Merry Christmas

It's been a really nice Christmas here at our house. For the first time we had Christmas with just our little family instead of travelling to be with our parents, and I'm so glad we did. Not that we don't like our families - we actually missed them a lot - but having just the three of us at home together for Sawyer's first Christmas was a cool experience. Megan, Ryan and baby Caroline (who is starting to fill out and get some adorable chubby cheeks) came over on Christmas Eve for dinner. I attempted to make the dishes my mom traditionally serves: roast beef, mashed potatoes, candied yams, green bean casserole, fruit salad, and her incredible homemade rolls. It turned out pretty well I think. Of course, it's never exactly the same as when mom makes it! But it was a lot of fun to spend so much time cooking and putting it all together.

Christmas morning Eric and Sawyer got up early and played while I slept in until 8:00. (If that had been my only present I would have been happy!) After I woke up we opened our gifts. Saywer had a great time tearing open packages and playing with whatever he found inside; even the safety covers for electric outlets were a hit. My amazing husband gave me a new iPod, complete with engraving on the back that says, "Happy Wife, Happy Life". After all the packages were opened we had a big breakfast and went to church (for only an hour - woohoo!) When we got home we had leftovers for lunch and took a long nap. We talked to our families on the phone and then spent the evening watching our new DVDs of "Scrubs" and "Everybody Loves Raymond" while munching on Christmas candy.

Today we stayed in and played with our new toys, and Eric studied for the written part of his CCIE exam, which he's taking in a few days. He's taking this whole week off from work and it's so nice to have him around. I'm realizing how much I like my own family, and how lucky I am to have them.

Merry Christmas everyone!