Our family of 4 Christmas

We had a few days then after all the big family Christmases to gear up for our own little family Christmas. We kept our gifts simple. There was nothing my children lacked after their birthdays this month and all the family members buying them gifts! They each got one gift from us to unwrap and their one big unwrapped gift by the tree. We made a family trip to Target the evening of the 21st. Hudson and I shopped for Daddy and Avery. Avery and Ronny shopped for me and Hudson. So there was something to unwrap from the kids to us as well as something to unwrap from the kids to each other. It was really fun for them to be in on the shopping!

December 24- Christmas Eve at home. We stayed in our pj's, played Christmas music all day, made fudge and cake balls, wrapped presents and then it snowed! It was so cold and the wind was blowing so hard that the kids didn't even hardly want out in it. We snapped a few pictures and they loved watching through the window. By then it was time to head to church for our Christmas Eve Service. My parents and Emily and Thomas came with us. The kids did great- they loved the candles and all the music and we had a wonderfully worshipful service. We left church and went straight to my great-aunt's house for a gathering with all of my dad's family- his aunts, uncles and cousins. It was a small group this year but we had a great dinner and enjoyed the evening very much.

We finally got the kids in bed and put together their play kitchen and got food ready for our brunch the next morning. We finally got in bed ourselves about 2 am. I think this makes us real parents on Christmas Eve!! :)

**** about 11:00 Emily and Thomas came over to tell us they had just gotten engaged! It was a magical night with all the Christmas lights and snow! A perfect time to get engaged. We love Thomas and are so thrilled to have him permanently in the family!! The kids don't think it's a big deal because they think Thomas is already their uncle!****

December 25-- AT LAST!!!-- We finally woke both children around 8:30 to get the show on the road! We all read the Christmas story from Luke in our bed before we ventured out to the dining room to open presents. The kids LOVE their kitchen. They had a great time opening their presents from each other. Kids are so simple at this age to be grateful for everything! :) Hudson chose a Superman shirt for Ronny! And for Avery, he chose a Little Mermaid crown and jewelry :). Ronny and Avery chose one present for her to give Hudson- his first transformer that goes from a lion to a robot! Ronny and Avery also chose one present for the kids to give me- a pretty silver necklace :). We had a great time with those little gifts!

Ronny and I got the kids a play kitchen complete with a grill (so it's masculine!) as their one big gift. I ordered it before Thanksgiving!Then Avery got a little wooden crib for her babies with other little pretend play things for her babies (spoons, food, wipes, diaper, changing pad, etc.) from Ronny and me. (Hudson kept telling her to sit the baby up or she would choke!) Hudson got awesome new cowboy boots from us. We filled their stockings with a few other little goodies. And that was it! I bought Ronny some new boots and he got me a watch that records my heart rate, calories burned, etc. I asked for it, he wasn't giving me a hint or anything! :) Everyone had two gifts to open and it was a sweet time by the tree for my little fam. Sarah McLaughlin Christmas CD is awesome and it played in the background for us.

My parents and Emily came over for brunch. (Annesa and Gabe are spending the week with his family in North Carolina.) We filled our bellies with sausage ball, green chili breakfast casserole, monkey bread, cinnamon rolls, cake balls :), coffee and cider. yum. Emily and Thomas then left to go to his grandparents in Longview. After we had cleaned up brunch, we decided to go to Denton to see Ronny's grandparents and mom! We are going up there again later in the week while Ronny's brother and his family are in town, but we decided to spend Christmas day with them, too. Very last minute but fun to surprise them! We got there around 3 and left about 7. A lot of driving for a short time but we enjoy car rides together. The kids did great and we had a really good visit.

And now here I sit, a couple of days after Christmas... it's always a let down :). And Hudson woke up with fever yesterday :(. I think his body is just very tired after ALL the festivities! I must say our Christmas, all of them, were quite possibly the best we've had as a family! I am so grateful for the absolutely wonderful holiday!

The Christmases Leading Up to Christmas

My family has always been really good to celebrate Christmas on the day that everyone can be together. That has rarely been December 25th!

Now that I have children, and brothers in law, and am blessed enough to still have all 4 of my grandparents and am close to all my aunts, uncles and cousins... well getting 4 generations together all at one place at one time is a trick! We managed to do it all again this and I am so glad!!

December 18- my sister Annesa and her new husband Gabe arrived at my parents house from Houston. My sister Emily and her then boyfriend, Thomas, (I say then boyfriend because he is now her fiance!! woo hoo!!) also came over and we all had the "immediate Lindsey family Christmas Eve." Annesa made gingerbread man cakes and we iced and decorated them. They tasted better than they looked after we were done with them :)

December 19- Christmas Morning at my parents house. Stockings, presents, big Christmas brunch, the works. I totally thought it was Dec. 25 all day! I fixed my kids plates before my own and sat them down in the dining room... When I got back with my own plate, this is how I found them! Thankfully the camera was close so I could capture them blessing their food! :)

Hudson wanted Avery to have a pink truck to play with. Aunt Nesa and Uncle Gabe came through!
The Cowboys in their glory days- Ronny's favorites- Troy, Michael and Emmett.

Hudson in his adorable bath robe! We all got my dad and new grill and that was fun to surprise him with, too! And, I finally got me some Uggs. I love them!

Later that afternoon we all went to my grandparents (dad's parents) for big Lindsey family Christmas. More presents, Christmas dinner, the whole family, a good time! These picture are so funny to me, and only me I know, but we all sit in the same place every year and I probably have 10 pictures from years past that look just like these (above and below)! :) To my right I see my Dad, Mom, Aunt Margaret and Uncle Steve. To my left sits my Pepaw and Grandma! :) Then right beside me is my Aunt Alicia and Uncle Steve. (yes, I have 2 Uncle Steves!) The "kids" still sit in the floor. :)Only the "kids" get presents. This year the cut off was if you were still in college or younger, you were still a kid! :) Avery's favorite was her Snow White cleaning stuff! (the broom sings!)And Hudson's was his wrecking ball truck!
December 20- Christmas at the Hunnicutts (mom's parents). Stockings, presents, brunch and dinner with plenty of chips, queso, cider, cookies and coffee to keep us full between meals! This year instead of drawing names for gifts, we each bought everyone a little stocking stuffer and did only the stockings. Of course the stockings then over-flowed onto the sacks below :) My generous fam did however, still bring presents for my kids! Avery said, "ooh, a Dora Fing! (thing)" (it's a tunnel with a tent- she loves it!!!):She also got her very own make-up, purse, dress up shoes and a new baby. She is all girl!

Hudson's best gift:ha ha!!! He also got a Lightning McQueen blow up mattress with attached sleeping bag that he has already used and loves! He got a great African Animal game, too which of course is already a favorite.

All the grandkids and great-grands reading "The Shiniest Star". My mom got this book from her cousin on her 2nd Christmas and it has been read by the family every year since! 51 years of reading :) We're cool. Keri and Annesa think so. So does Avery.
My cousin Ryan and his girl friend Tracie with their baby, Roxie. Roxie also got presents that day! :)I'm not sure what they are studying so intently and sadly it is the only picture I got that day of my Uncle Ken, Aunt Becky and my Memaw and Papaw.
My boys! Hudson says this is a moose on his shirt, but that on Christmas we call it a reindeer. :)Happy Birthday, Jesus!

Holiday to do list

1.Listen(ing) to Christmas music- check

2.Take the kids to see Christmas lights- check

3.Take pictures of the kids in their Christmas clothes at the Mayborn- oops, they're closed today. Hope the Mayborn is still decorated between Christmas and New Years! :)

4. Make Red Velvet Cake Balls- in the process, cake in oven.

5. Make gingerbread houses- check. Well, Hudson put together a gingerbread train... Rather my mom did and Hudson licked icing :)

6. Put together the kids kitchen/grill set- (I have no doubt Ronny will save this until about midnight tonight!)

7. Wrap the rest of the gifts- again, put off until kids are in bed.

8. Attend Christmas Eve service at HBC tonight, followed by big family gathering at my great aunt's house- planning on it.

9. Enjoy the family- check, check.

10. Put off anything not associated with Christmas for a few more days- check, check, check...

Meeska Mooska Mickey (and Minnie!) Mouse

I need to get Thanksgiving and Birthdays wrapped up so I can start on Christmas!! I added some pictures to Avery's Birthday Weekend post. I still need to get Thanksgiving pictures from my dad and add them. See, my scrapbooking things last made my wedding book... I never got Avery's baby book finished... But it's still important to me to have the goings on of my family recorded...

So anyway, in early December we had a combined birthday party for both kids and their friends. I was looking for a uni-sex theme that is also something that both kids love. My 4th birthday was with a good friend from church who shared my birthday. He and I had a Mickey and Minnie party at Whitehall Park in 1983 :) So I thought it was fitting!

Sewsweettoo on etsy made the adorable t-shirt for the kids. Angela designed the invites. I used many of the same carnival games that we used last year from my friend Ashlie (who now lives in Europe!) for the kids circus party and our friend Anja painted a pin the tail on the mickey game. Did you know that the boxed version of "pin the tail on mickey" was last made in like the 60s, is a collector's item and costs a whole lot of money?! So, I printed a picture of it and Anja made it poster sized and painted it beautifully! We cut ribbons for tales and voila! I don't even know where Hudson first saw this game, but he requested it for his party. The ever talented Gwyndene Hunt made the kids Mickey and Minnie cupcakes. They were so cute and so yummy and the kids thought it was so funny that the ears turned their tongues black! Isn't he so beautiful, black icing and all?! He and Avery are 3 days apart.

Yessss! This is the face of a kid enjoying his cupcake!

Cheeeese!

We served hot diggity dogs, mick-a-roni and cheese, clubhouse crunchies (chex mix), minnie's fruit garden, lemonade and cupcakes. The kids ate lunch, played games, and painted mickey and minnie pictures.

and did a pull string mickey pinata. There was lots of fun, lots of candy and lots of friends. She looks like she's posed for a picture before :)

More friends enjoying the festivities:

My kids had a blast and that's the important thing! They've been singing happy birthday to each other since. Emerie helped Hudson blow out candles... and Hudson helped Avery... So everyone was happy! :) We did it on a Friday at lunch time so it was pretty low key. To me, it was an old school mickey mouse party at home! Hudson asked to just have his friends at his house. He was a cute host. This is Avery's new picture smile-- When everyone left, she asked me, "I get in my own bed?!" and she went right to sleep! :)

I'd say the day was a success!!