Today, after what was a fairly usual {holiday} day of exploring, visiting with friends, and playground fun, Miss G got the very best Christmas present of all… SNOW. Something she’s been patiently waiting for for nearly two years now {my poor little Canadian girl} and definitely a wish come true!
Ahhh… Such a great day. There’s nothing quite like seeing Christmas through the eyes of your child. Everything is just so exciting and wonderful. And though I’ve come to the conclusion that Christmas away from Canada and our families will always be a touch strange, I think we’ve settled into a nice little holiday routine with just our family of 3.
Ahhhhh… Heidelberg. We love it here. After a fairly terrible night of sleep {the party upstairs turned out to be quite the rager and Miss G was up at 4 a.m. after an exceptionally late bedtime last night}, we bundled up and walked to the grocery store to load up on essentials. After everything had been washed and put away, we had some brunch and put our grumpypants girl down for a much needed nap, despite the fact that she hasn’t had one in months and months and months. Luckily for us, she fell asleep and stayed asleep for a couple of hours – woohoo! After the post-nap fog had worn off, she helped me take a couple of photos for a special New Year’s Eve post I’m doing for CBC Parents, then we bundled up and went exploring Heidelberg’s Old Town. We wandered the streets, browsed the shops, visited the Christmas market {where Grae rode the carousel}, and then had dinner out at a restaurant we really enjoyed last year. It was a day filled with walking, crisp air, bright lights, and Christmas cheer – the perfect combination for our first day of holidays as a family.
Ugh…. As the end of our vacation nears, I’m trying not to think about the fact that we’ll soon have to say goodbye to this gorgeous city. We’ve without a doubt been living in a vacation bubble, and I’ve been loving it.
Today, after coffees and pastries, we crossed another big to-do off of our list – skating on the outdoor rink at the base of the castle! Sadly, Miss G wasn’t all that thrilled with the actual skating part of it, though she did love her little penguin friend. We finished off the day with an afternoon walk and a visit to the park and came home with that amazing feeling only a day outside in the cool fresh air can give you.
Here’s our day in photos…
puppy love // Bella’s twin
dress-up day // Christmas {round 2} at Grandma Sue’s
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Our Christmas was lovely this year. We awoke to our usual morning call – “Mama, Mama! All done! All done! Grae Grae had a nice sleeeeep”, had a little family snuggle in bed, and made our way into the living room so that Miss G could open the little gifts in her stocking. It was filled to the brim with bath fizzies, miniature kitchen utensils, wooden stamps, a couple of little clothing items, an owl puppet, and some of her very favourite nuts and treats. Grae opened the tiny packages carefully, admiring each before moving on… She was thrilled with all of her new goodies.
With her stocking opened, we took a little present break and made a big Christmas breakfast together.
Brad and Gracen’s jobs? Playing with our freshly made gingerbread play dough and entertaining the crowd.
With breakfast eaten and cleaned up, we gathered back around the tree for our gift exchange. Gracen opened her gifts (plus helped everyone else open their’s) and spent a few minutes investigating each, before thanking the gifter and moving onto a new package.
She was hugely spoiled with new clothes {these little black boots included}, games, puzzles, a doll stroller, and wooden kitchen accessories, as well as this giant dress-up kit filled with all kinds of costumes and accessories.
After a lazy rest of the morning and early afternoon {plus a good nap for Miss G}, we all got dressed and ready for the big Ogasawara family Christmas dinner.
My mom and Rorie were able to come out and join us, which Gracen loved. She toured around the house showing Grandma Sue the gifts she’d opened earlier in the day and then settled in to play with her gingerbread play dough again.
As usual, christmas dinner was absolutely delicious. Gracen’s favourites included the turkey and rosemary smashed potatoes.
Afterwards, us adults visited with full bellies and glasses of wine while Grae snuck in a few last minutes with two of her very favourite new things – a vintage doll from Grandma Sue and a stroller to push her around in from Grandma Charlotte.
It was a good day. And only the start to our special days with family this holiday season…
Merry Christmas from our family to yours.
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