Christmas Recap

Remember me?  I’m still around.  Work has been a bit crazy.  I can’t remember the last time I was THIS busy, but I’m learning so much and still really enjoying my job.  I was supposed to have a stretch of days off starting December 20, but I received an urgent request from the FDA so I didn’t have as much time off as anticipated.  I was so looking forward to that Friday before Christmas and had plans to take Charlie to the dog park, go out for lunch, help in W’s classroom, and wrap presents.  I still helped with W’s Christmas party (It was also his birthday!  Hello, 7!!), but the rest of my day was spent working.  I was disappointed, but had the wherewithal to keep in mind that I would have been SO much more miserable if I wasn’t in my current job.  Long hours aren’t quite as awful when you enjoy the work and I’m so grateful to have transitioned to a new role. 

Anyway, I managed to wrap presents and get things done just in the nick of time.  On Christmas Eve, we went to my cousin’s house for dinner.  It was great to see relatives I hadn’t seen in a long time.  The boys had fun running around the house and watching Frosty the Snowman.

On Christmas day, the boys were super excited to see if Santa visited.  They ran downstairs to find new scooters and several packages.  We went to church and grabbed coffee and then it was off to Nani and Papa’s house.  The boys enjoyed running around with cousins and opening presents.  W took time to examine each gift, while S really didn’t seem to care what he received, he just wanted to open everything!  We returned home with full bellies and two tired boys.

On the day after Christmas, my mom and Susana came over for brunch.  The boys opened their gifts from my mom, Santa, Susana, and A and me.  It was quite the scene as the room filled with torn wrapping paper and too many boxes to count.  The boys received Legos, Magnatiles, games, watches, and books along with their scooters – all of which were perfect for them.  The day happened to be warm – near 60 degrees, which is unheard of for late December.  We all went out for a family walk and enjoyed the fresh air.

The days after Christmas were my favorite.  We slept in, took long family walks, played too many board games to count (W is obsessed with Sorry!), visited friends, and took things slowly.  When the boys went to bed, A and I caught up on shows.  On one day, we spent at least 6 hours cleaning up and organizing, which was very much needed.  A and I managed to squeeze in a much needed lunch date.  We also took the boys to the library and they picked out lots of books.

 I also want to remember a couple things I made.  I was asked to bring a “cheese ball” for our Christmas Eve gathering.  My initial reaction was “a what?!”.  But then I remembered that my grandma (who passed away 12ish years ago – wow, typing that, I can’t believe it’s been that long) used to make this cheese ball with cream cheese and chipped beef.  I found the recipe and made it and love that it brought back memories.  I also made strata for our after Christmas brunch and used a recipe from my uncle who lives in Oregon.  I love that I was able to make a couple family recipes (even if they were easy). 😊

With work and only 4 weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas, this Christmas felt especially chaotic and rushed.  As much as I wanted to slow down, I couldn’t.  I enjoyed Christmas, I always do, but I wish I had more time to prepare.  I’m really hoping the holidays will be less hectic this coming year (but doubtful!).

Stay tuned for a Trikafta update!