Dreaming of a White Christmas

Last year I wanted to attend my family Christmas party more than ever. Our family had taken repossession of my grandparents home, and my cousin was purchasing it . I'm not exactly sure about the dates, but I think the last Christmas we spent in that house was when I was about 3 years old. Everyone was excited to be back in the "big" house, and a great time was sure to be had by all.

Unfortunately, we didn't get to go. Our whole family was hit with a horrible virus. So I've been dreaming of a "White" Christmas for the last year. This time it was meant to be... We had a fantastic time. It was great to catch up with family and friends in the beautifully renovated home of my cousin and his wife. We even had a visit from Santa Claus!

Santa Claus

It was hard to do, but somehow we managed to capture the youngest generation of the "White" family (excluding Taylor, Garrison, William, and one little one yet to arrive).

Mighty Moo and Mommy

An even harder trick was to capture the middle generation. I don't think we've taken a photo like this in a really long time. This is my generation with significant others (except for Amanda and Robert).

I tried for a large part of the afternoon to get a photo of the eldest generation. Who would have thought it would be so hard to get 4 people together for a photo. Somehow it didn't happen. The best I ever got was 3 of them.

K having a little chat with Santa

J getting some Santa time

After opening gifts, the kids ventured outside for a little fun. K found rubber boots that look like waders on him. I think he was safe from whatever might come his way.

Partners in crime...

The visit wouldn't be complete without a picture of "Hat."

Christmas Lights

After decorating the gingerbread house, we jumped in the car and headed to Belton to see the Christmas lights. Little did we know, we were in for treats! The first treat was waiting in line for over 2 hours just to get to the entrance of the park (shown above). The boys were amazing. I'm not sure how we all held it together...maybe the promise of hot chocolate at the end.

Once we were in the park, the lights were incredible. We decided that it was probably worth the wait. We took a million pictures, but they don't seem to do the light display justice. You just kind of had to be there.

The lights and the cars seemed to go on forever. We didn't make it to the exit until a few minutes before midnight (we got in line just before 8:00). We definitely did not win any parenting awards on this night. We kept apologizing to the boys and encouraging them to sleep. Needless to say, they were waiting for hot chocolate that wasn't going to happen. We explained that the hot chocolate places had closed. We promised better hot chocolate the next day. That compromise worked and they were off to dream land.

I would definitely go back to Belton, but I think I would try to be the first car in line and I would bring my own hot chocolate in a thermos.

The Uncle Ben Tradition

Somehow the "Uncle Ben Tradition" got started, but we aren't exactly sure how it happened. My children will only decorate gingerbread houses with Uncle Ben. I think he is revered as the expert gingerbread man because of his other cooking abilities. Whatever the reason, the rest of us are not deemed worthy of decorating the gingerbread house. So...every year we wait for the arrival of Uncle Ben (and Miss Rachelle). Kind of like waiting for the arrival of Santa.

This year he/we cut it a little close, but we made it! The house was awesome and it was definitely the sturdiest gingerbread house in our subdivision (and maybe our city). We finally got smart and reinforced the walls with hot glue before attempting to decorate.

Duck Hunt

As you can tell by the look on these faces, these boys are up to no good. A few big brothers convinced the youngest one to put feathers in his pjs and in his hat. He instantly became a duck. The brothers became duck hunters. Who would have known that feathers could be so much fun?

Our Book Bandit

I think I must have jinxed myself with my thoughts. On November 21, I read the blog post of a friend of mine and actually laughed out loud. Her child had done something quite funny. In fact, it was very similar to what my child was about to do. I hope she gets a good laugh out of my moment, too!

The discovery happened when I went upstairs to wake Mighty from his nap. I opened the door, and this is what I found.




On the left, a giant mess.



On the right, a little mess! Oh how I love my Mighty.

Big Family, Big Christmas

While we have worked to minimize the extravagance of Christmas, I have just come to the conclusion that we have a big family, which equates to a big Christmas. This year we celebrated Christmas with almost all of our families - five celebrations to be exact. We didn't make the trip to Louisiana, but Mer and Pop were able to make it our way. Luckily those we missed, we were able to see over the Thanksgiving holiday...no substitute for sure, but it helps.

Hopefully the pictures will tell the story. I haven't been very good about posting our family events since Thanksgiving. I was consumed with publishing the blog from the beginning (our family gift this year), and then I just needed a break.

Reflecting on 2009

As we reflect on 2009, celebrations, challenges, and blessings come to mind. Our boys are one year older, sometimes smarter, funnier, and better equipped to deal with whatever comes their way. Sometimes those things couldn't be farther from the truth. We do realize that we are truly blessed and try to enjoy all of the moments (the good, the bad, and the ugly). Here's to 2009. We hope 2010 is just as unforgettable!

Bring on the memories!