snapshots of our christmas.

Henry looking at all the presents for the first time. I love that cute, little, closed mouth smile.

Walter could have only gotten clementines for Christmas and would have been happy as a lark.

This is the first year that we stayed home for Christmas. And to be honest, I was going back and forth all week on whether I was excited to be home, in the comforts of our home, with our little family, and sad that I wasn't with my sisters, my neices/nephew, my mom and dad, the food, etc.

BUT, it turned out better than I could have imagined. It was quiet, it was comfortable, it was home and lovely. I'm so grateful for a wonderful mama who made each house we lived in a home. We woke up nice and early as Henry woke up, let him open his stocking and play with the train that Santa brought and I started making cinnamon rolls. Walter woke up later and we did stockings with him and then let the boys open their presents with the occasional mom/dad present in between. We ate the cinnamon rolls way after the boys had eaten their own breakfast, but that didn't matter at all. And then we just had a nice, relaxing day where Ryan was with us and we had no commitments at all (except for the awesome gchat I had with all of my siblings and our families and chatting with Ryan's parents). I made ham/rolls/veggies/sweet potatoes for dinner, the usual (for Christmas, not real life).

It really was so nice. There's something special about the hubub of a billion relatives coming together and something even more special coming together as just a family, making memories with just the four of us.

I'm excited to have some big, extended family Christmases in the next few years, but I will always remember this Christmas as the one with just us. Us.