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Saturday, February 4, 2012

Christmas, Alabama Style

Wow.  It is February.  I am a mess.  I am now posting about Christmas.  Before it escapes my mind forever..........

Alabama (fondly referred  to as Alavama) or bust.  We headed to right outside of Fort Benning GA, where my favorite Brother-in-law is stationed, to the tiny little southern town of....honestly I can't even remember the name....  Anyway, my sister-in-law Lauren, who is absolutely one of my very favorite people in the world, lives there with my beautiful nephews, fantastic Hubby and two dogs (one is a puppy!).   Even though the drive was longer than I would like to remember (we actually made it there and back with minimal tears and a boy who slept the better part of both ways! Lucky us!) it was SO good to see our awesome family.  We spent Christmas week with the Gables and just relaxed....and laughed....a lot.  It was exactly what we needed and who we needed to do it with.  Tristan and Jackson had such a great time together.  It was amazing to me how they bonded instantly and were best buddies.


Best buddies who jumped and taught each other how to climb in and out of cribs....

They of course, among being the best of buddies, were at times the worst of enemies.   What do you expect from a couple of 2+ year olds?

He did, took and said xyz to (from) me!

Whaaaaaaaaahhhh (the preferred form of toddler communication)

Most of the time though, they were best buddies.  Playing and coexisting together, thrilled to have each other.  Cousins at their best.








Two wonderful little boys (who mostly refuse to look at the camera) who are the light of our lives.  Oh yeah this one too....Sweet, sweet Sam.

 Don't believe anything my Mom or Dad says....I am a perfect baby!

Maybe it is just my presence (he he) but while I was there (at least in the room with this precious little guy) he did not make a peep.  He was honestly perfect!  Love, love, love this little bundle!

Cousinly Love

We took a couple of nearby excursions, both of which I can laugh about now but at the time were, for their own reasons, horrendous.... In just a few words, wind whipping, frost bite inducing, frigid air that literally came out of nowhere, and way to sunny to get a good picture - but oh s**t my memory card is full of (the crappiest I have ever taken in my life) pictures anyway.  You guess which is which...







Before I dump the rest of my (hilariously horribly taken) pictures on you and yours, I have to just comment on the tradition of opening Christmas presents...with 2+ year olds.....  In my mind it all went differently.  We literally could have given then each one gift to fight over rather than several a piece.  It really wouldn't have mattered because the only thing were distracted by was what the other was opening or had in his had so that they would drop their half opened gift  for Nikita to chew.  Not quite the Bing Crosby kind of Christmas morning I had envisioned.  But now a fond memory.  The best part was the huge motorized-drive-it-your-self-tractor that both boys IGNORED when they came down stairs.  That pretty much says it all.  (Eventually the tractor was successfully a hit Babci and Dziadzi).
 

Memories in action:



Jackson the sloth

 Boys who won't look at the camera.....

....and then they finally do....





 Christmas Scooter

....or two


Tractor success coming your way NOW!



well, almost.

Moving on to the animals

 3-dog Christmas

Love (or torture, you decide)

world's biggest litter box (this one's for you Lauren)


Sam

stamps

freezing...but a moment of happiness



Who thought this would be exciting?



 the boys (in slight blur, just for effect)

And now for the one and only picture of Lauren and I, and if you know us well then you will know that this is only fitting...


Great Trip to Alavama.  We love you Gables!



1 comment:

  1. Yay! So glad you posted... I've been stalking your blog! And... oh my goodness Jackson is the smartest kid I have ever met. No joke. That video was amazing. He is such a problem-solver!

    The cat picture gives me the willies. The damn cats in our neighborhood are STILL pooping in our garden. Cripes.

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