Christmas Break is All Over

There was an INSANE amount of relaxation.

 There were homemade/school made presents for children to proudly present.

 There was obligatory 'stealing' of mom's phone to take random pictures, most of which had to be deleted.

 Daphne was the brave cookie-making soldier this year.  I had the dough all ready from baking cookies for Shawn's class party.  The boys were feeling drunken with video gaming power as we did loosen rules during the holidays.  I'm not sure where dear Lily was, but it mostly Daph and I.  She is determined.  I even had to do a video.  She wanted to do it right; she wanted very little help, and I loved watching her make it happen.  What makes her difficult to mother sometimes will ultimately make her into a determined successful human being.

 Daphne relished beautiful new clothes.  No one in our family appreciates clothes quite as much as her.

 Side note:  She loves them so much she wore all 3 new 'outfits' from twice each on Christmas, AND she loves clothes so much she will sometimes layer them in the most fascinating ways so she can enjoy all that beauty all at once.  I would not have appreciated this quirkiness 10 or 20 years ago, but now I love it; it's part of who Daphne is and I roll with it.

 I bought a dress to treat myself as I was feeling my Sunday wardrobe was a tad frumpy.  When complaining about how my top was a bit small to fill the dress out properly, Matt reassured me, "Don't worry, Mom.  You'll grow into."  No, no I won't, Son, but bless your positivity.  I love the dress nonetheless, just have to do a little pinning to make it work.  Next time, I am paying the extra $10 for them to customize the bodice to my slightly not-ever-going-to-grow-into-it size.  It's all good.

 Grandpa Jim/Grandma Laura not only made a surprise visit to see the kids and deliver presents before Christmas but also got the kids nutcracker ornaments to paint in the pre-Christmas excitement, and the children all sat at the table in turns to give it their best.

 And when I woke up from my Christmas stupor I realized I had beautiful, fabulous babysitters at my disposal and went on a few river walks.  The pic below is from my favorite off the beaten path place along the river.  The icicle formations were so cool, especially 2 days before this when the sun was shining bright and there was much sparkling.

 And 2 days before we had to go back to REAL real life, we did gingerbread houses because dropping it as a before-Christmas expectations made my life much more sweet as up to and on Christmas I was sewing, sewing, sewing Shawn's quilt.

There is a lot to look forward to while we wait 11 months for Christmas delights to come again, so I won't let my doom and gloom last long, but it was a great year.