Merry Christmas!

In the spirit of celebrating all 12 days of Christmas... or perhaps just because I am so far behind that this is the first chance I have to write... here I am wishing yall a Merry Christmas!


We had a truly wonderful and blessed Christmas. With our families on 2 different coasts, Patrick and I are used to alternating holidays; however, this year we were blessed with circumstances that allowed us to share the celebration! Patrick's brother and sister-in-law moved to Morgantown, WV - just 2.5 hours away! Well, maybe a little more when you are pulling an "empty box" over the mountains on your inaugural snowy drive in the minivan. But it wasn't too bad, the kids did sleep for at least 30 minutes or so.

We spent 2 days there, enjoying their hospitality immensely. Patrick's mom was there, also, which meant baking cookies and reading books with Gram. Life was perfect for my very happy little girls. My sister-in-law is Brazilian, and a wonderful cook. We ate well, we laughed a lot, we had a marvelous time.

Santa surprised us by bringing our presents there on Christmas morning! Good thing we had that extra empty box. *cough* Lesson learned: if the box says "screwdriver needed" then one should not wait until after the kids go to bed to get started. Santa was very tired, but very happy on Christmas morning!















When naptime arrived we departed, stealing Gram away with us. We drove the 3 hours straight to my parents' house, where we continued the celebration with another big family dinner.















Merry Christmas, Yall! Wishing you Christ's Peace and Joy!