We celebrated Christmas early with Nana and Papa JJ. It's just so much more fun to exchange gifts in person rather than over video chat. The girls were very spoiled and felt very seen by their Nana who had listened intently to their interests and then come up with the perfect gifts. It was a treasure to spend this time together.

We really enjoyed spending time with Nana and Papa JJ. We watched movies and made treats. We played some games. Jim made dinners that Greta ate with enthusiasm (huge achievement!). And we all around just enjoyed being together! It was a lovely and memorable few days.

We spent an afternoon creating with Perler Beads. We made sugar cookies. And we made a Muirhead classic (which I had never had before!), "goo balls." We also had the fun of delivering treats to local loved ones.

It's really no secret that this year has been tough. There's a whole list of hard stuff. My soul was very much restored by spending time with my parents; they took care of us and loved us. I could rest and reset. We all left with our buckets a little fuller!

My Mom took time off while we were staying with them and that was lovely! It was so nice to just be together. My parents took the best care of all of us! Granny had a list of all the Christmas goodies she wanted to bake and my girls loved jumping in to be the helpers! It was all sorts of magic and so relaxing for this pregnant old gal!

We exchanged gifts and celebrated Christmas with my parents while we were in town. My parents were so generous and put together really thoughtful gifts for my children. We so enjoyed spending time with them over this Christmas season. It was an absolute JOY!