Christmas 2015

We managed to make it through the Christmas holiday as a family, and we are glad we don't have to do it again for a whole year!  Every time we travel to Texas, I find myself declaring at some point (usually from the backseat where I'm wedged between Collin's car seat and Landry and her dog bed) that we are NOT making this trip again for a VERY LONG TIME.  Maybe ever.  Maybe we won't even go back to Texas until Jarrod has graduated and we are MOVING BACK there.

It gets dramatic when you've been climbing back and forth for umpteen hours.  Handing this toy and that book to a baby over and over and over in the hopes that they will choose to focus their minds elsewhere instead of on the fact that they are still stuck in their car seat.  Atalie is pretty good at sleeping in the car, and she's great at putting herself to sleep.  Grady, however, is a different story.  On our Thanksgiving drive, he didn't sleep more than 20 minutes out of the 6 hour drive.  On the way back, he screamed and cried from Texarkana to Little Rock.  Yeah.  Nothing like arriving at your parents' house, jumping out from the back of the car with frantic hair and frantic eyes and knowing that the family togetherness is only just about to begin!

When Jarrod and I first got married, we made the trip home for me.  I'm a super traditional girl, whose family does a lot of the same things on holidays and being at home was all I wanted.  These days, I do it for our children!  The memories they are making with their cousins, aunts and uncles and their grandparents are what keep me coming back for more.

So because we were traveling, and when our family travels these days it requires a wagon train and several pack mules, our little family celebrated together a few days before we left.  I gave the kids their stockings, Jarrod got his new Xbox One that was a combined gift from me and my parents, and Collin got a few things that were from his Daddy and me.

Jarrod had just finished finals, so he hadn't even begun to do his shopping for me yet.  That boy is a believer in last minute, jacked-up-overnight-shipping!

The kids had a fun last few days at daycare, and we made sure to do some fun things around town as a family.

Pajama Day at daycare and the big kids watched The Polar Express

We went to dinner after picking the kids up from daycare this day and then to see the lights at a local park.  So yes, my kids were running around town in their pajamas!

We celebrated the graduation of a dear friend from PA school!  Kristen's family came into town and we enjoyed seeing all of them.  I lived with them for a little while in college and I led a high school Bible study for Kristen and her classmates.  Jarrod and I started dating during that time, so the Wiley family has known us since the beginning.  They don't let us forget it either!

Collin only wanted to know if Rob and "that other guy" were going to be here.  It's safe to say he loves him some Marcus Wiley :)

PJ and his buddy, Grady, and Elizabeth who will always be "the baby" to Jarrod and me.

I mean, really.  Doc Wiley and Grady

This was after I had said several times, "Collin is really sensitive to sugar.  We don't usually let him have a lot."  So after everyone proceeded to feed him cake balls for dinner and he started doing a weird, hybrid walk/dance thing I found myself saying, "Now, do you believe me?!"

I am so thankful that my children get to know and love this family!

A few days later, we were off to Texas for Christmas!!

Love Grady's face in this one...those eyes can win anyone over!

Pretty girl!

Christmas Eve was insanely warm!  I didn't pack accordingly and was pretty much burning up for the first few days we were in TX.

Collin made sure to put out reindeer food for Santa's reindeer

He also helped his Nonne in the kitchen and made sure Santa had cookies set out by the fireplace.  Santa and his helpers thoroughly enjoyed these cookies ;)

Collin told everyone that he was asking Santa for a Millenium Falcon, and he did a few days before we left.  Santa even understood what Collin wanted when he said, "Million Falcom"!  He also brought Collin his very own German Shorthair Pointer puppy.  (One day there will be a real one.)

Atalie got a doll stroller that doubles as a walker.  Atalie's papa bought her the insane kitty with the huge eyes, because she also has huge eyes.

Grady boy got a barn from Santa and his Papa bought him the gigantic hippo, because it's a tank, like Grady-Gravy!

 He has said several times that Santa did a great job this year.

 Grady boy on his new hippo!

 Both Grady and Atalie checking out the doll stroller

 The magic of Christmas - sibling love ;)

Our beautiful kids!

 Grady monopolizing his Papa like always!

A few days later we went to my parents who live about an hour away from Jarrod's parents.  We spent time relaxing and even though it was quite a bit colder than the beginning of our trip, we enjoyed some time outside with all the critters at Mimi and PawPaw's!

My dad's newest hobby: A worm farm 

He wanted to visit the worms several times and made sure to hold each one that we dug up for him.
** Uncle Austin, you better show Tinsley this picture.  Collin wanted her to be sure and know that he touched the worms!

On this day, the twins refused to take a nap, so we took them for a ride in the EZ Go and just about froze while doing so!  It didn't help that Jarrod drove so fast!!  The wind was insane.

After our drive, we went for a visit to the donkey pasture.  The babies enjoyed this more than I thought they would at this age.

"Oh, you want to get up into the tree-house?  You'll have to go through us first!"

Atalie was kicking her heels and bouncing up and down like, "Giddy up already!"

Headed back inside to get warm

Atalie enjoyed meeting my cousin, Amber, for the first time.  She made a new reading pal!

We made our way back home on New Years Day and it took a few days to recoup, but we made it!