Ho Ho Holidays

For all the running around we did during Advent, Christmas week was pretty relaxed around here. Kim took off the entire week between Christmas and New Years, which allowed for lots of family time, a quick trip to Camp Wood, and even enough time to complete an unplanned (and unwanted) home repair.

"Cookies for me!"

In our egg-free, soy-free, peanut-free, and possibly fun-free existence these days at Casa Bowling, I wanted to make sure our littlest cookie eater got to sample some Christmas cheer. As it turns out, marshmallows are egg free! Emery loved munching on Christmas "wreaths," sort of a Grammied up version of marshmallow treats. Of all the things I can cook from scratch, these decidedly low brow treats are my favorite Christmas cookie and it would seem a new favorite with Emery as well.

On Christmas Eve, we loaded up the kids for church with dinner to follow at Grammie and Papa's house. The service was lovely as usual and during the sermon at a dramatic moment, the church shook with thunder. By the time we got out, it was pouring rain and freezing.

Good thing I made the kids take a few pictures before hand because we were all bundled and ready for Bedforshire by the time we returned. Only a few more hours to wait until Santa came...


Game on.

Reindeers with kegs? Those elves sure do know their stuff.

Thank you, Santa

For the second year running, Alastair received a scooter from Santa for Christmas. This year the scooter has only two wheels. He was so excited and ran around the whole day saying, "I love my scooter. It has only two wheels. I love my two wheeled scooter."

Emery got dragged out into the cold to watch him ride it.

Emery's favorite present was the purse/camera/phone set that Alastair picked out for her. This girl takes being a girl very seriously. She loves carrying around her bag in the crook of her arm just like Mommy and enjoys talking on her very iPhone-like pink phone. Emery will put anything too small to be a necklace around her wrists like jewelry, including shower rings and even Alastair's Crocs. If it is too big to wear as a bracelet, she will festoon herself with it as a necklace. One week she wore Mardi Gras beads for a week running, taking them off only when put in her crib because her fashion-intolerant parents wanted to prevent her from strangling herself.

Chaos in the Afternoon

After nap time on Christmas Day, the Lewis Grands and Uncle Bill (taking the picture here) came over for presents and dinner. It was a chaotic time of unparalleled hilarity with a massive cooking debacle sure to be the stuff of family legend. Ask Kim about the "floor steak" sometime. An unconventional means of tenderizing, to be sure, but it was delicious!

I love using the good stuff.

On Boxing Day, we lounged around in our pj's until noon (even Kim!) watching DVR'd Christmas movies and eating a decadent lunch of leftovers. After a stroll around the neighborhood, we all sacked out for naps, and followed it all up with a fire and movies at night. It was a day of very rare relaxation around here. At one point, my blissed out hubby and I asked each other if this is what most people did every weekend. Maybe they are on to something!

Riveting stuff, right? You still with me?

Emery watches Alastair and Remi playing ball.

The next night was tamale night at Grammie's. At one point, she announced, "Wow, these are actually pretty good." The rest of us responded in varying forms of "so you invited us over here expecting that they weren't going to be any good?"

This girl knows she's cute.

Uncle Bill and Alastair had a wonderful time playing with Alastair's new souped up HotWheels track set. In fact, I think Uncle Bill would have been playing with it even without his nephew if it came to that.

Then it was off to Camp Wood, where stuff like this grows in the front yard.

Alastair found a willing victim in Great Grandad.

When Alastair walked up carrying eight books, G. Grandad asked him, "which of those would you like to read?" Funny man! The answer, of course, was "all of them!"


One of the best parts about visiting is that Alastair gets a chance to be a boy and explore a space roughly a bazillion times bigger than our backyard. He rakes leaves, loads things around on a utility wagon, and invents games for himself. Here he is proving that chromosomes do count for something and that he is all boy. Bass ProShops will soon be marketing the "Back to Nature Remington Bolt Action Series" modeled here.

GiGi hopes that I leave my camera at home next time. Not a chance.

While Alastair was out exploring (and we were making sure he didn't go down the hill to the river) we also had our work cut out for us inside. Emery, confident in her new walking skills, keep teetering close to the tile steps that line most of the house. It kept us all on our toes.

Grandad keeps pace with her.

Emery is getting to be a better traveler and looks at picture books and of course at her brother on the road. Someday she will be big enough to face forward in her carseat and then we'll see if the DVD player does much for her. The irony here is that we were steadfast in our early efforts to keep Alastair from watching TV and he would rubberneck every time he passed a television. Emery really couldn't care less for TV and at most will stop and look at the TV for about two minutes before hurrying on her way. Until then, she gets a great view out the window and of the back of our heads through her mirror.

Overall, it was a long overdue and welcome break. More info on our home repair in another post.

Here we go again.