Christmas Day!

We drove up the hill late on Christmas Eve to my parents house. It was a rough night with Cecilia, and I think at about 2:30AM, when she was still awake, was when I vowed to never travel to my parents house during a normal sleep time if possible. Never the less, it was nice to be at my parents home on Christmas morning. We didn't open many gifts that day, only the ones from Ma & Pa. We waited to do the majority of the gift opening on the day after Christmas when Nick and Megan could join us. But first, the Angel had to be placed on the tree. Mom designated Sarah, the newest family member, with this task. Mom had a new tree this year, and its a tall one! Good thing Pat is sturdy.



Cecilia had amazing focus while opening her present from Ma & Pa. And boy, was she excited about her new tea party set. We played "tea" all weekend long. Daddy was the first guest.
Cecilia also got a cute little clay nativity set from Ma & Pa. I love that it's her size. She loved that it was a box, with things to take out and put back in.


Remember how I vowed to never travel during a normal sleep period if possible again.... ya. Cecilia was exhausted by 9:30AM. She gave up her morning nap several months ago, but for Christmas, she took a morning nap and an afternoon nap.
One of the best things about Christmas day was being able to go to Mass at my parents Church. It was so nice to go without all of the crowds at my Church on Christmas Eve. Don't get me wrong, I love my Church, but the crowds and holiday Catholics tend to erk me a little. It was wonderful to go with the whole family and sit comfortably, and not have to rush to get a seat.

We had a relaxing afternoon just being together. There was not a flake of snow on the ground, the skies were as blue as could be. Mom, Sarah, and I even took a walk in the 45 degree weather. It was beautiful!

Cecilia was so ready for a bath that night. One mention of the word "bath", and she was in the tub. It was pretty funny trying to get her out of the tub long enough to find the naked baby before she could actually take her bath.



After dinner we played several rounds of poker. Mom raked it in at the end (she always does).

It didn't really feel like Christmas. Maybe it was because all of the presents were still wrapped under the tree. Maybe it was because Nick wasn't with us yet. Maybe it had something to do with the lack of snow, the bright sun, and the fall like temperatures. It didn't matter though, we enjoyed each others company and celebrated the birth of Jesus. That is what Christmas is all about!