Our Christmas vacation went by in the blink of an eye! Mike had three weeks off, but when it was over, it felt like it had just been a long weekend. We had a lot of fun with family in town, decorating the house, eating lots of yummy food, and of course
all the awesome Christmas presents. This was
the first year that Max could really start getting into Christmas and
Santa. The first time Max met Santa was after the Children’s
Holiday Parade in Dallas, when we had brunch. Amelia ran
right up to Santa and was first to sit in his lap; when we tried to put Max on Santa’s other knee – well, a picture’s worth a thousand
words.
Max’s second visit with Santa went much better; in fact, it
was pretty much every parent’s dream. For the last
three years we’ve gone to the Gaylord Texan to have the official “picture with Santa” taken.
Since this wasn’t our first time, I knew to arrive early to get one of
the first spots in line. That
way, by the time it’s our turn, the kids would still look good in their nice clothes and have a matching attitude. The difference this time was amazing! Max ran right up to Santa and wanted to climb onto his lap, then turned
toward the camera and started making his “CHEESE!” face.
Of course, being the Santa “pros” that they are, Amelia and Noah knew exactly what to do. I
have to say I feel like we got the best Santa pictures of all time. Mike was so impressed that he sprung for the biggest package, since
we couldn’t decide which picture we liked the best!
Ray and Nancy came out for a week just before
Christmas. Between all of Nancy and
Mike’s great cooking, Ray being a huge help around the house (even installing
much-needed shelves in our garage), and all the love and attention showered on
their grandkids, we had a pretty good time!
Noah has wanted an Xbox since they first came out.
Partly because of his good grades and partly because I think Mike also really wanted one, we decided to get one for
Christmas. Noah’s reaction made it completely worth it! When he tore off the wrapping
paper and realized what it was, he just starting screaming and after about 20
seconds he stops, puts his hands on his head and said "I have a horrible headache!". He was so excited; he gave himself a head ache. This was
a particularly fun year to watch the kids get their presents; they all gave
such great reactions
Mike’s sister Shelley was able to visit us for four days
over New Year’s. Something that made it extra special was that we didn’t tell Amelia she was coming,
which made it was a big surprise for Amelia when she came down to breakfast and saw her Aunt Shelley. For those of you who aren’t aware, not only does Amelia look just like her Aunt
Shelley, but she also absolutely adores her! We booked
a hotel room in Dallas for New Year’s Eve, as I’m not a big fan of being road on big holiday nights.
It worked out well because my brother Jason and his wife Emilie and their two boys happened to be coming into town for a dirt bike race and were going to sleep at our house that night, so they stayed with the kids. Mike, Shelley and I got to enjoy a nice
dinner and then drop in at a few friends’ parties. Unfortunately, Mike had a bad reaction to
something he ate, so it was a pretty earlier night for us.
Jason and his family stayed for a few more days after Shelley left, and the cousins were able to enjoy some fun play time! They even managed to sit still long enough to snuggle on the floor and watch “Hook” – one of my favorite movies!
Mike started traveling back to Florida again when his vacation was over, and it was a shock for the little ones for the first week since they were used to having Daddy around all the time. Of course, I always miss him when he travels, and I also really miss his cooking. I’m sure the kids do, too, because that means I will be the one cooking. (“Mom, casserole AGAIN?!”)
