Christmas Week 2014

Hello Sunday night...and no Sunday blues! Terry and I get a whole week more together. We're excited for lots more family time. I thought I'd pop in to recap Christmas week.

First up, those dog-and-baby photos I promised. 

That's Achilles on the left (a German Shepherd, and a gigantic one at that), and Tango on the right (a mostly-Lab rescue, the sweetest dog you'll ever meet). 

Achilles was all about the kisses.

Marshall didn't mind.

Finally! All three smiling!

We returned from my parents' place on Monday, and we enjoyed a couple of days at home, wrapping gifts, helping Santa as needed. One of my favorite parts of Christmas this year was having so many Christmas cards to hang from loved ones! We just used a little yarn and some clothespins to hang our cards.

On Christmas Eve, we enjoyed brunch with some friends and family, and then we made it back home by late afternoon to finish getting ready for Christmas morning. Terry even made cookies for Santa! 

And then it was Christmas morning! Marshall's first, our first as parents. It was a big morning.

Santa visited!

Santa wrote Marshall a long letter. Given that Santa uses special block writing (like the photo above this one), his letter might be shorter next year.

Our Christmas at home was much smaller gift-wise than our celebrations with each of our families, but we had a blast finding and giving gifts to our little guy. We followed the popular four gift model: something you want, something you need, something to wear, something to read. Swim lessons, a teething toy, his first ball cap, and This is Not My Hat, respectively.  

Of course, Terry and I exchanged gifts, too. I loved Terry's gift to me from him and Marshall: a cookbook that focuses on cooking with kids, plus a "mama and Marshall" whisk set (I had asked for new whisks in a few different sizes, and he really cranked it up a notch!).  

Funniest gift of the year was from Marshall's great-grandparents: a giant stuffed horse! (Marshall was born in the Year of the Horse, and Marshall's great-grandmother calls him "Mustang," just like she calls Terry "Tiger" for the same reason.)

Marshall refused to nap (I suppose we were silly for thinking it'd be a normal day), so Terry and I ate French toast casserole and drank champagne (me) and eggnog (him) quickly.  

And then we tried to get a family photo by the tree. Not terrible! 

Since Marshall still wouldn't nap after presents and breakfast, we decided to head out for a walk at a new park. Still no nap, but Marshall did try out the swings for the first time! 

He seemed to love it! I already can't wait to take him back to try it again when he isn't going on his fourth hour of being awake (way too long for this guy). 

Marshall finally dozed off right as we pulled in to our apartment complex, so we turned around and drove out by the coast for a while, listening to Harry Potter on CD and enjoying the gorgeous day. 

Then we came home and I cooked boeuf bourguignon for dinner. We drank Frank Family Zinfandel, chatted for over an hour after Marshall went to sleep, and rejoiced in the fact that our first Christmas with our baby was a wonderful day.

Ornament from my aunt--Marshall's photo with Santa fit perfectly inside!

On Friday we headed out again to spend a few days celebrating with more family. Marshall got completely spoiled again, but Terry and I got spoiled, too, because we had a lot of time to relax, hang out together, and even go on a date! We had a great time together and a great time with family. Marshall had an even better time, I think. Here's hoping he enjoys a few good nights of sleep to recover!

I hope you had a wonderful week and that you enjoy these last few days of 2014. I'm soaking up time with my boys, but I'm ready to get back to a regular blogging schedule, so I plan to be back tomorrow night!