New Year, New Place

 As the new year barrels towards us, unstoppable and filled with wonderful new opportunities, my oldest finally steps out on his own.  He finally got his own place.

Granted, his new place is the guest apartment in the backyard, so still very close to home. While only a few steps away, having his own space will allow him the independence he needs to come into his own as am adult. And I could not be any more excited for him.

It needs some TLC but it'll get there over time.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day

 It always surprises me how quickly time flies, especially when making memories. As I sit by my lit Christmas tree on New Years Eve, reminiscing about the past year, I am in awe of the fact that 2024 is only a few hours away.

As far as the holiday season is concerned,  we had an amazing Christmas, spending time with family. I will forever cherish these moments, as they mean so much to me.

My son's boxing academy invited the families to partake in a holiday dinner get together.  It was nice taking time away from the holiday rush to have a nice meal in a nice setting.

Christmas Eve was actually different this year and I liked it. We spent the day with the inlaws drinking, eating and just having a jolly old time.

Our Christmas Eve tradition

Merry Christmas Morning

Brunch 

Dinner

To say it was another incredible Christmas is kind of an understatement. I'm still on cloud 9

Doing All The Holiday (& Regular) Things

 It's been a whirlwind of a season. There has just been so much going on, I barely had time to stop and think about what needs to be done. But the show always must go on and things have been getting done.

First, we finally put our youngest back in swim class. He's been begging for lessons for months and I kept putting it off because of the price. We decided to sign him up for swim lessons at a different academy, which is twice the price of his old swim school. However,  due to a Black Friday deal, I was able to get double the amount of classes, 8 classes for the price of four. 

I feel so good having back in swim classes because even though our son has come a long way in his swimming abilities since his last swim lessons, he still needs to work on his technique and re-learn basics to help him overcome his fear.

Next up was my friend group's annual holiday get together.  This gathering has changed over the years as our kids have gotten older but we still try to meet up before the hectic Christmas season grabs a hold on our already busy lives. 

Then we move on to the teacher Gifts. I am THAT mom and so my kids teachers cannot be forgotten this holiday season. I did keep gifts pretty budget friendly this year, but to me, it's always the thought that counts. I just try to make sure the thought is something the teachers will like. You can't go wrong with edible treats, a staple for me every year.

Moving on to our town's Christmas Parade.  I had no idea this event was taking place. But thanks to my daughter,  whose best friend was in the parade, this was the next holiday activity on our calendar this year. 

It was an incredible day filled with amazingly talented school bands and festive Christmas carols. It truly was an awesome way to spend a Sunday afternoon. 

To close out the academic year, my son's school had their annual holiday party. This year's theme was scary fun, a Hotel Transylvania type vibe.  

Haunted classrooms and Halloween type decor could be seen all throughout the school. And kids were encouraged to dress in their best scary good costume.  There were vampires and mummies and even ghosts. As for my son, a werewolf was his DIY costume of choice.

Now on to the biggest event of the year. Well, besides Christmas, of course. Schools in Costa Rica host their graduation ceremonies in December,  as it's the end to the school year and the closing of a student's previous academic career, moving from one chapter to another.  

This year, my son graduated from 9th grade, which is a pretty big deal. As the student is presented with their 9th grade title, it's a reminder of all the hard work they accomplished that year and the next step they're about to take, moving onto the 10th grade.

Congratulations to my son,  we're so proud of you. 

 

And per usual, we celebrate big events and special moments with food. 

This was how excited I was.

So back to the holiday season and all things Christmas,  I decided to take the kids to meet Mrs. Clause. My kids are, as I said, getting a bit too old for certain traditions, but this was an opportunity to get out the house and do something fun.

There was a school band playing festive Christmas music plus Mrs. Clause was giving out free Christmas cake and egg nog. What could be more festive than that?

And last but not at all least, just a bit behind schedule, I finally took the kids annual Christmas photo. Now this is a tradition I hope they never tire of. It might change as the years go by but for now, it remains the same. All four of my beautiful children gathered in front of the Christmas tree, for the annual holiday card photo. 

Merry Christmas to all this 2023 holiday season.

 

Let's bake all the delicious treats, my choice every year are peanut butter blossoms. So easy but so yummy.

Let's watch all the Christmas holiday movies, a classic every year is Charlie Brown.

Let's not forget to take care of ourselves this holiday season. Gift yourself your favorite things and be unapologetic about it.

Let's celebrate with friends as the holiday season is all about spending time with people you love, including those outside your family.