December

 I'll just sum up the whole month in one post. The Christmas season has been so fun with Max. He loved looking at Christmas lights. We took a hayride around one of the neighborhoods close to us that always has really good lights, and we also went to a place that has a train that goes through a large light display. That was a hit - 2 of his favorite things at once! I think the hayride will become an annual tradition. As for Christmas itself, it was a little hectic at times but so much fun with Max. He still didn't really get the idea of opening presents. On Christmas morning at our house, he was much more interested in playing with the toys that he already had than in opening presents. We spent a couple days before Christmas at my parents' house and celebrated Christmas on Christmas Eve morning. Max loves his grandparents, great-grandma, and Aunt Ellen! It's so fun to hear him say all their names now, and he had so much fun playing with all of them. 

That afternoon we came back home for our Christmas Eve church service and then dinner with Matt's family.  We enjoyed a quiet Christmas morning at home with presents and cinnamon rolls.

 

Then on to the next stop - Matt's parents' for more presents and lunch. 

It was fun with all three kids opening presents and playing. 

Round 3 (or 4?) - Some of Matt's family came down on Sunday so we were back for a few more presents and more eating! Two more kids were added to the mix so they all had another fun day of playing.

By that evening, we were all definitely ready for some rest. I think Max took a nap that afternoon for the first time in 5 days. At least he had slept well at night over that stretch. We had a good week at home last week and celebrated the New Year in our pj's with a kiss and a toast.

Now...the countdown to Max's birthday!