Our Week of Christmases...

We celebrate Christmas for a whole week around here.  Lots of grandmas and papas and cousins and family around mean lots of wonderful days spent eating and drinking and merrymaking.  Popeye had to work for most of our family events (boo) but Swee'Pea and I made the best of it and still had a wonderful time.  I tried to take as many pictures as possible but I'll be honest... these days the only camera I even bring to events is my iPhone, and I'm lucky if I remember to snap even a single picture with that.  Lame.

We started off the celebrating with breakfast with my dad and step-mom (no pictures, boo).  We ate yummy waffles and chocolate pancakes while they loved on Swee'Pea and showered him with lots of fun boy toys that he immediately tore into at the restaurant.  He spent the morning playing cars with my step-mom and loved every bit of it.  It was a good morning.

The next day we headed to my aunt and uncle's house to celebrate with my dad's extended family.  My cousin remains to this day one of my dearest friends, and I'm so excited that Swee'Pea gets a chance to know her son as they grow up.  These second cousins had a blast chasing each other around all morning and playing in a real police car.  Here they are making their meanest most criminal faces.  Obviously.

After lunch and gifts we headed to my grandma's house in my little hometown.  She lives in a rambling farm house on her pistachio and almond farm.   We visited and ate lots of tasty homemade treats (she even picked up some Tahoe Joe's cheesecake... my favorite!) and opened gifts galore.  I have tried to make an effort to take a five-generations picture each time we are all together with this side of the family.  Here we are with my great-grandmother (she is almost 95 and as alert and as beautiful as ever!), my grandmother, my mother, and my younger brother.   

The next morning (Christmas Eve day), Swee'Pea and I headed to our traditional Christmas Eve morning birthday party breakfast for Popeye's brother-in-law's sister's husband's birthday (got that straight?  no?  okay, let's just call him my brother-in-law).  We visited and ate yummy waffles and had a really nice morning relaxing.

And then the real festivities began.

My in-law's are amazing.  Like super-duper over-the-top awesome when it comes to Christmas.  And I love it.  Not just because of the gifts.  But because of the true joy that can be felt all day at their house.  By 12:30 their house was open and ready for Christmas to begin.  Popeye and I were the first the to arrive, knowing the secret they had been keeping from the kiddos and wanting our chance at it before the kids took over.  

Our ten kids spent six hours on a giant tropical bounce house slide.  We adults spent six hours taking turns monitoring the chaos outside and lounging and talking and eating treat after delicious treat.  

It was heaven.  Pure, blissful heaven.

When dark fell we played a bit of Family Feud with the adults (the boys won in the last round... how do they always win?!) and then the kids were off to change into their traditional Christmas jammies and take the traditional Christmas picture.

I can't believe there will be two more babies on this couch next year.  It makes me so happy I could just burst.

Then we sang "Happy Birthday" to Baby Jesus...

Before diving into hours and hours of present opening.

Popeye bought his brother this terrifying horse head.  It is disturbing and fascinating to me all at the same time.  

The one picture I actually got of the three of us.  Our last Christmas picture as a family of three.  It still takes my breath away.

My in-laws bought me this amazing little record player and my mom bought me some great records to start my collection.  We have hardly turned this thing off since it came home Christmas Eve!

It was the perfect day.  We opened way too many generous gifts and I ate way too many deviled eggs and we got home way too late to set out cookies and milk and carrots for Santa so after Swee'Pea passes right out in bed, Popeye and I got to work making sure everything was perfect for Christmas morning.

And at 6:52 on the dot, just like every other day of his life, Swee'Pea awoke and excitedly came to wake us up.  We convinced him to lay in bed with us until 6:58.  And then the excitement was just too much.

Santa brought lots of fun goodies in our stockings (yes, that is the back massager my five-year-old asked Santa for.  don't judge, he gives free neck massages to anyone patient enough to sit still long enough).  And the gift of the morning, oh boy!  A Razor scooter.  Which he immediately took outside to ride in the freezing cold.

After we opened gifts we ate our traditional Christmas Eve buns and then it was off to my parent's house for a perfectly relaxing and lazy day.  Multiple naps may have been taken by me.  They really do have the best napping couch.

Papa Turbo bought Swee'Pea a super special gift...a Green Machine!  Which my child then used to terrorize the streets of their neighborhood for the next two hours.

The day was perfect.  And I may or may not have gained four pounds on this cheese ball alone.

We had a wonderful week of really precious quality time with our families.  And every year I appreciate more and more how special it is to have so many people I love surrounding me not just on holidays, but every day of the week.  My heart is so full right now.  I am so incredibly thankful for the blessing that my huge crazy family is not just to me, but to Popeye and Swee'Pea as well.  We are so, so loved.  And that is the greatest gift of all this Christmas season.