The 23rd arrived and I was thankful that Ty at least had a half day of school so that I could get a little done around the house with just Jason. Somehow we managed to get almost everything done before our company started arriving around 3pm. We made my entire extended family on my mom's side there. My grandparents and each of my uncles and their families. I think there ended up being 28 of us in total, missing only my brother Chris and my cousin Andrew's girlfriend Jordan. A pretty big group in a small space, but everything went very well. There were plenty of toys in the boys bedrooms to occupy all of the little ones. And of course there were all the new presents they received as well. Great food, great company, and a great time. Getting together with all of them always makes me feel like a kid again.
On Christmas Eve morning we made plans to meet up with the boys daddy, who had arrived from NC the night prior. It was sorta of an uncertain trip, but he ended up making it which made Tyler very happy. Al and his girlfriend (yes, that's what I said) met us at Al's mom and stepdad's house. It was the first time the boys had seen him since August when we met briefly as we drove through NC. Tyler was elated and Jason adjusted a ton better than i expected. Eventually I felt semi-comfortable enough to pull myself away and give them "alone" time together. It may have been the hardest thing I ever did.
I did fill up the time wrapping presents, so I did appreciate that. I was only home about 1.5 hours before I returned to pick up Jason so he could come home for a nap (we had big plans that night). Tyler got to stay and have play time with daddy.
While Jason napped Bella relaxed during her first Christmas Eve.
That night we went to Jim & Cara's for her traditional Christmas Eve feast. Her kids, my grandparents, as well as Cara's dad and sister and some friends were there. We had a nice time, but it didn't' seem right without Tyler there. He did show up a couple hours later but sadly he arrived upset. It took a while for him to regroup. My poor baby. This is all so tough on him. Luckily Cara's kids are great and really gave him the understanding he needed. The ice cream bribe didn't hurt either!
After the party we did all the important stuff...got on Christmas pajamas, put out milk and cookies for Santa, and even read Twas the Night Before Christmas.
The end of my Christmas Eve was a mad rush. Wrapping presents. And assembly. My poor dad spent at least an hour trying to assemble this adorable radio flyer tricycle for Jason, only to discover that that thing won't fit him until he's at least 3, despite the reviews stating otherwise. My poor little peanut. So back up into storage that went. I guess it was all for the best because Jason's gifts were all large in size (especially the easel) while Ty's were small but expensive (Nintendo DS being the main one). After my parents went to bed I set things up under the tree and then gave up at mini kitchen setup (that might be a snow day present down the road). I even ate half a cookie and dumped the rest of the evidence. And hid the Elf on a Shelf until next year.
Christmas morning came early for us with Tyler awaking just before 6:30, but it certainly could have been worse. I didn't want to wake Jason, so Tyler got a chance to open his presents by himself. The major hits were the famous Mickey comforter (with a bonus reverse side design), Nintendo DS, and Magnetix. Eventually Jason woke up and got right into present opening, with a little help of Ty. He probably most liked his viewfinder, Dora & Boots stuffed animals, and easel. And as if there weren't presents enough, they both still had gifts from my parents too!
After the excitment of present opening had passed then my grandparents as well as Jim, Cara, and Aidan, came over for brunch.
After a very rushed brunch we made it over to Al's moms, unfortunately before the rest of them managed to arrive after all that rushing. Grrr. Anyway, the boys had tons of fun opening presents from Mom & John as well as Al & Michelle. The major hit was the inflatable ball pit for Jason and a science experiment kit for Tyler. I stayed there until it was Jason's naptime, when i then brought him home for a brief nap. Tyler stayed there to play.
Later that evening Al and Michelle took Ty to Aunt Kathy's while I brought Jason there myself. I'm not going to lie, it was a little uncomfortable, but his family was great and we managed to have a nice time. The boys had a blast with yummy food, family, and of course presents. You would have never thought a child could get so excited by receiving a child-sized snuggie. LOL. And the boys LOVED their Toy Story pajamas. Photos courtesy of Uncle Mike.
After I got the boys to bed I was able to head over to Beth and Erich's for a Christmas party, which unfortunately had been down-sized due to the upcoming snow arrival. Still had a nice time though. I really had needed to get out a bit!
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