Christmas Eve Eve.

I’ve had a hard time Christmas shopping for Olivia this year, and it isn’t totally because I’m poor, either.  (DECEMBER IS SO EXPENSIVE.)

It’s because, as I mentally look around at all her things, I realize, she doesn’t really NEED anything. 

Truly, it all feels a little excessive for the nearly 4 year old who couldn’t even express what she wanted for Christmas without it being planted in her head sometime in November.  And even now, she is kind of confused about the whole what-do-you-want-for-Christmas?? thing.

Christmases with my family were pretty light on the individual gifts because, hello!, there were six kids running around!  As teenagers, I can tell you my family’s unspoken Christmas motto of ‘Less Is More’ wasn’t exactly popular.  (And this isn’t to say that my parents didn’t supply fantastically wonderful presents or that they didn’t try to make sure everyone got things that they wanted- it’s just that our per-kid budget seemed small compared to what some of my friends were getting.)

But these days?  I am so thankful for their purposeful frugality.  It made the Christmas focus shift from Things to People.  And can we all agree that the memories are way better than the forgotten presents?

And let’s talk about how I sound like the lamest parent of all time who no kids would want to have for the Holiday Season.

But seriously.  Is anyone with me, here? 

(She is still going to get plenty of fun things, in case you were worried!)

 

We had the opportunity to go over to Isaac’s Aunt Cindy’s house to decorate sugar cookies and a gingerbread train.  Olivia was pretty excited about it, as evidenced.

September (Isaac’s cousin) was so helpful.  I pretty much milled around and took pictures whilst licking frosting off my fingers, while the older girls kept the younger girls busy.  This whole trip has been an exercise in easy-peasy parenting.  When there isn’t a cousin keeping Olivia entertained, there’s Corisa, or Nana, or Roxie the dog, or exciting toys, or warm weather outside, or new movies.  Today Corisa, Sugar, and Cindy took Olivia shopping with them for a couple hours and brought her back sound asleep.  I think I actively parented for maybe 2 hours today.  It isn’t terrible, is all I’m saying.

Not a boy in sight.

The end result was, like, you know.  It looked like that.  So.

At least I’m not tempted to eat them?

I took this dark, fuzzy picture today because these two standing there reminded me so much of a picture I took two years ago:

Olivia has done some serious growing.  They are almost the same height now. Oh, they are cute.

Don’t be jealous that it was 70 degrees today! Yesss.