Christmas 2011

Christmas around our house means baking, parties, spending time with friends, and going home to spend time with both sides of our families. It was really exciting to take Justin home to meet our families. I did wonder how he would take to the chaos of my mom's house around the holidays and the stillness to my in-laws. Two very different households that I didn't know how he would respond to. Well, turns out our worrying was for nothing, he "fit right in". Those were the exact words of 2 of my family members told to me on 2 separate occasions. It was true. He didn't miss a beat. Staying up late, playing all day, taking naps when he could, he did it all and survived a Christmas in Wisconsin. Maddie was on the go the entire time. She loves the busyness of playing with her cousins. I say goodbye at the beginning of the week and hello on the airplane coming back to Texas. I usually have to grab her away mid-week and make her sit and talk with me for a little while. Brett loves to play in the basement of his grandmother's house with his boy cousins or to watch the trains on the extremely large track in his Grandpa Arnie's basement. It was so good to spend time with each of my brothers and sisters. I hated to say good-bye. I wish we lived closer, but I guess it makes going home that much sweeter. A memorable Christmas for sure or in Brett's words, "Our most valuable year yet".