Christmas 2010

Christmas in my family is usually a pretty hectic time.  I'm sure it is for every family... but for some reason MY family adds an extra degree of stress to EVERYTHING, so Christmas is like the super bowl of stressors for me. I am always worried about making sure every present is bought, wrapped, addressed, that I didn't leave anyone out... and then we pack our car and ride 2 hours to my mother's house in East Berlin, PA.  We have done this for 3 Christmas' now- but this year, I decided, THIS year we would claim OUR Christmas.  We had to start our own family traditions and have our own Christmas eve in our own place.  I have to say it was hard.  When you have spent every Christmas morning with your family for as long as you can remember, suddenly changing routine is an adjustment.  However- I am SO glad we did it.  Christmas as a whole was, just, perfect.  Zoe and I baked a TON of de-licious Christmas cookies together- one of the traditions my grandmother (who has since passed) always did with me. 

Baking Sugar Cookies with my lovey <3

We woke up bright and early (after a night of playing Santa's workshop), and gently woke Zoe.  She, unlike most mornings, woke up smiling and excited.  i had no idea just HOW aware she actually is of her surroundings and the anticipation that leads up to Christmas.  I remember most that she put her hands on top her head and spun around in circles after seeing the tree full of gifts.  She opened each gift with a "WOW!" or "Mommy! Look! A BABY!!!" and was genuinely thrilled with everything Santa had put under the tree.  There was no screaming... The was no cursing... Nobody left upset or crying.  There was just pure Christmas Magic.  I guess in the end, change IS good.  We are carving out our little niche in the world and standing as our own family.  I took a ton of pictures with my AH-MAZE-ING new camera that my honey bought me.  Honestly, a lot of days, I feel sad and sometimes even depressed, because everything doesn't always go my way.  We aren't the richest people and sometimes it's all we can do to barely pay all the bills on time.  But sometimes... I step back and look at days and moments like these and just KNOW that our little family is so blessed.  We have each other no matter what- but we also have a place to live, food, heat, and the opportunity to provide our daughter with a wonderful Christmas, where so many other families cannot.  I hope you had a great Christmas too!

Christmas Eve (before Santa came!)