Holiday Traditions

I've written about holiday traditions in the past here and here. This year, my mom carried on the tradition of having my cousins and Laurel over for a pre-Christmas Eve sleepover. Matt, Cassie and Kelly are now the "big kids" and we have a new generation of little kids.

While L was at my mom's, M and I got lost in the new toy store in Bakery Square. In addition to some goodies for Laurel, we also came home with three new placemats for us...one is the periodic table, one is a map of the United States and the third is pictures of all the presidents and years of service. Yes, we're dorks like that. We also went to D's and had some beer and bar food. And of course, we slept all night without interuption, which was pure bliss.

My Aunt Mary and her dog Sadie arrived last night, and will be staying with us for the holiday. Naturally Laurel is completely fascinated with the dog and Sadie is being a pretty good sport about have a toddler pet her constantly. This holiday season has been so hectic and I really feel like I've dropped the ball on a bunch of things...no Christmas cards, no stockings hung up, no cookies baked, etc. However, with christmas carols playing on the radio and a gentle snow falling outside and good smells from the kitchen, and just enough presents under the tree for Laurel makes me think we're doing ok.