Home for the Holidays

There is just something about the peace that comes from having a vacation and not going anywhere. This is a foreign concept for us most of the year, since we would rather use our vacation time to hit the road. Christmas is different. Early in our marriage we spent our Christmas holiday on planes and in the car driving here and there. On several of those drives, we said that when we had children, they wouldn't spend their holiday running to and fro, but rather playing in their own home. Of course, that doesn't mean that we don't do anything: in previous years we have painted the kitchen cabinets among other big projects. With a two month old in the house and a very active three year old, we decided to just take it easy this year. Taking care of these two is work enough!

It was a really magical year watching Alastair get excited about Santa Claus and start to get it. The only mistake I made was in my desire to prepare him for a present (the DVD the Grinch that Stole Christmas) I worried the poor kid unnecessarily. Christmas Eve, I read him the Dr. Seuss tale so that he would be excited when he opened the present. Apparently, he spent part of the night worrying that instead of Santa, the Grinch was going to come steal his presents. Kim went to let him out of his room Christmas morning (we chose to close the door so he wouldn't be up rummaging around at 3 am) and the first thing he said was, with great worry in his voice, "Did the Grinch come?" Yep, I'm mother of the year for sure. Next year we will stick with "The Night Before Christmas" and lighter tales.

Without further ado, here is our Christmas in pictures. Lots of them.

Look who is finally smiling on camera! Christmas Eve.

After church, we had the family back to our place for posole and corn bread. Emery checks out her Uncle Bill.

I really need to find some hair gel for baby hair to spike Em's little faux hawk. Sorry to startle you, dear.

Christmas Eve. Alastair models his new (and now beloved) Cars pajamas. Both Mater and Lightening are wearing snow tires. His excitement compensates for the tackiness.

Christmas Morning: Present Time!

A real Rocket toy that moves!

And a doctor's kit, just like his friend Ella's. But not pink. Here Kim gets a check up. Alastair will chase us around the house saying, "Now I'm going to take a shot at you. Then you'll feel better." Too cute to correct, don't you think?

His deluxe wooden train set. Which he loved so much...


He had to lay on it to hug it.

Santa didn't forget Boudreaux or Emery either. Boudreaux got several rawhide chews (I think Santa was looking out for those new toys in the house) and Emery got a deluxe mobile/projector for her as yet unused crib.


Alastair's big Santa present was a scooter. He came into the room and said, "I always wanted one of those! Wow, is that for me?" It has been pretty cold lately so Alastair gets to ride it all over the house now.

Off to the races. The slow and easily tired out races.


After nap time, we headed over to Grammie and Papa's new house for awhile. Emery in a bow (gasp!) and a darling Santa outfit, which I sadly didn't get more pictures of.


Alastair, besting his uncle's best time/score, on the Wii snowboarding game. He just sailed right through it, must to his uncle's incredulity. My boy's got game, Bill.

The modern dad: able to snowboard whilst holding an infant and with a three year old on the board with him. I wonder if the two add-ons would require lift tickets. Hmm... That's a thought.


Boxing Day:

My baking assistant, hard at work on quality control.

The whole family enjoying "Up." Some of us more enthusiastically than others. Emery needs some instruction in the "Silence is Golden" method of television watching.

Have I mentioned that I have a big huge girl crush on the Pioneer Woman? Her blog is witty, inspired, so entertaining, and we're gaining weight all over the place trying out the recipes she posts or published in her cookbook. She also is an amazing photographer with a section on the blog for photography. Seriously, if she could sew and paint, I would have to go to Oklahoma to stalk her and make her my BFF. On a slightly less creepy topic, she had a photo contest featuring holiday bokah (the aesthetic quality of blur). It took me two weeks to download my shots and three days for the contest to end. Not that I had a chance anyway!

Looking these over, I thought they made a nice farewell to Christmas.

Goodbye, pretty ornaments that survived the Great Tree Collapse of 2009.

My baby will never again fit in her daddy's Christmas stocking. Sniff sniff.



I made this wreath. Martha, eat your heart out.



The mantle is lonely and bare now.

Till we meet again, Mr. Kringle!