christmas vacation

on december 21st, two entire weeks of all my babes home full time seemed like a blissfully long and welcome idea.  now, on january 3rd, it seems like not nearly long enough. 

there are definetly moments when the whining reaches new heights and the boys clamor to play the wii and the house is a disaster and suddenly school seems so far away.  but mostly, i am treasuring the extra time with my adorables.  one amazing benefit of sending my children to school is that the burden does not rest solely on me to educate them.  therefore our breaks and vacations can be saturated with play and fun with a little educationalness sprinkled in.

here are a few of the things i best loved this break:
1.  the new nest.  it is as awesome as the typical sat night creation, but is located in our room and occupied all break.  both boys are set up on the floor of our room, right next our bed.  i love waking up and seeing those beautiful faces all snuggled.  even harv has joined the boys on the floor the last couple nights.  not my choice...

2. gaming.  the boys got some really fun games this christmas.  and they are old enough to play competitively.  so much time has been spent playing sorry and spot it.  we laugh and play and make some cute memories.  like today when bear bear was attempting to say sea lion and lost the power of speech in the heat of the moment.  he kept repeating "see!  see!  see!  o, i cant say it!" then he dissolved in a fit of giggles as did maxer and me.

3.  sissie days.  kels was home for a few days and i so enjoyed catching up with my baby sis.  even though we talk frequently, long distance relaitonships are hard.  then, beans took me on a sister day involving mani's, pedi's, lunch, and twilight.  bliss.  on new years day, we bowled with meg and aust, and alex and courtney.  meg and aust then hosted a pizza party at their cute new house.  i am so blessed by dear sibs whom love me and my fam so well.

4.  barn parties.  we have been utilizing the new barn for festivities and have found it a perfect place to party!  we even dragged some christmas decor in there.

5.  puzzle time.  brad bought a 300 piece puzzle for the fam.  i totes doubted that we could handle that extreme of a project.  i was absolutely mistaken.  we had so much fun creating this puzzle.  maxer was amazing.  he was connecting pieces left and right and high fiving the whole time.  i love that even though he is huge, he is still a little boy, not repsectful of personal space and sneakin his way in wherever he wants to be.  bear bear preferred to have me locate some pieces that went together and then pointing them out to him.  otherwise, his interest waned quickly.  ayla jo continously doled out teensy tiny puppies to all participants. 

6.  the slow pace.  wow.  we really snapped right back into the summertime schedule.  sleeping in, jammies all day, soaking in each other's presence.  it felt so beautiful.  minimal agendas were maximum enjoyement.  never once did my children say bored.  love that

7.  the announcement of the healthy howard triplets due this summer and the birth of beautiful baby boy sawyer grassmid.  god is so good and his mercies abound in these new and precious lives!  much prayer covers both of these sweet fams. 

today i dropped off my boys at school again to start up our schoolday routine.  as i watched their excitment mounting during the hectic morning of teethbrushing and mitten locating, i was thankful for schooldays too.  both were eager to see their beloved teachers and friends.  and absence surely makes the heart grow fonder.  so excited to see my boys again and gather my little fam around me tonight knowing the very best part of christmas break, celebrating the presence of christ in our lives, icontinues every day we live in communion with Him.