Christmas

We had a lot of fun around our house this Christmas! The three of us got to spend extra time together as well as extra time with our families! Eric has such a large family that we typically have to do Christmas early to get everybody together. This year we had that gathering the weekend before Christmas. Sadly, I don't have any pictures because I spent most of the day chasing Hudson around keeping him from getting into trouble or injuring himself. And unfortunately, he still managed to burn the tip of his pointer finger when he stuck it into a wall heater in Nana's house! That was "fun" to keep bandaged & clean for the following week while we tried to prevent infection!

I worked Mon-Wed of Christmas week & got off Christmas Eve-Eve & Christmas Eve. On Thursday I headed to Monroe to have lunch with my good friend, Kelly. I was excited to see her! She moved to New Orleans in September & I haven't gotten to see her since then! After lunch I headed out to fight the crowds & finish my shopping. On Christmas Eve, I headed back to Monroe to meet up with Beverly, my best friend from high school. It's become a tradition for she & I to meet for lunch on Christmas Eve & I love getting to see her! Bev is an attorney in Washington, D.C. so we don't get to see much of each other. Wish I had pictures of my time with Kelly & Bev! Christmas Eve evening was very laid back this year. Mom & I made homemade cannelonni along with caesar salad & garlic bread & Eric,Hudson & I ate over there with Mom & Dad. Gavin did not get in until late on Christmas Eve.

Hudson didn't really get into the unwrapping of gifts, but he definitely had a blast playing with all of his new things on Christmas morning!! I am proud to say that Eric & I did not go overboard buying for Hudson this year! Number 1, he is still a little too young to understand, & Number 2, I knew my parents would be spoiling him! Since he is the only grandchild for my Mom & Dad, they are quite smitten with my little man!! And he is quite smitten with them! (And don't let me fool you, they spoil us too!) They hit the nail on the head with this little enclosed ball pit! Hudson has already spent lots of time playing in there! He loves it! And even though it is tiny, he has had fun playing in there with Reynolds & Drake, too! It's perfect! Another favorite has been Melissa & Doug's Band in a Box. I definitely think Kindermusik has instilled a love for instruments & music! I wish I had a video for ya'll to see of him dancing & playing his drums! So cute! They also got Hudson some really cute books (The Tickle Monster is SO cute if you haven't seen it) & a big wheel among other things. Uncle G is a great gift giver & the favorite from him is this Shopping Cart! It is heavy duty! Metal & made just like a real shopping cart only child size! He is having a BLAST pushing it around inside & out!

After noon we headed over to Jo & Bodie's for our annual Christmas gathering with them! We always have a wonderful meal & have lots of fun relaxing, visiting & opening more gifts! They are always generous with all of us & this year I (we) got a fabulous new piece of furniture for our dining room! Our dining room is pretty small so we didn't have room for a large piece & this one is the perfect size, style & finish! Love it! They got Hudson a radio flyer Wheelbarrow! I've never seen one but it is so cute!

All in all, we had a wonderful Christmas spending time together. I hate that the commercialized aspect of this holiday makes it hard to focus on the true meaning of Christmas, but I hope that each of you were able to remember the true reason for the season & celebrate the birth of our Savior!