This Christmas was different. We stayed at home for the whole Christmas experience. We settled into our pajamas - watched a lot of Christmas movies - drank hot chocolate in fancy mugs.
It felt good. We were snuggled up with each other. Wrapped in quilts from Nana's house. Singing and dancing to tunes from my Grandfather's piano.
We pulled traditions from both our families together and added our own twist....what resulted was something quite lovely and quite uniquely our own.
One annual tradition Brannon and I began when we started dating - buying an ornament for each other and as the boys came we added one for each of them - each year. This year Ben picked out a special ornament for his Grandaddy.
I've caught him quietly singing the Christmas songs he has learned in preschool to that ornament.
Hurt and healing all wrapped into one.
Santa's sleigh found its way to our house.....
Austin turned present opening into a game of I Spy.
His gifts were in red and Ben's were in green - but little brother refused to touch a present without inspecting it with a magnifying glass just to make sure.....
Hard work. But brother got the hang of it.
And Benjamin....
Ben got a car.
He has already asked a little girl in our neighborhood out on a date. He is picking her up in his green powerwheel tomorrow morning.....
The mess that remained after the flurry of unwrapping ceased was a sight to behold.
It made Brannon twitch and it made me ridiculously happy.
A floor littered with wrapping paper....I love it.
We settled into a quiet afternoon.
As quiet as two boys with lightsabers can be....
Hope you had a very Merry Christmas - filled with love, peace and joy.
Most of all joy.
Xoxo,
The Balsleys
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