present opening is all so fun, I love the festivity of it all. I never seem to take nearly as many pictures here because there's so much going on, but we really do have so much fun. I did dearly miss Christina's family this Christmas, I was so sad she wasn't going to be there, but I really couldn't dwell on it because the tears just came so easily. And I knew we'd celebrate with them when they were all healthy, in a few days' time. We still had a nice Christmas and I'm really glad for the time with my brother's family- we could focus on them a little better this way and that was nice, too. We also enjoyed our time with Aunt Jackie! I'm so glad she's always here at this time of year.

Annabel got a very pretty letter A necklace from Grandma Cheryl. It's really very nice. Annabel LOVES it!

Another hoodie- this one much coveted! From Dandy and it's SO comfy and soft and fluffy and oversized. Just the way Annabel likes them! 

And that's a wrap on Christmas 2024!!

Overall, in spite of a few frustrations for me, Christmas was filled with lots of family wins, big and small, here and there sprinkled all throughout and I choose to focus on those moments. Because I do dearly love Christmastime and I SO love my family. 

Christmas at Home 2024

Christmas at home has such a special meaning to me. I love the quiet, calm of my own family Christmas eve and morning times. 

We decorated and plated Christmas cookies for sharing on Christmas eve, as has been tradition the past couple years. I love how fun the variety looks! We sure were busy baking this week!  

Christmas eve was otherwise spent at Ben's parents' house, since Brad and Rose are in town. That's another "family" post, you'll see. 

Christmas morning with my teens was super fun- I love gifting presents so much! We put a "fire" on the TV and opened our presents by the fire. The kids were delighted with everything, of course. Their reactions are just the best. The cats kept us company and enjoyed the remnants of paper and boxes. After opening presents, we quickly got new things set up and started to enjoy all the things! This is another favorite part of the morning for me- the quiet after the opening, the enjoyment of new things, the unboxing, the monkey bread, the mini cinnamon rolls, cups of tea, all of it.

This year, we were done early, by design (though not rushed), because I'd wanted to get to Grandma Mary Kay's to join their fun early (a mixed bag of a morning for me in the end, but it was nice enough to be there anyway). And after that we spent the rest of the day at Grandma Cheryl's (sans Christina's family sadly, because Hannah was SO sick), which hit the spot for right where I wanted to be.  (This is all also another post.) Anyway- done early at home Christmas morning, but not rushed AND we managed a Christmas morning family selfie! Music to this momma's heart- I love my family SO much! 

I'll let the pictures tell the stories otherwise!   

Christmas Eve here first... 

 

Finished my bookish Christmas puzzle!

 

Annabel showed me how to put in a countdown widget on my phone- I loved it! You should see her phone, though- I LOVE how she's set it up- it's adorable and so fun! So perfectly "teen"! (And yes, technically this screenshot shows Christmas had already happened...but I promise it was up beforehand!)

 

And now...Christmas morning!! I'm always still SO excited for Christmas!!

Daniel 3D printed a Snoopy house for Annabel this Christmas. So cute!  (She was really into Snoopy this year.)

 

Annabel gave Daniel a fun game she picked out- Power Hungry Pets. We're looking forward to playing it. Any game that makes Daniel laugh is a winner! This one looked like it'd fit that bill. 

The cats loved Daniel's new toy shooter- it shoots pom poms for them! I figured Daniel needed this for his collection. It made me laugh and it seemed perfect for our house. 

Annabel finally has a proper pair of AirPods. She's VERY pleased! 

 Hoodies! The way to a teen's heart!

 

Daniel was very excited to get Nerf parts from Out of Darts! He's having fun building Nerf guns with these kits and pieces. 

 

I love Daniel's smile and sense of fun!

Heart, I tell ya. Hoodies. Solid win.

 Batman Lego car! Daniel has become quite the Batman Lego collector.

Meanwhile, I have a growing Christmas Lego village and I love it!!

Fun to find jewelry for my girl! She loves her jewelry. 

Daniel wanted a gaming case for his phone- it's pretty cool. He's already enjoying it as you can see!

Family Christmas selfie! Love it!!

 After a lovely morning...onwards we go to grandparents' houses!