As I write this, it's nearly silent in our nut house. All 5 of the kids are sleeping, 4 of them piled into the same bed. Partner #2 is on the phone visiting with her parents, and Partner #1 is doing last minute gift wrapping. I am just killing time now waiting to play Santa.
The last few days have just been a whirlwind of decorating and baking and activities and Jesus hunting and basically repeatedly discussing 'the big day' and what it will be like over and over and over again. I'm not saying that cynically, I was the person discussing it over and over and over again; you see, Christmas for me for the last few years have been a little bit anti-climactic, with a dash of depressing, with a particular emphasis on last year.
My daughter's dad and I have a "one year on, one year off" kind of arrangement, which means that every second Christmas is child free. And, as it usually happens when kids grow into adults, my brothers developed lives of their own, and it seemed like fewer of us could even make it to our childhood home for the holidays.
This time last year I was getting ready to move! The tree and presents were tucked in around boxes and furniture and it was a childless year for me. So not only was I not seeing any of my brothers, I wasn't sharing the day with my daughter, and all I wanted for Christmas was to be up here with my new family, enjoying a REAL Christmas! It was the most pathetic Christmas I have ever experienced. Lucky for me, my lovely friend, Sofia, who is from Ecuador and unable to go home for the holiday, saved Christmas eve for me by invited me over for a celebration with a bunch of her friends who were likewise, unable to go home for Christmas. It was really, really sweet.
But THIS YEAR!! It's redemption year! And boy what a season it has been! The excitement has honestly been too much for me to handle at times, and I have had to step out of the room to take a breather... Not even kidding. Thank goodness for my partners oldest daughter, Tawny! Because I was MIA catering to my anxiety often enough, without her assisting Partner #2, I think things may have gone a lot differently.
Now it is all coming to a close! A culmination. Tomorrow is the crescendo, what all this craziness has been leading up to, and I can. not. wait! It has been so long since I have had a Christmas with kids, and 5 kids no less! And to top it all off, I just cannot wait to celebrate with my new family. I am so in love with my family and my life, I just want to share this excitement and be part of it with them! Not only for me but for Isabella as well. I am excited for her to be able to share the excitement of a large family Christmas with all of her new siblings and parents.
Christmas Day
I am so tired.
I will admit, we went a little over board with the presents. I was just so swept up in the excitement! And I wasn't the only one! I had help from the partners and even Tawny came home with 7 bleeding banana boxes full of presents! Which is all fine and great, until its 10 o'clock at night and you have to pack all of those presents from their respective hiding places, top them off with bows, and then wait for Partner #1 to finish his last minute wrapping, before being able to go to bed knowing that the kids are going to hold you to that 5:30 am "at the Latest!" wake up time you gave them....
We had prepared a breakfast the night before that we could just pop in the oven and then we spent the rest of the day snacking on the left overs from our Christmas eve celebration, so there was no cooking to be done, and hardly any dishes. I highly recommend this approach for all you with kids! It's a life saver. And then in the afternoon, everyone took naps!! It was so needed by that time. I think both baby and Isabella slept for about 3 hours.
The hooks weren't strong enough to support all 8 of the stockings stuffed, so we ended up arranging them around the hearth for Christmas morning.
Also, after having ripped out the carpet about a week ago, Partner #1 finally managed to get some time to install the flooring Christmas Eve. Literally, he finished, we set the table....
Look at our snowflakes!
Posing in their Christmas Eve pajama presents!
Boxing Day
Today Tawny had to leave, which was bitter sweet. Everyone was so excited to see her, no one wanted her to go. We all had a good visit though. Now she needs to go prepare for her long anticipated trip to Australia for a freaking year. We're actually fantasizing about spending next Christmas in the Cook Islands and meeting her there.... /sigh.
Boxing day is the day Partner #1's parents come! Which is basically Christmas numero duo, since they spoil us rotten! You'll never believe what I got either!? My first piece of camo! Turns out my mother-in-law reads my blog and so read Its a Redneck Halloween and my comments on my community's egregious use of camouflage as normal everyday attire. Naturally, that translated into "Natalie needs camo!". And I gotta say, I am absolutely in love with my new rabbit fur lined camo hat. It is SO warm. Not to mention, irresistible....
Now I can blend with the locals and no one will suspect I am a complete outsider....
The in-laws come out fairly regularly, but its nice to see them in this capacity, with the kids all hopped up on Christmas spirit! The excitement is infectious.
My mission has been to clean out the house of all junk food, so we can start fresh in the new year, after all our partying is done, and boy does it show! In my defense, that dress is drapey, that's not ALL belly!
Wrap Up (Haha! Punny...)
So all-in-all I think I could safely say that it was a pretty damn magical Christmas. Crazy, and hectic, and at times, stressful, but nonetheless magical. It was exactly what I wanted Christmas to be.
I am coming to realize, that family isn't necessarily the unit you were born into. It's the group of people you choose to surround yourself with, who you choose to open yourself up to. Our family may be a far cry from most people's ideal, but it's the one I have chosen, and it is exactly perfect for me.
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