Christmas day....

disney headbands to pass the time...

does this game ever get old?

what could be better than orange soccer cleats...

sous chefs

head chefs

please don't take away my jello salad next year....

On Christmas, the girls have always tried to sleep in late before coming out to open gifts from Santa.  As a rule, they try to stay in their room until 9am even if it means bringing games in to entertain themselves.  We once told them that it would be impossible for them to sleep late on Christmas morning so it is their annual tradition to prove us wrong.  This year though, Matt and I had to get the roast in the crock pot so we got up early while the girls entertained themselves with several games of Disney Headbands.  After dinner was in the crock pot, the girls got busy opening their gifts from Santa.  Afterwords, we popped the cinnamon rolls in the oven and played some more games while they baked.  We have always had coffee cake on Christmas morning but this year we discovered an amazing recipe for cinnamon rolls while I was teaching a yeast breads class...Rachel decided we should swap the coffee cake for the cinnamon rolls.  Good choice, however, Hannah is convinced we are purposely trying to ruin her holidays by taking away traditions that she loves each year.  First the gingerbread train, now the coffee cake....I am not sure how much change she can handle.  After dessert breakfast, we pretty much laid around all day.  Matt and I did manage to get in a long walk in the afternoon though.  Dinner this year was a delicious pot roast.  Kate from Maynard Farms supplied us with a fantastically yummy, locally grass fed roast.  We had the usual side dishes of mashed potatoes and green beans as well as the always popular cranberry jello salad.  We all agreed that we will never give up the jello salad as a Christmas dinner tradition.  The holiday is coming to an end and I am feeling full...literally and figuratively.  I found myself needing to get my blog post in as quick as I could today....I had such a need to remember all the happiness and peace of the last few days.....before I know it, things will change and I will no longer be snapping a photo of 3 smiling girls in matching jammies, or watching a play production in the 3 sisters Theatre, or snuggling by the fire to read a handwritten book.  I find myself needing to hold on to these things just a little tighter this year.  Last night at dinner Emma gave a toast and described how lucky she felt that we were all together, especially since so many families in Connecticut would be missing their children so much.  I couldn't agree more.  My heart has been really heavy over the last week for these families.  For me, the best way to honor those memories is to continue to take stock and continue to be grateful every single day. I am really glad that the girls will be able to read my ramblings in this blog one day and know how dearly loved and cherished they were to me....how much the everyday events of my life did not go unnoticed or unappreciated...