Merry Christmas 2020 and a Happy New Year!!

Christmas Eve was full of traditions and we had a beautiful time! The kids and I made cookies for Santa and then later we all decorated them together as a family :). We ate our traditional soup dinner and then made hot cocoa and drove around the neighborhood looking at Christmas lights :). We had the Christmas music going and the kids were laughing and joking in the back seat. It was beautiful. I found myself this entire holiday just trying to soak it all up. The love, the laughter, and the fact that together we have it all :). We also opened up our Christmas Eve gifts to each other and that is always fun! I love seeing what the kids picked out for us and for each other. It shows their sweet, thoughtful side and it makes my heart melt. Austin spent extra money on Evie so she could have her own makeup kit and she loved it! And they both spoiled Isla :). I think the greatest gift a parent can be given is seeing how much your children love each other. And ours definitely do! Then, when it was time for bed, we set out cookies and milk for Santa, and carrots for the reindeer like Evie had promised in her letter to Santa. And before we knew it, it was 6:30am and the kids were bursting through our bedroom door all wide eyed and bushy tailed and ready to run downstairs to the Christmas tree! :)

Making Christmas Cookies!

For some reason, my girl here wanted to cook topless.... and we went just with it ;)

Oh I love this particular tradition so much!

It's decorating time!

We made sooo many cookies and ate half of them while we were decorating haha!

Even Isla approved of her cookie! :)

We had a beautiful Christmas this year! It was small and comfortable and so so happy :). Plus, it was Isla's FIRST CHRISTMAS! So we had lots of fun with that! She was in heaven trying to open everyone's gifts and getting into all of her siblings presents hehe! It was a struggle trying to keep her at bay but we all loved every minute of that day :). 

The kids got everything they asked for and more! Austin has been begging for a hamster all year long and he ended up getting two!! They are adorable little white dwarf hamsters and he named them Rollie and Polie :). They were the stars of the show that day and every kid was fighting over who got to hold them :). Evie loves watching the cashiers at the grocery store do their work and is always saying that's one of the many jobs she wants to have when she grows up. So she got her own little grocery store and she was in heaven! Grandma Helm also showed up that day and joined in on the fun! We rarely see her because of COVID and quarantine, so the fact that she risked it to be with us for Christmas meant a lot. And it was such a beautiful day! The kids also got their own Polaroid Cameras so they can start learning the art of photography and they spent the entire day taking pictures and documenting in their new photo albums :). We had a yummy Ham dinner and didn't want to say goodbye to the day or the fun. It was a Christmas for the books!! 

This is the only photo Josh and I have of each other on Christmas day and it means so much to me! we have Isla smashed in between us along with so much love. 

Isla loves her Daddy and she was so happy!

Watching Rollie and Polie run around!

Isla opening up her first presents :)

Lots of smiles that day :)

Isla was running rampant and getting into everything she could find! :)

We love Great Grandma Helm!! It was so special getting to spend Christmas Day with her!

I tried to show Grandma how Isla can walk....

But Isla only walks when she feels like it and she was having more fun just getting lots of attention than actually taking steps hahaha!

GOODBYE 2020 AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

    We had the most amazing New Years Eve party!! We turned on the disco ball, busted out the Martinelli's and had a dance party!! It was a blast! We also went to the store earlier that day and bought all sorts of fun foods and laid it all out on the table buffet style to eat all night long while we partied :). We were disappointed by the television and it's lame version of Rocking in NYC this year because the pandemic has made it impossible to go out or do anything normal or fun. They didn't even do the ball drop!! And that's usually our cue to send the kids to bed! So we did our own countdown and shot off our poppers and confetti and even took poppers outside to run around annoying the neighbors ;). This year has been so hard and I am so glad we have each other. While Josh was holding me on the front porch and we were watching our kids running around throwing POP-ITS, I just tried to soak it all in. The fact that we survived 2020. The blessing that none of us have caught the dreaded COVID-19 Virus. The miracle of adaptation and how it has made us even closer than ever before, and I didn't think that was possible!! The joy that we have had as Daddy has been allowed to work from home during quarantine all year. The beautiful bond that our kids have formed with their new baby sister and all the time they have gotten to spend together because they haven't been able to go to school outside of the home. The quote, "We may not have it all together, but together we have it all." came to mind and it is sooooo true. We don't have the biggest house or the most extravagant life, but we have something even better. A beautiful family who loves each other dearly. I always knew that, but 2020 proved it. Thank you 2020 for your MANY lessons, despite my reluctance to learn them at times. And PLEASE 2021, BE KIND!!!!! 

As you can see, our dance party got CRAZY!!! hahaha!