Christmas and What Not

This holiday season has been INSANE (in the membrane :) )!!  Of course it always is, but it seems as we get older, the more hectic it really becomes.  I didn't take a SINGLE picture during our get togethers, so I'll have to steal (I mean borrow) some from some unsuspecting family members later on.

Christmas Eve Chris and I had to work...just till the afternoon, though.  And let me tell you (if you don't already know), working on Christmas Eve is awful!  Just awful, and it's even more awful when you realize you really are in the real world and part of the real world means working on Christmas Eve.  Even so, after we made it home and gathered our gifts, we headed to Hot Springs for Christmas Eve.  My family, for as long as I can remember, have always spent Christmas Eve at my Grandma and Grandpa's home, with all of the extended family.  Except this year, my step-Grandpa (my Peepaw), is in the hospital not feeling so hot, so Christmas Eve was held at my mom and dad's.  It was tons of fun and the house was bursting at the seams, but some of the Christmas Eve traditions were lost.  For example, no broccoli supreme to fight over with my cousins.  No pottery to steal from an aunt.  And no jumping up and down on the beds with my little cousins and nephews.  Other than that, we had a wonderful time and maybe we'll make new traditions at mom and dad's.

Christmas Day was without the usual traditions as well.  Normally, we are all at my mom and dad's, get up in the morning and open presents.  Then dad makes a big breakfast and feeds us the most awesome food ever.  This year, we got up, met at Jon and Kricia's, without a big breakfast, and opened gifts.  James wasn't able to come this year :(, but we all sent him goodies to make him feel like he wasn't missing out.  We opened gifts with the boys and let them open all of ours as well.  Chris and I got Grant a Little Tykes digital camera, and he LOVED it.  I was so pleased, and he let Chris teach him how to use it.  Jon got all of us tickets to see the Hogs play in March when the 1994 Championship Team has their reunion during halftime, and mom and dad got 3 new photos to replace the old ones of us in the hallway.  

After we did all that, we headed to NWA to do traditional things with Chris' side of the family.  Jon and Emily were able to be there and we had a great time!  Jon and Jim grilled some not so traditional Christmas food (like shrimp) and we had a wonderful meal.  We opened gifts, took some silly photos, and had a great time.  Baxter got lots of treats and some new toys.  We are going to have to buy a new toy basket for him, his is stuffed!

We stayed in NWA a couple days and took care of some business.  We shopped, ate yummy Italian food, great pizza, and headed home yesterday.  We were so exhausted this morning, we slept in, which never happens with Baxter.  Looks like it's going to be a beautiful week and a wonderful start to the New Year!  Hope you all had as much fun and craziness as we did!