Holiday 2011

I'm behind on the blog, shocker, so I'm going to just combine Thanksgiving and Christmas before I forget everything that happened.

I hosted Thanksgiving lunch this year for Trey's side of the family and had a really good time doing so. It gave me a chance to clean a little more heavily that I normally would for one thing! I had a fun time preparing for everyone and it was actually really nice to not have to load up the kids for a road trip. We had Thanksgiving dinner with my parents and then got ready to head to Branson. For years it's been the family tradition to go to Branson, when there is not a LR Razorback game, to kick off Christmas. This is the first time we've taken the kids and it was cold and rainy but fun. The kiddos are asking when we are going back so I think they liked it!

I've worked for the state for 8 years or so and I accumulate a lot of vacation time that I never use up so this year I decided to take two weeks off for Christmas. I wanted to not rush through the season and take time with Trey, the kids, and friends that I don't get to see often. It was a FANTASTIC decision. I was so relaxed and really had time to prepare my heart and home for a great Christmas. One of the things I really wanted to do was host a Birthday Party for Jesus for Hulse and Olivia's friends. They are little so it's sometimes hard to explain Jesus and how important is birth is, but almost any kid can understand a birthday party. We had a fun time playing, crafting, snacking, and celebrating the birth of Jesus. The kids went to school a couple of days before Christmas so I could run errands and finish last minute stuff and then before we knew it Christmas eve was here.

My mother in law asked to keep the kids the night before Christmas eve and that worked out really well. We got to take them down to Pine Bluff and have a little Christmas celebration without the rush and let the kids just enjoy the fun. It also allowed Trey and I to confer with Santa on last minute details! Christmas eve is always our crazy night since we travel to three places in one night, but it was fun and wore the kids totally out. Christmas morning the kids woke up, late after sleeping in, to just what they asked for. Hulse wanted a Razorback football helmet and Olivia wanted a Barbie. They must have been good because Santa brought just what they asked for and more! He even left a trampoline in the back yard. We had a good breakfast and just played and played until the kids asked for a nap! We had Christmas dinner with my mom, dad, and grandfather and the kids got to open some more presents. Trey took off the week following Christmas and we just spent a lot of time at home and out doing fun stuff. The weather was beautiful and the kids got to test out that trampoline quite a bit. It was a wonderful Christmas season this year. It was fun, restful and full of the love of Christ which is the beautiful reason we celebrate.