A Very Merry Grinchmas

I could not get myself into the holiday spirit this year. I feel like it gets worse and worse with each passing year (please tell me I am not alone in this). The stress of buying presents, hiding presents, planning dinner, organizing parties, attending parties, parades, cookie decorating, blah blah blah...it's enough to suck the life out of you. And don't even get me started on family Christmas card photos. Y'all, I was a Grinch.

I don't think I finally got into the spirit until O Come All Ye Faithful was sung at children's mass on Christmas Eve. That song reduces me to tears every time, and no not because Carol Brady was singing it when Mike came out of the mine during A Very Brady Christmas. Maybe it's because the song itself is a reminder of what the holiday is all about. There is no mention of presents, or decorating cookies that are Instagram worthy. It's simply O Come All Ye Faithful...joyful and triumphant. It's a reminder that this holiday is about a husband and wife who had a baby in a barn because that was the only place they could find. It's about the foundation of a faith that has raised not only me but countless other people on this planet (trust me I'm not going to go all religious in the post).

That was the moment when, much like the Grinch, my heart grew three full sizes. I looked at my family and smiled. This was what Christmas was about.

I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday and have recovered from the sugar/alcohol combination. I'm looking forward to 2019 and plan to push myself harder than I did in 2018. I have times to beat, muscles to gain, and myself to find again. I'll be honest, I have been seriously lazy since the marathon and just cannot get my mind in the right space for running. I'm hoping the new year will help clear some of the cobwebs and help me get back on the right track.

Wishing you a happy 2019!

It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Grinchmas....

I'm going to admit it, Christmas was very forced this year. I didn't have my usual cheer when putting up the decorations (which I cannot wait to take down). I listened to Christmas music because, well, it was on. I didn't even cry when they sang "O Come All Ye Faithful" at Christmas mass. I don't know what put me in the funk (I have a sneaky suspicion it had to do with the plague that covered our house), but I'm glad to finally be out of it.

I was lucky enough to have the week of Christmas off from work, so we spent one of the days making our cookies. The kiddos love doing this every year, and just because I wasn't holly and jolly didn't mean I was going to spoil it for them. God love 'em, but they cake those cookies in icing. I have to fight to have a few plain ones left so I do not go into sugar shock.

Scott wasn't able to spend Christmas Eve with us because of work (a fancy new promotion warrants that!), so the kiddos and I made the most of it. We went to children's mass at our church and then came home and opened our Christmas jammies. I let them stay up a little late to watch Christmas movies and drink hot cocoa (well, Aaron drank hot cocoa). While it was not the ideal Christmas Eve since Scott wasn't there, it was still nice and low key, which is perfect for us.

I would like to point out in the photo that the kiddos picked out the most sugar covered cookies they could find. Santa told me it was pretty rough.

Christmas morning wasn't even that big of a deal over here, which was strange, since normally they are up at the crack of dawn. They were very happy with what Santa brought them though and I think Jillian was in a state of shock most of the morning. Ever since that flippin' American Girl catalog landed in our mailbox she has been talking about Isabelle. Santa surprised her and made her Christmas wish come true. It took her until the afternoon to finally come to grips with the fact that they doll was hers.

Aaron was in Lego heaven and scored five different sets. Yes, five. We are still putting them together and he couldn't be happier.

They also scored a ton of games which we have been playing nonstop. For the record, Jillian is a shark when it comes to Monopoly. I have never been beaten so bad at that game. It was almost embarrassing.

We really laid low on Christmas day. Scott had to work and his parents are feeling under the weather, so we just had an early lunch and played with all of our new toys. Honestly, I think with my Grinch-like mood this year, it was for the best.

I hope you had a wonderful holiday (much more joyous than mine!)! I'll be posting more of our adventures soon!