A Christmas to Remember

 

Well, hopefully I can satisfy everyone's desires with a blog that's overwhelmed by pictures.  This ode to Christmas should not disappoint.  By the end of the weekend after Christmas, we'd done enough partying to make anyone feel tired after just hearing about it!

 

Kayla has been excited for weeks, dare I say months, to celebrate Jesus's birthday.  She was a little disappointed that we didn't give him any cake, but I think she got over it once she started opening all of her presents.  She found it to be very cool that she recieved gifts even though it was Jesus's birthday, not hers.

 

As you know from (hopefully) reading our previous blog entry, Leading up to Christmas, Santa thought we were so special that he visited us a day early.  So on Christmas Eve, we opened our presents from Santa, and then headed for Lafayette to Aaron's aunt and uncle's house.  They always host dinner on Christmas Eve, and we were happy to join them this year.

 

Cousin Sarah wet Kayla's appetitie by allowing her to open one of her gifts.  Fortunately it was a sleeping bag, since we neglected to bring one!  We spent the night with Aaron's nana and papaw, and woke up Christmas morning ready for a fabulous brunch.  Here's some pics from celebrating with the Parris family.

 

 

Then we were off to Fowler for delicious Christmas dinner, and lots of fun with the Lauerman side of the family.  Kayla found that she was destined to have a microphone in her hands.  Who knew she would enjoy being the center of attention?  Oh wait, all of us!

 

 

After a treacherous drive home, and a good night's rest, we headed to Muncie for the Walter family Christmas.  As you can see, I just threw in several pictures of all the cousins, and none of them are too great.  You win some, you lose some.  Picture taking is often a loss.

 

 

All right, here's where the pictures get good (or turn to blackmail material).  Kayla and Maren got beautiful Christmas dresses and hats from Aaron's Nana and Papaw Parris.  I was showing them off to my mom and sisters when we realized how humerous it looked holding them up in front of us.  The hats were just icing on the cake.  Keep reading to see my two little cuties wearing them the next day.

 

 

By this point, we could barely compose ourselves long enough just to take the picture!

 

 

More funny pictures -- Kayla tries on cousin Griff's hat and dances around.

 

 

The annual tradition my sister has instituted -- a chocolate fountain.  Now how can you go wrong with that?  Exactly, you can't!  While I'm not a huge fan of chocolate (milk chocolate, anyway), Kayla could sit there and eat it all night.  In fact...just kidding, we did limit her intake.  But what's funnier is this shirt she has on.  My dad worked for Dana for several years, so that's what it says on the front.  But my sisters and I are pretty sure that all of our kids have worn it at one time or another (Maren, your day will come), and it was at least mine originally, if not Wendy's or Kelly's.

 

 

So the next day (Sunday, for those of you who've lost track), was the immediate Parris family Christmas.  Kayla got her Layla (Isaac & Derika's dog) fix, and Layla was so thankful to see us go.  Santa made a very special visit to Aaron's parents house, and while Kayla still refused to sit in his lap, she did at least agree to a hug.  Maren just barely sat in his lap long enough for a decent picutre, and then was more happy to give him a high five.

 

Here's the dresses and hats!

 

Aaron's mom had these great fake mustaches in our stockings, which we all had to wear.  Maren started first, and looked hilarious.  Unfortunately when you're wearing them, it is very hard to smile.  It was all we could do to maintain straight faces for our picture!

 

 

And finally, we made it home so the girls could play with all their new toys.  This princess tower, transforms to a table.  The only issue...Maren likes to climb...the table is not meant to hold the weight of little beefcakes.  Let's hope she doesn't start scaling the tower; that would not end well!  At least Maren enjoys the box too.

 

 

The girls also got a wooden table to have in the kitchen.  They enjoy it, but Aaron just trips over it - it's a sore subject!

 

 

Unfortunately, none of the next photos captured just how hilarious Maren looked, but basically she was like a minature Muhamed Ali.  She loves to wear coats (we weren't leaving in her mustache picture above, she had just brought us her coat and wanted to put it on).  This is actually Kayla's robe that matches her new jammies, but Maren really wanted to wear it.

 

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Musings from all of our holiday travel:

•  On our way to see family on Christmas Eve, Kayla exclaims that she is going to throw up.  Talk about two deer in headlights.  Aaron and I feared the worst.  Mind you, I've seen my fair share of car vomit, Maren, my nephews (the long car rides to/from Virginia were torture!).  Anyway, our girls really haven't been ones to get car sick, so we were quite unprepared.  We finally gave her a large letter size evelope, which she stuck over her face.  When the feeling, thankfully, subsided, she decided she was thirsty and wanted a drink of milk...uh, no!  Then she was starving.  Could she have a snack, she asked...uh, no!  Lesson learned: keep towels, bags, trash bags, something handy.  And, know that your kids don't always know how to read their stomach or at least verbalize how it feels.

• On the way home from grandma's on Christmas night, Kayla exclaims that she has to potty.  Considering that the roads were pure ice, and we'd just made it around a pack of slow moving cars, Aaron had no interest in stopping.  Also, we weren't in a heavily populated area, and a lot of places are closed Christmas night.  So we told her to hold it in (she literally was using her hands) for a few more miles, and then we jetted off at the next exit ramp.  I jumped out of the car, grabbed her out of her car seat, hung her booty out over the grass, and then loaded her back in so we could go on our merry way.  Yes, it was freezing cold and snowy.  Lesson learned: limit your kid's liquid intake and be sure they make a pit stop before a long car ride.

• Sleeping together in one room, the four of us, is not recommended.  Kayla woke up in the middle of the night, and because I was worrying that she would distrub Maren, then I couldn't sleep.  Kayla likes to listen to music to fall asleep, but Maren doesn't.  So, I was trying to play music loud enough for Kayla to be appeased, but quiet enough that it wouldn't bother Maren.  Needless to say, after worrying, searching for music, etc. I finally moved Kayla onto the couch in another room.  I fell asleep on the floor next to her, and later woke up and moved myself back into bed.  Lesson learned: always, always put Kayla in her own room (or don't travel overnight for the holidays)!

• Another fun event in the car.  Maren got a plush magic wand for Christmas that makes sounds when you shake it.  Thus, it also makes sounds when you hit someone with it, like your sister.  The girls' car seats are next to each other, so Maren proceeded to hit Kayla with it, repeatedly.  Not violently or too hard, but just enough to really be annoying.  How did we respond?  Whipped out the video camera, of course.  Lesson learned: laugh at your kids, otherwise they might drive you crazy.

Hope your holidays were as joyful and blessed as ours were.  Best wishes for 2010!