Christmas

Sorry it's taken so long to write about Christmas. With Zach home the week before Christmas sick that meant a whole other week of "is Santa coming tonight?" It was worth it and Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were full of family, food, love, and gifts.

Christmas Eve:
There was a Good Housekeeping Peppermint-Chocolate cake recipe I wanted to try for Christmas Day dessert so in the morning on Christmas Eve Zach and I went to my parent's house to make it. I needed some things my mom had and that's where it was going to end up anyway so it was worth it. Zach helped mix it. I did use a boxed mix but the frosting and center was a minty mix from Good Housekeeping. I'm not going to lie, I really, really, really, really, REALLY wanted to decorate something ............. ANYTHING ............... and this made the most sense. It took over an hour but looked and tasted great. We'll be making it again next year.

That night we went to the annual party at Josh's parent's house. I got to meet Josh's Aunt and Uncle from Colorado. They are so nice! It basically is the same food and the same people each year. That's comforting for me since big crowds and unorganized chaos rattle my nerves. It used to be an anxiety filled occasion before I got used to everyone but now it's something I enjoy. I like this tradition. Zach also gets nervous with all those people but he found a group with his cousin, who's 16, and hung out with them. As he remembers what it's like he too will be more comfortable. It's part of GAD.

After the party we have a tradition. We used to open Lisa's gifts before bed, since I am still a kid when it comes to Christmas, but this year it was the presents from Josh's parents AND Lisa's. We just didn't want Zach to be overwhelmed on Christmas Day. He was anyway but it could have been worse. We all liked or loved everything and I say that as someone that could quite possibly be the hardest person on the planet to shop for. One of my favorites was matching Giants lazy pants for Josh and Zach. Once Zach got to play for a little bit we set out one cookie (since Santa is on a diet and will be getting plenty of other cookies) and milk. It's a good place to teach about the importance of moderation and self-control. Ever the cutest kid Zach said "and here's Santa's napkin. I want to make sure he sees it". The best way to describe how cute he is sometimes is to use the phrase "makes my heart melt!"

Christmas Day:
Zach tried to wake up early but Daddy snuggled with him. The first thing he did is what every kid literally does first, check that "Santa came". Then he checked the cookie. Finally, he dug in as Daddy passed out the gifts. We had gotten him a few things and the remaining Transformers:Prime figures that he can have (no bad guys and his favorite, Smoke Screen, isn't out yet).That means we spent Christmas Day transforming Transformers for him. My mom came for breakfast. My dad would have too but wasn't feeling well. It was fun and brought back so many memories of my childhood Christmas mornings.

That night we went to my parent's for dinner. There was less chaos and people so Zach felt a little more comfortable. Grandma, Pop, and Aunt Sonny got him three of the four Ninja Turtles. He doesn't like the show but likes the toys. He's missing the purple one, Donatello, but will get him as a reward in the future. He knows he only gets the reward the first time he does something big and will be expected to just do it in the future.

Friday the 28th:
Aunt Sonny babysat and Zach was REALLY looking forward to it. New Year's Day is also Decorating Day for January so I joked with Josh over dinner that the important occasion on that day is Decorating Day and New Years Day is secondary. He knows me better then anyone so he wasn't surprised by that and made a joke about how he wasn't sure if I was serious or not. When we picked Zach up we mentioned the New Year's Eve party at my parent's house. His first comment "what sheets are you putting on the bed?" I'm letting him help decorate even though Josh will be home. Zach understands that he won't always be there when I decorate thanks to school but if he's home he can help. It's clearly something he enjoys as much as I do. Another time my heart melted with his words. Considering he was driving me crazy on Thursday and Friday so that was just what I needed. He spent Thursday on asking about when he goes back to school. He really misses it. After two weeks so do I!

Saturday the 29th:
The boys finished grocery shopping before the snow got too bad and this afternoon we went to play in it. Our upstairs neighbors with a five year old we there so the boys had a lot of fun together. Paula likes building snowmen and even had a decorating kit from last year she used. While Zach and their son, Chris, played with Chris' snowboard Paula started rolling a ball as we talked. It got so big we were all joking about it. I still don't know if she will be okay with the Winter Pansies. Maybe I'll ask about that tomorrow, but it was a fun time and it's good to be reminded that we like each other.

Happy New Year everyone!!! Be safe!