The Art of Running in the Rain

Is everyone else still feeling the post Christmas glow????? Dave and I got some alone time together and it was so wonderful and relaxing. I feel like we are definitely able to make deposits into our relationship regularly even with Mira around (I mean what’s better than seeing her do something cute and looking over at your partner and seeing them gush too), but it is always amazing when we get to spend time just the two of us.

We had a great holiday and were able to spend it with family and friends. I’m definitely sad it’s over, but I’m very much looking forward to next year. My cousin and I were chatting about how if Mira’s love for Santa, Jingle Bells, and Rudolph this year are any indication of how she’s going to feel next year then it will be off the hook!! She has a dance for ‘Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer’ and she sings bits and pieces (‘ho ho ho’ and ‘hooray’).

I wanted to check in and share with you guys the second half of our advent of activities. We left off with the 13th (coffee date with mama and papa) and I have to say that one was so relaxing and it felt nice to make something that we do regularly into a special holiday event. Next up…

December 14th – Gingerbread Village at the Sheraton. These were something else! So much detail, the pictures don’t even do it justice!

December 15th – Make Christmas Crafts with friends. I have to just laugh about this one, because Mira was NOT into making crafts. We were going to put paint footprints on mugs and she was screaming not happy. This was literally all she wanted to paint. So I cooked the plate and now we will have it as a memory forever hahahaha. This kind of thing is so easy for me to let go of, it made me sad at first that she didn’t want to do it, but then I thought ‘hey we are spending time with friends, and at least she’s communicating to me what she wants/doesn’t want.’ So I think this day was more about time with friends than anything else.

December 16th – Seattle City Center for the Christmas Village. We ended up seeing a few things when we went down there…ice sculptures, fire dancers, ice skaters, and the Christmas village. Here’s a little then and now comparison for you.

December 17th – Decorate Christmas gifts. Mira was definitely in the mood to do a liiiitttle arts/crafts. I may have helped her a little bit, and there was a slight power struggle in the beginning. All’s well that ends well.

December 18th – My parents arrived this day so our advent activity was to snuggle Nonna and Nonno. Well, not really, but it definitely was Mira’s highlight of the day. Our activity was to go look at Christmas lights, there were a lot of “Santa, Wow, Balls, Reindeer” coming from the back seat.

December 19th – Seattle’s Enchanted Christmas. They definitely did a great job with the lights, and Mira had an amazing time running all around. I liked that they made it into a maze and you were suppose to try and find all the gigantic reindeer.

December 20th – Another Christmas treat for yours truly.

December 21st – Bake cookies. This was done while Mira was at school and my family and I packed up to head out of town for the weekend. These balls are now a yearly tradition, and man are they amazing!

December 22nd – Sleigh Ride. Definitely one of my favorite activities. We were in Leavenworth (which was a mad house of people), and we drove out a little ways to do a sleigh ride at Eagle Creek. They were so nice and the ride was awesome! Mira wanted to sing the whole time.

December 23rd – Zoo lights. This one has been a favorite of ours.

December 24th – Christmas EVE!!!!! Our advent was to open our matching pajamas and watch a Christmas movie. Outside of Moana this was Mira’s second time with TV. She was honestly more interested in playing with her Zio’s key board, but on occasion she would look up at Frosty and sing/dance to the music. Another tradition we have on the 24th is to have the feast of seven fishes. This year it was the feast of three fishes and man were we stuffed after just three.

December 25th – Open presents on Christmas morning. Mira was a bit overwhelmed by the gifts and opening took a while because she wanted to stop and play with/explore each one, which made us super happy because we knew she loved them. Another activity we’ve been doing each year after dinner on Christmas day is to go for a walk around the neighborhood looking at the lights nearby, that one is becoming a favorite.

It was a great holiday season, full of so many fun activities. I know that some of these will become regulars in our ‘advent of activities’ and others were definitely just a fun experience this year and won’t be repeated.

I think my favorite part about the advent is getting out in our city and seeing all the things Seattle has to offer. I’m reminded of the ‘Happier Podcast’ by Gretchen Rubin in an episode where she talks about an image she saw in the New York subway. The sign had a box of Chinese take out and a rented movie (I think Netflix would be more relevant now) and below it said ‘why even live in New York?’ When I don’t feel like getting out and exploring I remind myself of that image and think, ‘why am I living in Seattle if I’m not taking advantage of all that it has?’

Hope you all are enjoying this time between Christmas and New Years as much as we are!

Be well.