When I was little I remember my Mom being stressed out by the end of Christmas day. I never got it, for a little kid Christmas is awesome. You just get to sit back and enjoy all of your new toys and eat lots of delicious food and sweets that someone else prepared for you. This year I finally got what all the stress was about. With two little ones, Christmas was freaking bananas.
I'm not completely bah-humbug, I love the season. It's just those two days that get a little out of control. Let me break it down for you. Finley is still very unpredictable unless it's the evening and then you know she is going to be difficult. This makes having a nice Christmas Eve dinner with a bunch of family pretty impossible. The night started out like any other family get together, everyone wanting to hold Finley and Finley not having it. All the passing around makes her extra cranky and Joe and I ended up taking shifts holding her in the dark quiet back room while the other one ate. Aubrey was pretty good until my father in law dressed up as Santa and came out of the attic in the garage to surprise the kids. Girlfriend lost her shit and would let anyone put her down for the rest of the night.
Christmas morning was good but Aubrey is at that stage where she just wants to play with every gift she opens instead of going on to the next. I guess that's a good thing because she really like everything she got but it makes for a long morning of opening presents. My parents and my brother came over for brunch and all was good until about one in the afternoon. All of the excitement from the morning and the night before proved to be taking a toll on Aubs when she starting talking complete gibberish. We laid her down for a nap but no nap would prepare her for a whole other round of gift opening and dinner that we were set to have that night at Joe's dad's house. Basically the whole evening Joe and I were swapping which kid to hold because Finley was being Finley and Aubrey was just spent. She has this weird thing where she hates every dog but ours and won't let you put her down if there is one around. Well, Joe's dad has a dog. A dog Aubrey knows but it didn't seem to matter that day, she would not let her feet touch the floor and my sister in law Heather had to pretty much open all of her presents for her. It's kind of funny though because now she thinks that all of the presents she got while she was there are from Aunt Heather.
It's sad to say but I'm pretty happy Christmas is over this year. It was just too much for anyone to handle. Next year will be better, I'm sure of it.
That black and white photo of you and Finley is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteMy toddler wanted to play with every gift she opened as well! By the time we went to my parents for round two she was over opening stuff!
ReplyDeleteLove the pictures!
xoxo
Holly
I'm so sorry that Christmas was difficult. The pictures sure hide the stress, though. They are all beautiful. Your family is endlessly lovely. Having two little ones sure makes the holidays hard. Life is easier, when one parent has free hands. I hope you get a chance to have a quiet, restful January to recover.
ReplyDeleteYour pictures are gorgeous! I understand the sigh of relief when Christmas is over. Last Christmas Day, Eli was going through a six-week growth spurt and he spent the entire day nursing or crying - it was brutal. So I declared this year our do-over Christmas. But our house got hit with the flu bug on December 22 and we were zombies on Christmas Day...through New Year's...we're just now getting back to normal. NEXT YEAR will be better :) Hopefully for you guys too!
ReplyDeleteNext year WILL be better! From one zombie mom to another!
ReplyDeleteBuck is the same way about being passed around and I don't know why people don't get it.. The just pass him onto the next person instead of giving him to me. I end up having to be "the mean one" and take him.
ReplyDeleteHaha, can you blame Aubs? For real... your father in law = crazy looking Santa!
ReplyDeleteOh man I'm with you! Christmas was HARD. Here's to easier ones as the kids grow...and to many more months before the next one.
ReplyDeleteAww, I love this little peak into your Christmas. And can we talk about how you and your girls are total twins? Because yeah, you are!
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