We spent Christmas Eve and Christmas morning as a family...just the four of us. I was worried that it wouldn't feel like Christmas without being with my parents, or without being with Tyler's family. I thought it would feel like just another day. I was so wrong!
Christmas Eve started with going out for Chinese food. Then, once back home, we each opened our Christmas Eve gifts - PJs, Christmas books and the DVD of The Polar Express. Holland had fun finding places for each of our Christmas stockings to be laid out and then we slipped the kids in their new PJs. Holland was loving that they were matching. We read the new Christmas stories and said our family prayers, then after putting Tagg to bed for the night, Tyler and I snuggled up with Holland in the family room and watched her new favorite movie (she's been watching it on YouTube for weeks!) - 'Polo Espress.' To say that she loves it is a serious understatement. And not just the movie, the book and the soundtrack as well. She's got all three memorized! Listening to her sing the songs is beyond adorable.
Before going to bed, Tyler and I filled the stockings and laid out the gifts. It was at that moment that I got really excited at the thought of how fun Christmas morning was going to be.
Morning came. Tagg woke up early. Holland slept in.
We brought the stockings to the kitchen table and let the kids pull things out of them while they ate their breakfast. Tagg was, understandably, pretty oblivious as to what was going on. However, he did smile now and then as he pulled out a new toy from the stocking. Pretty sure he was most excited about the banana slices on his highchair tray that he was shoveling into his mouth.
Holland's favorite stocking item - the finger lights! I had to search a few dollar stores in SLC to find them. Maggie had received them at our Eppley Family Christmas Party a few days earlier and had let Holland play with them. It was a little difficult to get Holland to give them back to Maggie that night. So, ya, she loved that she got her own Christmas morning!
Once breakfast was over we went into the living room we had the kids go into the living room. Tyler tried to point out to Holland that she had more gifts laying on the couch. Holland was so unsure about it all that she literally started running in circles. Hysterical! I think she was so overcome with the fact that there were more gifts she just really didn't know how to contain herself.
Needless to say, our first little Christmas as a family was pure perfection!
We then headed to my parents house for the rest of the day. I was so excited to give my parents their Christmas gift. I had a small snapshot of their wedding picture edited, enlarged and framed. I thought their would be tears, but their weren't. Dang. But they loved it - tears or not. ha!
After giving my parents their gift, we got to open gifts from them. I was blown away by the thoughtfulness, time and love that went into the gifts. My mom had made fleece blankets for each of the grand-kids and had pieced together, then had professionally finished, the most gorgeous quilts ever for each couple! On top of that, my dad made copies for each of us of his grandparents' life history. I'm still amazed, and I'm sure I will be forever, at the tenderness that accompanies hand-made gifts.
I felt like we then ate all day long! We had brunch, then Skyped with Missionary Geoffrey Eppley, then ate some lunch...and then there were treats, and more treats...and ya, I might have gained 5 lbs. yesterday. Totally worth it!
For sure, a Christmas to remember!
Oh...and Holland LOVED playing in the snow, wearing her new snow pants and coat, with Grandpa for probably and hour, if not more. She loves her Grandpa. Thanks Dad!
Side note, and no picture (darn it!): Tagg broke out in a rash that ended up being Rosiola. No wonder he had a low fever the past couple of days and wasn't sleeping all that well. Good times! We made a stop for Benedryl on the way home. He slept like a champ...and so did I. A Christmas miracle!!!
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| Oops! Open your eyes, Tagg. |
Before going to bed, Tyler and I filled the stockings and laid out the gifts. It was at that moment that I got really excited at the thought of how fun Christmas morning was going to be.
Morning came. Tagg woke up early. Holland slept in.
We brought the stockings to the kitchen table and let the kids pull things out of them while they ate their breakfast. Tagg was, understandably, pretty oblivious as to what was going on. However, he did smile now and then as he pulled out a new toy from the stocking. Pretty sure he was most excited about the banana slices on his highchair tray that he was shoveling into his mouth.
Holland's favorite stocking item - the finger lights! I had to search a few dollar stores in SLC to find them. Maggie had received them at our Eppley Family Christmas Party a few days earlier and had let Holland play with them. It was a little difficult to get Holland to give them back to Maggie that night. So, ya, she loved that she got her own Christmas morning!
Once breakfast was over we went into the living room we had the kids go into the living room. Tyler tried to point out to Holland that she had more gifts laying on the couch. Holland was so unsure about it all that she literally started running in circles. Hysterical! I think she was so overcome with the fact that there were more gifts she just really didn't know how to contain herself.
Needless to say, our first little Christmas as a family was pure perfection!
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| Photo by Holland |
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| Holland loving Tagg's gift from Grandma Maggie |
After giving my parents their gift, we got to open gifts from them. I was blown away by the thoughtfulness, time and love that went into the gifts. My mom had made fleece blankets for each of the grand-kids and had pieced together, then had professionally finished, the most gorgeous quilts ever for each couple! On top of that, my dad made copies for each of us of his grandparents' life history. I'm still amazed, and I'm sure I will be forever, at the tenderness that accompanies hand-made gifts.
I felt like we then ate all day long! We had brunch, then Skyped with Missionary Geoffrey Eppley, then ate some lunch...and then there were treats, and more treats...and ya, I might have gained 5 lbs. yesterday. Totally worth it!
For sure, a Christmas to remember!
Oh...and Holland LOVED playing in the snow, wearing her new snow pants and coat, with Grandpa for probably and hour, if not more. She loves her Grandpa. Thanks Dad!
Side note, and no picture (darn it!): Tagg broke out in a rash that ended up being Rosiola. No wonder he had a low fever the past couple of days and wasn't sleeping all that well. Good times! We made a stop for Benedryl on the way home. He slept like a champ...and so did I. A Christmas miracle!!!
