Happy Holidays!!

What a fun time of year. So much celebrating (READ: Eating and Drinking!).
We celebrated our first hanukkah with Chase and Ryder. It is unbelievable how many gifts two little babies can receive from loving family and friends. Most of the stuff is still sitting in boxes as they are not ready for a lot of it yet. Our first holiday season with our little men was celebrated by their first major colds of the season, a minor case of bronchialitus, and a remedy of nebulizer treatment 4 times a day. They both hated it and fought us the whole 12-15 minutes. We never knew how strong they really are.
Our first New Years Eve with them was enjoyable. Our typical new years soiree it was not, and I did learn that is entirely more difficult to have a party while trying to tend to two babies. A final lesson learned before saying goodbye to 2006.
The best part was that Todd was home all week and Chase, Ryder and myself loved having him around. I think he was excited to go back to work, however:)
I have always loved the holidays. Thanksgiving to New Years is just a fun 6 weeks. As a kid I always used to look forward to getting together with my cousins to celebrate and I am so thrilled to be able to give similar memories to my kids. Getting the cousins together (ages 10-6 mos) is a thrill to watch and we look forward to them continuing to grow up together. I was fortunate to have my cousin for a best friend growing up. Todd also had a very close relationship with his cousin growing up, which he maintains to this day. Unfortunately, however, he does not live nearby. Now that we are adults, these relationships are just as important. All 6 of the first cousins, and the in-laws too, have a really wonderful relationship. We actually enjoy eachother's company and plan dates to hang out. I know we are lucky, and I hope to cultivate similar relationships for Chase and Ryder and their cousins.
On New Years day we celebrated again, this time with the entire extended family. That was fun. 6 of the oldest generation (x2 for spouses) led to 18 of our generation. As we start to marry off and have kids, the family tree continues to blossom. We are now up to 25 cousins (7 of us are married) and 14 children with one on the way. This is just the very beginning and getting everyone together is not only a reminder of a wonderful childhood, but the start of everlasting memories for my boys.
The holiday season is definitely fun and though Todd and I have always had the holiday spirit, it is certainly more exciting when seeing it through the eyes of children. Getting together with family and friends is always special and we know, as Chase and Ryder get older they will appreciate those moments as much as we do.