Holiday Fun!

Christmas is so much better when viewed through the eyes of a child!  Randy and I have so much fun celebrating the holidays with Trey, partly because he gets so excited!  He has been counting down to Christmas (well, he's been counting down to Santa and getting presents) for the past few weeks.  Every morning he wakes and tells me how many more days until Christmas.

On Christmas Eve morning, we went to JJ Jump to meet Mindy and Camille.  Julie and the boys came too, and it was a great way for the kids to burn off some energy and kill some time before Christmas Eve dinner.

a blurry pic of the boys in the bounce house 

Trey and Camille, friends forever

Christmas Eve night we Facetimed with Doug and Carmen.  We went up to see them after Christmas, but this may have been the first time in quite a while that we weren't actually with them on Christmas Day.

Randy and I hosted Christmas Eve dinner with my family.  Julie, Tim, Grady, Case, and my dad joined us for a "fancy" dinner.  Randy made a ham from the pig we bought that was DELICIOUS.  We also had some of our customary Christmas food (e.g. raspberry jello casserole and glog), and it turned out to be a really good meal.

Trey had been counting the minutes to opening some presents since he woke on Christmas Eve morning.  The kids opened the family gifts, and they all seemed pretty pleased with their loot.

Randy packed my gifts with packing peanuts, which turned out to be one of the hits of the night.  The kids had a ton of fun playing with the peanuts, and Randy had a ton of fun vacuuming them up.

After presents, we went to my second cousin Erika's house for her Christmas Eve party.  This is a family affair, and it was nice to see some relatives who we have not seen in a while.  We did not stay long because we wanted to get the kids in bed, especially since I knew Trey would wake at the crack of dawn, if not before, to see what Santa brought him.

For some reason, Grady found himself a spot hidden away to eat his snacks. 

And for some weirder reason, Case did the same thing.  

When we got home, Trey and I put out cookies, milk, and carrots for Santa and his reindeer.  Trey wrote a note to Santa and went right to bed (ha).

I tossed and turned all night because I was afraid that Trey was going to wake at 2 or 3am and freak out that we weren't going to let him open presents that early.  I was hoping he would make it to 6, but at 5:40am he was up and ready to go.  We all trudged out to the living room, and Trey was happy to see that Santa and his reindeer enjoyed their treats and filled the stockings (and then some).

Reading Santa's note back 

After present opening, the Clarks spent a good portion of the morning on the couch.  It's exhausting to be awoken so early by an excited five year old!

Later that morning, we went to Julie and Tim's to hang out for a bit with my dad.  Grady (aka Batman) was having fun trying to build with his new Legos.

The day after Christmas Curt and Ana came over for another Christmas dinner.  I made a yummy Tuscan white bean soup in the slow cooker and we enjoyed a nice bottle of wine, after more Lego building, of course.

Trey's reading has exploded over Christmas break.  It has been so awesome to watch.  He loves it when I write him little stories and then he reads them back.  In this story below, he gave me the words "save the world from evil doers," but the rest of the words he was able to read on his own.

On Sunday the 27th, we drove up to Port Townsend to see Grandpa Doug and Grandma Carmen.  We spent three nights with them and also took a daytrip to Anacortes to see Great-Grandma Alice.  It was a relaxing trip and nice to spend time with Randy's family.

 Doug and Trey reading about dinosaurs

Checking out the lights at the casino in Sequim 

Trey trying to be a stealth ninja and blending in with the post 

More reading 

Some family Lego building bonding time... 

That didn't last long... 

But Randy stuck with it and finished the project. 

 Julie bought me a new book light which I used every night as I fell asleep.

The family on the ferry on the way to Anacortes 

Visiting with Great-Grandma Alice 

Stopping for ice cream on the way home 

On New Years Eve we had the Kopplins and Witteveens over for dinner and drinks.  Luckily, we all have kids, so they weren't offended when I asked them if they would leave by 10pm since I didn't want Trey to stay up until midnight.   We had haystacks for dinner and lots of laughs.  The kids played great together and the grownups got to talk.  It was a fun night!

Yesterday, New Years Day, Julie came over with the boys for a bit so they could play and we could have some mimosas.  I just love that they live so close and that we can see each other so frequently.

Case, a surfer in the making, just like his daddy

Overall, 2015 was a great year.  As I reflect, the things that stand out most are the summer beach trip we took with my family for my dad's 70th birthday, Trey starting kindergarten, and my decision to go back to school to be a school psychologist.  We have also witnessed some hard times - watching Madi go through cancer treatment (successfully, thank god) and the loss of my friend Shelley to cancer stand out most of all.  I have been practicing gratitude, and at the end of 2015 I am most grateful for the health of my family, the opportunities for Randy and I to take new career paths, and the joy of my child.  I'm also grateful for the relationships in my life and the support I get from people, near and far, who make each day a better one.  Happy New Year and here's to another great year!