true boy tales: Christmastime is here...and gone

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Christmastime is here...and gone

The ubiquitous Christmas post. I'll try to keep it short and sweet since these things really aren't that interesting unless you're part of the action :)

For the first time in 9 years of marriage this Christmas was different. And even though its definitely not a good thing that my parents aren't in Des Moines anymore, it was great to have our Christmas spread out over two days instead of all crammed into one. We had Christmas eve at our house--it's become a tradition for Jon & I to host and we all eat soup and appetizers together after church. And since Christmas was on Sunday and John & Judie had to be at church, we had such a relaxing quiet morning letting the boys open their stockings (as you can tell we went overboard with the stocking stuffers! They didn't nearly all fit inside. But that's all we get for the boys since they have so many aunts & uncles and grandparents buying for them). I can honestly say I understand now why some families are adamant about being in their own homes on Christmas morning. We've always rushed off to my parents house first thing. This year that time with just us was the highlight for me.

I didn't even bring my camera to the Colyer's that afternoon! Shame on me. And I didn't take photos of the Ottley Christmas we had on Monday. I don't know what got into me. Oh wait, yes I do. A baby (literally). Getting the camera out probably would have meant climbing up the stairs an extra time or something.
Bennett and Dawson are beyond thrilled to have all of our family at our house. Bennett took advantage of Uncle Graham & Aunt Sarah and played lots of his new games with them (and since they don't have kids yet, they always seem to have endless energy for ours. They're so great with them).

A favorite gift this year: Magna Tiles (below). They're super expensive so I asked Judie to just compile the boys' money together after a close friend highly recommended them (Thanks, Kim!). They both absolutely love them and I can tell they'll be worth the money.

All four kiddos with Aunt Sarah:

I'm sure there will be more pictures soon on my sis's blog, newly titled, The Daily Be. Ok, too many late nights this week. My pillow is calling my name.

1 comment:

mandaDecember 29, 2011 at 5:34 PM
Stocking stuffers have always been my favorite to buy for the kids!! And totally agree about having a quiet Christmas morning...there is nothing better in my opinion.
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for the book lovers {my recent favorites}:

Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan: An incredibly haunting medical memoir. There's a lot of medical info to read through but I didn't find those parts boring and difficult to wade through. I thought she shared just enough. But if you like a book that's easy to read, this isn't it. I couldn't get this one out of my mind for a very long time. An unforgettable true story.
Me Before You by JoJo Moyes and What Alice Forgot by Lianne Moriarty: I'm just going to lump these two together because they're in the same category. I'm calling them deep chick lit. A perfect summer book to get lost in. Read them. Both. I promise you from the bottom of my heart that you will LOVE them. (I liked them both way better than Where'd You Go, Bernadette.)
These Is My Words by Nancy E. Turner: Most of my favorite books have a main character with a whole lotta grit. I wasn't quite sure about this one when I first started it but, oh, did it sweep me in and not let me go til the last page. I also love a book that makes me "emote out loud" as I like to think of it. This one had me smiling all the way through and crying my eyes out at the end. It follows a young girl through her life in the Arizona Territories in the late 1800's. A must read for anyone who likes Historical Fiction.
Someone Knows My Name by Lawrence Hill. I LOVED this book. Its a very well researched historical fiction novel about a young girl kidnapped from her village in Africa and sold into slavery. It follows her through her whole life and the unbelievable heartache and trauma she lives through. I've been telling people I liked it as much as Unbroken but the main character is so much more endearing and has so much spunk.
Another Place at the Table by Kathy Harrison. I have a thing for modern day memoirs of utterly heartbreaking stories (Like Breaking Night and Blackbird). This is a Foster mother's first-hand account of the children she took in over the years and the unbelievable trauma they went through before they came to her.
Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls. I loved this lighthearted yet emotional story of a strong woman making the best of a hard life in the Southwest, beginning in the 1930's. I love her writing style--just cuts to the point of every story without too much "fluff" and yet tells it in a way that you can picture everything in vivid detail. Her memoir, The Glass Castle, is one of my all-time favorites, and this true-life novel about her grandmother didn't disappoint.
The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh. Modern day fiction about a girl raised in Foster homes and her struggles throughout life. She learns about the Victorian Era language of flowers and that becomes a huge part of her life. I finished it in two days. An easy read but very emotional and moving.
Zeitoun by Dave Eggers. The true story of a man's experience after Hurricane Katrina when he decided not to evacuate in order to look after several properties he owned. Quite an unbelievable story and so hard to believe this happened in the US only a few years ago.