Christmas at Grammy's

For Christmas this year, we loaded up the car and headed to Texas to spend the holiday with John's family. The car was a bit crowded this year, with the addition of Harley, but we were blessed with good weather, and good travelers, so it was a fairly easy trip.

It was just us and Grammy for a few days, which the boys loved.

But when their cousin showed up, they were ecstatic.

Mommy was well spoiled by Grammy, since I wasn't allowed to do much. And all the boys loved having all the adults to read and play with them.

They even got a music lesson. =)

All that activity will wear a guy out...

The highlight of Mommy's week though, was when Grammy decided to make cookies with all three grandsons. Much hilarity ensued.

We got smart and took the clothes off for the frosting of the cookies the nest morning, but that didn't make it any less amusing. Especially when it was decided that eating trumped frosting.

Timothy insisted that the cookies were for Santa Claus, but I managed to convince him that Santa only needed about 6, and he could let his Daddy and uncles sample the rest. The selected 6 were put aside, and set out carefully right before bed.

Christmas day itself was great. Thankfully, only Timothy was old enough to understand that we were supposed to open presents right away, so there wasn't a problem waiting until after church. Once that began though, happy chaos reigned.

The boys made out like bandits, and our car trip home was overstuffed and almost comically crowded. But for me, the memories are the best part. =)

Christmas preparations

It's been a busy month here in "Florida Tallahassee" (To quote Timothy), but it's been good. Here's a few highlights of what we've been up to. =)

We began our Christmas celebrations the day after Thanksgiving, with the annual search for the perfect Christmas Tree. This year we found a tree farm outside of town, and had a great time traipsing all over on our search. Well, most of us. Andrew wasn't so sure.

Once we got the tree home and lit, the excitement really began. The boys loved getting out all the ornaments, and I loved seeing their excitement. Every year they are more and more involved, and it's so much fun.

Once we got the tree up though, I found myself explaining again and again that no, tomorrow was NOT Christmas. We finally made a countdown chain to save Mommy's sanity. Gluing a paper chain together, and then letting the boys take one link off every day, really helped Timothy grasp how far we were from Christmas. Andrew didn't really grasp the concept, but he liked taking the links apart.

Oh, and our December may have included a picnic or two... =)

Quite by chance, I heard about Tallahassee's annual Winterfest, so we bundled everyone up and headed downtown to check it out. Of course, by "bundled up", I mean sweatshirts, which were only worn for part of the evening. I could really get used to this weather. =)

There were LOTS of people downtown, but we made it in time for the tree lighting, and then took a stroll through candy cane lane before the parade.

Oh, and there was a firetruck. =)

The parade was fun, but really long. tired little boys were done before it was, but it was still a fun adventure overall. We'll definitely check it out again next year.