Merry Christmas

I knew there was no way to top Christmas 2012.  But 2013 showed up big time.  I love Christmas.  It's such a beautiful season.  It's even more special now.  I think it's this way for every new parent but I see Barrett in every nativity.  Every baby is him.  I think it's even more so that he is a Christmas baby and I've had the entire Advent season to prepare for Christ's birth.  I've also had the entire Advent season to prepare for Barrett's birthday. I know that the two do not compare.  But I can never think of the Christmas season and not think of 2012.  That day changed my life forever.  

Enough mushy stuff...

Christmas Eve we went to my Grandmother's house for lunch, we had a great time and I took zero pictures...moving on.

Patrick, John, Hope, Barrett and I went to Midnight Mass at 8:00pm.  Barrett did pretty good until he saw the girl in front of us had a snack.  So we gave him some cheerios and he was happy.  After Mass we went to my parents house to get Ally and had some pigs in a blanket.

Ally's Christmas dress.  I thought she looked so pretty! Day 24 outfit

Santa came.  I want to always remember Santa's first trip to our house.  It was so special.

The expression of joy. ha!

I had grand dreams of what our first Christmas morning would look like.  For example, in my dream Patrick and I would go and get Barrett out of bed and he'd be so smiley and happy to see us.  We change him and bring him into the living room where he'd crawl as fast as he could to see what Santa brought.  You can tell my dreams didn't exactly come true.  It was perfect though, he just needed a bottle first!

Ally, on the other hand, was more excited to see what Santa brought! 

Patrick and his babies.

After his bottle he was a happy boy, (well as happy as he could be with the terrible cold he's got)

This is a simple picture but it wins Christmas for me.  I love that of all the things we got him he was the most excited about the yogurt melts.

This hit me like a ton of bricks, you'd think a year later I'd be used to seeing "Mom & Dad" on stuff.  

Our annual picture in front of the tree.  I love it. 

I use the self timer exactly one time each year and I always have to look up in the manual how to set it.

(I need to do a post on all of our pictures in front of the tree!)

Day 25 outfit (they say 1st birthday) (By the time I put him in bed he'd worn 5 outfits today.)

Birthday breakfast.  He ate the entire cinnamon roll and loved every minute of it.

Gracie getting her bone.
Sam with his. They were happy dogs! We went to my mom and dad's house for brunch. This year we just bought for the kids. We had this book growing up and we wore it out.  I can remember fighting over who got to lift the flap on each page looking for Spot.  My sweet little brother got this one for Barrett.

I totally cried. (I might have cried again just thinking about it).  It was bound to happen at some point today anyway.  I was just so caught off guard.  

Then, I catch a sweet moment like this between my sister and Barrett and I teared up again.  I know I've said it a hundred times but seeing people you have loved your whole life loving on your child is one of the most special feelings.  I'm not really sure why, I knew they'd love him but it is still so special.

Luckily the same folks are there to turn right around and make me laugh.  John and Hope got our dogs this giant candy cane bone.  It's the size of a real walking cane.  Ally looks so unhappy it's kinda funny.

The birthday boy getting a nap.

Clay getting a nap.

Dad was sick and stayed in the bed.

John was helping Ava put her lego thing together.

Drew

Ava

S'mores

Porter

Harper

Our sweet little family.

John and Hope with Bentley and Hope's dad's dog that doesn't have a name but sure is cute.

Patrick and Leslie.

After we came home and recharged for a bit, we headed to the Horton's house for dinner.  Barrett was exhausted and sick but he was a trooper.  We opened gifts and then ate dinner.  Dinner was fabulous and I ate way to much it was all so delicious as usual!  It was a fun time but I was spent.  I was beyond exhausted.  The activity and emotion of the day was almost too much for me.  

We were blessed beyond measure this year.

I had the perfect ending to the day when sweet Barrett let me rock him before bed without putting up a fight.  It was like he knew I needed it.  He laid his sweet little head on my chest and just looked and smiled at me.  I never wanted it to end.

I'm sad it's over.  Luckily in the Catholic church we celebrate the Advent season leading up to Christmas and then the Christmas season for the twelve days after Christmas so I'll be soaking in the last few days of our Christmas season because Jesus is the reason for the season.