After our cruise, Ryon and I flew back to Colorado to spend Christmas with my family. It was a wonderful two weeks in Colorado.
I have to mention Cedar’s reaction to Ryon and me coming home. She was in the back of my mom’s car when she picked us up from the airport. When I opened her door, she was bouncing up and down in her car seat with massive excitement. She was ecstatic! She just kept saying “Mommy!” “Daddy!” I leaned in to give her a hug and kiss and noticed she had tears running down her face.
I said “CC, why are you crying?” She responded back to me:
“I’m not crying, Mom! I’m happy!” I asked my mom if she’d been crying in the car on the way to pick us up. My mom said no, that she’d happily been singing her ABC’s. So she was so overjoyed to see us that she had tears rolling down her cheeks. It was a special moment. She really did miss us.
Here are some pictures of our two weeks of merriment at Grandma and Grandpa’s house:
Auntie Kimmie’s minions and melting snowmen cookies
Auntie Melissa’s Christmas Eve Chocolate Oreo Cream Pie
Hooray for a white Christmas!
Tanner in his snow fort that he and Daddy built
Everyone stretching out homemade taffy (which was chewy deliciousness!)
See, it was so yummy!!
One day we went out to lunch at a fun Italian restaurant
I love these two crazy kids!
My sweet Cedar
Bridgey was 9 1/2 months during Christmas this year. He is a snuggly, happy sweetheart. He got his first teeth at Christmastime and learned to crawl as well. He laughed and snuggled with everyone!
Uncle Scott
And Kimmie and Kevin
And Mommy
And Daddy
And Mommy again . . . (I love this baby!)
And Grandma
Christmas Eve Festivities!
We wanted to give Grandma the year off from making the chimmies this year. I cooked the chimmy meat, Ryon and I wrapped them, and then Ryon cooked all of them. Oh, they are soooooo good! And are so Christmas!
Oh, Ryon is in a happy place on Christmas Eve . . . he loves his chimmies!
Yum!
Mom’s beautiful Christmas apron from Aunt Karen. As she always does, Grandma really made Christmas so special for everyone this year.
Tanner, CC and I went for a little walk on Christmas Eve right around sunset.
The view from my parents’ house. I told Ryon to run out and see it and he came out in his bare feet! It was so beautiful. I wish I’d had my mom’s camera.
William was so tired and hungry and was not in the mood for picture taking. At least not before dinner. But here is this little Neslen family, which is about to get a little bigger!!
But after he’d had some dinner – and some rootbeer – Mr. William was all smiles!
Stinky and Stinky in her festive Christmas sweater
Daddy and Bridgey wrestling
My sweet kids
Bridger, 9 1/2 months
Tan-Tan, 7, first grade
Cedar, 3 1/2, first year of preschool
We stayed up till 2 playing Settlers and finishing up Christmas stuff for the kids. I don’t even remember who won that night. I just know it was a blast and one of the only nights of the year that my hubby would stay up till the wee hours of the mornings. I love Christmas with the special people in my life! Oh wait, never mind, I won! He he! I just remembered. I was wrapping presents half the time and not paying as much attention as I should, and I ended up winning. And Kimmie was drugged up on Nyquill and she almost won.
It’s Christmas!!
The kids slept till about 7. Tan was the first to wake up. My family was all sleeping in the unfinished basement, so our three queen beds were all just around each other down there. I heard Tanner get up and start hemming and hawing around downstairs. I could tell he was dying to go upstairs, but was hesitating. I told him to run upstairs and see if Santa had come. He jolted! I remember growing up just waiting for that one second of the year when I’d peek around the corner and see the Christmas tree surrounded by the presents Santa had brought, and the stockings filled to the brim. I love that moment, and loved watching my children experience it.
When Cora was born and we went to go visit her at the hospital, Tanner lost his baby elephant, which was one of his “special things” (The lovey term my kids give their sepecial stuffed animals and blankets that mean a lot to them). Tanner decided to write to Santa this year and ask him for a new one. He wrote him three times and prayed that Santa would bring him one. So this year Santa brought Tanner a baby elephant pillow pet! It was two of his favorite things in one! Tan was very excited. Santa even left him a very special letter attached to the present.
CC thought that Santa was going to be there in the morning when she woke up. She was disappointed. She wanted to see the reindeer eat the carrots and cookies that she’d left out the night before.
But after the present opening started, she was just fine!
A few Christmas traditions:
My sweet, sweet parents
Bridger and William (Willmen, as Cedar called him), 1 year apart
Tanner in his Scooby hat from Auntie Kimmie and Uncle Kevin
Ryon got me this cute Christmas hat.
Bridger in his super-cute Mater hat from Aunt Karen
And Ryon ended Christmas by taking a two-hour nap in one of Grandpa’s new leather lazy-boys. Merry Christmas!
It was wonderful to all be together. I wish Brandi and Curtis could have come. But the kids had a great time at Grandma and Grandpa’s, and so did we. I love my family and am grateful for the memories we were able to make together.
