Here Comes Christmas Pics

Oh Christmas Tree

Here Comes Christmas Pics, Here Comes Christmas Pics...

Yes I know, I posted lots of Christmas Roast Beast photos, and not a lot of family Christmas morning present pictures frolicking in the snow. My apologies to my faithful readers (my mom), my occasional readers (Facebook friends who happen to see the post) and to the rest of my family. Sometimes I forget, sometimes I get busy, and sometimes I just want to watch Cruz get excited about a cardboard box and not document it. I know we are far apart and since I didn't get to see most of my family I feel bad I didn't post more. So here goes...

Another side note on why I took less photos... you might of noticed that we try to lean away from the materialism of Christmas. We didn't spend three months mortgage on junk toys for the Cruz, Novali didn't get an iPad and no huge 70 inch TV. Very un-American of us I know, but don't worry we did bargain hunt at JCP, Target and KMart after Christmas, got us back on the real-American bandwagon. Anyhow...

We did spend time looking for used toys for Cruz and he loved those, and of course enjoyed the cardboard boxes we packed them in more than anything. Novali got fun activities, books, some crafts, projects and yes a curler and Taylor Swift perfume. She subsequently didn't leave her room all day and it smelled like teen concert and crispy hair for days...

A box!

Books!

One thing I did want to highlight though... it was four of us for Christmas... not sure I have even had Novali on Christmas morning here with me in a long time. So it was a nice morning, all of us (just us) together opening gifts, enjoying hot cocoa and of course, smelling the roast beast cooking... yeah I had to mention it again.

Our Family

With Grandma Coates

In general it was a fun family holiday vacation, the weather was nice for travel and man did we travel. We spent a night in Flint, one in Saginaw, time in Bad Axe and ended it in Detroit... nice Michigan tour of family and friends, and all of us together. In the middle of all of that Cruz turned 3!

It was busy, and then we capped off the Holiday being snowed in for a few days (temps hit -40!). As much as being locked indoors with an active 3 year old is hard, it was a nice break from traveling and work. Some blessing comes disguised as lots of snow and ice.

Now it is back to the grind...