Christmas 2015

It was a lovely Christmas for the Rallos. We stayed home for Christmas Eve and it was just the four of us. Ty worked for bit in the morning so the boys and I played at home in our Christmas jammies, they napped and we went to church in the evening. After church we came home, made brats and German pancakes. Ty stayed up until two in the morning putting together Owen's kitchen and I whipped up homemade cinnamon rolls. We opened presents and had breakfast at home Christmas morning before heading to Steve and Paula's and staying for the weekend with the Leitz/Rallo clan. 

We made the decision last year that from now on we would spend Christmas morning at home and go to our church on Christmas Eve. All of the other details are negotiable. We want our boys to have memories of waking up in their beds and racing down the hall to see what Santa brought. And I want them to go to church and understand the true meaning of Christmas. It was different being by ourselves on Christmas Eve and I felt a lot of pressure to make it feel special and not like just another day at home. But then we went to church and I knew we were exactly where we needed to be. Church on Christmas is one my favorite things and Pastor Richard gave a beautiful sermon that spoke to my soul. Christmas morning at home was super fun and by late morning we were ready to get out of the house and be around family. It was the perfect balance of nuclear and extended family time. 

Christmas with little kids is the best. Onward to 2016! 

Leavenworth 2016

We snuck away for our annual trip the Leavenworth the weekend before Christmas. It was a busy week with car troubles and questionable weather on the pass so we debated wether or not to reschedule. I was glad we made the decision to go. The snow was beautiful and even though it was just an overnight trip, getting away was exactly what we needed. Weston played in the snow for the first time and Owen, very successfully, tried his hand at snowshoeing. A wonderful tradition indeed.