The joys of Christmas

The holidays are a busy time and this holiday season was incredibly busy for all of us. But for the two weeks that the girls were out of school, I vowed to be a more relaxed mom, say yes more and no less. I am proud to say that I succeeded and I think the girls had fun because of my refreshed attitude. Yes, I had to work, but the girls didn't have to go to any daycare during the two weeks they were out of school. They were around family the entire time. They spent time with Grandma V, they went to Daddy's basketball practices and spent time with Au Bob and Julia. It was exactly what the holidays are all about. As if I wasn't looking forward to Christmas already, the day it came was everything I had hoped it would be - the girls woke up in their own house, ran around the house yelling "Santa came! Santa came!" and we all came stumbling downstairs to the colorful display under the tree. I captured many great moments on Christmas and in the days after of us just hanging around the house, doing crafts, watching movies and relaxing, but this one sums it all up and shows what the season is all about. It's about giving and, sometimes, the joy of receiving. Amy got Diana a Taylor Swift calendar. She was so excited to pick out the calendar at the store, she ran over and knew exactly which one Diana wanted because they were just looking at them two weeks before. When Diana opened it, you would've thought it was tickets to see Taylor Swift in concert...she was so elated. This hug is what every mom dreams of between her kids and I captured it on camera. I will cherish this photo forever and hope that there are many more like it to come!