It was still dark outside when we crawled out of bed on Christmas morning, but the tree glowed brightly, illuminating the brightly colored boxes beneath. At only 21 months old, I don’t think Miles can possibly grasp the concept of Santa Claus and I’m not sure why he thinks there’s been a tree in the house for the past month, but he took one look at the living room that morning and fell in love with Christmas forever.

I used to think there was nothing better than being a kid on Christmas morning, but being the parent of a kid on Christmas morning just might be better.

Miles ran from one thing to another with a look of pure joy on his face. He was so excited. I just sat back and watched as he took it all in, trying with all my might to freeze the moment forever. It was the first, but not the last, time I teared up that day. Sometimes I still can’t believe how lucky I am. I always feel blessed and thankful to have him in my life, but I felt it doubly so on Christmas day. He is the greatest gift that I have ever received.

It was so fun watching his little body fill with adrenaline. He could hardly contain himself, but he stopped fast in his tracks when he noticed the toy kitchen. The kid is obsessed with watching me cook and has been playing with my pots and pans for months. We had all been sick (talking full-on, laid-out ill) in the two weeks leading up to Christmas but I convinced my husband to drive us two hours to Ikea one day to get their kid kitchen because I knew Miles would LOVE it.  It was totally worth it. He hasn’t stopped playing with it. (And I can now find the frying pan when I need it.)

We also found a stuffed boy doll at Ikea who looks just like Miles, right down to his skin tone. He was a huge hit.

Miles got several books, including The Snowy Day by Ezra John Keats and a couple by Todd Parr – The Family Book and We Belong Together which are both about the many different types of families out there and how they come together. He especially loved Curious George Goes Camping and the new Dr. Seuss book, What Pet Should I Get? We’ve been doing a lot of reading.

Because Miles and I had been super sick for two weeks and Jamie was still sick (though he did a great job of pretending he felt fine–thank you babe!), we basically quarantined ourselves, which turned out to actually be quite nice. It was a quiet Christmas with just the three of us–and though we missed being with family and friends, it was one of the most special of my life.

With plenty of musical entertainment…

I hope everyone is enjoying the season, whatever holidays you celebrate. Here’s to a happy, healthy 2016 for all!