Cousins

We had some awesome visitors come spend a morning with us this week. Anne, Virginia Anne, Wade, Lilly, Brooks and my mom all came to see us this past Wednesday. I love seeing all the cousins (2nd cousins actually) together and getting pictures because it is so much fun to watch them grow. Although in my opinion, they are growing just a little too fast.

Stir Crazy

Love the holidays but I can definitely do without the colds that come along with them. Just as Harrison was wrapping up his croup cough, sweet little Brooks caught it. I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact that Harrison has been taking her pacifiers and putting them in his mouth at any given opportunity. So we have been a little stir crazy lately. Yesterday, we decided to get out and have some fun at the park.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas

Alright, well nobody actually "stole" Christmas. In fact, we had a wonderful Christmas because we were surrounded by family and that of course, is the best thing about Christmas. BUT... if there was a Grinch and he was able to take away some of the excitement of Christmas, he came in the form of a cold. And that cold happened to none other than our little man, Harrison. He put on a brave face for some of the afternoon so that he could go through the agonizing ordeal of receiving and opening gifts. Poor guy, he even had to play with some of them just to entertain the adults who were probably more excited about the toys than he was. But by the end (middle) of the day, it was time for a good ole fashioned meltdown and the Grinch went down for a 4 hour nap. Harrison woke up later in a much more refreshed state and was able to truly enjoy some of the presents that Santa delivered. Side note: The Grinch has lingered around all week, uninvited, I might add, and he's really starting to get on my nerves. The good news is that I think he is finally ready to leave.

OK, so, back to Christmas. We got into town Christmas Eve and went to early church which was the children's program. All the kids were able to dress up and go to the front of the church as part of the Nativity. Harrison took a break from of crawling under the pews to go up front with PaPa and join the other kids. It was a very cute service. That night we had a family dinner at my parent's house. With so much family it is not hard to remember why Christmas is so special. Robert, my parents and I stayed up to prepare for Santa's arrival which is probably one of the most fun things about Christmas. And other than our uninvited visitor, the Grinch, Christmas day was a lot fun. PaPa cooked a great breakfast, there were lots of gifts to open, and there was lots and lots of family. It was a very eventful day!

Here he is trying to look like he is ready to open gifts

Brooks stayed in the Christmas spirit all day

Harrison and BeBe sharing toys...so sweet!

This is definitely one of the gifts that the adults were excited about...Harrison and BeBe were a little stand offish

Anger Management

We have discovered a way to help Harrison release some of his frustrations of the day. Robert moved our punching bag to the back patio so that it would get some use. And here is how we intend to use it!

More Christmas Fun!

OK, so the next day, after our St. Augustine adventure, we had another Christmas party to attend. Actually, we had 2. First, we went to Wickline Park in Flagler Beach for Breakfast with Santa. Our mom's group put this one together and it was a lot of fun. Santa appeared from behind the building, the building being the public restrooms, leading Harrison to believe that Santa comes from the restroom. Or at least, this is what we think because as we were leaving Harrison pointed to the restrooms and said "Santa's house".

And that night we went to Jacksonville for a special Christmas dinner with my family. My grandmother, Ma, made Brooks and her cousin BeBe each a beautiful smocked dress which they both wore to the party. At Nancy & Ralph's condo we started the evening with an entertaining round of Secret Santa. And after that we all ate a delicious dinner that Hoyt cooked up. That's right, other people in my family are amazing cooks, just not me. After dinner, Papa made sure to get Harrison and BeBe all jazzed up on sugar with candy canes. Just in time for the hour trip home to Palm Coast.

So we had a lot going on this weekend but it certainly got us into the Christmas spirit and it keeps us mindful of all the family and friends that we are so thankful for in our lives.