The Christmas Season 2007

Looks like the only way I am going to get this post (these posts) done is to take the lead from Dorothy and do them all at once.

Nancy and her boys hosted us once again for the Cookie Decorating Party. I just love this tradition, and I hope it continues for a long time.
We definitely have two distinct groups in our little (growing) posse. The older kids relished in the cookie cutting and decorating. There were sprinkles and icing and flour everywhere. Nancy is certainly a great sport for subjecting her house to the messes these kiddies make. And while all that was going on, the babies enjoyed sleeping and nursing. It's not a bad deal for them either. Now that Reeves has grown out of his egg allergy, we have the freedom to use ready-made cookie dough. For those of you with children with a milk allergy, Pillsbury products generally are milk free. We use so many of them now that every time Reeves sees the Pillsbury Doughboy, he points to him and says, "ReeRee's crackers!" Oh yes, brand recognition is alive and well at our house.
We headed down to PR the weekend brfore Christmas to visit with the Willis clan and exchange our gifts. J&V hit a gigantic homerun with the Mack they gave Reeves. Even now, there has not been a day that goes by without his playing with it. It has also worked as a great behavioral tool when it gets taken away. Who knew? A gift for the child and the parents!
We have a tradition in our family of spending Christmas Eve with the Humps and Smiths. This year the Smiths were all out of town, so we moved our get together up to the 23rd, after church. It was actually quite nice, particularly now as the number of children in the group has doubled since last year. Reeves, Henry, and Leeze all play so well together. Lolly even added a four legged friend (and another Henry) to the group. I think Reeves, in his heart of hearts, loves him, despite the fact that Lolly's puppy's sole goal in life is to "eat ReeRee." I never knew five pounds could be so frightening. He felt pretty safe when Pops rescued him and held him above the fray.
On Christmas Eve we headed out to the country to celebrate with the Bairs and Moyles. We had a great time. We were showered with so many gifts that there are still some hidden away for a rainy day. Reeves and Preston were drunk on wrapping paper, boxes, and toys. It is so much fun to watch them play together, and equally as much fun to send them upstairs or outside to give us a little peace and quiet. So far there have been no broken bones or stitches needed, so our plan seems to be working! This was the first Christmas for Bennett and Caulder. They both took it is stride, chilling out in someone's arms or the swing. I now bring the Bumbo seat with me almost everywhere as Bennett has an insatiable desire to be right in the middle of everything, and since we tend to spend the most time in the kitchen, we can just plop him right up on the counter and let him watch. (I wonder where he got this personality from?) Growing up, Julie and Bryant had wanted to have children close together, and it is such a blessing to have these two little ones be only (exactly) four months apart.
Christmas morning was actually quite calm at our house. Santa didn't go overboard, mainly just filling the Disney Corporation's coffers since Cars and Toy Story are such big hits around here. I swear, one year, I'm just going to give the boys big empty boxes and a couple of rolls of wrapping paper. Those always seem to be the most played with items on Christmas mornings. We headed down to Gams and Pops' for the big family Christmas. As has been the case for the past 32 years, it did not disappoint at all. Mom always tells us that "it's not going to be a big Christmas this year" and "I hope you're not disappointed." I really think she just does this out of habit now. She and Dad always know just the perfect gifts for us, some are just for fun and some are for self improvement and some are so meaningful they bring tears to your eyes. We had a little of all of it this year. Grandmother and Poppa gave the most special gift this year to Miller. As he is a freshman at the Citadel this year and Poppa's namesake, it was truly fitting that Poppa should pass on to him the picture of the entire corps from his senior year, 1943. It was a very sincere moment, and one that we will all treasure forever. Despite the dark and lack of an actual soccer ball, Reeves and Miller were able to get in a bit of practice before it was time to head home. I'm beginning to think that Miller has an agenda with my son - soccer or bust. It's OK by us.Willy Wonka got just about all the lovin' he could handle. We had the Bearsch family with us too, so he was getting it from both sides! Bennett got to have his diaper changed on a table that was passed down from his great-great-grandmother which was on top of a rug handed down by his other great-great-grandmother. It seemed only fitting then, that his great-grandmother should oversee the whole process. Only in our family! Dad gave Mom the gift of fire for Christmas. He's so old fashioned. I just hope she uses this power for good and not evil. I'm sure she will. Of course, we can't forget the final gift Mom got Dad. What do you get for the man who refuses to own a cell phone and who uses a computer only to play solitaire? Why, a portable navigational GPS computer, of course! I was going to throw in a pair of stiletto heels for him as well since I figured they'd get about as much use as this thing would, but apparently he has turned it on and even figured out how to make it work. Wonders never cease, and we can all sleep easily at night knowing that he'll now be able to find his way to the office and Yeamans without getting lost anymore.
Lol, Me-anne, and RayRay even indulged me when I asked to take this silly picture. The spirit was strong with these three.
Christmas this year was a wonderful, special, family and friend filled season for us. We are so blessed to be able to enjoy it each year with those who mean the most to us. Our children have made it so much more special because each year brings something brand new to them. Reeves is beginning to understand the reason Christmas is so special as he would often tell us that Christmas Day is Jesus' birthday. It's easy to forget that amidst the hustle and bustle of presents and parties. Thank heavens we have the little ones to remind us every once in a while.