the Close Together Christmas

We took Christmas on the road this year to the Keys house, the other Keys.

 My parents many times took us to my Grandmother's house to spend Christmas night there.  As an adult however, I've enjoyed a Christmases at home with my own little family. The long drive to one part of the family only to spend a few days home before a long drive to see the other relatives just seemed like too much at an already hectic time.  Right now I am resting between trips. How did my parents do it?  I guess I'm just a Christmas homebody.  The kids however ate it up!

Dorathea was especially happy to have a Christmas "close together" as she said with more family. So here is our "Close together Christmas";

Stories on the night before Christmas

I found 9 blankets (no exaggeration) on the kids bed in the morning.  Nana makes sure they are warm.

Dorathea woke up first and waited patiently to open up her stocking.  This girl is growing up!  Here she is drawing with her much desired 12 colored ink pen from the stocking as she waits.

Jonathan with sugarplums dancing.

Jonathan wakes up!  The stocking pillaging begins!

There were little treasure boxes in the toe with gold chocolate coins inside.Then we had a quiet breakfast with Nana and Papa waiting for Uncles and Aunts and Cousins to arrive.

First came Uncle Bob, and Aunt Kim!  Then lots of cousins, then...

Aunt Kristie and Uncle Kieth! Jonathan has on his elf hat that he also stashes small  toys in.

After a BIG lunch of ham and smoked turkey, It's time to open presents!

The kids gave their Aunts and Nana calendars I bought at Micheal's that they pasted photos and scrapbook paper in.

I got a hand painted plate from Jonathan! Dorathea gave me a thoughtful jar candle she bought at the Awana Christmas store for me.  These kids are getting so big!

They opened box after box of Legos together. Then 5 awesome boy cousins helped them put them together.  They are such sweet guys!

Ted and his parents and sisters!

Home unpacking the Legos into their new home, a Lego table Ted made a couple years ago.

As we rest and play here in Legoland we wish you a

Merry Christmas!

Tree trimming!

Next year remind me not to show the kids the tree till it is fully arranged and lit.  I forget how many times children say, "Can we put the ornaments on NOW?". I even had them put the tree together this year by themselves, yet waiting for me to finish the lights was apparently torture!  

Next year I am going to cover the whole thing in saran wrap as seen here like my friend Monica suggested, lights and all, to save the hours of ornament questions. Sorry to whine, but we three have been fighting the whines all day, How do we fight the whines?; by beating it over the head with TOGETHERNESS and JOY DAD GUM IT! 

Dorathea took a rare and much needed two hour nap and when she a woke, WA LA, the tree was lit and ready for ornaments!

I bought receipt tape (from an office supply store) and use it every now and then to write verses to stick on my walls.  I need to keep certain beautiful words around me.  I liked this trend of using "Happy Holidays" ribbon as a tree garland, so I wrote out "Glory to God in the Highest and Peace on Earth Goodwill to Men".  I like it!

 Dorathea is holding an ornament of her baby photo.  

 These two have reached a new milestone; I didn't have to rearrange the ornaments after they put them on the tree!  They have learned how to evenly distribute them!  Its the small parenting victories that make me happy.

 The larger lights are ping pong balls placed on the lights.  I saw this pin 

and picked up a pack of 10 ping pong balls at the Dollar Tree. I slit a hole in them with a knife and just stuck them on 

I hosted a baby shower this weekend and wrote the Wordsworth poem below on the mirror with dry erase marker. I'm not ready to erase it yet.

The box below is another Pinterest find. I just placed the tree base in a stack of bricks inside the planter. 

This chalk art was for the party as well and is from this pin.

  I am in love with them, even if I whine about their whining.  I love that my family just enjoyed throwing two parties with me last week, and then happily helped me host my Dad and brother overnight last night. Sometimes it's the quieter hours at home that are harder.  Right now the house is quiet and peace has won the day.  I love my job even if it's hard and sometimes whiney,

-Allison

Thanksgiving trip 2014 part 2

This Thanksgiving was smaller. We stayed nearby my ninety year old grandmother while my mom is in San Francisco with her newest grandaughter. The days filled with visits to Grandma's retirement village. We ventured out Saturday to work off all the dining hall meals on a local hike. Leesylvania park is right on the Potomac river. We picked a trail by the sand. 

The kids pockets quickly filled with shells.

The driftwood was bleached white and the shells were black.

Dorathea kept exclaiming, "how beautiful!" The sun shining on the water and the sand and gulls made for a hike more spectacular than usual.

Today we packed up then went to brunch with Grandma and then hung out with my youngest sister and her little family.

When my niece Violet got to Grandma's the giggles broke out. So did the silly hats.

Grandma got a silly hat too, and a computer tutorial from Elizabeth.

The one below got photo bombed by Jonathan.

Now we are on our way home again.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving 2014

We woke up to snow the day before Thanksgiving. 3 inches on the ground and more wet fluffy snow falling. Daddy went to work and we drank hot cocoa.

The snowy highway made us change our plans to drive up to see my Grandma on Thanksgiving day.

 So the next day we set off. The roads were clear but the blue ridge mountains were covered in snow and a beautiful fog. The earthe was cloaked in white above and below. It was a peaceful drive.

Dorathea said, "Let's sing "over the river and through the woods to Grandmother's house we go!" I replied, "I used to sing that song with my mom on the way to Grandma's house when I was little. D said "the same one?". 

"Yes" I said.

Thier great grandmother is ninety years old. This year it was just my younger twin sisters and I and our families for Thanksgiving and it is a treat to get so much time one on one with my Grandmother and sisters.

We ate and laughed together at a fancy Thabksgiving and Grandmas dining hall. and then snuggled into the couch to watch a movie before bed.

Roadtrip to celebrate Ted's Birthday.

It is fitting that Ted's birthday is at the height of the autumn leaves in the fall.  God knew that Ted appreciates October slowing down.  He loves to do nothing more than laugh with his children, and hold his wife's hand down the winding road. The man was made to meander down roads with color soaked trees making their own kind of stained glass in the sky. He knows how to be content just being with us, just being himself. I love this October man.

After going to a playmobile birthday party at the local toy store we drove West into Giles county.

We stopped at antique stores and amish markets then asked a passing friend directions to Bob's Trees.

They have a pumpkin patch this year.  As soon as we arrived the hayride tractor did too.

Each of us held a child in our laps and we took a beautiful slow ride.

To buy a pumpkin you have to be able to pick it up by yourself.

Then haybale chasing began,

Its easy to be fearless jumping when you know someone will catch you.

Then we marched up the hill to the corn maze.

Dorathea and I rambled and then headed back to Joe's trees

We drove back toward Newport and stopped at a little park with a big creek.

Love the sign on the house across the street!

Then on to the best restaurant in the middle of nowhere, I mean Eggleston. This is a little restaurant called the Palisades.

We ate salmon and lemon alfredo pizza and cheese pizza respectively.

Then we went home and Ted opened presents; a pourover coffee filter and a subscription to popular mechanics all in a box Dorathea filled with balloons she blew up for the occasion.  Chocolate chip cookies, coffee and bed.  Our dreams that night were filled with bright trees making gothic arches over winding roads. Happy Birthday Ted.