For the second leg of our trip, we headed over to my mom’s tranquil home, though seven little boys made sure it wasn’t tranquil for long! It was a wet and dreary day, but the beauty of the country still never ceases to amaze me. I love seeing all the gentle tones of this place in the winter, all the little creatures nestled into their nests in the fields. 
… and the little creatures nestled into their nests indoors as well! 
Before their cousins came, Milo, Oliver, and Emil built pillow forts in the living room while the delicious smells of roast and potatoes and all sorts of good things wafted through the house. 
And once all seven boys were reunited, we kicked them outdoors for a while to ensure the structure remained intact (my mom’s house, that is). I’m not gonna lie, they were wild!
… and muddy.
Jack, my brother’s oldest, and one of the sweetest boys I’ve ever met.
All 7 in one place = chaos!
My sister and my brother’s other babe, Ben, who can pull quite a sad face…
But still cannot escape Andrew’s photo-bombing.
We made it home safe and sound late Sunday night, so grateful to see our family, if only for a quick trip. Looking forward to keeping in better touch with these wonderful people.
I think year by year we tend towards similar schedules for the holiday, we did Christmas at home and a whole lot of travel on either end as well… I’m exhausted! Looks like you guys had a great time though, I’m envious of your family dynamic with so many siblings and cousins with similar interests and families. So much fun!
Also, I saw the request to post on Christmas gifts, which is cool, will definitely look for it… But I am so confounded as W gets older and I can’t just shuffle gifts out. How do you keep your home so minimal?! I was putting the kids to bed, drowning in stuffed animals, and remembering seeing that your guys have almost nothing in their beds. We just get so.much.stuff. from well meaning (or defiant!) relatives and W likes the it and wants to keep it. Very challenging!
Lilly, it’s been a process for sure. I will go over it in tomorrow’s post in more detail, but it has required many discussions with well-meaning relatives and friends. And lately, everyone has caught on that books are a theme in this household! Also, as the boys outgrow those books (don’t worry, we are holding onto many of them for when they have kids of their own), we can feel really good donating some to our local library.
I nearly asked the same thing when I read Part I this morning, Lilly – I’m glad you did ask. I noticed how little (perhaps even nonexistent) plastic there is in your boys’ entertainment (both Lilly and Lauren, actually). Lauren, I’m pretty sure that I can see how your approach to your wardrobe might be echoed in your approach to your kids’ toys and books.
I was pretty upset Christmas night because of what and how much we had accumulated in a matter of a single day – much of the modest collection of items that we/Santa gave our kids was overshadowed/overwhelmed by everything else they received. I felt selfish for feeling out-done, but also just sad for all of the stuff (a huge percentage of which was either Frozen merch or Ninja Turtle merch) that I would have to figure out how to store or get rid of. It was a weird way to feel on such a great day. I have resisted talking to my family for fear I will hurt their feelings, but the wind was knocked so completely out of my sails this year that I will not let another holiday season pass without somehow bringing it up – at least with my side, but hopefully my in-laws eventually, too. I’d love to hear your thoughts and experience as I ponder my approach.