Oh the weather outside is frightful, and some sun would be delightful, and since Florida has got no snow, Let us go! Let us go! Let us go!

Christmas time. You either love it or hate it. I've never been a fan of decorating the house or being forced to listen to Christmas songs weeks prior to the actual event, and I hate Christmas shopping and the massive amount of people filling every store known to man at this time of year. I don't like the Christmas frenzy and how crazy everyone seems to get, and since my mom has passed away two weeks before Christmas a couple of years ago, I have been struggling with it even more. But there are a few things that I have always liked about it. I like giving presents to the people I love, after the dreadful shopping part is over, and watching their reactions while they're opening them. I love being together with family, having a big dinner and just hang out and chat. I do miss being home - in Germany - and being there for our traditional family get-togethers at my grandmother's house, but I'm sure I'm going to have a long talk with all of them over the phone on the 24th, which is German Christmas by the way. Yes, we are an impatient bunch and like to celebrate a day early. I like Christmas more now that I have children, because Noah is just over two now and is just starting to understand the whole Santa thing. He understands that he's going to get presents and it's nice watching him getting so excited about it. It reminds me of my own childhood and how excited I used to be about all things Christmas. But most of all, I love the cookie-baking.

It's something I have loved doing with my mom and I will always remember those days. She made the most amazing cookies and we always made tons and tons of them. Took us all day but man, did we have fun. I was baking cookies with Noah today and even though he made a huge mess, I was happy we did it. I'll keep doing it every year and hopefully, both my children will remember those days when they're older and do the same with their own children. We had a good laugh when Noah started grabbing handfuls of flour and threw it in the air yelling, "Look, it's snowing. It's snowing, mommy!" The dog was covered in flour and I had to clean a little more than just the kitchen table but who cares. He loved it and that is all that matters.

And the best thing about Christmas baking is that you get to enjoy the goodies for a long time to come. I mean, who doesn't like homemade cookies, especially when they're fresh from the oven and still a little warm and the whole house smells delicious. I kind of wish our house would smell like that year round. Even little Mia enjoyed her first Christmas cookie ever and I think we might have created a monster, because every time we eat one and don't share, she's giving us the stink-eye and even that is simply adorable.

We don't like to make a big deal out of Christmas and go overboard with presents, because we believe it's not about that and if they get any more toys, we'd have to build an addition just to store them. Yes, they're going to get a couple of presents and I want them to enjoy the festive time and get excited about it. Most of all, I want them to know that Christmas is about being with the people you love. We always try our best to go visit family for Christmas and New Year's, either in Florida or Germany and just have a nice time. As I have mentioned in a previous post, we are very fortunate and get to spent Christmas and New Year's Eve in sunny Florida with the Grandparents this year and we can hardly wait. I'm a little apprehensive about driving down in the van for several days with two small children and a dog that doesn't like being in the car and pants and drools like crazy whenever he has to. Sleeping in hotels is going to be a bit of a challenge as well because the children don't like going to sleep if they don't have their usual routine and I'm afraid Rocky is going to bark at every noise he hears outside the hotel room and wake them up 20 times a night. It's also going to be a challenge to keep Noah occupied for long stretches of driving several days in a row. Hopefully the baby will sleep through most of it. But it's also going to be an adventure and I'm very much looking forward to a change of scenery and weather. I can't wait to take the kids to the beach. This is what Noah's going to do once we get there.

 

I know I need more practice when it comes to photoshopping but I think this picture is hilarious nonetheless. How awesome would it be if he would just grab a board and start surfing? His daddy would love it, since he loves to surf but hasn't really gotten to do it much since leaving Australia. Another thing I'm excited about is going on a day trip to the Everglades to show Noah some Gators and Noah is very much looking forward to going for a ride on Grampa's boat, where we'll hopefully get to see some Manatees and Dolphins. It's going to be nice to have Adrian and the grandparents around to help out with the kids, so mama can get some down time and recharge the battery for a new year of challenges and adventures. I'm also very excited to finally get to write a few posts about road tripping and vacation time, because this is what I love writing about. We're starting to head down south on the 19th of December, which is in less than two weeks. Let the countdown begin!