Since we are going to be separated from my fam for actual Christmas this year, Judy, Tom & Brian came over for a faux Christmas tonight... except instead of cooking Matt made a phone call to the nearest decent pizza place.
Many gifts were exchanged and I don't think it will shock anyone to hear that Lils was the recipient of most of them. :)
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| Opening the second gift (she got the hang of it pretty quickly). |
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| Talking on her play phone. I picked it up and said "Lily, it's Santa!" and she ran over to talk. |
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| Trying on her new unicorn slippers. |
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| This is what a baby belly full of pizza and clementines looks like. |
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| She's always so happy after her bath. There really is something innately calming about water. |
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| Goofing with Grandpa Tom, who Lily calls "Ba-pa." |
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| Reading a new Elmo book with Uncle Brian. |
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| Lily got a toy Blackberry for Christmas, which Grandpa Tom seemed to like more than Lily. |
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| Mowing her new toy lawn mower from cousins Tate and Rowan in Atlanta. |
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| Looking at her new faux fish tank with Grandma Judy. She really loved this so I think we'll have to find a space for it in her room. |
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| She went down easily tonight! |
We had a really fun time and I'm while I'm sad that we'll be apart on Christmas this year, I think it's a fair trade since we do get to see them every day. Tomorrow morning we head up to Walnut Creek for Christmas with Matt's family. There aren't words to describe how elated I am at having a long weekend to spend with family! This long weekend is going to be my last hurrah before I have to buckle down and devote most of my extra time to studying for the CA bar exam, which will be in late February. I was going to bring study materials with me but Matt convinced me to hold off and enjoy the weekend without pressuring myself to study.
Anyway, I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas! Last year, I was so organized and posted a special holiday letter but this year I just don't have the mental clarity to prepare something like that. I try to think about the past year with some introspection and I just come up with a series of crazy events that blur into each other. It's been a year of serious ups and downs, as readers of this blog know, but I am really happy to end it on the up!
I can say that this year has taught me to be nicer to myself than I have been in the past. I have a major tendency to burn the candle at both ends and it's way too easy to lose sight of what makes me happy about my life when I'm exhausted and over-extended. That part of me popped up last weekend when I decided to hand cross-stitch holiday cards this year (who does that?). The me of last year would have stuck with it and been a really tired crank as a result. The me of this year realized, after 1.5 embroidered cards, that it was a completely ridiculous goal, cut my losses and decided to do regular old cards. I guess you could call it laziness but I think it's actually a new-found sense of perspective.
And along with that perspective has come a really strong appreciation for all of our amazing family and friends! We love you all and hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas weekend!
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