Traditions

This year was our first ever Christmas at our own house. I fell in love. The coziness of being in our own space, the anticipation of all the traditions that unfolded, the unhurried pace of savoring each day, and the genuine family time with our two small children was magical. Don't get me wrong, I love seeing extended family, but staying put for this particular holiday (for me) sure beat stuffing presents into the back of the car, packing up winter clothes and heading on a long drive into the frozen land of sick kids only to arrive exhausted and worn out before it even begins (let alone ends!).
Instead, I worked really hard at starting traditions that would bring the Christmas spirit alive. I learned this year that these traditions take time, energy, effort, EFFORT, and more effort. I never knew what a job starting traditions can be, good thing Christmas is such an anticipated holiday, because I had lots of motivation.
These are some of the traditions we started this year, and I'm looking forward to next year which I expect will be easier because we've done them all once.

Movie night with popcorn and blankets and a Christmas movie.
23 Christmas books wrapped and put under the tree: pick one a night to unwrap and read as a bedtime story. Next year I'm nixing the wrapping. All in all I felt like it took some of the excitement out of the big day unwrapping presents, because we'd been doing it for a full month. A basket of books is where we're headed next year.
Elf on the Shelf: enter Ellie, our elf. Every family seems to have their own version of this little piece of make believe. We went with the emphasis on the elf watching Brooklynn to learn how to make good choices. The elf mirrored her behavior (good or bad) while sleeping. If it had been a particularly sassy day, the elf got into all kinds of trouble that night and it was Brooklynn's responsibility to clean up after her. But most days Ellie learned good behavior from Brooklynn and did fun things to make us all laugh in the morning when we found her.

Downtown Riverside fireworks to begin the season
Visiting Santa (Santa at our house is a kind man who is really good at following Jesus's example of serving others. He brings our kids stockings full of little fun treats and toys. All the gifts wrapped under the tree are from members of the family, not Santa.)
Christmas Eve Candlelight Dinner: I make a Filet Mignon dish with wild rice, asparagus, and sparkling cider. Brooklynn just about DIED that we got to eat with candles on the table. We finished the night off by watching the nativity story video on mormontv.com and reading the scripture from Luke, then making the worlds best hot cocoa and cookies, which we left out for Santa.
Presents: each kid in our family gets one want, one need, one wear (clothes or shoes), and one read. Every year I find this really difficult because it is so tempting to buy all the toys in the store. But every year when the wrapping paper is all in a pile and the gifts are being assembled, I'm grateful that I kept it simple so each gift was acknowledged and appreciated instead of lost in a pile of stuff. I also love that they know how many gifts they'll be getting, and that number doesn't change for various factors. Tricky, but I think this tradition suits us well.
Christmas Morning breakfast: a new recipe this year ~ Eggnog French Toast was a hit! Served with eggs, sausage and bacon.
Christmas Dinner: Spiral ham, sweet potatoes . . . the works. With flambéed bananas foster for dessert. Even better than the candle's on the table!
and a fun homemade advent calendar:

My Happy Little Man

Blake,
You're not even 4 months old yet but you're bursting with such joy I had to sit down and write about it.
The other day I was reminded at how I ached to have you join us. Your dad and I wanted another baby long before you came, and it seemed that every minute was filled with hope and desire for you to come. I'll never forget the first time I heard the sound of your little heart beat . . . I felt something physically heal inside of me from those aching days of waiting. In that moment I was filled with peace, and that feeling, somehow, became who you are.
You are a peaceful child. I have never met a more calming personality. You don't fuss, you don't cry, you don't demand. You're patient and happy ALL the time. You add a "go with the flow" vibe that we've never had in our family dynamic before. If you're not smiling, you're sleeping soundly. You get a kick out of Brooklynn, who does wild ambitious gestures to get your attention, and you respond in like with short giggles back at her.
I'll never forget the first night after you were born, being woken up suddenly as you lay on my chest from an outburst of clear simple laughter coming from your lips. I stared at you, sound asleep with a perfect smile on your face, and then just like that it was gone as if it was all a dream. As you've grown I look back and can see how you came to us this way, and now we're just beginning to know the light that is and always has been, you. I am surprised daily by your personality because it is so different than what we're used to. It feels like you are a gift that we in no way created but were granted.
What a breath of fresh air you are with your chubby cheeks and quick smile that radiants joy. Thank you for coming to us, little man. I love you.
Love,
Mama