Makin' the Rounds

Round 1...Christmas with Dad

(click HERE to see more pics with Dad)

We had a fun time celebrating Christmas with my Dad and his family. I think I'm entering the phase of apologizing for my kids breaking something everytime we go somewhere. It started at my Dad's house when Mary Kate broke a Christmas Angel. We missed Stephanie and Prince Joe this year, but Dad was sure to call her on speaker as we sat down to eat.

Round 2...Christmas with Moma and Rebecca(click HERE to see more pics at Mom's house)

Celebrating Christmas with Mom was a little different this year. Rebecca wasn't going to be here for Christmas since she was spending it with Ethan's family. For the first time since we've gotten married, there was going to be room for us at Joel's parents to stay (sadly, that's because Anna and her family couldn't make it home from New Zealand--we missed y'all). So, that meant that it would be the first Christmas that I didn't wake up to Santa with my Mom. I was excited about spending time with Joel's family, but having a hard time dealing with change (as usual). Since Stephanie wasn't coming home either, Moma decided to go to Bolton to spend Christmas with her parents, which was a special treat for them. It all ended up fine, but took a little getting used to. Rebecca was able to come down for a few days before Christmas, so we got to celebrate with her. We all went to see lights one night. One house totally blew my mind. There's a few pictures in the album above, but they don't do it justice. We celebrated Christmas with my Mom before she left for Mississippi, which included lunch at Shogun. Mom liked the idea of not having to cook or clean up Christmas dinner. Mary Kate was super excited about her trunk filled with princess clothes. She immediately put a wedding dress on and has pretty much kept it on since.

Round 3...Christmas Day with the Kennedys

(click HERE to see the Kennedy album)

Christmas was lots of fun at the Kennedys. On Christmas Eve, MK all of a sudden "got" that Santa was coming to see her. Joel helped her get some milk and cookies ready, which seemed to disappear pretty quickly. It was fun watching them open their stockings and presents on Christmas morning. Nonna cooked us some great food while all of the guys fried the 18 pound turkey. One of my favorite Kennedy Christmas traditions is having a birthday party for Jesus. Mary Kate and Ford were happy to get some play time with their Aunt Rachel, and it was great having Grandma and Grandpa there to celebrate with us as well.

After Christmas with all of our families, we are a bit overwhelmed at how good they are to us. We certainly don't do anything to deserve such generosity, which reminds me of the gift of Jesus and the grace that He offers us.

Round 4...Time in Bolton

(click HERE to see Bolton album)

The day after Christmas, we headed to Bolton, MS to meet up with my mom and get some time with my grandparents. It was so fun watching the kids with Nana and Grandaddy. Again, we didn't leave there without something getting broken. This time, Ford knocked over a table and broke several things. Nana was real calm about it, but I felt awful. One of my Grandaddy's calves was having to be bottle-fed, so Mary Kate and Ford got to go watch. MK really didn't want anything to do with the calf, but she had fun chasing all of the cows. It was fun being out at the "Lancaster Place." It took me back to childhood memories of wiener roasts, fishing, ghost stories, and playing in the woods with my cousins. My cousin, Chad, is in the Air Force and left for a deployment in Cypress after Christmas. His family came to Mississippi to be with family while he's gone, so it was fun to see them.