Growing in the Spirit of the Holidays...

Another Christmas has come and gone in the Stuart house. The new year has begun. In less than twenty four hours Logan will be home with the other half of his family, Tad will be back to work in Kentucky and the kids will be back in school. And I will be at home with the cats and dogs trying to decide what to do. But for now, I will take a minute to reflect on a the holiday season that has passed and maybe clear my thoughts of the upcoming year. 

Christmas this year was a success for everyone... I think Santa made the most of the last Christmas before Logan heads to college and Peyton stops believing in the Jolly fat man in a red suit making the dreams of little boys and girls come true. 

Joey and Kibby both excited to see what Santa left them!

Peyton in shock he got the laser pointer he has been wanting for about five years! 

Drew finally got an iPad mini! And PAWS!!!!

Mikayla was shocked and so happy to get a new laptop after making her broken one last for years! 

Daddy got some new Batman tees and a Star Wars craft from the Wife! 

Logan was late to the party so we didn't get pictures of him opening his gifts but I did find this tweet on Twitter... I am thinking he loves his new cleats!

Yes, it was a Merry Christmas for everyone. One of Santa's helpers was a little worried about it since this year we didn't indulge in every wish list item and kept things relatively small. Looking back on the years past and compared to this year... Less is truly more. The kids weren't over stimulated and things were thrown about. Every gift was admired and appreciated. And honestly, I felt better about Christmas morning than I have in the past. I think for the first year, the kids really noticed the thought that went into their gifts and were truly appreciative. 

Christmas vacation seemed to pass by in the blink of an eye. We spent a lot of time together as a family. Making the most out of everyone being in one place. I was happy for that but seeing how close Mikayla and Logan were and how drama free this week as been I am a little sad. I know that our children are growing older and soon these moments will be difficult to come by as they grow into their own lives with their own families. We even managed to take some family photos. In less then 10 minutes we had over a dozen perfect family photos... a Stuart family first for sure! 

The day ended with an early dinner at PF Changs... another Stuart family first... no one fought over who was sitting where, no one complained about their food, and no one really sat at the table with a phone in their hand. We all talked and laughed. This will probably be one of my favorite family days for years to come. 

I know I have said a Stuart family first a lot throughout this blog post... And maybe some of you who don't really know us don't understand the dynamics of our family. We are a blended family of his, hers, and ours. Not every family vacation or even family outing is smooth. Someone's feelings get hurt over who is sitting with who or who isn't talking to to who. It's hard when you combined a family. The only two people who really had a choice in the matter are the adults that fell in love and decided to get married. The children were forced to accept the family as it has become. Sure there have been some struggles and will be throughout time. But truly, I feel as though we are blessed. We worked through the growing pains which really are nothing more than normal adolescent adjustments and power struggles to find an identity within a family unit. And I am not sure how Tad and I managed but all of our children look like blood siblings. Mikayla looks more like Logan then she does her biological brothers... and he looks more like Mikayla than his biological sisters. It's crazy how much they resemble each other. But what is crazier is how close we have become as a family. All four of the children are equally loved as ours. And all four of the children accept each other as siblings... not step-siblings or half siblings or adopted siblings. They are brothers and sister. And this past week really showed how their relationships have grown. 

This next year will bring about a lot of changes for us. Logan graduating High School, Peyton starting Junior High. A relocation to Kentucky or maybe even back to Utah. But no matter what is ahead of us, we will always have these moments to look back on and laugh at. They will all follow their dreams in different directions and although it will be hard to let them go, I know that Tad and I have done our job at making sure they know we will always be their Northern Star pointing them in the direction of home when they feel lost along the way. 

Happy New Year to all of our family, friends, and followers. May you all shine bright in your families and may your journeys of 2015 be filled with love and laughter.