Where'd Christmas go?

Can you even believe that Christmas has already come and gone?!

This Christmas was weird, but weird in a good way.  Before Victor and I started dating, I always spent Christmas with my family in Cincinnati.  Then we started taking advantage of the fact that I had 1.5-2 weeks off work over Christmas/New Year's and did some traveling over the holiday break.  We visited Portugal one year (LOVE) and then we went on a cruise for the next three years (Christmas cruises are lots of fun and so beautiful...highly recommended).  I was leery about cruising while pregnant last year so we stayed home, and now that Max is here, I am requiring that we be home for Christmas while our kids are little to establish and maintain our own family traditions.

So, celebrate at home we did!  My mom and sister came out to visit the weekend before Christmas, so we opened gifts with them on Saturday.  To say Max is spoiled is an understatement.  That's what happens with the first grandbaby!

Max really enjoyed unwrapping his gifts and trying to eat the paper

That bug spins 3 balls around and then opens its wings and dumps them out on the floor as it sings "Let's have a ball!  1-2-3!"  Thanks Grandma!

We had an early Christmas dinner with the in-laws that weekend and took some fun family photos.  Dottie Millwater does it again!  "It" being taking fabulous photos.

Wanna know a funny story about that green sweater I'm wearing?  Well too bad, I'm gonna tell you.
My mom got it for me for my birthday.  Funny thing is, I had purchased and wrapped the exact same sweater for her for Christmas just a few days before my birthday gift arrived.  I had a good chuckle when I opened it, and she had a good chuckle when she opened hers.

Greatest gift ever!

  My mother-in-law got Christmas jammies for everyone (even her grand-pups!) and she made us all change into them.  We all have the same reindeer socks on, too!

Max was so excited about Santa coming that he woke up about 8 times on Christmas Eve...Mommy was very tired on Christmas day.  (We asked Santa for Max's two top teeth for Christmas but Max learned to crawl instead.  Looks like we're in for a few more sleepless nights until those teeth pop through.)

On Christmas day, Victor, Max, and I opened gifts together at home and then went to Christmas mass with Victor's family.  

I just can't with this kid.

Then we stayed home watching movies and eating delicious Christmas treats all evening.

It was a lovely Christmas, even though it was weird.  I can't believe it's over.

Now it's time to get our house back to normal, clean out Max's drawers to make room for all his new clothes, and start working on our very first family yearbook!  We should also baby-proof the house.  Max is all over the place now.  Nothing is safe!!!

I hope you had a wonderful holiday with your loved ones and made many precious memories!