Christmas 2013

This year we spent Christmas up at my parents' house in Kansas again. I was excited for Ben and Allie to meet Adam and for Isaac to have lots of space to run around.  My parents generously paid for me and the boys to fly up a few days before Andy came up.  This gave us more time to be up there and Andy time to take the exams for his CFE (Certified Forensic Examiner) which he passed with flying colors.

Our flight was Thursday morning and after misjudging how long it was going to take us to get to the airport and find a parking spot we ending up rushing to get us checked in and bags checked in order to make our flight.  Luckily Andy was able to go through security with me which was a BIG help!  I couldn't imagine going through security with two little kids by myself.  We ended up getting to the gate just before they started boarding the plane.

Isaac is pretty much a pro at flying.  He had a lot of fun flipping through the SkyMall magazine.

I was a little worried about how Adam would do, but after nursing him before take-off he was perfectly fine!

Adam spent his time at my parents chillin' in the arms of whoever wanted to hold him (which was just about everyone).  I think he was in heaven!

Adam got to meet Ginny!

I think Ginny was happy for there to be a small human who didn't chase her around mercilessly.

I loved getting hold Adam without feeling guilty about ignoring Isaac!

He also loved the fish tank.  We spent many a minute sitting there watching the fish swim back and forth.

Adam was a fan of Uncle Ben!

Whenever Adam got fussy and wouldn't let anyone calm him down we handed him off to my dad who used his magic hands to calm him down.  Seriously, my dad is a baby whisperer!

A few days after we left I got this picture from Andy of the infamous acorn squash.  Isaac hid this in the entertainment center when my mom was in Dallas after Adam was born.  We searched high and low and never found it until now.

The day after I got to Kansas the weather turned cold and on Saturday we started to get some snow.  The snow slightly delayed my brother Ben's flight home from BYU and flat out cancelled Allie's.  Thank goodness Andy was still in Dallas because Allie was able to get her flight re-routed to Dallas and the two of them drove up together.  Church even got cancelled due to the snow and ice.  Isaac enjoyed getting to play in the snow a bit though.

Isaac was also a big fan of having so many different things to do up at my parents house!  I feel like he was constantly going from one thing and one person to another!

Isaac LOVED playing with my dad's old/vintage camera.  I can't wait until he's old enough to get confused when we explain how it works.

Practicing the flute with Aunt Sarah.

On Christmas Eve we had our traditional Mexican tamale dinner followed by a pinata.  Stephanie's boyfriend Scott came over which was a lot of fun.  Isaac was a big fan of his shoes.  I kept trying to get a picture of him trying to walk around in them because it was pretty awesome.

We opted to let Isaac use a tennis racket instead of a bat.

Christmas morning found us relatively well rested and excited to open presents.  We were all corralled upstairs while my mom made Boston cream (for the first time in years she was actually making it on Christmas morning as opposed to all the years where she had it pre-made, but told us we had to wait while she made it).

Every time we went to a store Isaac wanted one of these giant candy canes full of candy.  He was pretty happy to get one.

This year was so fun because Isaac was so excited about opening his presents!  I love watching him get older and enjoy all the fun that comes with the holidays.

The best part of Christmas.  I'm pretty sure that if any of us had to choose between receiving presents and having a Christmas table, we would pick the Christmas table.

Even Ginny got a new toy!

My parents got a little electric car for Isaac to drive around in.  Once he figured out what was going on he had fun.  I think he'll enjoy it even more this summer when we're up there.

That afternoon we all went to go see Frozen.  It was Isaac's first time seeing a movie in theaters, and he was pretty thrilled about it.  There were a few scary parts and he'd just bury his head in Andy's chest until those passed.  He was so good and sat still the whole time we were there!

Isaac with Aunt Sarah, Aunt Allie, and Uncle Ben.

On our last day there we went bowling with my family.  Isaac thought it was pretty fun and would shout "Woohoo!" and pump his arms in the air after his turn every time.

We were sad to leave at the end of the week, but happy to get back home!