Fields of Green: Christmas #1

Here's a funny thing about a girl who became a teacher right out of college and stayed a teacher until becoming a mom, and who married someone whose employment has always been with school-age kids.

I see Christmas as a week-long endeavor. Always. And I never understand why the rest of the world doesn't see it that way. The whole country (world!) should shut down for at least a week every Christmastime. We should snuggle our loved ones and take lots of pictures and watch A Christmas Story and Elf and all three Lord of the Rings movies and cook things and eat them. We should hope for snow and sleep late and look at twinkly lights and put gravy on everything and eat sandwiches with left over ham. Dads and grandpas and sons should tinker in garages and chop wood and watch TV and moms and grandmas and daughter should sit around the kitchen drinking tea and wearing slippers and baking.

For a week. A solid week. Every year!

But alas, that's not the way it is, at least not for the rest of the world. I'm thankful to have my hubby home for the week and my grandparents in town and to be camped out for a couple extra days at my mom's. And since the holidays fell on Monday and Tuesday this year, we got to spend the weekend camped out with my in-laws, which left lots of time for talking and sitting around and eating and just enjoying each other. Is there anything better? Okay, a week would be better, but we'll take two days and we'll take them happily! Sweet Pea thinks her cousins hung the moon, and follows them around like a little puppy.

After some awesome food on Saturday, we exchanged presents. I think Sweet Pea thought her Ariel was a trophy?

Then the parents drank wine and talked while the kids stayed up late watching TV and cuddling. These two are twins. Twins who happen to be 11 years apart.

We all slept in on Sunday. Sweet Pea's hair was so crazy; I have no idea how she does it. The picture doesn't do it justice. That's her "Huh?" face; she gives it when she's sleepy. Fingers in the mouth, other fingers playing with the fringe on her blanket. Her current blanket is a scarf; it makes me feel less lame for letting my kid carry a blankie around.

Then it was time for more enjoying each other's company and wishing we didn't live so far away.

Love that they have the same expression!

Wrapping her new mermaid in her blankie.

Hugging her cousin.

When we were packing up, Hubby came downstairs to find Sweet Pea cuddling her cousin's Groovy blanket. (All my mother-in-law's grandkids have several amazing blankets that she made by hand!) This kid is such a soft blanket addict. She'll do anything for a fringe fix.