Justin had taken off the day before Christmas, so it was very nice to be able to spend the whole day together, knowing the next day we would not be. It seems my routine is to work on my baby's first Christmases... at least that's how it's panning out. It actually worked out fine though, as I did not have to go into work until 3:00pm.
My brother, Gordon, was also scheduled to work 3-11 on Christmas day. So Gordon and his wife, along with me and my crew decided to spend Christmas eve with my parents. It was oddly quiet for an Eck gathering with the rest of my siblings and the McLaughlin gang not present. We actually ate at the dining room table- which NEVER happens because we NEVER all fit there! :)
 |
| Blowing out the candles on Jesus' birthday cake! |
Thankfully, Santa made an early visit to the Eck household at my request. Owen was immediately unsure about Santa and didn't want to be anywhere near him. Once Santa started handing out presents, he seemed to warm up a bit. But he refused to sit on his lap and wouldn't even get within arm's reach.
Marshall, on the other hand, didn't seem to mind Santa. That is, until he would loudly say "Ho, ho, ho!" ...Marshall has a thing about loud noises.
We had talked for weeks and weeks about what verse or song Owen would do for Santa. He said he would sing Amazing Grace, but when the time came, he suddenly became too shy to perform. He would start to sing, but after the first two words, would suddenly go mute. Next year! :)
When Santa was ready to go, he asked Owen for a hug and kiss goodbye. Owen quickly blew him a kiss and "hugged" his hand. Lol.
When Santa was ready to go, he asked Owen for a hug and kiss goodbye. Owen quickly blew him a kiss and "hugged" his hand. Lol.
When Far-Far returned from the store (where he so conveniently had to go while Santa was visiting), Owen ran right over to him, and sat on his lap to tell him about Santa's visit. :)
 |
| Salt-dough ornaments of Owen and Marshall's hands. :) |
On Christmas morning, Owen oddly slept in until 7:15am. Once up, we headed downstairs and got started with the Christmas gifts. This was the first year that Owen completely understood the concept of opening presents, which made it that much more fun for us to watch. Owen's big gift from us was his work bench. He loved it and spent much of the morning "fixing" things.
Marshall man, on the other hand, spent much of the morning asleep. Poor guy only got one toy from us. That sounds awful, doesn't it? But seriously, he doesn't need anything. And I guess I could argue that we've bought him several new outfits in the last month because of his moving up in sizes that have pushed him out of the right season. :)
A Hunt family tradition for Justin, growing up, included having Monkey Bread for breakfast on Christmas morning. Naturally this is a tradition my sweet-toothed husband wants to continue. In years past, his Mom has been kind enough to prepare it for us ahead of time. But this is the first year that I took on the responsibility of making it myself. It was half gone after breakfast, so I'm calling it a success!
Justin's family came over around noon and enjoyed an appetizer style lunch followed by a time of opening gifts together.
 |
| Marshall Man's first Christmas :) |
By the time the last gift was opened, the kids were clearly ready for their naps. I put Marshall down for his nap, said my goodbyes to everyone and headed to work.
I'm extremely thankful that my work status changing to 'per diem' enabled me to spend Christmas morning at home. I truly don't feel that I had to miss out on anything this year. Don't get me wrong, I would have loved to stay and enjoy the Christmas dinner that they later prepared. But it was so nice to have been able to see and spend even just those few hours with everyone. I'm already looking forward to next year!
No comments:
Post a Comment