We actually began our Christmas festivities on the 22nd when Jason, Nicholas, and I celebrated our little family Christmas at home. Nicholas was starting to come down with a cold, so he was a little low energy and not too interested in unwrapping gifts. At 11 months, we weren't expecting him to get too excited about presents, but we thought he would at least get excited about tearing up wrapping paper. Not so much. Instead we spent the entire time with one of us guarding him from pulling up on our glass coffee table (which we desperately need to replace with something more kid-friendly) while the other hastily opened his presents (which comprised about 90% of all the under-tree loot.) Despite his lack of interest in anything Christmas, we had fun and just kept laughing about how different things will be when he's a few years older.
On the 23rd we flew to Seattle to celebrate Christmas with Dzia Dzia and Grandmama, along with Cheddar the cat. Unfortunately Nicholas' cold hit with full force once we arrived in Seattle, so he spent his first Christmas sleeping a lot and just generally not feeling great.
However, Santa (along with Dzia Dzia, Grandmama, Aunt Kristin, and Uncle Dan) did not disappoint and Nicholas was showered with new toys.
(Jason and I got a few new toys as well...)
Jason and I also enjoyed an afternoon out to see the latest Bond movie while his parents babysat, and a quick visit with a few of my girlfriends in West Seattle.
On the 27th, we headed down to Portland to visit with my family. Nicholas got to see all of his aunts and uncles on my side of the family (including Aunt Laura who introduced him to the piano... we can tell this will be a source of entertainment for him for many years whenever he visits Gammy and Grandpa's house.)
While we were there, we also saw my grandparents and a few aunts and uncles on my dad's side of the family. And, one of my best friends from high school, who was in town for the first time in six years, organized a lunch for a few of us to all get together and introduce our kids. (Hi Katie!) Unfortunately I didn't get pictures at any of these gatherings. I need to do a better job of remembering my camera.
At the end of our visit, my Aunt Mary and Uncle John, along with my cousin Justin, his wife, Lauren, and their baby, Blaine, all came over for a big family dinner on their way out of town. They had been in Oregon introducing Blaine to my grandparents on my mom's side and were flying back to the east coast the next day. We had a great time catching up and introducing second cousins Nicholas and Blaine, who are about four and a half months apart.
Nicholas was still sick, so we had to keep the babies apart most of the evening (and we fear Nicholas may have spread his germs anyway), but it was fun for Nicholas to meet the only other baby of his generation on either side of the family. We're hoping for a few more cousins in 2013!
Our trip felt too short (as they always do), but we were happy to get home after a long day of flying on the 31st. Jason and I were wiped out after a 7 hour trip home and we rang in a quiet new year (and by "quiet" I mean asleep at 10:45pm -- how the times have changed), but it was worth it to catch up with so many family members and friends. We're already looking forward to another trip home this summer and visits from Jason's family and my sister this spring.
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