I look forward to the holidays each year, yet it consistently feels like we didn't quite fit everything in. We're perpetually rushing around to go/do/see. It's challenging to keep up with all the fun traditions, yet slow down enough to truly enjoy them. I'm not sure we've found the right balance quite yet. There's no escaping it, December is the busiest and also the most wonderful time of the year.
Regardless of the general holiday hustle/bustle we found happiness in the little, big, magical (and even the imperfect) things this season always brings.
A few blurry scenes from our Christmastime festivities:
Christmas Eve Jammies
(and Milo's absurd reindeer hat. He's wearing it ironically... ;)
So much brother love I could burst. Even Fletcher is looking lovingly at Milo, ha!
The most decadent Opera Cake, thanks to Aixios!
Always so good to us, and always so delicious.
I'm pretty sure this blurry iPhone pic is the only one we have of the whole clan (with everyone semi-looking in the direction of the camera).
Christmas Eve at Lolli's.
The boys sprinkling reindeer food in the yard before heading to bed on Christmas Eve.
This is it! Christmas morning. The moment they've been waiting for.
Boo again for low-quality pics. (I've gotta get out my good camera more often!)
They literally couldn't wait another second.
Each kid gets three Santa gifts every year.
Three Wisemen, three gifts for baby Jesus...this rationale makes sense to the boys and Santa's bank account ;)
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| Max: telescope, lava lamp and rock'em sock'em robots. Sullivan: air hockey, the game of perfection, magic penny Fletcher: marble tree, AlphaBuild magnets, guess who Milo: bilibo, counting hedgehog, bag of balls (his fave) |
Deep into the Christmas morning wonder...
This guy just wanted Santa's leftover cookies.
They get one "group gift" from Santa too. This year it was a VW tent.
All four of them love to hoard all of their toys inside and pile in together.
Sully shoving Milo in :)
Stockings!
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| my four little ducklings, all in a row. |
Last but not least, OUR gift to the boys. A full band set up on stage.
Lots of joyful noise coming from the basement these days!!!
Max has been taking piano lessons for almost a year now.
It was sweet to listen to him play music from my old Christmas recital primer circa 1989.
Sully on drums!
Plus, bonus gift from Billy to all of us.
A hand-painted flag of the Murray family crest custom made by COMMONWILD Flag Co
So much destruction. So much fun.
Air hockey has been a major hit.
I used to think there was nothing better than being a kid on Christmas...until I had kids of my own. I never get tired of re-living moments of my own childhood through them. The infinite loop of past and present, I think it surely must top the list of "things that are pretty cool about being a parent".
We hope you and yours had the merriest holiday season!
A few memories of Christmas' past, just because:
2015
Blog Post : Comfort & Joy (link)
2014
2013
2012
