A Very Texas Christmas

I begged Nick to work on taking a LONG Christmas vacation.  Why take one week, when you can take two...or possibly two and a half?  For some reason the Navy gods smiled upon us, and the leave was granted.  Woo hoo!  Let the Christmas vacation in Texas begin.  

So, we took the short, yet hellish, flight to Houston on December 17th.  We had every hope of a perfect 150 minute, nonstop Continental Express flight; however, Andrew had other plans.  He reminded us how two year olds are capable of behaving, and he frustrated his parents.  And, has anyone noticed how your baggage quadruples with each child?  I don't think that Nick and I can fly once we have a third.

The time in our home state was wonderful.  The whole Christmas Season was packed with family and friends and wonderful outings.

There are just perfect moments in life that you wish were videotaped.  While eating Christmas Eve dinner at Nick's parents home (keeping in mind that the day had already been long with Mass, etc. and that it was already past Andrew's normal bedtime), Andrew looked up during a silent moment from the head of the table and said, "Merry Christmas!".  It was hilarious, and he was so proud of himself.  Now, here comes the moment when Nick and I were so proud of him.  Later that same evening, Nick's mom, Nina, asked Andrew, "Do you know who is coming tomorrow?".  Andrew did not respond to the question, and so she continued, "Is Santa coming tomorrow?".  Then Andrew replied, "Baby Jesus comes!".  It was as if to say, "Seriously, Memaw, don't you know the Nativity Story?".  Trust me, it was classic.

Christmas morning was chaotic in my mom's home.  Eleven adults (Mom, 4 sisters and 4 husbands, and MT's in-laws) and nine children (in age order: Riley, Jack, John David, Ellie, Lilly, Andrew, Luke, Kolbe, and Ken) crammed into the house to celebrate together over brunch.  Each year, we are constantly trying to find ways to place the focus on Christmas and giving, not Santa and receiving.  This year, each sister bought gifts for the number of nieces/nephews that you have children.  So, I was responsible to buy gifts for two sweet Keeler children, Ellie Belle and Kolbe.  Ellie received an assortment of jewelry making supplies, and Kolbe received his first garbage truck and garbage truck book.  Can you guess who helped me pick out Kolbe's gift?  We all buy gifts for my mom and for the stockings.  This year we added an ornament exchange for the sisters.  Next year we are planning on a book exchange.

You all might become intimately acquainted with my stocking gift to my sisters.  I bought each sister (and Mom) a cookbook entitled "Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook".  I plan to cook a recipe from it each week and give my family the official thumbs up or thumbs down.  My first recipe will be a brisket featured on pages 318-319.  I'll keep you posted.

Nick and I wore out our welcome in my mother's home...maybe not in the eyes of my mother, who would like us to move in permanently, but in the figurative eyes of her home!  Her refrigerator, her washer, and her dryer broke at the start of our second week in Houston.  Nothing makes you cry a little like throwing away breast milk that was going to allow you time with your husband sans kids or by yourself.

I must congratulate any mother who has their second child on a tight and functional schedule.  Ken has been away from home for 1/3 of his life, and I have not really made a good effort to get into a consistent routine with him.  Keep in mind that by 12 weeks, Andrew slept through the night.  Ken, not so much.  He has been a total trooper throughout our travels to Maryland and Texas, and it is hard to get mad at him when he wakes up like a little, ravenous beast at night.  He is just so darn cute.  Overall, Andrew was wonderful during the Christmas trip to Texas.  Nick and I catch each other smiling at him quite often.  Andrew is a charmer, but for every hour of charm, there is probably five minutes of complete and total obstinate stinker!  

Here is a list of a few highlights from our time in the Lone Star State:

• The Keeler Family Hayride (my sister Elizabeth's family)
• The Houston Zoo
• The Christmas Train in Alvin with my sisters and all of our kids (except Ken)
• Dinner with some of my favorite DASH girls at Katie's house
• Watching the Navy game & dreading Mom's plan to drag me to Walmart after the game (She did)  
• Lunch at Lupe Tortilla with Christen, T.T.W., and Willie Walters
• Christmas Eve Mass where my Goddaughter and eldest niece, Riley, sang in the choir
• Christmas Eve Dinner at The Fredland Home
• Christmas Morning at Mom's
• Seeing Dan Floyd and meeting his beautiful fiance, Alissa
• A DATE with my GORGEOUS HUSBAND to eat Mexican Food at Escalantes
• Visiting the Cockrell Butterfly Center at the Houston Museum of Natural Science
• A Late Christmas Dinner at Crappitto's with the Davis Family crew
• New Year's Eve with Cat and Anthony, & we all made it to midnight!
• Ken's Baptism
• Luke's 2nd Birthday Party (MT's son)
• The D'Antoni Open House
• Playground Time with Cristina & Isaac Knape
• The Houston Children's Museum
• The flight home with two sleeping children....HEAVEN!

Ken smiling in anticipation of Santa

Andrew hoping that Santa brings a garbage truck  

Memaw watching Navy play football with Ken

Nick and Ken in their Christmas finest

Christmas morning....Andrew is diggin' his new hat!

Lilly with a mouthful of peppermint bark

Riley showing off her 'R' necklace

John David's spirit fingers, jk!

Sleeping babies

Luke is in MT's arms to the right. 

As you can see, Luke was not in the picture taking mood.
Check out Riley, the resident mommy, holding Ken!

Andrew playing with the nativity
"Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus!"

Uncle Jon with his facial scruff

Please tell me that the baby on the left is cuter

Uncle Terry and Ken

Alissa & Dan

Ken enjoying belly time

Houston Museum of Natural Science

Jack and Andrew

Leaving the Cockrell Butterfly Center

Ken's baptism day

Kolbe chilling out at Luke's 2nd birthday party

Elizabeth and Lilly girl

The Riley Girls 

Ellie, Riley, and John David with Luke's neighbor & friend

Jack

Andrew jammin'

Mommies at Memorial Park

Isaac and Andrew

Isaac staring at my crazy son

Memaw showing Andrew the nutcracker collection

Papa with Ken

Memaw with Ken (who was getting grumpy)
Love Marilyn looking on in the back!

Andrew at The Children's Museum
He asked to help him paint his face like a "garbage/recycle man"

Riley and Uncle Nick

Ken and Nick on the flight home

Andrew on the flight home

I hope that you and yours had a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Luke 2:7-12
And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.  Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.  And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.  Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.  For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.  And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger."