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. .JPG)
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.
But first, Christmas Eve. After a very enjoyable church service, we returned to Gams and Pops' where we were to have dinner with the Smiths and Humphreys et al. Yes, Reeves did get more that just a piece of bread for Christmas Eve dinner!
We missed having Henry there to complete our rugrat quadfecta, but it was so nice to finally see Will again. Or should I say, "Little Whit"? The resemblance is uncanny!
It took a bit for him to warm up to the crazy Leeze and Reeves, but the box of balloons that Gams had wrapped up for them certainly helped. 
The chicken taco soup was delicious, Gams! Thanks for doing all of this for us. 
Christmas Eve in Charleston - a wine glass, a beer bottle, and two sippy cups. Drinks for everyone!
After most people left, we changed Reeves into his Christmas jammies, and he settled into his rocking chair to look at the tree. Pops just adores this outfit on him, and Reeves thinks he is some hot stuff, walking around in his bathrobe! Such a big boy, what with his paci and all!
I think Bryant was a bit more fascinated with Reeves' tractor than he was. However, I know that he will soon be playing with it way more than I would ever want him to as it comes complete with engine noises and horns and some sort of farm emcee announcing what is going on and calling for chickens. Interesting.
Then it was time to go. Load everything up and hit the road to Gams and Pops'. 
Leeze continued her unbridled kissing of Reeves, and he kindly obliged. This year marks the passing of the torch for my family. 
Each year, we have done Christmas morning with our nuclear family at Mom and Dad's, then we all went to Grandmother and Poppa's for dinner and presents. This is how it has been for as long as I can remember. But this year, it changed.
This year, my parents house has become the gathering place. It's funny because before Christmas, I was kind of sad about this, like Christmas wouldn't be the same or something, but, you know what, it's not that at all. Christmas isn't about *where* you spend the day but about *who* you spend it with. 
And that part hasn't changed at all. In fact, this year, we even added my great aunt, her daughter, and her daughter's new husband. It was wonderful. 
We actually got L and R to pose for a picture (after many attempts), only to realize that putting them on the back porch also alerted them to the fact that there was an "outside" where they would really like to play, but it was soaking wet, and we wouldn't let them go out, despite the 70 degree weather! 
Live and learn. The house, of course, handled everyone perfectly (as it is, in my opinion, the perfect party house), and the dining room table was bulging. Dad had, a few years ago, built 4 or 5 new leaves for it, so we were able to seat all 20 of us comfortably - it extended into the living room, but it was great to be able to all sit together.
Reeves, the angel that he is, napped through the whole meal. We were so lucky. I did not envy Morn and Case as I watched them tag team Leeze! I was sitting somewhere near the middle of the table, and as I panned left to right, I saw my mother sitting at one head and my grandfather at the other head. 
It still amazes me each time we all convene that we are able to have four generations together.
And, I feel so old writing this, but I can't believe these girls are old enough to drink and be out of college and be living out on their own! Where has the time gone? I love you girls! (And here's to Sarah for finally making an appearance on the blog! We have missed you!)
They were so sweet and had waited all day for us to get there to open presents. How they kept 4 year old Preston at bay is still beyond me!
After going through Julie and Troy's new house (ETA of move in is by the end of Jan - keep your fingers crossed!), we all settled down for the opening.
True to form, it did not disappoint. We were showered with so many gifts it may be a month before Reeves plays with everything! 
By the end of the night, we were all exhausted. Reeves and I hit the hay together super early. This was necessary, unfortunately, because I had to go to work the next day. Can you say, "Unproductive"? Reeves and I don't sleep all that well together - snuggle for a bit, of course, but sleep all night, not so much. Needless to say, we were both up super early. What could we do but rouse Daddy from his slumber on the sofa? 
So, the vegan sugar cookies are actually quite nice. At least, Reeves loves them. I'm not sure if it was the cookies or the company that was so enjoyable. We had a wonderful time at the cookie decorating party. I remember parties like this when I was growing up, and I'm so glad Reeves is able to start making these memories as well. It was so great to see eveyone one last time before Christmas.
Reeves is right on the cusp of being a bit too old to be in the group of the babies but not quite mature enough to be in the big kids' group. So we split the difference. We spent the first part of our visit with Rutledge, Anne, and Mills, but then, I swear it's true, Reeves "heard" that there were trains upstairs, and he headed for the stairs. He was in heaven - all these older boys and MK playing with hoo-hoos. 
What more could he want? (And, Doro, I love that MK pointed out that she wasn't the only girl up there, that Kacky was there too!) I'm not sure how it happened, but somehow, the chilluns developed this game where they would all run out of the room, leaving me to wonder, "Where did everyone go?" At that point, they would all run back in, screaming. The fun that little ones can find in anything never ceases to amaze me. What a gift that is.
Clearly, this is Spencer in his "before" state!
Thanks, Nancy, for putting this all together. It was so special. I hope we didn't mess up your house too much. Thanks for starting the Christmas weekend off with such a great bang! We are already looking forward to next year.