I love this time of year, because not only is Christmas my favorite holiday, but also because my youngest son and I both have birthdays, all within a month of Christmas!
This year my sweet Nolan turned four, and part of me was incredibly sad that he is leaving toddlerhood behind. But another part, is excited to see the little person he is becoming, with his rambunctious personality shining through more and more each day! Nolan loves opening presents, probably more than anything else in this whole world (haha)! We sang to him, ate cake with him, and shared his joy as he opened gift after gift. He is my last baby, and I do wish I could keep him small and sweet forever, but am also grateful he is growing and is healthy and happy.
My birthday, is just before Christmas, and we were getting hit that evening with a terrible snow storm, with frigid below freezing temps, so we went out and celebrated early in the day. We ate a delicious meal at my favorite Mexican food restaurant, and I enjoyed a birthday margarita! Honestly, birthday's aren't super fun for me anymore, as getting older isn't something I tend to want to celebrate (just being honest), but I know it's better than the alternative, so I try to be grateful anyway.
Christmas Day finally arrived, and my kiddos were beyond excited...well not my teenager, but in all fairness, he is a typical moody teen that never gets that excited about much of anything! My boys quickly tore into their gifts, making a mess of wrapping paper and bows strewn about the living room floor. Then they opened their stocking full of candies and smaller gifts. We had ordered pizzas and sides the night before, to have for our Christmas dinner, since everyone is so picky about food, and since I don't really enjoy cooking a big meal for a bunch of picky eaters, who will turn their noses up at most of it! We were still snowed in (more like frozen in), so we relaxed at home, grateful that our power or furnace had not gone out, like some of our neighbors. It was so unseasonably cold, that the insides of our windows iced up, my car battery died, and our hot water pipe to our shower froze! We were able to place a heater over the pipes for several hours, and eventually got our hot water back (phew), and my husband bought a battery charger and got my car running again, but the winter storm definitely made the holiday more stressful! Thank goodness we don't ever travel for the Holidays!
I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas, and is looking forward to the New Year! 2022 was pretty difficult for me, so I am hoping that 2023 is a better/happier/easier year for my family and I (sitting here with fingers crossed)! Wishing everyone a wonderful New Year!