Christmas

We celebrated Christmas in Idaho with my family this year. We had such a wonderful time, and our five day break went way too fast. Our time in Idaho always does. During our drive up, my brother texted me asking if we'd reached the "promised land" yet--meaning Idaho. Haha! He makes me laugh. Although we enjoy living in Utah, I can't help but feel the same way my brother does about Idaho.


December 22nd

We traveled to Idaho on Friday. Because our families live about an hour apart, we are usually able to see both when we visit. We stopped at Layne and Kris' house on our way to my parent's house. We spent the afternoon with them, enjoying lunch, games, and even got to open a few presents. Connor loved seeing his Grandpa and Grandma Westover. Grandma gave Connor some fudge during lunch, and I think that cemented their friendship. He was a very happy boy eating that treat.

     

He was also very excited about all of their Christmas decorations. Connor especially loved looking at the ornaments on their tree, and playing with the candy canes Grandma had placed in a pair of wooden clogs near the fireplace.

     

He didn't limit his explorations to their Christmas decorations. He had fun wandering around, playing with drawer handles and emptying said drawers when he figured out how to open them. 

It was a wonderful visit, and we are so happy we got to spend some time with them during our Christmas vacation. 

Next, we drove to my Grandpa's house, where we visited him for a little while. I always love getting the chance to see him. The last time we visited him, Connor wasn't quite crawling yet. My Grandpa was excited to see that he was now walking around. 

From my Grandpa's house, we drove to my parents' house. Although we'd had a wonderful day visiting family, we were tired of traveling and happy to finally be at our destination. We settled in, changing into our pajamas, and Connor made himself right at home on Grandpa and Grandma's rocking horse. During our visit, he played with that horse any chance he got. I think we may have a little cowboy in training. 

December 23rd

Saturday, the party really began. Throughout the morning, all five of my siblings showed up. It can get a bit chaotic when all six of us are together--add in my parents, all the spouses, and children and it becomes a pandemonium. Haha! It doesn't feel like home, though without a little ruckus. That's just life in a big family.

Connor loved his cousins. Every time a new cousin would come in the door, he would shriek in excitement and wave his hands in the air. He had so much fun playing with all of them. We learned he doesn't like to share. It's something that he doesn't have to do at home as he's the only child. We'll have to start working on that. He was also a bit rough with the younger babies. He liked to try to hug and kiss them only to maul them, and sometimes would hand them toys by shoving the objects in their faces. He was just trying to be friendly, but the other babies weren't sure what to think.

My Dad takes our family on a sleigh ride every year, usually on Christmas Eve. Since Christmas Eve was on a Sunday this year, the sleigh ride was on Saturday. While my Dad was outside hooking his horses to the sleigh, we were all inside getting bundled up. It was a clear, sunny day, but chilly. I didn't want Connor to get cold, so I bundled him up pretty well. Brian wasn't feeling great, he was exhausted from his trip to NYC earlier that week. He was a good sport and got ready for the sleigh ride, but when we were outside waiting for my Dad to pull the sleigh around I could tell that he just felt awful. I sent him back inside, where he took a good long nap. It was just what he needed, because he felt much better during the rest of our vacation. I'm sad he missed the sleigh ride though, but glad that he got a chance to catch up on some rest--and that it was enough to ward off a more serious sickness.

I was so excited to take Connor on his first sleigh ride. This was such a huge part of my childhood, and I'm excited to share these experiences with my son. We all loaded up n the sleigh, and away we went.

Connor wasn't super happy with me because I'd made him wear shoes--he had screamed quite a bit when I first put them on. Once we were on the sleigh, he was distracted with the horses and watching our surroundings.

Luke took Connor for a short ride in the sled tied to the back of the sleigh. Connor did not like that at all. As soon as they were settled, and we started moving again he started crying really hard. I'm sure he'll like it more as he gets older. We didn't prolong his torture, and Luke brought him back to me on the big sleigh.

We discovered that the sleigh ride is magic because about halfway along our ride, all three babies (Connor, Jackson, and Kate) fell fast asleep. If only I could had access to a sleigh on those days and nights that Connor refuses to go to sleep. Although, I can't complain much these days. He's been quite a good sleeper these days. It's possible that, along with the rocking of the sleigh, the warm layers of clothing and snuggles with their moms also contributed to their sleepiness--and the fact that it was almost their nap time. 

     

I had a lot of fun on the sleigh ride. The views were beautiful and the company great. Oh how I love beautiful Idaho...especially the area where I grew up. Nothing beats it. 

 

After the sleigh ride, we all went inside where Mom made us hot chocolate and we sat around talking and playing with the kids. I tried to be quiet and careful when I undressed Connor and put him in bed next to Brian. I almost had him undressed, I was sliding his arm out of the second sleeve of his coat when he woke up. I tried to get him to go back to sleep, but he was instantly wide awake. He hadn't been asleep for even an hour yet. Despite his short nap, he remained a happy little guy the rest of the day and slept great that night.

My Dad loves his grandkids...and they love him. He was reading some of his horse books, when these three little girls joined him. They stayed this way for quite awhile, listening to Grandpa read them stories about horses.

Connor once again wanted to spend the majority of his time on the rocking horse. At this point Brian and I were thinking we should have asked Santa to bring Connor a rocking horse. He seriously loved this toy. All the grandkids love this horse. Whenever it appears and there's multiple kids around, there is a scramble to get to it first. Tears are shed if there isn't parental monitoring to make sure everyone gets a turn. It's really funny how much this toy is loved. Connor got a lot of time on it after everyone went home each day. It was so cute to watch him rock himself. He even learned to dismount by himself and in the proper cowboy fashion. He tried to throw his leg over the top to get back on, but he didn't quite get the hang of stepping up on the rocker first so he'd be tall enough to get his leg over. So we had to boost him on each time. My Dad thought it was the best thing when he saw Connor dismount by himself. We all clapped and cheered him on...which caused Connor to clap and repeat the dismount over and over. Oh how I love this boy. 

We spent the rest of the day indoors, visiting and playing games. It was perfect, and we were all happy and tired when it was time for bed that night. All the fresh air and excitement resulted in an early bedtime and a restful night's sleep.

December 24th

Sunday, we all gathered again at my parents house for a pizza lunch. My mom had originally planned for my cousin to come and take a family picture of us all after church that day, but plans changed and the picture was cancelled. Brian and I took a few pictures of our little family. When comparing this family picture with the one we took on Christmas Eve last year, it's hard to miss how much Connor has grown. He was three and a half weeks old last year, and here he is now one year old. He has grown so much in a year.

     

Sadie wanted to get in on the pictures, so I snapped a selfie of the three of us. When I looked back at the picture, I discovered that Connor had smiled for the picture. I think he was smiling at his cute little cousin. 

Connor was having a grand old time with all the attention from grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. He was such a happy boy during our entire visit. Despite all the family around, we still got plenty of quality time with our boy. I love this picture I got of Brian tickling Connor. You can see how much these two love each other. 

At one point during the day, Grandpa brought out his miniature saddle that just happens to fit nicely on the rocking horse. After the horse was saddled, Connor went for a ride. It was so cute and funny to see him sitting on the saddle on the toy horse. He quite liked it.

We enjoyed snacking on food through the afternoon and evening and there were lots of games. Connor loved the food, especially the fresh strawberries, apple slices, and Ritz crackers. Apparently he loved the baby carrots too. Grandma spoiled him, and every time she had Connor she gave him something to eat...including chocolate. He was quite a happy boy.

     

We started up a game of canasta...a family favorite. I didn't get to play because I was holding Connor, trying to get him to settle down for a nap. It was still fun to watch and join in on the conversation though. I ended up taking Connor into a back bedroom to rock him to sleep. I must have been tired myself, because I dozed off as well, and woke up a couple hours later when Connor began to stir. I was a bit sad that I'd slept through all the games. 

That evening we did a live nativity. It was really fun and I think it might become a yearly tradition. We all gathered in the living room, getting our props together. Parts weren't assigned, we could choose to be what we wanted. Brian and I decided to be angels and have Connor be the star. Brian drew a star and I colored and cut it out. I first attached the star to the front of Connor's shirt, but he immediately pulled it off. So I moved it to the back of his shirt. It worked. Haha! While I was finishing getting the star ready, including a quick diaper change, Brian made us some halos. I think we looked pretty good with our last minute costumes. 

It was fun to see everyone don their simple costume pieces. It was perfect! Despite there not being assigned parts, all of the parts were covered. Here's a list of who played what roles.

Luke was the narrator and his getup made us all laugh. Not sure what he was going for, but he looked like a blind man. He is such a character. He read the Christmas Story from Luke 2, while the rest of us played our parts. It was a lot of fun and even though it was a simple production, with a lot of silliness, there was a special spirit there as well. 

After the nativity, everyone got ready to go to their own homes to open pajamas, set out milk and cookies, and get the kids to bed. While we got ready to open pajamas with Annie and Luke, Connor took yet another ride on the rocking horse. 

Connor opened his pajamas first. He actually opened the present mostly by himself. Each time he tore off a piece of wrapping paper he would get so excited.

And of course, he had to pull the pajamas out himself and examine each piece closely. 

Annie and Luke went next. It was fun to watch them open their pajamas.

     

Brian and I didn't get ourselves pajamas this year. We have too many and don't really need anymore. But when we were at Layne and Kris', they gave us Christmas-themed snoopy shirts. They were the perfect pajama shirts for Christmas Eve. 

Connor wasn't quite ready for bed after opening pajamas, so we stayed up for a bit talking and watching a movie. He had fun playing with Grandpa and Grandma...and I think all the loves and tickles helped burn off some of his energy. I love this picture of Connor with my parents. They're pretty great grandparents.

I put Connor to bed, and he fell asleep pretty fast. Once we went to bed, we drifted off quickly ourselves. Usually a feat that I have a hard time with on Christmas Eve--I'm always too excited.

December 25th

Christmas morning, we slept in until Connor woke up around 8:00.

He was still a bit sleepy so we had to show him how the activity cube that Santa brought him worked. He played with it a bit, but wasn't super excited at first. He was hungry. 

     

So we fed him breakfast, and we all ate before starting in on presents. Brian, me, and Connor opened our family presents, and my mom and dad opened a few of theirs while we were waiting for everyone to arrive to open the rest. Connor did a pretty great job opening presents, and then taking an interest in the present and not just the wrapping paper or boxes. 

     

Luke and Annie stayed the night at Mom and Dad's, but everyone else had Christmas morning at their houses. At around 10 am, everyone came over to Mom and Dad's and we opened the rest of the presents. A couple of years ago, we all stayed in one place Christmas Eve night and had Christmas morning together. There are so many of us now, that opening presents took a few hours and it was just too crowded and chaotic. So this year, we split Christmas morning up into two parts--family presents at home, and then sibling, grandparent, cousin presents together. It worked out a lot better, and everyone was much happier. We let the kids open their presents first, because they were just to excited to wait. It was really fun to watch them.

After the kids were finished, we sent them in the back so we could enjoy opening our presents at a more leisurely pace. It was a wonderful morning, and we all had a great time. 

Connor stayed with us during the present opening. He sat with Luke, playing a puzzle game on Luke's phone. He has really warmed up to everyone, which I'm so happy about. We only get to see my family every few months, and at first Connor was pretty shy around them. He isn't so much anymore. He even started giving out hugs...a sure sign that you've made it onto his list of favorites.

     

We ate a delicious ham lunch that afternoon, which my Mom prepared. We all brought a side to contribute, but the main dishes were all Mom. It was really good. After the meal and a bit more visiting, my siblings left to get kids down for naps. Brian, Connor, and I spent the rest of the day with my parents, Luke, and Annie. It was a relaxing afternoon and evening full of visiting, watching movies, and playing with Connor--just what our little family has needed. It was wonderful.

     

December 26th

We'd used up the majority of Brian's vacation time by this point in the year. We are normally able to spend an entire week--sometimes two when weekends and Brian's annual January business trip to Las Vegas for CES fall just right. This year we had no such luck, so we had to leave the day after Christmas. We were sad to leave so soon, I feel like we hardly got a break at all. While Brian and I packed our stuff, Connor spent some final time with my parents and brothers. Luke even got a hug before we left. We put off leaving for as long as we could. We'd had such a great time and it's always wonderful getting to spend time with my family. We didn't want to drive much after dark, so after saying our goodbyes, we headed out around 1pm. 

We made another quick stop at Layne and Kris' house where we had lunch. Connor just loves to play with the pinecones Grandma Westover keeps in a bowl near their front door. He had a grand time taking them out one by one and handing them to Brian and me. 

Brian tried to distract Connor from the pinecones by playing peekaboo through the nearby stair railing, but it didn't work, and Connor had fun handing him pinecones and then grabbing his nose. Connor thought that was great fun!

All too soon, we had to say our goodbyes again and set off for home. The weather was good and roads were clear, so the drive went smoothly. We made it home safe and sound, but tired. 

New Year's Eve/Day

Brian went to work the remainder of the week after Christmas. He'd gone to New York, then worked for a day, then traveled to Idaho, then was back at work the day after we got home. Although Christmas had been relaxing, it wasn't nearly long enough of a break. So we were looking forward to a nice, quiet New Year's celebration at home. We ran a few errands on Saturday and then came home and took down our Christmas tree and the few other decorations we'd put up. Connor was wreaking havoc on our tree like never before, and it was just a mess, so we decided to pack it all away. 

Sunday we went to church and then came home and had a nice long nap. We had our traditional New Year's Eve dinner of Chinese food (we'd picked it up the day before) and then just spent the rest of the evening together, watching movies and playing with Connor. We finally got Connor to sleep around 10pm and we didn't quite make it to midnight. We fell asleep around 11:45-ish. Haha! We almost made it. We spent New Year's Day at home doing nothing important, but just enjoying a quiet day at home. 

It was the perfect end of 2017/beginning of 2018. This last year, our first year of parenthood, has been wonderful and busy and a bit of a whirlwind. Although we're hoping that 2018 will be a calmer year for us, I'm afraid that we will just have to keep hoping. If we want to accomplish the goals we've set for ourselves this next year, we're going to have to hit the ground running...but maybe in a couple of weeks. Once Brian gets back from Las Vegas. As we've discovered, our plans never go...well, according to plan, but things always seem to turn out positively in the end. Usually better than expected in the first place. I'm curious to see what 2018 will bring for our little family.