post holiday{it's a wrap!}

We're only a few days out of the holiday haze but it almost seems like it happened weeks ago!  Last week we wanted to take Rowan downtown to see the big holiday train display but I wasn't feeling well and the baby was a little fussy because he's teething. Dealing with the crowds and traffic into the city seemed more than we could handle so we opted to stay close to home. EnterTrainment Junction is not too far from our house. It's expensive, but they have a holiday display set up that's free. Free is good, especially when you're not sure if it's something your nine month will enjoy.

Much to my surprise this was perfect for us. The display was just enough to keep him entertained without being too overwhelming! I think there were only three or four other families there. It was like we had the entire thing to ourselves!

An unexpected benefit of the 17 year age gap between the kids is that I get to remember how great Christmas can be when you have young kids. Sadly most of our holiday traditions fell away as the kids got older. Teens make their own plans and dragging them to "family" activities is sometimes not worth battle of getting them there. Nothing harshes holiday cheer like sullen teenagers bitching about something they don't want to do! Picking out the perfect gifts becomes stressful and most of the time they just want cash so they can hit up post Christmas sales. The entire season can feel anti-climatic in so many ways...womp womp.

This year, I think we were all excited because it was Rowan's first Christmas! It was so good! Aside from the gifts there was so much laughter! Nothing felt perfunctory. We were all happy to be together-still sleepy and clutching mugs of coffee-listening to our favorite Christmas songs and helping the little one get the hang of ripping wrapping paper off of his gifts. Later our oldest daughter,on leave from the Navy, helped Doug make breakfast, the kids cleaned up the kitchen(a Christmas miracle!) and I prepped for dinner. It was just our little family for dinner. There were jokes and stories. Lots of eating! A few glasses of wine. And, a post dinner puzzle  that has become our white whale(although I think we're only a few hundred pieces away from finishing it)!

Things were so relaxed and we had such a good time I only managed to get a few shots of Christmas morning:)

This week I'll pack up the decorations and we'll say goodbye to another holiday season but one that I think will be memorable for all for a very long time!