Hot Chocolate and Caroling...and other Christmas things!
Nicole thought this was going to be the best Christmas yet! This is her daughter's very first Christmas after all, and the year they get to build all of their traditions.
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"Ah! Look Hazel, I think your daddy is home!" I shout, holding Hazel up so she can look out the window. Peaking through the blinds, we saw James' car pull into the driveway, wait for the garage door to open and then pull into his parking spot.
"Let's go get him!" I set Hazel down, rushing down the hallway and into the kitchen. Hazel's tiny feet follow, thumping against the ground as giggles trail behind her. I'm sure she didn't know why we were running, or what was making us so excited, but she was having a blast and that was all that matters.
As soon as the garage door opens, Hazel and I were ready to pounce, taking James down as we overwhelm him with hugs and kisses.
"Whoa, easy now, tigers." James puts his hands up in surrender, kicking his dropped bag to the side. Wrapping us both in a welcoming hug. He leans in, kissing just behind my ear. "I love seeing you get the hang of this motherhood thing. It really looks damn good on you." He whispers, sending a wave of tingles down my whole body.
"Now that you are home, it's time for lunch!" I shout, throwing my hands in the air. Hazel was up from her nap for the day. It was early afternoon, and James was home just in time to have lunch and spend the rest of the day acting like hermits, doing family things together.
"Okay, who are you and what have you done with my wife?" James questions, grabbing his bag off the floor to put it back by the front door. I shrug, shuffling through the fridge to find all the things we need for a salad.
"I googled it earlier and Hazel can have all the things that go into our salad, except for the sunflower seeds, since they are too hard, and the soft parts of the lettuce," I shout from behind the fridge door, working through all the clutter that was from recently going grocery shopping. James puts his hand on my shoulder, pulling me to the side ever so slightly.
"You went grocery shopping and googled safe ways for our child to eat things?" His eyes were nearly crossed with confusion, like his brain was having a meltdown over the information he had seen and heard.
"Yeah, we went grocery shopping yesterday, and today we did a little bit of meal prep for dinner." I point to the counter where the pizza dough for tonight was neatly tucked away, rising until its heart was content.
"We are making homemade pizzas tonight?" James was going to explode if I gave him any more shocking information. I nod, closing the fridge behind me to give him a second to breathe.
"Yes, and we were also going to watch Christmas movies. Hazel hasn't seen many of them and I wanted to make sure she got to see all the classics before this holiday is over. Also, I thought it would be fun to move the couches and build us a little movie watching fort?"
"Now I'm seriously going to have to call your mother and ask her where the hell Nicole went. None of this sounds like you, honey. Are you feeling okay?"
"Will you stop asking me that? I'm feeling fine," I mutter, checking my forehead for a temperature just to appease him. "See, I'm fine."
James places his hand on my forehead as well, double-checking to make sure I wasn't lying. He turns around and does the same to Hazel. Only after he felt satisfied that we were both telling the truth did he head upstairs to change his clothes. In the meantime, Hazel and I started cooking the chicken that would go on top of our salads, and by the time he was back downstairs, it was nearly finished.
