Christmas Break

So now that I've sufficiently overwhelmed you with Disney World pictures, I'll move on to Christmas!

I drove home with my parents to spend two weeks with them between Disney World and Christmas while my hubby went back to Idaho to work.

C had just started laughing a little, so I did all I could to get it as much as possible. 

I love this video. Makes me laugh.

Cutest little swaddled bug!

I got to buy a christmas tree with my family! Dad got sick the first week I was there, so Mom, C and I went to get a tree with my brother and his family and my sister and hers. Here's the truck with three trees on top. :)

I got my hair cut!

I played barbies. C didn't enjoy it, but I liked going through my old barbies and playing with my nieces.

2 adorable Cinderellas!

Ev and I put up Christmas lights outside

A family in my home ward threw a Christmas party and I got an Air Guitar from the white elephant exchange. Woot!

C LOVED LOVED LOVED LOVED the Christmas tree.

If he was fussy, I could just put him under the tree and he'd be satisfied again.

The first sunday after getting back to Arkansas, I got sick. Pretty sure it was strep and a cold at the same time. yay.

My sweet dad got me daisies and apologized that they weren't the right kind. How sweet is that??

He got me a sandwich, flowers, and antibiotics. It was very nice.

Of course, my poor boy wasn't immune from my sickness, so he caught something, too.

So sad.

The sweet boy even smiled a lot through his sickness. It hurt my heart to hear him cough and be so sad.

I was sick sick sick for a couple days, but then I got a lot better by the next weekend.

My mom got sick too, but hers lasted a lot longer than mine did.

She's the Stake Relief Society President (president of the women's group) and she was in charge of a lunch for all of the missionaries in the area.

Since she was sick, my sister and I took her place and helped with the lunch.

Here's a video of the missionaries thanking us. :)

My dad sent us a text and said to think of my little brother, who is on a mission to Nevada, while we served these missionaries. And to love them the way their mothers want them to be loved while they are serving the Lord.

LATE that night, J came!!

Yay! I went to the airport to pick him up at about 1am. When we got home, C needed to eat, so I was feeding him and he looked up, saw his dad, smiled, and went back to eating. Then, he paused again as if he just figured something out, looked at his dad, and smiled like "hey! I know you!"

Here's us after church the sunday before Christmas

Riding on Daddy's shoulders.

The cutest elf there ever was!

Christmas Eve, my oldest brother and my sister and their families come. My other brother has a smaller family dinner with steak.

We dine on king crab, artichokes, and shrimp...oh the heavenly dinner!!

My nephew got sick, so my sister in law had to stay home. But we sent a big helping for her with her boys after the evening was over.

But we also make cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve.

Here's Roundy (11) with a cookie for E

These are C's cookies for Santa. J is super proud of his. The tree, the star, and the gingerbread man with the arrow to the knee. I was just proud that I got my cookies decorated and they look decent.

Here's C in a Santa outfit. I like how he's holding onto his belt. 

Our family Christmas morning 2012

Our stockings and toys. C got lotsa Disney stuff. A train from Disney World and little squeaker toys of the Mickey Mouse Club.

The whole family came for Christmas breakfast, then we opened more presents, lounged around, played games, built puzzles, and then the snow came.

Arkansas doesn't get crazy snow. This year, it did.

This was the first white Christmas in Arkansas in about 80 years. And it kept coming and coming! My brother tried to leave, but couldn't get up the street to get out. So everyone stayed the night. That's right, folks... 21 people at my parents' place! It was exciting! Thankfully, I got to keep my bed and room. But my sister was in the sewing room with an air mattress, my brother was in the den on couches, my sister in law was downstairs on a couch and her kids were on the floor in the office. 

The next day, my brother thankfully was able to get here from his duty as a police officer.

We then played some more with our new presents, found out that their houses didn't have power, and planned for more nights together!

It was pretty crazy.

Here's JP wearing his daddy's stuff.

Once the snow and ice got a little bit more under control by friday or so, we were all itching to get out.

We went shopping.

Here's E wearing a cute hat..but she looks like Dark Helmet. heehee

EARLY Saturday morning, we flew back to Idaho.

J and I were separated (don't go with Travelocity!!!)

so I had C all to myself. It was challenging, but he was a trooper.

Especially since we got stuck in Denver for 3 extra hours. I RAN to the plane, got on,  handed off C so I could use a bathroom, sat down, then they came on the intercom and said that the plane had a mechanical problem. So we got off the plane and were told to move gates about 3 times, got 3 different departure times, and eventually, I arrived in Boise about 7 hours later than planned initially. Ugh.

Christmas was great! I loved it. Even though we alllll got sick and we got snowed in, it was an adventure and I'm happy I got to be home with my family for the whole month!!