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!