4 Christmases

1 day, 2 exhausted parents, 3 cranky kids, and 4 Christmases = MADNESS! And to be quite honest, I think I'm over it. Growing up, Christmas was about spending time with family and playing with our new toys. Not rushing from house to house with a trunk full of unopened toys and dinner on a to-go plate sitting in my lap. We spend more time in our car Christmas Day then we do laughing with our family members. When did this all change? And why? I vow to myself and to my family, Christmas 2010 will be different. For Christmas 2010, I will enjoy a sit down meal with my family and not worry about getting ingestion because I ate to fast. I will enjoy the smile that lights up my child’s face when they are playing with their new toys. But most of all, I will watch my children play with their cousins. Knowing the bond they build between them now is a bond they will have in 20 years. Teaching them that family means everything.

 

Over the mountain and through the woods…

To Great Grandma Taylor’s house we go! On Christmas Eve the kids and I (Adam had to work) heading to my Grandma Taylor’s house to spend the day with her and my father. She lives in a small town about an hour and half away from us so we left first thing in the morning. Let me re-phrase that, we tried to leave first thing in the morning. I was up the night before till 3am working on Christmas presents, so needless to say, the snooze button was my friend Christmas Eve morning. By the time we left I was only an hour behind schedule which I thought wasn’t to bad since I had to set-up the DVD players and fill the tank. That hour behind schedule turned into almost two hours behind schedule with Mason developing car sickness. My poor little guy had me pull over because he thought he was going to be sick, but nothing. Not a minute went by once I pulled back onto the highway that chunks went flying! Of course to top it off, he had to have a LARGE glass of milk with breakfast. Throw up milk is the worst! Lucky I had packed extra clothes for them since I knew they would be playing in the snow with Grandpa. We finally made it to our destination and had a wonderful visit. And the car ride home? Was a lot like the car ride up; windows rolled down, lots of pulling over, “close your eyes and try to go to sleep”, but minus the throw up in the car. Dramamine will be a must for the next car trip!

     

Gingerbread Time

Back during the first part of December the boys and I headed to the store to pick up a few things for our Christmas UFC party. I told them if they behaved themselves I would buy a gingerbread house for them to make. I figured it would keep them busy while the grown ups were watching the fight. Will they did pretty good up till check out time, where they decided to start fist fighting while our things were being scanned. Of course this lead to me having the checker take the gingerbread house off and going home empty handed. I had a gut feeling if I didn't buy it then there wouldn't be anymore left the next time I went, but I had to make a point and couldn't go back on my word. And sure enough, the follow weekend there was no more left... ANYWHERE. So instead of a gingerbread house, we ended up with a gingerbread tree. I was kinda bummed at first because the tradition has been a house, but once the boys started putting it together; I realized it did not matter to them. They just enjoyed the activity and spending quality time with mommy and daddy. In the end, their Gingerbread Christmas Tree turned out very cute!

 

Holiday Photos

Anybody who has children knows how HORRIBLE holiday photos can be. I personally cringe whenever I say those two words in the same sentence. What throws me through a loop, is my children will take the best picture when they are in the scrubbiest clothes and dirt all over their face. But when I actually want to take a good picture of them, all hell breaks loose.

This year was no expectation. Mason decided to test out his “fake” smile in pretty much all the photos. Cody wanted to see every picture after it was taken. And Baby Girl was not happy because the photographer wanted someone to holder her the whole time.

So what makes this photo session the topper of all toppers? My mother wanted to also take pictures. Which meant my family photos that included: all of us, the kids, and just Baby Girl. Then my mom wanted to take a family picture with us, a family picture with my grandparents, a photo of her and the kids, PLUS a 4th generation picture. Needless to say…. Two hours later, 3 VERY hungry kids, 1 exhausted photographer, and me dripping in sweat; we were done!

I hope you enjoy our family photos. Because I sure in the hell did not enjoy taking them. I do love looking at them though! Merry Christmas!