Christmas Cheer

Merry Christmas!!!

The out-of-town family arrived and brought with them loads of good cheer...and presents! Grandfather & Grandma were their usual overboard selves. The United States thanks them for singlehandedly saving the nation from a recession. I'm also fairly certain that Toys R Us stock rose as a result of beating their projected sales goals. I know 3 little "wise" men that weren't complaining!

After Christmas Mass, we made our way back to the house to enjoy our traditional Christmas eve wine tasting! This year, we sampled wines from 3 different price points and determined that our palates are simply not sophisticated enough to differentiate. I guess that's a good thing, right? Bring on the cheap wine! Ha!

The boys passed on the wine, but not the presents.  Grant's new wagon was a HUGE hit! Good job, Grandfather & Grandma!

Even the bike left by Santa couldn't top the wagon!

Jaxon & Baylor received the much coveted Wii U. They disappeared within seconds after this picture, and I don't think they reappeared for a number of days.  I'd say Santa did good!

The other half of the family arrived the following day extending the Christmas celebration. Again, no complaints about the good cheer, great cooking, and additional presents. Life is good!

We tried our hand at cookie decorating this year. Some of us are better than others, but a little competition definitely yielded some impressive results!

The Jayhawk cookies were the most popular to eat. Probably because of their MASSIVE size!

I much preferred the ninjabread men!

This year brought us so many blessings. The greatest blessing being Grant, of course! We may lose control with the presents and overindulge in the wine & treats, but the true meaning of Christmas is never lost. As we celebrate the birth of our Lord, we are united as a family. Memories are created and traditions formed.  This amazing life and the people in it are the greatest gift! Don't ever forget it!

Gobble Gobble

Have you ever seen such beauty? I think this has to be my best turkey yet, and for that, I'm thankful! The real blessing was having family gather to enjoy my efforts in the kitchen. There are thousands of movies with scenes depicting holiday family gatherings. Our favorites are comedies. Possibly because that's what most accurately reflects our family gatherings. Sure, they might not all turn out picture-perfect despite my Type-A efforts to make Martha Stewart proud, but the fact that family puts in the effort to make the trek and spend the time together is appreciated.

We've never had a squirrel come flying out of the Christmas tree nor have we burnt the house down frying a turkey, but there is lots of laughter. Usually at the expense of Aunt Kelly or Grandfather, but laughter all the same. It wouldn't be family if the occasional argument didn't occur. That's life, right? Let's just say it keeps things "interesting." We just strive to not be too "interesting."

This year, we had the added fun of watching Grant enjoy his first Thanksgiving meal. Since he's still new to solids, I'm not sure he was impressed. Man, I guess I'll hope to receive his thumb's up next year, and I thought Grandfather was the critic!

Egg Hunting Extravaganza

The Easter Bunny was good to us this year. Of course, he's pretty thoughtful every year, but the Easter Bunny must have felt particularly generous in 2012. Maybe the Bunny was feeling extra festive because it was Grant's first Easter...or maybe it was because 2012 marked the return of Aunt Kelly as a participant in the annual family Easter egg hunt!

Aunt Kelly's return to the competition definitely brought out the gang's competitive spirit. There was a healthy level of pre-hunt smack talking, and somehow I found myself as the target. Everyone seemed determined to take me down. I had to remind the family that I don't typically come out on top when it comes to egg hunting. Last year, it was the Asian siblings that took the grand prizes. The Asians aren't to be discounted. Especially, Aunt Nguyen! She was also a part of the winning Asian duo in 2009. If there's anybody to single out, it's Uncle Travis that needs to be "taken down" at the starting line. He's the only family member to take both the gold and silver eggs in 2010! 

Sadly, the "official" records are incomplete and the rest of the years are somewhat hazy in everyone's memories. Egg hunting was an annual event growing up, but the adult hunts began in 2006. Looking back through old photos, I discovered Uncle Al took the golden egg that year. We didn't think to photograph the winner or winners in 2007 or 2008. So, it's possible I won at least one of those years. Regardless, I think the documented recent years prove that I am hardly a threat.

That argument worked to my advantage! I flew under the radar and managed to uncover the silver egg early in the hunt! I almost took the gold as well, but Aunt Kelly swooped in behind me hot on my trail and scooped up the top prize. That's okay...she'll be the one taken down next year. Watch your back, Aunt Kelly! People will be gunning for you in 2013!

The Final Results

1st Place - Kelly ($213)

2nd Place - Shannon ($163)

3rd Place - Baylor ($101)

4th Place - Travis ($71)

5th Place - Jaxon ($17)

6th Place - Anh ($0)

I'm sure a few of you are wondering why Jaxon's grand total was so low compared to the other's. Well, it's not because he's a lousy egg hunter, and Jaxon isn't lacking in the speed department. In actuality, Jaxon wasn't focusing on the eggs. He was busy snatching up the Skylander figurines that were scattered throughout the yard. To him, those were worth more than any gold or silver egg! In less than an hour, Jaxon's Skylander collection went from 3 figurines to over 30! Not too shabby. If you assigned a dollar amount to the Skylanders, Jaxon would actually claim at least 3rd place possibly even 2nd. Now...what's Anh's excuse for his performance? At least he knows his kneecaps are safe in 2013. The rest of us will have our guards up!

Ho Ho Ho...Merry Christmas!

Christmas was sort of "tough" this year. Of course it was a joyous occasion spent surrounded by family and friends, but it just felt like more of a stepping stone to the arrival of our very own little bundle of joy. Sorry, Baby Jesus! We celebrated and honored your birthday just not with the same enthusiasm as in the past. I promise to make up for it next year!I shouldn't paint the picture that everyone in the family wasn't 100% focused on the holiday. Jaxon and Baylor were certainly feeling every bit of the holiday spirit that is typical for the magical season. They put a lot of thought into the decoration of their Christmas tree. The ornament placement was carefully selected, and they still do not subscribe to the "less is more" theory. No, the tackier the better! Although, I must admit. Their little tree has definitely grown on me, and I no longer view it as tacky. It's simply another charming addition to our home's holiday decor.

I wish I could say that the stockings were hung by the chimney with care, but we definitely learned our lesson on that one! Now, we hang the stockings from the garland minus the heavy, head-bashing stocking holders and settle for little plastic stockings on the mantel. It's a nice, safe compromise!

Oh, and it wouldn't be Christmas without Grandma's snow globe collection. Yet another example of holiday decor that grows on you!
What was impressive and also incredibly touching this year was the thoughtfulness and generosity of the gifts we received from our family and friends. To say we are spoiled just doesn't even begin to accurately paint the picture. I guess spoiled equals LOVED, and the feelings are certainly mutual regardless of the gifts being showered upon us. BUT, for the record, we LOVE and appreciate everything we received!!!
As if any more needed or deserved, Santa did make a little pit stop by our house. Jaxon and Baylor were very good boys in 2011 (Well, for the most part.) and good behavior doesn't overlooked by Santa and his elves.
The only downside is that Santa focused VERY heavily on Lego items this year, the boys' latest obsession. What was Santa thinking?! Doesn't he know that there's a baby due?! Now, our house is littered with thousands of tiny little choking hazards. Way to go, Santa! Just kidding, big guy! Please don't forget me in 2012!!!!

Over the River & Thru the Woods to Grandfather's Camp We Go

Howdy, partner! School is out for Christmas Break, and the temperatures are finally dipping below 70 degrees. What does that mean? Well...that it's time for a cold weather camping experience with Grandfather and Grandma of course! Before you start laughing uncontrollably, let me state for the record that the nighttime temperatures did in fact plummet into the low 30's during the boys' campout. So technically, it was cold weather camping. Mother Nature didn't let us down.Neither did Grandfather! As always, he took the planning and execution of his Cub Scout resident camp experience to a whole new level. There was a Western theme to this year's event, and the boys got to cut loose with a bit of gambling and some time at the (juice) bar!

The boys could also treat themselves to a little pampering at the barber shop with a shave or makeshift bath! Pretty clever!Unfortunately, there are no pictures to share of the boys' favorite craft project...the construction of marshmallow shooters! I can only imagine that the scene was such utter chaos that Grandfather and Grandma were too distracted (or scared) to document it! Regardless, it was reported that Cowboy Baylor ran himself ragged every single day and often called it a night before big brother Cowboy Jaxon. Don't feel too sorry for my little cowboys though. They weren't roughing it like their buddies in the cold. Nope, they were with their head honcho Grandfather and got to "rough it" in a heated cabin with beds! It's good to know the guy in charge!
I'm not sure whether Jaxon and Baylor used their connections in the kitchen as well. You see, Uncle Travis volunteered to cook for the Scouts. Surely, that meant an extra dessert or slice of pizza for his Cowboy nephews.Over the 4-day campout, the boys were able to pack in an astounding number of crafts and activities. It's no wonder that they were exhausted at the end of each day. I was worn out based on the report alone! Both Jaxon and Baylor took home medals (Gold for Jax & Bronze for Baylor) in their sporting events. That's in addition to all the belt loop credits and craft projects! However, what really counts are the countless memories that were created, and we all have Grandfather and Grandma to thank for that! I said it once & I'll say it again...It's good to know the ones in charge!