Christmas 2014 - Cleveland Edition

We are so lucky to be able to spend holidays with both sides of our family! We left early on dec 26th and headed to Cleveland for a weekend Christmas celebration with the Marchs!! We all got to be together (except we missed you Alex!!) and had Christmas morning on Saturday! It felt just as special as having it on the real day! We woke up to gifts taking over the tree, stockings filled, a warm delicious breakfast and family (including Alex on FaceTime!)

This is sadly the ONLY picture I took

The entire weekend in Cleveland...one thing I love about being in Cleveland is I tend to treat it like a mini vacation and leave my phone put away in my room. This is a very relaxing and freeing feeling, but the result is very few pictures with the family - I'm bummed to have not captured more of the great weekend we had! 

One more great picture from Grandpa March! This is a picture they took of Jack in his box with the adorable nativity scene they gave Jack for Christmas! They were watching him Saturday afternoon and he had a blast playing with them in his new fort!! 

We all exchanged gifts and everyone was so kind! They all enjoyed watching Jack tear open the paper and enjoy their presents they got for him - books, treats, slippers, blocks and an adorable nativity set! He is one lucky and loved little boy! 

We topped off the day with a trip to the cathedral downtown for mass with Joe's parents as well as a beautiful Christmas party put on by Joe's aunt and uncle! It was great to visit with extended family! 

Thank you Mom/Grandma and Dad/Grandpa March for a memorable and relaxing Christmas weekend!! 

Christmas 2014!

Christmas this year was a special one! We just loved watching Jack experience the magic of Christmas. Even though he didn't understand it all quite yet, he did become skilled at the unwrapping of gifts, and most enjoyed so much time with his Papa home! We stayed in Cincinnati for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and they were such relaxing days!! 

We went to the museum center on Christmas Eve morning with my family and got to enjoy the beautiful train display! Jack and Henry loved it! 

Then jack napped and stayed home with Aunt Amy and Uncle Zhenya while Joe and I went to a beautiful Christmas mass at the cathedral downtown!  Then we headed to Oma and Opas for the large Ricke family Christmas party!! My Oma and Opa have been hosting that for longer then I've been around and it's just the moment every year that makes it truly feel like Christmas!!

Cousins being silly and posing "like college and high school students do these days" we really had a good laugh mimicking all the hilarious new poses seen these days on social media...

Christmas Eve at oma and Opas is just memorable, silly fun with cousins! My favorite part of the night is When we all collect in one room and Sing German Christmas carols together as we wait for Santa to come!

Jack got really into the singing this year!

I really did not take too many pictures this year, but a few should capture the relaxing fun filled days with family! I sadly don't think I have a single picture of Aunt Amy and Uncle Zhenya from their time here. Pictures or not, having them

In town was fabulous!! We love that they take the time and make the trip to be with us during the holidays! Having our whole family together this year was very special!!

Christmas morning we spent at home with Aunt Amy and Uncle Zhenya! We woke up early and opened our stockings, made a delicious breakfast and then exchanged gifts. It was so relaxing and perfect! Joe, Jack, Roxie and I even took a great walk while Amy and Zhenya went to mass!

Jack got a red rocking chair from Santa! And Joe made Jack an amazing height measuring board decorated with the Cleveland Indians! So thoughtful!

Holding a truck and reading a book about trucks..does life get ANY better!! 

Christmas afternoon we headed over to Bill's apartment and enjoyed Christmas with our immediate family! All 8 adults and the babies made for a perfect afternoon!! We took a great long walk in the afternoon followed by our family gift exchange and a delicious, delicious Christmas dinner!!! We ate an elk roast from the elk Zhenya hunted and killed a few weeks ago!! It was amazing and so special! I have only one picture from the entire Christmas afternoon and evening spent with my family! Ha I guess that just means I was super relaxed and enjoying being in the present moment - it can be refreshing to not always have to capture everything on camera!!

(Oh and aunt Amy's head is in this picture!! She's getting jack to pretend he's a monkey!) 

A very very merry Christmas had by all! I couldn't have asked for a more relaxing and memorable few days filled with family and so much love for our sweet little

Boy!

A silly favorite!

There is rarely a morning that Joe gets to see Jack before he leaves for work since our little teenager sleeps until 8 or 9...so once Jack wakes up we usually send a good morning picture to Papa!

And silly Papa sends a picture back to Jack!

Jack loves it! He holds the phone, kicks his feet, screeches, yells "papa, papa!!" And if the picture is of Joe making this crazy face, then Jack tries to mimic the face by saying "wow" over and over! In all my efforts to keep my child away from my cell phone, some of those silly favorites make it too hard to care! He just LOVES his Papa!

Getting into Christmas!

Jack is at a great age this year for Christmas and we have really been enjoying getting into the Christmas spirit!

Jack is soaking up traditions we have brought from our childhoods and it melts my heart!  I'm sure he doesn't understand the concept of the advent tree, but watching him light up at the shapes and colors and hearing him say "schree, schree" when he wants to play with the ornaments is too cute!

Joe explained to jack that when he was little he would always lay under the tree and look up at all the lights! Of course then they had to do it together! "Schree, schree, yight yight!" Jack repeats over and over!! 

Jack sits forever playing with the nativity - I don't think that new toy will be coming down at the end of the Christmas season! He's so gentle with it and loves playing with the "baby" and "guys!" He also enjoys sharing his dinner with the cow, donkey and sheep!

I took the boys last week to Krohn's Conservatory to see the live nativity as well as the train display inside. They loved it!! 

The boys loved the live animals!!

Such a fun relaxing day with my babies! 

Joe, Jack and I ventured out to the Festival of Lights and jack loved the bright lights, all the music, the animals, and the carrousel! Joe and I have really enjoyed watching Jack experience the magic of Christmas! 

And of course, Jack has been having a blast hanging out with mama on our Christmas shopping adventures!

We are so excited for this upcoming week full of family, Christmas traditions, and magic! Papa has some time off work so we can't wait for that!!

First and Last Attempt!

We had a great time at Norwood Christmas Town! We rode the carousel 

Visited the live nativity

And had a visit with Santa...which didn't go as well as planned...better luck next year?

The screams coming out of my child's mouth could have been heard all throughout Norwood!

It took us adults a minute, or 2 or 3, to realize the complete torture we were putting the boys through! We just kept snapping pictures until we finally came to our senses that "oh these boys are seriously hating this!" 

Thanksgiving!

This Thanksgiving we were so lucky to spend a nice and relaxing long weekend in Cleveland! Jack was such a great traveler and was a happy boy all weekend - his uncles and grandma and grandpa and lots of relatives had a blast playing with him!

We visited with a few of Joe's high school friends and got to spend a lot of time with family! The highlight of the trip was taking Jack out to play in the snow! 

Jack could not get enough of the sled! We all took turns running him up and down the driveway and street! He layed in the sled and didn't move a muscle - it was so funny!

Jack even went sledding for the first time.  He was a little unsure about that experience! 

Dada and Jack being quickly pulled by Grandpa! 

So much time spent with family and so

Many wonderful memories made! Jack even got to sit and play with his great grandma which they both loved! 

I even remembered to take a pic of just Joe and I together! 

And of course Dada and Uncle Charlie being silly with Jack - they had him all set up like this when I walked in the room - he's practically a professional already!! 

We always love spending holidays in Cleveland! Thanks for having us Grandma and Grandpa March! Also, Jack is missing his constant playmates - Uncle Charlie, Uncle Michael and Uncle Andrew!