Christmas 2017

We made it to Christmas!!!

Christmas Eve, I made the usual spaghetti and meatball dinner and we had cheesecake for dessert. Dave's brother Joe came over and ate with us. After dinner, we read the Christmas story from the Bible and then the boys got to open family gifts. I had the boys give each other gifts and made sure they used their own money. Cruise got Jett a big spatula and Miles a pair of sunglasses. Jett got Cruise silly string and Miles a Spiderman toy. Miles got both Cruise and Jett little stationary packs that contained a small notebook, pencil, pencil sharpener, an eraser, and stickers. The boys had all made stuff for Dave and I at school. Dave and I gave the boys their usual pajamas and book. Earlier in the month, Dave and I ended up buying ourselves our presents. Dave got some Spiderman movies and I got myself a few long sleeve shirts that I really needed. Merry Christmas to us!

After gifts, we had the kids put out milk, cookies, and carrots, and we sent them to bed. Once we knew they were deep in sleep, we put out the Santa presents.

Christmas came and the boys were patient and waited to open their presents until Dave and I got up around 8. The boys were really happy about their gifts and Dave and I were relieved that there were no disappointed faces. Cruise's big/expensive gift was a robot called a Cozmo that's actually pretty cool. He also got a cartooning book, a large box of markers, a new lab coat, a chemistry magic set, mini Hatchimals, Batman Legos, and the usual stocking stuffers. Jett got a giant Nerf Rival gun (just like his friend's), a Nerf mask, a bike, Batman Legos, a donut pan, a Rubiks cube, and stocking stuffers. Miles got a balance bike, a Cars slot car track, a puzzle, Batman Legos, wood blocks, an MP3 player with headphones, and stocking stuffers. We also got them a giant R/C truck that can climb over curbs and through snow and mud. It's actually pretty cool and was a huge hit.

While they all played with their new toys, I got breakfast going. We had waffles, sausage, scrambled eggs, fresh fruit, whipped cream, orange juice, and hot cocoa. 

After breakfast, I got showered and ready while the boys all played with their toys. Then Dave took them out to play in the fresh snow while I got dinner started. 

We decided we didn't get enough turkey at Thanksgiving, so we made turkey for Christmas dinner. We had brined it and everything, something we've never done before. In fact, we had only made a turkey once before and even then we didn't really know what we were doing. We hit a few snags along the way, but it actually turned out fantastic. This is the brine we made the day before.

Dinner was...crazy. Abby had just had her baby girl a few days before. I had planned on making them Christmas dinner and knew that since Abby is vegan, I would have to make some adjustments to a few things for her portions. Looking back I should've just made all the sides vegan, but that would've been too easy. Anyway, aside from the turkey, I made mashed potatoes and gravy (totally forgot to send Casey with he gravy), stuffing, green bean casserole, loaded sweet potatoes, a spinach salad, rolls, sparkling cider, pumpkin pie, and the rest of the cheesecake from Christmas Eve. I gotta say, I was on the verge of massive, debilitating panic attacks that entire afternoon trying to get all that food made and sent off to Abby's. But I did it! All my dishes were dirty and my kitchen a mess, but it all tasted delicious. I wish I would've gotten a picture of the turkey before we carved it, but we were in such a hurry to get the food off with Casey, that we didn't even think to. 

The rest of Christmas break was pretty much the boys playing with their toys. Cruise worked on his chemistry set, they all built their Lego sets, and Jett and I made some amazing chocolate donuts. It was pretty laid back and not too overwhelming for the most part.