Traditions

I absolutely love this time of the year.  As hectic as it is, I love every bit of it.  And most of it is because of family.  While the Christmas season has always been special to me, I'm finding that it's even more special (and crazy!) now that we have our own little family.  But I wouldn't have it any other way!
We had a great time over Thanksgiving, traveling to Maryland for five days.  It was so crazy busy, but I enjoyed every minute of it!  I had so many things I wanted to do and people I wanted to see, but there just wasn't enough time.  It usually works out that we're not in Maryland for Thanksgiving day, so it was good to be home for that.  Everyone in my mom's extended family was there, which doesn't happen to often, so that was special.  Kera got to play with some new toys and get lots of attention from new people, which she loves, so we had fun.
Between family stuff, Troy and I finally got our anniversary "weekend" away, even if it was only about 24 hours.  We left Kera with my mom Friday and went to Frederick.  We had fun shopping and even got to watch a movie in a theater, but I was constantly checking the back seat of the car for Kera, and thinking about her schedule.  She did great for my mom, though, and I did pretty well, too, only calling once to check on her.
We got back just in time for the Ohio State game, and time to get ready for another family event - the Ornament Party.  I grew up with a lot of traditions.  I didn't really think of them being anything special, because it was all I really knew.  However, since I moved away from family, I've really come to appreciate all of the traditions. And now that we have Kera, I want her to grow up having the same memories I was blessed to have.
Each year all of the women in my family get together for an Ornament Party.  Location, theme and games vary each year, but there's always lots of fun, lots of food and ornaments.  Everyone brings an ornament and we have an exchange.  We do the type of exchange where you can steal other people's presents, so it's always fun to see who ends up with what ornament and how.  I love it, though, because I have a tree full of ornaments from different people and different years, and each has a story behind it.  This was Kera's first ornament party, and even though it was way after her bed time, she had a blast and loved being the center of attention.  Unfortunately, I didn't even think about getting an ornament for her to exchange, so we'll have to wait until next year for that.
Kera did SO well the entire trip.  She barely made a peep in the car on both trips, she stayed on her schedule as much as possible, and took her naps like a champ.  She loves being the center of attention, but at the same time, she was so happy to be back home.  Every thing she saw when we got home would get her so excited.  The cat, her toys, her crib...
We're only beginning this Christmas season, and I can't wait to enjoy each step of the way with her!