As most of you know, Nora and I were able to fly back to Kansas earlier this month to spend an entire week with our family. Nick, on the other hand, is not allowed any vacation days in the month of December, so he had to stay behind. We had such a fabulous time as always, making our rounds and visiting as many family members and friends as possible. It is still very important to us that we stay connected with everyone there even though we aren't around often. We celebrated my nephew and brother's birthday, made a trip to see Santa, dined out with some friends, did some Christmas shopping and I even managed a moms day out by myself, which never really happens :)
Once we returned to Albuquerque, we put the finishing touches on our holiday details and it was actually a very relaxing few days. Prior to Christmas Eve, we attended a beautiful Christmas service at one of my good friend's church to put us in the holiday spirit. Then, on Christmas Eve, Nora and I had a fun day of baking Christmas goodies and finishing up all the last minute wrapping and grocery shopping. By Christmas Eve evening, Nick was able to squeeze out of work just in time to meet us for mass at St. Jude's Catholic Church. It was quite an interesting experience however, because it was beyond overly crowded and with an overly energetic toddler, I was maybe able to sing along to one song....
One our way home from mass though, we cranked up the Christmas station and did our normal sing along :) We decided to start some new traditions this year too, so we allowed everyone to open just one present that evening. Everyone got new jammies to wear that night. After tucking our little Angel into bed, Santa arrived at the Steffen household and we were even surprised at the massive amounts of gifts he left. After his departure, Nick and I were able to relax in front of the fireplace and chose a Christmas movie from Netflix to end the night.
So, I must admit, I was the first to arise once again on Christmas Day! This has always been a tradition on the Underwood side. I get so excited I can hardly stand it! haha. Nora awoke at about 7:30 and we were ready to get the show on the road. As expected, she was extremely excited as we walked down the stairs and she saw all the gifts. She dove right in, opening every one we put in front of her. We did have to stop along the way to play with some of them too. Therefore, this process took nearly two hours and our house looked like there had been a tornado come through...
We also decide to make a tasty brunch to tide us over until our evening plans. Nick and I tag teamed it in the kitchen and it turned our wonderfully! We actually even surprised ourselves :) And...of course followed by an enormous meal, the entire family decided to take a little siesta.
The rest of the day was spent playing with all our new toys. And of course, I cleaned, haha. We were also so blessed to get to go spend some time with our neighbors and friends for a holiday meal that evening. It was so thoughtful of them to invite us because, even though we enjoy spending time as a family of 3, we are very social people and do miss the larger gatherings and get-togethers on these special days.
As you can tell, all in all, it was a joyous occasion. We are always a bit sad once it has ended but we are now trying to find a spot for all our new goodies and will enjoy getting back into our little routine. We have lots coming up in the next few months so stay tuned....Uncle Clif and Scott are making a trip in January, Nick's work will keep us busy in February with a black tie event and then a week long trip to St. Petersburg and then we hope to find some time to jet back to Texas too!
