winter break week 1: family chistmas, cozy snowy days, lots of cousin time

December 29, 2025

winter break week 1: family chistmas, cozy snowy days, lots of cousin time

it's a wrap on our first christmas since moving back to minnesota! i've had lots of thoughts and feelings about the past week. for the past 10 years in seattle i hated being away from our families at the holidays (we chose to do long summer visits rather than holiday visits). i hated having nowhere to go and a lot of years i thought it didn't "feel" like christmas. but looking back now, i see it in a different light. it allowed us to make our own traditions (like going to look at the lights at olympic manor, endless time for watching movies and baking, and going away to a cozy cabin after the holiday). and that is what my kids will remember from a lot of their childhood. while i would choose being here with our families no contest, i still felt a little bit of longing for that less structured holiday time we had for all those years. it's funny how retrospect does that. it is also weird to think that when we were last here for christmas, my dad and bonus grandpa bob z were all still alive. and my grandma marian just one christmas before that. i miss them all. that said, this christmas felt so special and i still can't believe some days that we actually moved back. now onto the recap!

last monday ashford was still feeling sick. thankfully (or ironically?) he was scheduled for his 12 year well checkup at the pediatrician that day. so, he had the check up and they also tested him for strep, which was negative. just a cold/virus, i guess. i started to reach christmas panic mode this day. i still had some gifts to buy and hadn't wrapped anything yet. not to mention all the regular everyday tasks still had to get done. by evening, i was feeling a bit more accomplished after a shopping outing with azalea and wrapping about half the gifts. whew! we ended the night with watching "home alone."

tuesday morning winnie had a checkup at the vet. azalea went with me. at 14 weeks, she weighs 13 pounds. she also got a couple vaccines, and they clipped her nails, which we have not had success with.

in the afternoon, i picked up jack to come over and hang out. the kids played with winnie and played video games and we did fancy hot chocolate, which has become a tradition of ours. azalea loves to pick out add-ins like candy canes, whipped cream, and marshmallows. a delicious stomachache every time :)

winnie was very sleepy and snuggly a lot of the day from her vaccines.

later azalea got picked up by her friend sylvia and her dad to go to a roller rink in burnsville for k-pop night. the boys and i ran a couple errands in the neighborhood and i drove jack back to his grandma susan's. i was on pick up duty at the end of the night for azalea and sylvia. it was a lot of driving as her friend needed to be dropped off in st. paul but they had a great time.

wednesday was christmas eve! thatcher and i both technically worked some of the day, but it was very relaxed. we finished last minute wrapping and baking in preparation for going to thatcher's parents' house in the evening. the kids and i also watched 'home alone 2'.

azalea gave winnie a stuffie to snuggle with

of course our newest member of the family gets her own stocking.

all ready for santa to come.

we picked up jack on the way to dinner. christmas eve at durant and cheryl's house is always so cozy. they made a delicious meal of turkey, stuffing, mac and cheese, and other sides. and we had a huge spread of cookies and treats for dessert.

winnie got to join in the fun.

then we opened gifts.

we went home and tried to get the kids to go to bed as soon as possible so santa could come. christmas eve with big kids is a challenge :)

success!

thursday was christmas day! we actually set an alarm for 8am to make sure we wouldn't feel too rushed in the morning because we were supposed to be to my aunt cindy and uncle corey's at noon. the kids checked out their santa gifts first.

he brought azalea pajamas, cozy socks, and rechargeable hand warmers. he brought ashford a robe, a christmas glass with ELF on it, and rechargeable hand warmers. they also got lots of candy and goodies in their stockings.

and santa did not forget winnie!

then we had french toast and bacon and sausage for breakfast.

we finished the morning by opening our family gifts. ashford's big gift was an xbox and azalea's big gift(s) was a slack line for between the trees in our yard and rollerblades.

then we dropped off winnie at thatcher's parents' and went to my aunt and uncle's for the afternoon. the first half hour was my mom, brother, aunt cindy, uncle corey, cousin jenna, cousin austin + wife abby and daughter gracie. we all picked names for a gift exchange back at thanksgiving time and so we opened them together.

then my great aunt joyce and her daughter karen and family arrived. i hadn't seen them since i was a teenager. we had a big meal of ham, meatballs, and various sides that people brought. yum!

we also played 'blank slate' as a huge group, which was fun. before we left, thatcher took ashford out on the frozen lake for the first time.

the rest of the day we relaxed at home, ate a snack dinner, and watched a christmas movie. the perfect mix of family gatherings and relaxation.

friday thatcher was off, but i worked my usual couple of hours. i also made it to the gym in the morning. go me! in the afternoon my mom and brother came over for our gift exchange with them since we hadn't had a chance to do that yet. i didn't take any pictures. oops. then thatcher headed to a haircut and i went to get jack again for another hang out. it was so special having him around for a couple weeks stretch. the kids adore him. we all do! the kids mostly played video games the rest of the day. i made us all spaghetti for dinner. thatcher made a fire in the pit out back and i stayed inside and read :)

saturday was another chill day. we cleaned and did some projects around the house. we're still trying to clear out our garage so we can park in there. i went to the store to get groceries before yet another snowstorm ;)

i've been loving the little cozy light (1 of 2) thatcher got me for christmas.

we all planned to go to 'le burger' for dinner in our neighborhood, but thatcher wasn't feeling great at dinner time, so just the kids and i went. it was very crowded, but the food was delicious.

we ended the night with watching 'jingle all the way' since parts of it were filmed right in our neighborhood and the kids could truly appreciate that now.

sunday morning the rain turned to snow right around 9am just as they forecasted. and it snowed all day! we didn't leave the house all day. i read a bunch, the kids zoned out on their screens (and also played outside), and we made ribs, baked beans, and cornbread muffins for dinner. yum!