Just in case you were wondering whether we celebrated Christmas - we did! Below are photos to prove it. I wish I had taken more photos of the activities and pictures other than just the kids in their PJ's but what can I say we spent quite a few hours in our jammies.
Wowzers, I can't believe I haven't written about all the Christmas and holiday goodness. I guess I was too busy soaking it all in and do I dare say I was living in the moment - something that seems to be elusive these days? Christmas came and went with such a flurry of excitement, love, giving, magic, wonder, and oh, wrapping paper!
Rewind to a few days before Christmas, Grandma C came to Virginia to celebrate Christmas with us. I think having her here was a gift enough for Mae.
I got to celebrate a night out with my two roommates from college, which after all these years it seems like we just graduated.
Christmas Eve we went to church then headed to my parents house to celebrate Wigilia, the big Polish Christmas tradition. During Wigilia, each person is given a piece of oplatek [a wafer], which they share with each person at the table. So essentially you stand up and go to every person and wish something for that person or say something nice to them. It is one of my favorite things of all time. Mae REALLY participated this year and after I gave Mae a piece of my wafer, she held out hers and said, "Mommy, I wish that you have everything that your heart desires." To which I replied, "With you, I have it all." And I mean it. Following a lovely meal at my parents, we headed back to our house to get ready for Santa and his reindeers. We put out cookies and milk for Santa, carrots galore for the deer, and a note for Santa. Then the kids headed off to sleep. And Pearson and I stayed awake to be Santa's little helpers [putting together a drum set and trampoline]. Thankfully neither were too painful and only took an hour or so.
Christmas morning I, of course, couldn't sleep so I was laying in bed waiting for someone to awake. At around 6 am, I heard a door open. Then nothing. Then all of a sudden we heard a single ding on a drum. Then we heard a "boom, boom, boom." We were fairly certain it was Mae that had sneaked out without alerting us but in fact it was Whitaker. The drumming, of course, woke Mae up and she sprang out of her. We spent the better part of the morning eating, opening presents, playing with toys, and just relaxing.
One thing to note, Mae had asked Santa for the Ultimate Dream Castle for Christmas. It was one of two things that she had asked for. When she walked out of her room that morning, she did mutter. "It is ok if I didn't get the dream castle." Later in the day she and I were talking and I asked her how she thought Christmas went. To which she replied, "It is ok that Santa didn't bring me the Ultimate Dream Castle. I know you can't get everything you want and I am happy that Santa remembered to bring me Aurora." Well as you can imagine, that statement just made my heart break a little but also swell with how she handled the not receiving it with such grace and rationalization. But you know that Santa and he knows everything. He knew that Mae's aunts and uncles were buying it for her.
On Christmas afternoon we all headed over to Matt and Heather's house for another family Christmas celebration. This time Julie and Beef were there to join in the fun. It was such a fun night and the kids were a dream.
Now that the holiday season is behind us, I am still hoping to hold on to that holiday magic throughout the year but most importantly continue to giving and loving more than ever before.
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