The Christmas holidays were a whirlwind for us this year. Between a last -minute work trip for Keller, a wedding in the family, three separate Christmas celebrations in two days, AND driving to Colorado for a week and a half, we were gone for nearly a month. Poor Charley missed us while we were gone, but at least we had the neighbor girls come check on him every day and give him some love. =) We were in DFW for several days and enjoyed getting to see everyone while we were there. The kids always have a great time with family.
Min’s -Saturday morning the 21st we celebrated Christmas at Min’s house. Garin, Jess, Payton and Corinne were all able to come in to DFW for Christmas, so it was a treat to get to see everyone at the same time. We had a big breakfast and then opened gifts. The kids did great because they were last for opening presents and I was so proud of them! I knew they could be patient. Kamy’s favorite gift of the morning was probably her My Little Pony or the paintable treasure chest from Pay and Corinne — I think I called it done after the sixth painting session. Caden loves his Thomas the Train toy and plays with it all the time. Of course books and puzzles are always a hit too.
Grandmommy’s – Saturday evening we went over to Grandmommy and Grandbobby’s house for the big family Christmas. Everyone was in town for the weekend since Abby’s wedding and GM and GB’s Christmas were scheduled back to back. It really was a treat to see everyone and catch up with what all the cousins are up to. There are now EIGHT great-grandkids, so celebrating Christmas and opening gifts was a lot of fun. I hope Kamy and Caden grow up knowing their extended cousins well — it is priceless!
Nana’s and Granpops’ – Sunday we went over to Nana’s house to do Christmas before Pay and Corinne had to drive back to Houston. The kids love visiting Nana and hearing Aunt Gina’s funny stories! The stuffed animal neck pillows from Nana and the stickers from Gina were both very popular on our drive to Colorado the next week. =) Kamy and Caden love playing with the Legos and water pipes from Granpops as well. Plus, you can never have too many cars and motorcycles, especially when they make noise and light up!
We are so glad to live close enough to DFW to drive in regularly for visiting, especially at holidays. We also really appreciate having everyone on Keller’s side of the family close together so we can make all the stops for visiting. Oma and Opa’s move to Colorado requires a bit more coordination for a visit. Fortunately they like coming down this direction to get a break from all the cold and snow!
Oma’s – Christmas Eve we drove up to Pine, Colorado to visit Oma and Opa for a week and a half. The drive went really smoothly and both kids did excellent. It is a long drive and a long way, but they were troopers. Christmas morning was so much fun to wake up to the mound of gifts under the tree, plus not having to be in the car any more. =P Both kids got full-blown snow gear, which was the workhorse of our trip. I can’t tell you how many times the clothes were worn each day. Kamy also loves her ballerina princess dolls and Caden can never have too many Duplos. They’re such a hit.
We had a wonderful time celebrating with everyone. It is so magical to see the holidays through the kids’ eyes and watch their joy and wonder at everything that surrounds the holidays — lights, sounds, songs, special meals, family, and of course … gifts. They are kids after all!