Christmas Wrap-Up

Rush here, drive there, wrap this, unwrap those, smile at the camera, What time are we supposed to be there? What food do I need to bring? Are all the presents in the car? Has anybody seen Trace?

Whew... sound familiar? Christmas seems to get busier every year, but it's so much fun with my little guy...
My friend Penny, does Christmas up right! She has every child's dream yard. Each year she adds to her collection of inflatables and arranges them in her yard complete with candy canes and lights. I had to take Trace over to her house to meet the penguins, snowmen, Snoopy, Santa, etc...

Other than him tripping continuously over the gazillion bungee cords it takes to hold all of them up, he LOVED it... especially when she killed the power and they all fell to the ground. I think Aunt Penny got a "wow, how cool!" from Trace on that trick. (I have no idea where he heard that phrase, but it has become his favorite)

Aunt Lynda came over to get a picture with all the critters!
A couple of days later, they started Trace's Christmas off right, with this...

They spoil him rotten. Lynda's new grandson (coming in March) just doesn't know how lucky a little guy he is!
We spent Christmas Eve at my parents house with my mom's side of the family. I'm embarrassed to say I had my new camera on the wrong setting all night so most of the pictures I took were terrible. (I'm a technology whiz, I tell ya) I did manage to capture a few.
Uncle Andy and Aunt Kadi's gift was one that Trace and his daddy love! Jimmy refuses to move the basketball goal upstairs to Trace's playroom because the ceilings are not high enough. I have reminded him, they are plenty high enough for a 38 inch toddler to shoot, just not his 6 foot daddy!

I have a feeling it will be a permanent fixture in my living room until Spring, when it will be relocated to the driveway :)
Santa's goodies before the chaos began...
A very happy, train lovin, little boy on Christmas morning!
Ole Saint Nick was too cheap to actually buy the table the train is supposed to sit on, so he somehow found a card table in the garage...resourceful, isn't he?

Santa and Mrs. Clause went a wee bit overboard with all the ramps, hills, bridges, and tunnels for a not quite 3 year old. Before Christmas breakfast was even eaten, the hills were collapsed and the track flattened and rearranged... proving my theory that the train tracks at Books-A-Million and Learning Express Toys are obviously glued together!

After breakfast, we headed to Alabama to spend Christmas Day with Jimmy's mom's family. 28 people, 4 dogs, 1 cat and lots of food and presents. I love it down there!

I hate this picture of me, but sadly, this is the only one of the 3 of us. Lipstick and mascara would have been helpful... umm, it looks like I'd been up all night putting together a train set or something?!?
Sara Kathryn loving her new tutu.
The girls amongst all their loot.
The kiddo end of the dinner table. Can you tell Kate and Mark (Jimmy's cousins) don't have kids yet? They actually volunteered to sit at that end! ha!
Sweet Hannah read the Christmas story from the Bible before we opened presents. That was really special...she did such a wonderful job!
Miss Gingie-bug never fails to find her a cozy place to settle. She is hunkered down in Cousin Bryan's new hunting clothes. All the lengths these guys go to to be "unsmellable" to the deer, and poor Bryan is going to smell like a dog everytime he steps into the woods. ha!
The newest edition to the family... look at the precious face! Kacey's first Christmas :)
Remember this picture from Thanksgiving...
Well, it became this...
Wal-Mart photo lab (Wal-Mart really does have everything!)
We had a fantastic Christmas with cherished family and friends. It was very busy and wild but I wouldn't want it any other way! There were several other Christmas events we went to but I didn't have my camera with me.

We were certainly mourning the ones we have lost this year and missing them terribly this holiday season. But it is such a comfort to know that one day, we will all be reunited in heaven having Christmas together once again...God is so good!

Sing to the LORD, you saints of his; praise his holy name. Psalms 30:4

Trace's preschool Christmas show was Tuesday night and it was precious! There's truly nothing sweeter and more pure than children singing for the Lord. His group (the 2's and 3's) sang songs and then the 4-year-olds did a skit about the birth of baby Jesus.

I must admit, I have had NIGHTMARES about how this would go. Trace is not known for his calm, laid back demeanor and I was seriously concerned he might propel off the stage or choose this time to practice his somersault routine.

Once his teacher, Ms. Loretta (a.k.a. to Trace as "Retta" and sometimes known as "Cinderella") escorted him back down the aisle after he tried to make a run for it, he went up on stage and actually stayed there until all the songs were over! YEAH!! Whether he sang a note or not, I considered that a success in itself! ha!

We came armed, of course, with cameras, video recorders, and phones ready to document whatever went down. Minutes before the show began, I realized I hadn't put a tape in the camcorder (real prepared) but luckily Jimmy's phone takes videos. It kept cutting off and is very wobbly but at least we got 2 out of the 3 songs.

You may notice Trace telling me midway through Little Gray Donkey that "Granddaddy and Sisty are over there". We did not tell him before the show that his entire entourage would be in the audience, but he spotted Granddaddy with his video camera on the aisle while they were walking in.


In the second video, he nearly Gloried himself right off the stage. Thank goodness Ms. Shannon (the preschool director) was there to catch him in time for the big finale and then crawled after him when he tried to escape down the stairs...I hope they pay her well! ha!




He couldn't resist giving Mia a quick hug, she looked a little scared. He has a BIG crush on her and talks about her all the time. I was so glad they got to stand together during the program so I could get some pictures.

Young love... so sweet!
"Hi everybody!" (I promise his hair was combed neatly to the side and his shirttail was tucked in when I dropped him off!)
Here's the rest of his class singing on the other side of the stage.
My friend Lucia's beautiful Kate...
My cousin Carrie's son, Abram, was a wiseman. I wish I had gotten a good one of him with his crown on. They all did so good and told the story perfectly!

I think between ours, Carrie's, and Lucia's families we took up the entire right side of the sanctuary. ha! They are very blessed little boys and girls to have so many people that love and support them!!

It was a very special night, full of what Christmas is really about... not Santa, presents, and reindeer...but the birth of our Savior!

If seeing that program didn't get you in the spirit, nothing will!

2nd Annual Gingerbread Houses

This morning was our 2nd Annual Gingerbread House party at my house. We joked last year that we would have to rotate houses every year because of the mess we made. This year was MUCH better than last in terms of "long term" mess. Jill offered to coat down my kitchen chairs with towels before the "icing" began but we lived on the wild side and survived.

We began with breakfast and this year opted for group pictures in front of the tree BEFORE we made the houses... see, we're learning!

Leslie's sister, Emily, agreed to come again this year to take "real" pictures and capture more memories. Thank you so much Emily! She is SO good with children and does such great work... check her out at estprints.com.

Abby, Jack, Ethan, and Trace (Bless Ethan, he was very patient with the "huggy" little neighbor to his left)

Let the games begin...
We (the moms) iced down the milk cartons with frosting and applied the graham crackers before letting the kiddos go to town with the candy.

I couldn't help but think about last year and how they sat in our laps while they decorated their houses and this year they were big enough to sit by themselves and reach the table... time marches on (sniff, sniff). Next year, maybe we'll just let um at it while we sit, chatting on the couch, drinking coffee and eating bon bons. ha!

They loved the candy and NEVER missed an opportunity to partake. This is pretty much how the "decorating" went...

- one on the house, one in your mouth

- one on the house, four in your mouth

- one half eaten on the house, other half in your mouth

- one completed chewed and spit out of your mouth and onto the house


Jack and Leslie
Jill and Ethan
Leslie got up (to get a wet paper towel I'm sure) and Jack took the opportunity to grab a handful! Caught ya cutie!!

Ethan's masterpiece
Total concentration...
This is how all the mom's looked at the end of the morning... just kidding (kinda)!
Sadly, by 5:15, Trace's beautifully decorated gingerbread house turned back into a pumpkin... a soured milk carton, with broken graham crackers, and fingerprinted icing. About 10 minutes after awaking from his nap, he devoured the remaining candy by picking it piece by piece off of his house.

Oh well, nothing lasts forever... and truth be told, it would have gone in the garbage in about 48 hours anyway. Who wants ants for Christmas???

Holiday Hodgepodge

Have you ever taken a random picture without really thinking about it and then later, been so thankful you did? I always forget to bring my camera to our family dinners, but for some reason, God managed to get my camera into my bag that morning.

I took this picture of my Grandmother (Nanny) and my Uncle Hutch on Thanksgiving Day. It was the last picture taken of the two together.

My Uncle was called home for Christmas early on Friday morning. Although he was 86 (a VERY young 86) he was in good health and very active, so it came as quite a shock to us all. Christmas is never easy when you've lost someone you love, but particularly when it happens during the season itself. Our family gatherings will never be the same without him, but we know he has gone to a better place and for that we are grateful.

We love and miss you Hutch!

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Christmas is in full swing around here and Trace is catching the spirit. I am trying so hard to make him understand the "true" meaning of the season by overloading every table in our home with nativity scenes.

He has become very intrigued with one that sits in my foyer (luckily, the only wooden one!) He arranges and rearranges them constantly, and I've heard him have "meaningful" conversations with the Baby Jesus. One particular conversation included Uniqua and Tyrone from the Backyardigans. He was instructing them to be quiet so that Baby Jesus could sleep! ha!

We have started 2 new traditions around here. I saw on Stephanie Blackiston's blog that they have a choo-choo train set running under their Christmas tree. You can tell that is a momma of 3 boys! Gifts are nice under the tree, but a little boy would much rather see his train. I honestly think Trace could have slept all night laying in the floor, listening to that train whistle.
Much to his daddy's dismay, the track is always off and it never fails that the train derails when it gets behind the tree. Jimmy's Christmas spirit has been tested a bit by our new tradition! ha!
It was bedtime, but he just couldn't tear himself away!
Then our "Elf on a Shelf" was born. We named him Cheeky and he has become like a part of the family! I let Trace "hold" him before I read the book, in which it clearly says you are not allowed to touch the elf... oops! ALWAYS read the directions first, Mom!
The snow was a hit! I'm ashamed to say I was VERY unprepared with the appropriate "winter gear", so we had to enjoy it from the inside... I know, I know... that's terrible! But Granddaddy built this little snowman from the snow on his car and sat it on the deck. He lasted for a few days before his head fell off.
Ginger and Trace played a little "Cat and Mouse" game under the dining room table. She is a sucker for food and Trace has learned to tease.
It didn't last long though...and then they made up with a nap in the beanbag.
We saw Santa and it went MUCH better than last year! Some may remember...
Although we didn't go to the mall dressed or prepared to meet the big guy, there happened to be no line so we asked Trace if he wanted to sit in Santa's lap, to which he replied, "Sure!"

We seized the moment!
That in a nutshell is what has been going on around here.

Hope you are enjoying your holiday season!