where to begin?

WOW! I don't think I have ever gone this long without blogging, and I have seriously missed it. Busy time of year....blah, blah, blah......I won't bore you with all of my lame reasons for not blogging, and instead, I will play a little Christmas catch-up.

I took hundreds of pictures during the month of December, so obviously I can't share all of them here, but here's a little peak into how the Gussios have spent the last few weeks.

 putting up tiny trees in the kid's rooms

 waking up each morning to find George in his latest hiding place

unwrapping and reading Christmas stories under the tree

 putting up a few new decorations

 looking at old Santa photos

 and taking new Santa photos

 trying hard to get a decent family photo

 baking pretzel hugs for classmates

 being a great helper for Mama

 bringing treats to school for a much-anticipated pajama party

 chatting with Santa (again) at our Christmas "Cheer" party

 and making jars of reindeer food with good friends

 wrapping up treats for special friends and co-workers

 practicing "looking but not touching"

 wiggling an extremely loose tooth

 making sweet memories

 finding the one we asked for under the tree

 and a few more we weren't expecting

 taking sleepy-eyed pictures early Christmas morning

and wearing matching family pajamas (couldn't get Grant to stop playing)

This time of year can be a bit overwhelming. There's lots to do, to buy, to wrap, to remember. Cards to mail, traditions to carry on, lessons to teach, places to go, people to see....and for most moms there is the added stress of trying to make everything look magical and memorable. I will be the first to admit that it can be hard to balance the true spirit of the Season with the urge to go and buy and sprinkle everything with magic dust, but in the end, it is 100% worth all of the effort. There were ups and downs for our family during the month of December (just like any other month of the year), but looking back on all of our pictures from the past few weeks makes me realize all over again how truly blessed we are, and I am so very very grateful.