We loaded up the burban, cartop carrier and all, picked up Emmaline from school at lunch and hit the road for Christmas break on Friday. It wasn't a terrible trip but it seemed really long and it didn't help that we ran into traffic. The kids were super hungry by the time we made it to Uncle Tony and Aunt Brandi's house. They had dinner ready and a spot for Dixie too! 
We love their house..it is huge..both our families could live there and barely coincide. I don't feel like I'm imposing as much when we stay there as I do in other places so that is nice! The kids played with cousin Samuel, who is crawling and so cute!! They went to bed pretty easily and I didn't stay up too late either..I have been so tired lately. 
Their neighborhood has crazy Christmas lights..these super cool arches, Christmas movies being projected on the garage and lights that are set to blink with the music. It was really fun driving around on the golf cart looking at all the lights. We even saw Santa ho-ho-hoing. Hayes was busy singing Jingle Bells (I have got to get him on video singing that, it's too cute!) and the girls were claiming this reindeer or that blow up light was their favorite. And it was cold so that made it all the more Christmas-y.
Saturday was nice, relaxing and so sunny. The kids played outside for hours, I napped for hours and we readied for the dinner and presents that night. Unfortunately, Dixie and their dog, Harley, got into 2 fights..Harley's eye was kindof bloody and beat up. I felt terrible, but it wasn't really Dixie's fault, so there isn't much to do about it. Dixie also got in a little scuffle with my parents' dog, Maggie, so I guess she still has some spunk in her!
Sam, Juliette, Uncle Carlo & Aunt Lynn showed up that afternoon with bags of gifts. We hadn't seen Lynn and Carlo in almost a year..yikes..what is wrong with us??..they are so good to our kids and we have the best time with them. I always get so torn during the holidays when I realize how much I miss family..and it's usually just from being 'too busy' to make a trip to see them. Time needs to slow down!
Lynn made homemade lasagna, we had a delicious sausage and cheese tray and of course there was a ton of wine. It looked so yummy! Brandi also made this awesome wreath out of wine corks..I loved it and decided that is one of my goals for 2013..to make a wine cork wreath for next Christmas. I hope baby comes soon so I can get to drinking. I hate breaking my new year's resolutions!After dinner and of course some dessert, chocolate pie, cookies, toffee & mini bundt cakes, we decided to do presents before Sam went down for the night. He is such a good baby! The kids get all the good stuff and the adults to a sortof white elephant exchange. We ended up with our own gift this year, on purpose. Alcohol with an alcohol dispenser..I think it suits us pretty well!
The kids opened up gifts from everyone and they were completely spoiled. Hayes got a Big Wheels, a toy drill set (which he loves so much it already needed new batteries), and a Mickey Mouse camper set thing. Emmaline opened a new robe, which she has been asking for, colors and coloring book, a Brave gift set, an Easy Bake oven (I never had one so I am ancy to try it out!), some Barbie stuff and a movie! Georgia got a robe, colors and coloring book, a Brave gift set, new Baby dolls, Polly Pocket things and Barbie items. So as you can guess, our car was even more full before Christmas even got started! We are so blessed to spend time with our family and have them love on our kids so much! After the kids were in bed the boys started watching Monty Python and I spaced out. Sunday came fast, and it was time to head to College Station for the remainder of our Christmas vacation. 
At this point of our trip we had already jumped off my burban 3 times. When we had gotten all packed and finally ready to leave on Friday from home, the car would not to anything, just a click! I asked Daniel if this was the start of our National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.. then we reminisced about the times we had ripped off the cartop carrier over past Christmas breaks. So we jumped it and didn't turn it off til we got to League City. Well, we had to jump it 2 more times. After jumping it a time or two in CS we decided to send her to the shop to get checked out before we made our way home..a few new things later and she is as good as new!
We were lucky this roadtrip..neither of us ripped off the carrier! Daniel drove into a parking garage at North Star mall in San Antonio while we were meeting Nat and Toodge for lunch the day after Christmas at Cheesecake Factory. The fact that Daniel was even at the mall much less on a huge shopping day is a miracle..add on his little parking garage fiasco and it just makes me laugh! I, on the other hand, was going to Gene's apartment in Houston and just got off the phone with her..pull into the parking garage cause it's easier to get to her place..so without another thought I did.. and the stupid thing went scraping across the top, ripping it off my car and throwing our presents, including all the unwrapped gifts for my kids, on the ground of the garage. It was so pitiful and hilarious at the same time. The gifts were rolling down the garage. Emmaline saw a few Barbies and other items. Me and Gene were dying laughing cause what else do you do?!! I called my dad, cause that is what I do when I'm in a pinch, and asked what to do..Luckily, the carrier was ripped off the car so that made it easier to drive out of there. So this is what we came up with...(Gene, correct me if I'm wrong)..she drove my car while I hung out the back door holding onto the carrier, those things are huge but not extremely heavy, so we could get it to the dumpster on the other side of her complex. We were only on the main street for a short while. The kids were safe in their carseats. Then she spent over an hour trying to keep my kids occupied in their carseats while I got a new one at Sears. Fun times I tell ya! Thankful for good friends and good family!
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