Christmas here was a little chaotic, in the way that most holidays are when you’re dealing with a lot of family members all in one place.

For starters, Dave arrived from Seattle and moved into his new apartment on Monday, the 23rd. I had some extra furniture (things that were actually his to begin with) that I gave back to him for his new place. Chris and I helped him move it, which was challenging since his apartment is on the 3rd floor.

Also, this was the first time that Chris and Dave met. I expected it to be awkward and weird, but it was honestly fine. Dave texted me later that he thought Chris seemed like a good guy, and that it made him happy to see that Catie and Lucy both seem to like him so much. I thought that was a really nice thing for him to say, since he didn’t have to acknowledge it at all.

On Christmas Eve, I cooked like a maniac for our big Christmas Eve dinner, and helped Dave move more stuff into his apartment. (Chris had some relatives who were selling furniture on craigslist, so that helped.) And yeah, ok, technically, I didn’t have to help him move anything, and Chris certainly wasn’t required to help, but I think it was a good example for the kids to see that all of the grown-ups get along and are friendly with each other. And if it helped make Dave’s apartment feel more home-y, so the kids would be more comfortable when staying with their dad, then all the better.

That evening, we had our big dinner at my parents’ house, and the kids opened their family presents.

The girls stayed with me that night, and everyone came over ridiculously early, before the girls woke up, to be here to see them get their presents from Santa.

Later that morning, Dave picked the kids up and they spent the rest of Christmas Day and night with him. Since I didn’t have the kids and didn’t have anything else to do that day, I took a short nap, then went over to Chris’s house to have lunch with his family, and hang out with him and his kids for a while. His kids are really sweet and funny, and it was great to get to spend some time with them. I don’t think I’ve ever been around them without my own kids also there, so it was a different dynamic, but it was a lot of fun.

My sister and brother-in-law flew in on Christmas night, and they’re staying at my house. We got Catie and Lucy back on Thursday (the 26th), and they got a few more presents, because you know, my kids clearly aren’t spoiled enough.

Lucy is particularly proud of her new scooter.

Catie also got a scooter, but it may take her a while to warm up to it since she’s so cautious about new things. She still had fun, and she loved all of the clothes that her aunt Tracy picked out for her. (I gotta admit, my sister is far more talented at picking out kids’ clothes than I am.)

And now, it’s all over, and I don’t have to go back to work until Monday, so it’s nice to enjoy some downtime with my girls, and especially to get some time with this guy right here.

Hope you all had lovely holidays too.