Merry Christmas!!

And on to the Christmas Celebrations!

We had a few this year - and instead of breaking them up, I put them into one looooooong post.

Christmas with Grandma

First up was our Christmas celebration with Grandma! Gail and her family and my family met up on a Saturday morning to open presents with Grandma and then have lunch at McDonald's.  It was so much fun to see the kids all together and with Grandma!

Bentley (with help) opening his gifts...

and Coleman...

And Ty...

and Kegan...

and Karsyn!

Coleman and Grandma...

Karsyn and Grandma...

Breakfast with Santa!

The next day we had breakfast with Santa!  Instead of waiting in the mall lines, I got reservations for us to have breakfast with Santa at the Aquarium Downtown.  While Karsyn was disappointed to learn we would not actually be eating breakfast with Santa, we still had a great time and the food was great!

Karsyn told Santa she wanted CASH (AHHH - lovely!) and Coleman said what he wanted was a secret, but finally whispered it to Santa.  Karsyn later clarified she also wanted a foot bath and Coleman said he told Santa he wanted a bubble gun.

Christmas with Meme

After our breakfast with Santa we headed over to see Meme in Deer Park. We had a great time opening gifts and playing games.  I learned all my game playing from Meme, so it is really fun to see her now teach those games to my kids.

After after one more week of school parties, presentations, shopping and packing, we were on our way to Oklahoma! We decided this rent a cabin in Broken Bow this year and celebrate Christmas closer to the mountains.  My parents agreed to come the first part of the week to Christmas day, Laura and Allen Christmas Eve and then Nolan's parents and nephews after Christmas.

I was so excited - it was a lot of work to move Christmas (I can't do Christmas small - no matter how had I try), but so worth it to get out to town and just spend time together.  Luckily the cabin provides a tree, so at least I didn't have to do any decorations, but that first night Mom and I stayed up for hours wrapping all the gifts!

Here is the cabin!  Our home for the week!

That first night my parents arrived when I was at the grocery store.  Two baskets later (yes, two!), and one stop at Walmart for more towels for the hot tub, I was back home and Karsyn wasn't feeling well.  So, instead of going out, we had sandwiches and unpacked.  Luckily Karsyn woke up later and was feeling much better.

The next day we were pretty much lazy all morning, making breakfast and doing an art project of beaded candy canes (and crowns)...

and making gingerbread houses (or, in this case, graham cracker houses)...

I love this picture - totally captured Karsyn in mid-sentence of I'm sure telling Coleman what to do. ha!

Nolan was making his roof all structural with beams and everything. Karsyn and I went for the flat roof look.

The boy will not wear clothes.  If we enter a door they start coming off. We have to lecture him when we go to other people's houses to keep his clothes on!

All done!

And here is the tree with all presents under it!

Later that afternoon the kids got back in the hot tub. They loved that tub - even if they treated it more like a swimming pool than a tub.

Later that afternoon we decided to open the presents from my parents so the kids could have some toys to play with.

I asked Karsyn to take pictures of me opening my gifts. So she did.  Of the gifts.

Luckily my mom got some pictures for me. ha!

My parents opening their gifts...

Well, the rest of the night was spent constructing marble runs...a toy that was declared "best gift ever!" by Coleman. But I'm not sure who liked it more...the kids or Nolan. ;-)

That night we made dinner (chicken enchiladas) and had fun making marble runs - the kids finally made it on up to bed, tired and ready for the next day!

The next morning -  Christmas Eve - we had some outdoor time. The cabin had a great play set, so the kids had a blast playing on it.

I never did well at tether ball in school. For the reasons in the pictures below.

Well, that was fun. ha!

Later that afternoon we went for walk around the neighborhood...

and the kids ended up back in the hot tub!

After we had enough time sitting in the cold watching the kids, we had them get out and make cookies for Santa!

I had purchased these really cool cookie cutters and some sugar cookie dough from the grocery store. I figured it would be a win for all - they kids get to decorate cookies and I don't have to work as hard!

Well, they did have a good time and the cookies looked great going in...but apparently sugar cookies don't necessarily make good cut out cookies! They got huge, lost all shape and impressions as they cooked.  ha ha ha!  Oh well - lesson learned. Santa ate them anyway.  ;-)

Meanwhile, Mom took the kids outside (well, Karsyn and Green Lantern) and let them go crazy with the silly string she gave them.  Looks like they had a blast!

Nolan and I then joined them for some football throwing...

And teeter-tottering.

Early that evening Laura and Allen arrived!! and spoiled the kid with some early presents!

We then had dinner of chicken and dumplings and then the kids got to open their annual Christmas pjs from my parents.

The men decided to try and build a fire - grand idea...but all we pretty much got was smoke..

Soon enough we headed in and got the kids ready for bed - Santa was on his way!

And look - he arrived!

Karsyn wanted a foot bath...

And Coleman wanted a bubble gun and a snow gun. Since there is no snow ever around us, he got a marshmallow gun instead.

He even ate all the cookies, and according to directions, fed them to his reindeer.

This letter was all Karsyn's doing...ha ha ha!

And Santa's reply back...

Christmas morning!! All excited (if not sleepy)!!

Off to the races to see what Santa got them!

Nice teeth!

Watch out Uncle Allen and Aunt Laura!  Bonnie and Clyde are on the loose!

After Santa gifts and stocking, and a breakfast intermission, we opened presents...

The kids and their Menchie's dolls - the figure of a poplar yogurt shop they just love.

Aunt Laura and Uncle Allen...

Is it the Hulk or the Grinch??

Coleman was all excited about his new costumes...

Karsyn had to pamper herself - a lot!

Acting like a scary monster in his Monster University cap!

After a steak and potato lunch, my parents packed up and headed home to get ready for Gail and her family. 

We spent the rest of the day relaxing, taking naps, and playing with all the many gifts!

The next Nolan's parents arrived with Alex and Zach - the kids were so excited!  And not only because they got more gifts.  ;-)

Alex hates to have his pictures taken - silly boy!

After the gift giving (and getting!) we all headed outdoors for more playing and to start a fire.

Finally got it going this time!

Awww...much easier if you play it with your feet!

And oh yes - more dips in the hot tub!

That night we had an awesome meal of chili and the kids had a blast running all over the house and just being kids. Close to the end of the night Laura had a great idea of making the kids get on teams and play charades.  Oh my - it was hilarious. She made them act us out (Nolan and I were portrayed as working - ha!) and then she had them do certain actions...like farting. Oh my - they were rolling on the ground and we were laughing at them. It was a blast!

They finally headed off to bed (although none of them wanted to) and the next morning they had a blast playing in their sleeping bags...on the stairs...

After breakfast they packed up and left and we were all alone.  It was our last day there and I wasn't ready to pack up yet! We had such a great time with our families and being together that I didn't want the time to end.  

That night we went out to eat - our first time to leave the cabin that whole week!  They have a great little pizza joint in town, so we headed there and had fun eating pizza and soaking up the surroundings.

That night I also made us pose for pictures, since I realized we didn't have any as a family!

That night we packed everything up...and got a good nights sleep for the drive home.  That morning I also had us pose on the porch for pictures...

Oh my, how I love these two!

Nolan and me...can't believe its been over 10 years!  But what a wonderful 10 years it has been!

While I knew we had to get back to Houston, and reality, it didn't make it any easier. While it was work to move Christmas up there and arrange it all, it was the best kind of work because of the joy it brought to us and our families.  To get away and spend time together is priceless  - and gifts will go away, but the memories will last a lifetime.

Grams and Papa's lake house

On our way home we stopped by my parent's new home - so we could see the house, see my parents and see Gail and her family...

While there we had lunch, helped install my parent's new swing, play with the kids and chop down a few trees!

What a view!

Their new deck...

The view from Mom's new swing...

The kids horsing around, checking out the new backyard...

Gail and Dad checking out the new swing...

These two are trouble...now and will be in the future!

We wanted to get a picture of the kids with my parents...well, we tried. ha!

Men at work...bringing down some trees.

What could go wrong with three men trying to bring down some dead trees? Thankfully nothing, but at one point they were running for their lives as the tree started to fall on them. Men!

After that excitement, and before we headed out, I wanted a picture of all the kids together.  I knew it was going to be tough when I couldn't even get these two to pose for me. Although I do love their smiles in these pictures.

And on to the grandkid pictures...thank you Coleman and Ty for smiling...and Karsyn for trying to control Bentley. Kegan, you are too young to be acting this tough.  ;-)

.

Better..

A little better...

Well, kind of...

Oh, forget it and give me funny faces!

After the pictures we packed up and head back on way back home. Karsyn was upset - she didn't want to leave, and I didn't blame her!  No one wanted this week to end (most of all me - all the unpacking and Christmas undecorating that awaited me!).

What a week. I am so beyond blessed to have these people in my life and to call them family. Christmas is my favorite time of the year, and while I love all the decorations and love to give gifts, the most important reason of all is the birth of Jesus Christ, who was the best gift of all all.  Through it all, the only reason we have joy, love, and ultimate peace in our salvation is because Jesus was sent to us as a baby boy and started on his journey of becoming the ultimate sacrifice.  As a mother, there is no way I could either give up my son/daughter or ask them to die for a humanity that for the most part will never understand or appreciate what they did.  But God loved us so much, he knew it was worth it.  And for that, I am a recipient of the greatest gift of all.