Merry Christmas 2020

We tried to have as many as normal moments as possible. My high school girl friends met for our annual party. Much smaller than usual, but it was perfect and simple. We were so excited about Christmas Eve. I had a big surprise in store. We woke up and ate brunch at Beau and Kate's house. We played with their new puppy, Winston. Enjoyed our brunch and low key gathering. 

Then, we went to the outdoor church service. It was nice, but I sure miss normal church. We got home to a surprise for the kids to open. We got them tickets for the Polar Express!!! They were pumped. I got them matching pajamas, gave them their golden Polar Express ticket and we hit the road. To Palenstine,Tx! I got them Christmas movies to watch in the car for the 2.5 hour drive. 5 hours total in the car. But worth every second. We stopped and ate dinner near the Polar Express...and Santa was in the bar. haha! It was a pub type place with steaks. It was priceless and so "small town." I'm glad my kids got to experience that. 

It was freezing. So, we bundled up and headed to board the Polar Express. It was so so cool. Such a treat. Just like the book...the waitresses danced, there was hot coco, and we stopped at the North Pole where Santa got on the train to give everyone their own bell! 

It was a perfect Christmas Eve. A great way to turn an unusual day into a memorable one. We missed seeing our family, but I did not want to sit in the apartment alone. So, I'm glad we planned this fun night. We made it home close to midnight!!! The kids hurried to bed, while Scott and I turned into "get ready for Christmas morning" mode.

Santa brought the kids all new bikes. Fantastic bikes!! They got a few other Santa goodies. But, my favorite thing to watch is when they open their presents from each other. They get so excited when they open their sibling gifts. They each get one sibling to shop for, and they try so hard to keep their gifts a secret. So, they are so eager to finally open the gifts. Love these simple, beautiful moments.

Sweet Mimi, the kids great grandmother, sent the kids $15 each! She called to explain that because of covid, she didn't want to go into the stores to shop this year. She is so precious. We adore Mimi. One of our friends painted FaithAnn some amazing pictures for her room. And Scott got me an electric scooter, which I am so so excited about. Then, the last gift of Christmas was a big surprise!! We are going skiing. For spring break. So, I wrapped a picture of where we are going inside a ski hat. They are beyond excited, we are too. We haven't been skiing as a family. Stay tuned for that! 

Gigi, Scott's mom, came in for Christmas dinner. She did everything, since the apartment is limiting my hosting skills, lol. She brought dinner, we played outside. It was simple. We rode bikes to the house for them to explore. It was a different Christmas. But, it was still good. We are grateful. Merry Christmas, 2020! We are ready to move on and end this year with a bang!