Christmas 2009

I can't believe Christmas has already come & gone for this year. Time is flying by more & more every year, and I can't seem to keep caught up.

We left for our holiday trip back up to Arkansas/Oklahoma after Justin got off work on Thursday, December 17th. We drove to my parent's house in OK that night & finally arrived a bit past midnight. The kids went straight to bed... and so did we! We lounged around on Friday, and then all stayed busy on Saturday. Justin stayed home & helped my Dad process an elk that he had killed a few days previous. My Mom, the kids & I drove to Rudy to visit my Aunt Leon, who is my 96 year-old babysitter who took care of us growing up. She is AMAZING & honestly one of my role models for my life. I love her to pieces... And I have many happy memories that include her. One of which is sitting in her lap every day while she read to us (this picture below of her & Kaylee reminds me so much of my childhood!).

Sunday morning, we went to church with Mom & Dad and then on to their church Christmas program that night. After the program, we drove to Berryville, AR to Justin's parents' house. The kids were both exhausted & went straight to bed... once again! Monday was a "day of rest" for all of us, which was great because Tuesday was BUSY! Justin & I got up super early & mapped out a 10-mile run through Berryville... YES... 10 MILES!! We are still training for our half marathons & decided to take advantage of having a babysitter for the kids so we could run together. We ended up running from one side of town to the other & back again -- our 10 miles. It was long, but we were so happy to get to run together for once this season!

Once we got back, Justin's Mom, the kids & I loaded up & drove to Bella Vista to visit Justin's sister, Shelcey, and her daughter, Emilee. We tried harder than anything to get a good picture of Wenona with the kids, but anyone with kids knows how hard it is to get a good picture of more than one child at the same time. This is the best I came up with....

Kaylee was in quite the photogenic mood, always saying, "Cheeeese" and ready for her cameo!

Wednesday night, Justin's Mom made a big meal and had some family over to celebrate the holidays. Justin's grandparents (on his Dad's side) came over, so we got to stage this "4 Generations" photo -- the first one we've done since Austin was a newborn.

Grandma June loves loving on her great-grandkids, so I snapped this one of Austin & June before he headed off to bed that night...

Christmas Eve morning (Thursday) is our "Christmas Day" in Arkansas. Mimi & Pawpaw had gone all out this year on fun gifts for the kids, and they were SO excited! Austin woke up about an hour before daylight, so he & I sat in the bathroom for about 30 minutes waiting for the sun to come up. (That sounds funny... but it was the only room in the house that no one was asleep in, so we went in, closed the door & just hung out & talked! It was actually kinda fun!) After the sun came up, we woke up Daddy & then proceeded to wake everyone else in the house up. It was presents time!!

Mimi & Pawpaw got Kaylee & Emilee these adorable little shopping carts, and (of course) they had to test them out before we technically began opening gifts...

We took a break before stockings & gifts to take a few pics in front of the fireplace...

And one of all three of the grandkids...

I didn't get many pics of the kids actually opening presents at Mimi & Pawpaw's house. Kaylee was not in a great mood & cried/fussed for 99% of the morning. Come to find out, she must have been super hungry, because after breakfast, she got happier. Next year, I think I'll get her up early to eat before we open gifts so hopefully we don't have a replay of this cranky year!

After presents & breakfast, the kids decided it'd be fun to play in the shower in the front bathroom. It was adorable... and they actually kept themselves occupied in that shower for well over an hour!!

Christmas Eve night, we went to Keith & June's (Justin's grandparents) for their annual family tradition get-together. We opened gifts, played the White Elephant gift exchange game, and ate some yummy desserts! That night was the night that the "blizzard" was blowing through, so we got on the road around 8:30pm and headed to my parents' house in OK. It was raining at first, but before long, the temperatures dropped to well below freezing & we found ourselves in a full-out snow storm! Driving from Fayetteville to Alma on I-540 with frozen roads covered in snow, 15-ft visibility, and no clue where the next corner is up ahead is NOT fun. They had called for "blizzard-like conditions" & I can vouch that we were in the middle of that! I was a total nervous wreck, but Justin (as always) stayed calm & got us through like a champ! Our usual 3-hour drive from one family's house to the other turned into 4 1/2 hours, but we made it safely & was thankful for that.

After a very short night of sleep, the kids woke up & it was Christmas morning!! They opened their stockings & we began getting ready for the big family meal at my grandma's house at noon.

My family's annual tradition is to gather at my Mama Bea's house on Christmas day for lunch. This year, there were about 20 of us there and we all feasted & then opened presents. Justin wasn't feeling well, so he opted for staying at my parent's house for some much-needed rest while the house was empty & quiet. (That's why he's not in our family picture below!)

After a few hours at Mama Bea's house, we went back down to my parent's house and got ready to open gifts. I had made Justin a plate of food for lunch, so he chowed down while the kids eagerly waited for Pock (that's what the kids call my Dad) to finish feeding the cows. The picture below is adorable... Brian (my brother) was holding Kaylee while watching Pock feed the bull out in front of the house. He was getting her to say, "Pock... come on!"

It wasn't long until Pock was back in the house & it was time to open gifts! Austin & Kaylee had three HUGE gifts wrapped up and they were both so excited to tear into them & discover what they were!! He was quick to decide this was the first one HE wanted to open. Uncle Brian & Aunt Rachel got him a cool art easel (pics are further down), so he was so excited!

One of Kaylee's big gifts? Another big one from Uncle Brian & Aunt Rachel -- a set of baby accessories! A stroller, baby bed & high chair! Perfect for the little girl who LOVES baby dolls, like Kaylee!

We left OK on Saturday morning around 9:30am. Our Tahoe has never been so loaded down, but we got everything to fit in & got it safely back to Texas. We unloaded in record time & were SO happy to be in our own beds, in our own house, and back to our old routines.

On Sunday after church, I got busy putting together all of the big items the kids had gotten for Christmas & we had forbidden them to take out of the box until we got home (they're so much easier to pack & load when they're in boxes, right?!). First off was Kaylee's play kitchen from Nanna & Pock. This thing was in about 100 tiny pieces, and it only took me 2 1/2 hours to put together. NOT what I would call fun, but it's put together & I have a major sense of "can-do" attitude when I see it sitting in the corner. The kids both love playing with this...

Next to be assembled was Austin's art easel. This went together pretty quickly & I really love this one! There's a chalkboard on one side, a dry erase board on the other, and it even has a roll of paper to do paints on! This will certainly be something the kids will play with for years to come!!

And, for me & Justin, you ask?

Justin was so excited by his new Blu-Ray DVD player that he's been wanting for well over a year. As soon as the truck was unloaded, he went straight to installing it & within 5 minutes, had it hooked up & was testing a movie on it. You might say he's in love... -ha- He got lots of great new things including new cast iron square skillets for his camping stove, hunting gear, a new knife... typical "guy" things that excite him!

I got some great new things that I love as well. A duvet cover for our down comforter that I've needed for about 3 years, but now so thankful to have! (I put it on our bed last night & must say that I LOVE it! Thanks, Wenona!) Some super cute new clothes that any girl would be happy to add to her wardrobe, a new mouse for our iMac... But one of my most favorite gifts is my new Bible. I have to say that I am so excited to have a new "grown-up" Bible. I've been using the one my parents gave me when I turned 13 for a good 15 years now... but I've upgraded to an adult one! It's a "Life Application Study Bible", which means that if I don't understand something, it has explanations on each page for most verses. YEA!! I can't wait to go to church & start using this beauty... and when I say beauty, I mean it. Isn't it ADORABLE?!? I've never seen another Bible that is this stylish! LOVE IT!! (Thanks, Mom & Dad!)