The Tomlinson Family

I'm going to try to bullet point this post in an attempt to make this post a reasonable length. Our Christmas gatherings were very numerous and I don't want to leave anything out.

Christmas 2008: in a nutshell

May be remembered as The Year Owen Cried. Of course, our family time together was still filled with joy but it took a little extra work to make the best of a not so happy Owen. He wasn't feeling well the first half of our vacation and by the second half, I think he was just accustomed to throwing fits.
Amelia got her long awaited Nintendo DS and has since been found at random times throughout the day singing a little tune, "I got a DS, I got a DS". Her only challenge, at times, is getting it away from Jason so that she can have her turn.
Lane was thrilled to get a riding F150 Power Wheel. He tells whoever will listen that, "I got a tuck! Big tuck!"
Christmas Eve morning kicked off the family festivities with a visit from Jason's sister, Sheila, and her family. It was great for our families to share time together without having to divide time between the whole extended family.
After a nice (and thankfully short as we had all 3 kids with us in the service) Christmas Eve service at church, we returned home for the traditional one present that gets to be opened that night. It is always a pair of matching Christmas pajamas but so far they haven't picked up on the pattern and are very surprised!
We had a wonderful Christmas day at home. The kids played with their new things and other than tiring of trying to calm Owen, it was a pretty relaxing day.
Christmas evening we had our great friends, The Flammangs and The Pardues, over for Christmas dinner. The six adults were outnumbered by the children by one. Considering there were four boys at 15 months, a rough and tumble 2 1/2 year old, and two four year old girls, it was a little hectic at times. Owen stopped crying long enough to let everyone enjoy their dinner in peace. It was a great time of fellowship.
Friday morning we were off to Keystone to see Jason's family and friends. The kids really enjoy time with their Mema, Papa, and Granny. There is lots of room to run around outside and there is always lots of good things to eat and people that will give them whatever they want. They weren't even too upset when they discovered that their cousins, Dylan, Courtlin, and Garrett weren't going to be there this time. They began asking for them just moments after hugging the rest of the family, but we had so much going on, they quickly forgot.
Old friends are the best. Jason's two best friends from highschool, Thomas and Ben, are among those we look forward to seeing at Christmas. I am so lucky that I love their wives, Jen and Karen, just as much which makes our yearly outing with them one of my favorite events. Dinner with great friends and no kids. What could be better? The boys get laughing so hard with old stories we've all heard a thousand times and we all get laughing just watching them laugh.
Saturday it was off to LaCrosse to spend time with the Jones family. We had a lot of visitors which was awesome, and almost made me feel like I hadn't missed the real Christmas day with family. We saw Mimi, Aunt Gloria, Grandmomma and Granddaddy, Susan and Adam, Aunt Lucy, and Ike. So great to see everyone even if each visit was just too short!
Mom, Dad, and Kathryn made a great family lunch. My brother works nights but managed to wake up that morning to do presents and then was awake again for our dinner that night. Ever since we left Nana and Grandy's, Amelia has been asking, " can I go back and then you go to a meeting or something and let me stay there all by myself?" Hmmm. I wonder what happens at Nana's when I'm not there?
Sunday back to Keystone and filled with visits with lots of other great people including The Harps, The Drehers, and Jason's Uncle Harry and Aunt Linda. The kids really did well seeing all these people they don't see very often and warmed up to them all as if they'd seen them last week. That makes all these fast paced visits a lot easier on Jason and I.
Monday it was back home to spend time with my sister and her family, who were on their way back from time with family in Miami. I was super pumped to spend time with them because Christmas just isn't complete without my sister. Gift exchange was exciting for Jason and I this time because we were excited about the gifts we had gotten them. After a fun day together, the adults went out to eat and came back to get the older kids and leave the younger ones with a sitter so we could all go see a movie. We went to see Yes Man, which by the way, is a total renter.
Today, the Christmas tree came down, the decorations packed, and there is barely a trace of Christmas to be found around our house. Except Christmas cards, which I'm slightly obsessed with, and refuse to take down quite yet. I love all the pictures of all the people I love!