our christmas celebrating started on christmas eve with the kellys. we hosted this year and it was so nice to be at home and let finn run amok. mimi and pops always have funny holiday hats. and its always hilarious. the gift giving went on seemingly for hours and having finn around this year made it so fun (and so wild :). his favorite gift was a mickey mouse laptop and a dancing bear!
we feasted on prime rib, potaoes au gratin, salad, carrots, and rolls....it was perfect. and mimi's homemade candy and my mom's cheesecake recipe for dessert!
and as us kellys do....we had christmas crackers to play with.
and finally, as i have dreamt about for years...we got to play santa before bed. it was everything i always hoped it would be and we were so excited. like school kids.
it came! santa! christmas morning! and instead of his christmas jammies, ryan chose to wear his ugly sweater. i love that guy.
finn's idea of eternal happiness: sitting on a tractor reading a book about trucks.
ryan got a new glass water bottle and now we match like two peas in a pod. finn also got a new lunchbox with robots on it...
...and a new hat...
...and the real hit was the harmonica santa left in finn's stocking. and cinnamon rolls for breakfast! finn gave me a gift too - he weaned himself! he still asks for it occasionally, but it feels right.
we ventured to oma and papa's for a late brunch with the sisters... of course, oma had decked the halls with vintage delights.
probably the best quiche i have ever had...and mimosas!
finn was spoiled again! such a lucky boy. books, animals (stuffed, thanfully), tractors...
a real life tee pee...(!!)
...blocks, bath toys, and his first tool set!
happiness and gratitude everywhere... and once it was all over, finn kept standing at the door, shouting "ow-si-yee" (outside) over and over. and despite the downpour, my dad took him out to see the tractor, the truck, and all the animals. it just might have been the highlight of his morning.
and last but certainly not least, we ended the afternoon at my grandparents for dinner, more gift-giving and the ever-hysterical game of white elephant. we all nearly die from fits of laughter. oh, and my grandma's tree. every year she spends hours decorating it and every year its a stunner.
my favorite part was watching my grandma open the homemade calendar my cousin hannah made her with pictures of our entire family. i get choked up just thinking about it. and those darling sugar cookies made by hannah are pretty high on my list too.
a very merry christmas indeed.
No comments:
Post a Comment