Just Breathe

Even the pets are glad to have a rest after our very busy holiday weekend

I'm typing this post at work, where I've only answered one phone call in the four hours that I've been here so far. I'm extremely grateful for the peace and quiet after all the festivities of the past few days. I'd forgotten just how exhausting Christmas with little kids can be!

We really packed a lot into a few days. We saw my family the Saturday before Christmas, spent Christmas Eve with the kids' aunt and uncle, all went to Church together later that evening (in the beautiful surprise Christmas Eve snow!), plus had family pictures taken with more bio aunts, uncles and cousins on Christmas day.

The kids loved all the parties, the visits with family and friends, the food, the decorations and the baking galore. Yet all of it was interspersed with moments of intense sadness, tears and even some anger. We rolled with it as best we could, making time for extra hugs, extra one-on-one time with mom, and extra therapy to work on some of the tough stuff that can rear up and get in the way of holiday fun when you least expect it.

The hard work we did in therapy and in planning our strategies to have fun and acknowledge the not-so fun feelings in a safe way paid off. Yes, there were a few wild and wooly moments, but no major melt-downs like the one we had over Thanksgiving weekend. Just the same, this morning when it was back to the usual routine with Big, Bad Christmas finally behind us, I think we all breathed a palpable sigh of relief.