This year, we spent Christmas in Houston with the Fishers. It was the first time in about 6 years that the whole family was all together, making for an absolutely wonderful ten days.
We took a family picture after church on Sunday. Greg and Renita's bedroom turned out to be the perfect spot for a great family photo.
I had to get a picture of Jeff and Luke in their beautiful matching ties (Thank you Aunt Linda!).
It was so fun to see all of these boys together for the first time in so long. They joked and teased. Poor Kyle seems to take the brunt of the teasing, being the youngest, but he's tough and takes it well. The four of them played a whole lot of Wii games in the time we were there! That meant I hardly saw my husband for long stretches during the day sometimes, but they had a blast together and I had a great time hanging out with Renita, Caitlin, Greg, and the babies so I didn't mind too much.
Luke got to meet his cousins Bethany and Becca for the first time. He loved them! He would smile and laugh whenever they got near him. Becca is exactly 4 weeks older than Luke, and yet he completely dwarfs her dainty little self. It was so fun to watch Becca rolling and scooting around and getting so close to crawling. I can't wait to see Luke start doing the same things soon.
Right after this picture was taken, I stood Luke up and struggled to keep up with him as he immediately made a quick-stepped B-line for his daddy's feet and started chewing on Jeff's toe with his one little tooth. The boys were playing Mario Kart and Luke's razor-sharp little tooth caused Jeff to lose his lead.
On Monday, we took Luke to see Santa at the mall. We got there early, but still ended up standing in line for an hour. Ten minutes before I reached the front of the line, Luke fell asleep. I tried to wake him up by holding him upright under his arms, but he was so out that he just let his head flop forward and stayed asleep. The photographers wanted $17 for one 5x7 print, but lucky for me, my sneaky husband was waiting in the wings to take this picture with our camera for free. The photographer was a little peeved that I refused to buy his picture.
I call the following series of pictures "Little Pooper"...
The lighting was really good in our bedroom when I was changing Luke, so I decided to snap a couple of pictures. But as soon as I started to take pictures, Luke started to poop ...
Here we are playing "The Dice Game," one of the annual Christmas games. Because we went to San Antonio for a little vacation within a vacation for a few days this year, we cut out a few of the games, but we still played ping pong, pool, blow guns, Uno, the dice game, and carpet balls. It was single elimination and in each game, 1st place won $20, 2nd-$10, and 3rd-$5, right out of Greg's pocket. Like last year, I didn't win a dime, but at least this time I got closer - 4th place in carpet balls and the dice game and I tied Kyle for 5th in blow guns. Jeff, of course, did well, earning $40 overall, which he graciously split with me. However, he was in third place behind Steven ($45) and Greg ($60, which really means he just avoided giving up $60 of his own money).
Luke loved the colors of the Uno cards and tried to grab them. We really had to watch out for Bethany though because that smart little cookie would name the colors in your hand for everyone to hear.
The trip got off to kind of a rocky start as Greg and Kyle started showing flu symptoms the night before. Renita had already gotten it all out of her system in one night earlier in the week. Kyle recovered pretty quickly, but Greg was under the weather for the entire San Antonio trip. He never complained and kept up with everyone most of the trip, but we felt so bad for him, knowing he was just suffering along the whole time.
Luke enjoyed the car ride sitting between his uncles, Steven and Kyle.
Kyle kindly held Luke's bottle several times, while Steven wiped up formula and drool so I wouldn't have to do so from the back seat.
We arrived at the hotel in the afternoon and walked down to the the Riverwalk as soon as we were settled. It was cold in San Antonio and Greg, Jeff, and Luke were the only ones who were prepared for it so we first walked down to the mall to buy sweaters, enjoying the beautiful Riverwalk along the way. We ate dinner at a yummy Italian restaurant and watched the Riverwalk become lit with thousands of colorful lights hanging from the trees as we ate. It was so beautiful and Luke loved it. Back at the hotel, Jeff and I made our way up to the fancy exercise room and put in some time on the treadmills and bikes before hitting the sack.
The next morning, our first stop was the IMAX to see a short film about the Alamo, and then the Alamo itself. The film was pretty well done. It's a great story and it was very interesting exploring what's left of the Alamo, but of course the whole family is full of that ridiculous, over-the-top Texas pride, which they took every opportunity to rub in my face.
Luke trying out a gun at the Alamo movie gift shop
Outside the Alamo
As we continued to wander around, we came upon a store that had an old time photo setup in the back. Jeff and I have been wanting to do one of these with Luke dressed up as a little cowboy and this was the perfect opportunity.
We later stopped by an old arcade that the boys loved when they were kids. Unfortunately, now that they are older, it wasn't so much fun, as it was small and rundown. Renita gave each of us $5 to spend. The boys spent theirs on the games that actually worked, while I pocketed mine and used it later to buy Dr. Seuss books from a Goodwill.
Of course Jeff and I had to play air hockey. I started out well in the lead, but that extraordinary husband of mine managed to come back and win.
All three boys playing The Simpsons game, one of the few that wasn't out of order
Renita grabbed a chair and watched the action from the middle of the room with Luke on her lap. Luke loves his grandparents. All Greg or Renita had to do to get a giant grin out of him, was to walk into the room or acknowledge him in some way.
That night, we returned to the Riverwalk to enjoy the sights, have dinner, and take a boat ride.
Luke couldn't get enough of all of the beautiful lights lining the Riverwalk.
Luke fell asleep while we were waiting in line for our boat tour. One moment he was awake, the next, he was out.
On board the boat, getting ready to start the tour
Back at the hotel, Luke snuggled up with Pluto in his very own queen-sized bed. Unfortunately, this boy didn't have one night of good sleep the entire time we were in Texas, which means neither did Mommy and Daddy. Oh well. It's impossible not to adore him anyway and we were having way too great of a time to be grumpy because of sleep deprivation.
We arrived back in Houston early in the afternoon on Christmas Eve. Luke got in some play time in the pillows on Grandma and Grandpa's bed before we had a delicious dinner, read Luke 2, set out all of the gifts under the tree, and each opened one of our gifts.
Jeff and Steven laid out all of the gifts under the tree to create a sea of gifts, a tradition in the Fisher family.
Everyone chose a gift to open early.
Luke got Eeyore, which he loved.
Steven got a book from Kyle and gave me a goofy non-smile for a picture. I'm pretty sure he made this face every time I took a picture of him throughout the week. He actually has a very nice smile, I promise.
I went straight for the much anticipated blog book for my gift. Jeff did a beautiful job of putting the blog posts from our second year of marriage into a gorgeous book. I love it! And I love that thoughtful husband of mine!
Jeff got Mario Bros. for his Wii; one of the few video games I actually enjoy playing with him.
The boys got in a little more Wii time before hitting the hay. Luke and I watched.
Then, Luke got a late-night bath in the sink before bedtime.
On Christmas morning, with everyone (except for Luke) in the house being 16 and older, we got up at a reasonable hour for a yummy breakfast followed by presents.
We couldn't resist dressing Luke in his Santa outfit for the big day.
Luke enjoyed helping me unwrap our gifts.
The excitement must have been a little overwhelming though, because Luke fell asleep before we were even done opening presents.
Here we are with our loot. Greg and Renita did a great job of getting us the perfect gifts that weren't even on our lists, as well as plenty that were. They also kept our gifts small enough in size that we were able to fly back to Flagstaff with all of them in our luggage. From Greg and Renita, I got a kindle, which I absolutely LOVE, adorable Christmas cookie cutters, and a laminator, among other things. Jeff got several Wii accessories and games, along with a giant K'NEX set and Luke got some great books, a cute outfit, and a fun light-up snail that will roll along with him as he learns to crawl. As usual, we are completely spoiled by these wonderful people and we are so grateful!
Jeff and I laughed as the differences between him and his brothers were very apparent on Christmas morning. The majority of Steven and Kyle's gifts were stylish clothing items, while Jeff didn't receive a single piece of clothing.
When all of the gifts were opened, we drove over to Ben and Caitlin's to spend the rest of Christmas day with them.
Bethany got this fun toy for Christmas and tried it out immediately after she opened it. Isn't she just the cutest little girl? We became great friends while we were in town and I got to do puzzles, color, and play play-doh (pronounced pleeay-dough in Bethanese) with this sweet little girl every time they came over.
Yes, there is a Wii at Ben and Caitlin's house too. It didn't take long before the games began. And they didn't end for quite some time. There were new games to try out after all.
I think it's safe to say he liked it.
It was so fun to watch these two interact. They just loved each other. When they were put together, they would just look at each other and laugh and try and grab each other's faces. One night, Becca was inconsolable when she was put into her car seat to go home. The only thing that got her to stop crying, was Greg holding Luke in front of her face.
I can't believe how fast this boy is growing up! He doesn't even look like a baby anymore!
It was on the plane ride out to Houston that we discovered Luke loves drinking water out of cups. He opens his mouth expectantly whenever the person holding him is drinking out of a glass.
We spent the rest of Christmas day eating (too much in my case), chatting up a storm, playing video games (in the case of those four crazy brothers), and playing Christmas games. It was a fantastic day.
The next day, we celebrated Jeff's 26th birthday, even though it wasn't actually for another couple of days. He got to choose all of the meals (breakfast cake, pizza, burgers) and eat off of the "You Are Special" plate all day.
After dinner, he opened some great gifts from his parents. The kids in this family had to wait until after dinner to open their gifts every year. I do not have the patience for that! It's my birthday so I am going to open my gifts the moment I wake up! That's how it always went in my house growing up and how I continue to do things today. Jeff tried to tell me I had to wait on my first birthday after we got married, but I would have none of that.
Ben and Caitlin and the girls came over to celebrate Jeff's birthday. Here is Bethany playing with Renita's Christmas gift from Jeff and I. They are homemade Sesame Street magnets. Bethany entertained herself with them for an incredibly long time.
On Monday, we flew back to freezing, snowy Flagstaff. I was sad to go. It was such a wonderful trip and I sure do love my in-laws. Not to mention the fact that I was not looking forward to returning to the ice land I knew was waiting for us. At least we got to escape that again a few days later when we drove to California for New Years.
At the airport in Houston, I got some frozen yogurt while we waited to board our plane. Luke immediately took an interest in my waffle cone so the sweet lady behind the counter offered to give him his own. She filled a taste-test cup and stuck a little spoon in it for him. Jeff gave Luke a bite or two, which he thoroughly enjoyed, and then ate the rest himself.
1 comment:
We have sooo much in common. We spent 10 days in Texas for Christmas too! :)
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