After we played most of the day with the goodies Santa left us, we packed up and headed to Louisiana to have Christmas with Matt's family.
When we arrived, we were greeted by some very excited grandparents and aunt and a Christmas dinner feast served on fine china! Can I tell you how good it was to have a delicious dinner hot and ready for you when you arrive somewhere? Of course, the kids didn't' savor one single bite because they were ready to open presents.
After all the presents were open, Caroline enjoyed a good game of Candyland with Aunt Erin,
while Will was ready to try out his new scooter, which he pronounces as "cooter".
On Saturday, we played alot and then headed to Uncle Roy and Aunt Charlotte's house to have Christmas with Mamaw Kat's side of the family.
Mamaw Elsie played Santa Claus and the kids opened a few more presents.
This year, the favorite toy seemed to be Jenna's new baby doll she got from Santa Claus that drinks milk and wets her pants. Even the boys liked playing with this doll. Perhaps it had something to do with her bowel habits! I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Caroline doesn't request one because I am ready to be out of the diaper stage!
After everyone had opened their presents and ate to their heart was content, the big kids decided to play a friendly game of Rook.
It was the first time Matt and I had ever played, but we caught on quickly thanks to the help of Aunt Erin who found a way to remind Matt of which card was the best.
Matt was over the moon when he declared he was going to "shoot the moon" and actually did.
While we were busy playing the game, Will made sure Mamaw Elsie was entertained.
Since their parents were preoccupied, Caroline and Jenna locked themselves in the bathroom so they could play alone.
And of course before we left we made certain to take the obligatory great grandkids Christmas picture.
On Sunday evening, we packed up once again and headed to Uncle Richard and Aunt Clay's house to have Christmas with Pappaw's side of the family.
Caroline was glad to see baby Carter and quickly realized that he wasn't much of a baby anymore.
It happened to be Kramer's birthday, and he had plenty of help blowing out his candles.
Since most of the kids are boys, Caroline is quick to find Mary Clare so they can play together.
For some reason, I didn't take many pictures that night. Perhaps it had something to do with trying to keep up with my kids in the big crowd. Anyway, the highlight of the evening was when Sandy and D.J. shared their slide show from their recent trip to Africa to visit Alison and her family. Pictures from their safari were unbelievable! Matt and I are ready to go see it for ourselves if our house in Alabama would ever sell. We missed Alison's family this Christmas, but were so glad to see them in the slide show!
On Monday, we relaxed most of the day before heading back home. We had a great Louisiana Christmas and are so thankful for being able to spend time with our family.
This year marks the 1st year our family has stayed home for Christmas Eve. In the past, we've always packed up and visited our family. We decided it might be asking too much for Santa to deliver our goodies somewhere else, and thought it would be nice to start making some special memories at our own home on Christmas Eve. Here's how we enjoyed this magical time of year:
For starters, we made cookies for Santa.
Then, we met Matt at Cracker Barrel for Christmas Eve brunch. Since Nana and Pop Buddy were in town doing some last minute shopping, they got to help taste test our cookies and even joined us for brunch!
After a nap, we decided to let the kids dress up as Mary and Joseph and read the Nativity story.
We decided on my family's traditional Christmas Eve meal of special not ham and cheese sandwiches with a little twist and red Christmas punch.
Today marked Will's 1st trip to the dentist. While I was a little apprehensive about taking his big sister to the dentist for the first time, I should admit that I was VERY apprehensive about taking little Trouble. But, Trouble never ceases to amaze me as he was the perfect patient. Other than wanting to lick off all the toothpaste before the hygienist had a chance to brush, you couldn't ask for a better patient. In fact, Dr. Jones and Ms. Jenna commented that he may just be the best 2 year old patient they've ever seen. Of course he had a great example of how a perfect patient should behave after watching his sister sit still and open her mouth as wide as she could.
And I should mention that while he was getting his teeth cleaned, he had the perfect hand to hold and another sweet little hand patting him and telling him it would be okay.
We can gladly report that there were no cavities and everybody got a toy of their choice! The only bad news from our visit was that Will overheard that he needed to give Santa Claus his pacifier. We'll just have to see how that goes!
One of the things I put off doing until the last minute is taking our annual Christmas card picture. With two spunky kids, it is quite a chore trying to get a perfect picture. This year rain and cold weather permitted us form doing a photo shoot on the weekends. So, that meant Mommy would have to go it alone one day during the week. Oh joy! Anyway, here is a peak into our little photo shoot.
Of course we had to take at least one picture with Will's cowboy hat.
And finally...a GREAT picture!
After I was so thrilled with THE Christmas card picture and had ordered 85 prints, my husband comes home from work and says, "I don't really like Caroline's smile in that picture...it looks a little fake". If you are wondering, he is still alive and his bruises are healing nicely! :)
Matt and I decided Caroline was finally old enough to go to Carols by Candlelight. So this year we asked our sweet little girl to go on a date with us. She was so excited and got all dolled up for her big date. As for Carols, it was wonderful was usual. When asked what her favorite part was, it was of course seeing a real baby Jesus!
As in the past, we made our annual visit to see Santa Claus at the Bass Pro Shop. This year, Mamaw Kat and Pappaw were in town so they got to join in on the fun. Despite a very long line, time passed quickly since there were plenty of activities and toys to keep the kids occupied while they waited. I should also add that this was perhaps the only time Matt and Pappaw waited for anything and did not complain. Perhaps it had something to do with the store we were in?
While waiting, Will found what he wants for Christmas and he doesn't even care what color it is!
Finally, the wait was over and we were next up to see Saint Nick. Will got so excited that we had to hold him back so that he wouldn't spoil the kid's turn in front of us. He kept pointing at Santa and just couldn't wait to run up and see him. Caroline was glad to see the jolly ol' man herself, but was able to contain herself. Once it was our turn, both kids eagerly jumped into his lap, gladly accepted a candy cane, and smiled for the camera. When they were finished, Caroline informed me that she told Santa exactly what she wanted. I asked Will what he told Santa he wanted and a look of distraught came over his little face. He informed me that he forgot to tell Santa what he wanted. He turned around to go back, and was so sad that I told him his turn was over. Once I explained that he could tell Speedy what he wanted and then Speedy would tell Santa, he felt a lot better. However, I bet next time he sees Santa, he'll make sure he tells him his wish list!
