december 24th - ho ho is coming

We had a nice family breakfast to kick of Christmas Eve and Lucy has been saying “ho, ho, ho” since she woke up. The amount of excitement in our house is at peak levels and we aren’t sure which kid is in the lead. 

It was a nice relaxing day at home before getting all dressed up to go into town for what has been our new tradition...listening to Christmas carols in Palmer Square and landing at a restaurant in town for dinner. We tried out a newly opened place called The Meeting House and it was pretty perfect...loud and full of wine. Alex declared it was the best Christmas Eve dinner ever as he shoved his burger in his face.  Lucy thoroughly enjoyed her rosemary mac and cheese, but had to fight Mommy for every bite. 

The kids got to open presents they got for each other before bedtime, Gemma gave Mommy and Daddy her awesome handmade calendar we have been waiting for, and we tucked them in after ‘Night Before Christmas’ so we could get to work. Alex’s basketball hoop came with an open pack of hardware scattered throughout the box among all the parts. Not exactly what Daddy wanted for Christmas...3 hours later it was fully functional. Pure holiday joy!

december 23rd - energy day

The day started a little rough when Lucy bit her tongue instead of her froot loops, but Gemma did a great job consoling her back to good health. We swung by Dicks for some new kicks and Starbuck’s for a quick snack and then hit Sky Zone for some bouncing. Lucy LOVED it. The employees kept coming up to us and asking to remove her from the big kid side. She just wanted to be in the middle of everything. They all slept very well for nap time....Lucy slept for over three hours. After dinner tonight, we met up with Farrah and Ashlyn in town who were in to see the Christmas tree and a run around Palmer Square. 

december 22nd - let’s go birds

Daddy went to the Eagles-Cowboys game today to see who wins the division and the kids went to Beeps and Grandpa’s house with Mommy to do some Christmas baking and watch The Polar Express. Not before we played dress up at home and Lucy discovered her new favorite item...latex gloves. 

december 21st - busy day

Lucy loved the morning light in the kitchen and actually let Daddy take a bunch of pictures of her without running away. We took a brisk stroll to Central Market to get out of the house and wander a bit. The kids loved the donuts there and we made a quick pit stop on the way home to pick up lunch. Lucy was a big helper getting everything set for dinner and re-discovered the not-so-secret hiding spot under the dining room table with a little help from Gemma.  Gem sang Christmas carols with Aunt Robin, Alex played ball with Tate, and Lucy was quickly half naked when she spilled water all over her only pajamas.  She obviously thought it was hilarious and it didn’t bother her one bit. 

december 20th - xmas in the big city

Christmas celebration in Lancaster at Gramps and Grandmum’s was a little different this year as the location had been changed. We got to see their new place in the city and the kids were very pleased to be able to go for walks around town and see the sites. Dinner tonight was lots of fun and pretty casual as you can tell from the napkin bonnet that Gramps decided to wear...on his own. Even Lucy hopped out of her stroller and join in on the game of tag that developed during our walk home.  The kids had a bet going that Gramps’ tree got caught in the elevator because it seemed to be missing its top. 

december 19th - app snatchers

Mommy had girls night at our house this evening, so it was Daddy night. After we felt that we sufficiently ate enough of Mommy’s snacks, we went out for pizza and ice cream (and wine) at Nomad. We had way more fun than Mommy. Alex and Gemma got a special treat of having a slumber party in Mommy and Daddy’s bed. Daddy got a head start on building Christmas presents in the basement so listening to women gossip was kept to a minimum. 

december 18th - volun-told

Lucy was happy to see the supply of Wolferman’s arrived today. She claimed what she wanted and organized the rest for Beeps. Mommy is on Christmas duty for Gemma’s class and it has dominated our lives over the past couple days. Gift cards, frozen credit card security checks, fancy love pop cards, spreadsheets, chasing down parents via email on six different platforms, 50 venmo transactions...ah the joy of Christmas. Even Lucy is exhausted. 

december 17th - lights

Our annual night with the Dreby clan to take in the light show at Shady Brook and we are feeling festive. At least, Mommy and Gemma are feeling the Christmas spirit with their holiday swag in full effect. We had dinner, snacks, and Lucy discovered a new found love for latex gloves before heading over. Uncle Todd rented a big truck this week for work so they could all pile in...we discussed a little about how eventually we are going to have to rent a school bus for this night. 

december 16th - reindeer sighting

The kids got a little deeper into the christmas box today and they were all sporting some reindeer antlers. Gemma’s choice was particularly hilarious...at least Lucy thought so. Beeps stopped by with their annual ornaments so they all had a chance to find a spot on our tree.