Christmas {December 25, 2014}

Christmas with kids makes Christmas so much more magical. Hayes didn't fully understand Christmas and wasn't at all interested in opening presents, but he was thrilled with the wrapping paper, his vacuum, and his tootsie roll bank. He was so excited and really didn't even know why, its almost just the energy of Christmas makes people excited. 

Hayes got a lot of fun presents. Our little neighbor girls, The Porters (Kaleigh and Polly) brought Hayes a present. He calls them his "Girls", so that's what they wrote on the wrapping paper. It was so sweet. They gave him an Olaf toy and an Olaf blanket. He is OBSESSED with his Olaf blanket. 

My favorite part of Christmas was sitting by the tree with Hayes and watching him play with his new toys. The excitement and the wonder that I feel from him trumps any other feeling in the world. 

We tried to keep his presents simple. 

Something you want

Something you need

Something to wear

and Something to read

I went a little crazy and he got quite a few things to read and wear, but overall, I feel happy with the bar we set for Christmas. It was nice and fun, but not too overwhelming. It was simple. Plus, after Grandmas, Great Grandmas, aunts, and neighbors Hayes got A LOT! I always underestimate what others will do for him. Its really sweet and really touches me when people love my child and do nice things for him. The gratitude I feel is hard to explain. 

I'm kind of a grinch in the fact that I really like to take Christmas down either Christmas day or the day after. I like to get rid of the clutter and immediately get my house back in order. Hayes was THRILLED to help and use his new vacuum. Even though part of me feels bad, I kind of like the tradition of cleaning things up on Christmas. It's like it gives you a chance to enjoy what you got instead of feel bogged down with decorations and clutter. 

The tree

I wish I had more pictures of what Hayes thought and did with the Christmas tree. He loved it so much. He would play around it, take all the ornaments off it, run around it, sit by it, and literally just tear it to pieces every day. Anyone that would come over he would run into the front room and point out the tree to them. I am sure he was very confused at why we had a real tree inside our house and why it was covered in lights and sparkly things and balls. I am sure it was confusing and amazing all at the same time.

This year I was pretty insistent that we have a real tree. I think every little kid should have at least one real tree in their life. Next year, its fake though. It was so fun and smelled so good, but may was it messy. 

I am fairly positive Hayes's favorite part of Christmas was a tie between the lights and the tree. 

NYC day 4

Day 4

Brunch at Jacob's Pickle

The best Root Beer ever. (That bottle is Root Beer, not beer)

The most expensive Root Beer Ever

Lots of running around shopping

The longest and strangest taxi ride of my life

Kati almost missing her flight

The rest of us almost missing our flight

Sad to say goodbye to the City

Glad to be home. 

NYC day 3

Day Three:

Brunch with Matt

Vintage Subway Car

Shopping

Rockettes

Topaz Thia

Rockefeller Tree again

Light show on 5th 

Lots of walking 

NYC day2

Day 2 in NYC we spent in Brooklyn. 

We went to the Brooklyn Flea Market

Ate a Grimaldi's

Walked the Brooklyn Bridge

Got some tasty donuts from Dough Donuts

Met up with Matt and ate our favorite Indian Food 

NYC day 1

These pictures are super out of order, but they summarize our first day in NYC pretty well. Ash got a new phone with an awesome camera and got some really great pics for us. We have a terrible habit of taking the red eye to NYC and then basically running wild the next day one no sleep. I don't know why, but we always do it. Even though its incredibly exhausting, its actually works very well and we get to see and do a lot because we are starting our day at like 6 am. On the first day we:

Walked through Central Park

Walked down 5th Ave and saw the windows

Spent time in Rockefeller Plaza and seeing the tree

Walked on the High line 

Ate and shopped in the Chelsea Market

Shopped at some Street Markets 

Went to Dominique Ansel's Bakery and had cronut 

Made a poster and hung out on the Plaza of the Today Show 

Crashed hard at 4:30 in the afternoon

Pre trip gitters

Before I left to go on my trip to New York with my sisters, I started to feel very nervous. and worried about leaving Hayesie. It seemed like I was going to be so far for so long. Right before I left I snapped a few pics of these two to keep in my phone for when I started to miss them. Man its hard to leave them even if its to go to one of my most favorite places. 

Our little monkey

Hayes's climbing is getting out of control, he will literally climb on anything and everything. He loves to hang on things and thinks he is absolutely hilarious when he's doing it. He's awful. I'm not sure if I should get safer things for him to climb on and encourage it, or try to stop it all together. For some reason I feel like there really is no right answer, chances are he's going to climb on something he shouldn't and fall off. That thought makes me crazy. Its hard realizing that no matter what you know or say or do, your kids are going to make choices that you know are going to hurt and you have to sit back and try to find the best way to handle it... and make sure your health savings has enough in it. Geez. I love this kid, but man he makes me crazy. 

Doughnuts round 2

This kid's facial expressions are second to none. He gets SO excited about things and is so happy when he gets what he wants. I literally could take a hundred pictures of him and 90% of them would look like this, especially when there are doughnuts involved, and when he gets to eat them by himself. This kid loves to be independent almost as much as he loves chocolate doughnuts.