Winter Holiday: Spokane Edition

Let's just keep the Christmas fun rolling...  We made it to my parents house in time for cocktail hour and a fabulous Christmas dinner!  Prime rib with fresh horseradish has been the go to meal over the last few years.  My mom's cooking is some of the best in the land, so the whole dinner was a real treat!  Then it was quick to bed to celebrate Christmas all over again the next day with my parents as well as my brother and his family!

My mom has stockings for everyone.  All the kids, the spouses, and the grandkids.  My family loves tradition, so little has changed from the Christmas mornings of my own childhood.  I love the nostalgia of it.  Falling asleep back in my childhood bedroom, looking at the same houses across the street, decorated in the same manner they always are.  The familiarity of it brings a little magic with it.  I can remember anxiously waiting for Santa in that same bed!  That morning, we brunched and then exchanged gifts throughout the day.  Seeing my boys with their cousins was one of the highlights.  Liam & Hadley are only 2 months apart and the best of friends!  Minimal parenting is involved when these two are together.  We can sit back and sip our wine at a leisurely pace while the toddlers giggle with one another non stop.  There is something about being "home" (the original home) during the holidays.  And this Christmas was perfect!  

Instead of jetting off to the lake house like we typically do, we spent a few days in Spokane.  I had the opportunity to catch up with old friends, which rarely happens!  Many of them now have kids of their own, so the sheer amount of children made for a tad bit of pandemonium.  It's a whole new kind of happy hour; a whole new kind of fun!  Of course, we also had to take Liam on Spokane's gondola!  I don't think he was nearly as impressed with this small one as is he with the one at Snowbird.  However, just being on any gondola brought big smiles to his face.  I love how into them he is right now!  Any cities with gondolas....we are coming for you!

And then of course, we eventually made it out to the lake house for a few nights, because I cannot stay away!  I won't bore you all with another post about how wonderful my visits here are.  You all know that the lake house is my little slice of heaven, and that we are completely pampered during our stays.  This visit was just as incredible as any in the past, but with an extra splash of something special due to the holiday season!  Instead, I think these pictures capture so much... The love my boys have for their Nana & Pops (and vice versa).  The beautiful setting.  All the happiness.

This visit we discovered a particularly awesome sledding hill.  One that could send you right into the street if you picked up enough speed.  The steepness was intimidating, but the thrill incredible.  Liam loved it, even though his face was covered in icy snow after each sled down the hill.  We also rang in the new year here, simply snuggled up on the couch.  Champagne all around!  Except my boys decided it was nearly impossible to stay asleep, so I was in bed with one or the other before 11am.  'Tis the mom life!
Cheers to another wonderful stay.   There is nothing better than being surrounded by family, especially during this time of year!