Merry Christmas

Wow...can't believe 9 days have passed since my last post. After we all finally got over the stomach flu, I had less than a week to get things finished and packed before we had to leave. I didn't get much sleep the last two nights, but we did finish most everything we needed to. I ran out of ink the night before we left while I was printing gifts for family, so we had to bring the printer with us and pick up extra ink...all finally printed, bound and wrapped though, so we finished it in time. We drove 16 hours on Friday to my inlaws and then another 5 Saturday to get to my parents. Yesterday we drove another hour out to see my grandparents for the day and then got back in time last night to eat some dinner and get Ky in bed, and then while she stayed home with my parents, Eric and I took Alyssa to her first Midnight Mass. I think she enjoyed getting to stay up late and going to Church with just Eric and I. When we got home we checked with NORAD to see where Santa was. Since he was in Colorado and headed south, Alyssa ran to change into jammies and brush her teeth and was in bed and asleep finally about 1:30 AM! LOL The girls slept in till about 9:30 this morn, so we all got a bit of rest finally.

We had Christmas at our house last Sunday morning, and Santa had stopped by early so the kids could have a few days to play with their gifts before we left for TX, and they brought many of the new movies and xbox games in the car with them and some other toys (doodle pads, magna doodles, etc...). Santa did save a few things though to bring the girls here. He brought Alyssa a MP3 player, and a Cliford movie for Ky and then a gift certificate to Build a Bear for each girl. So with these gifts and a good handful of gifts from my parents, the girls are very excited and having a wonderful time this morning.

I got my new lens and flash when we stopped at my inlaws Friday night and so have been playing with those today. My parents got me a new camera bag to hold all my lenses and flash - and there is still some room for another lens or two! hehe I also got a negative scanner (so I can start scanning all those old negatives to back up and use digitally), and another season of Xfiles. :) I'm just peachy! lol

Eric has gotten some great new gifts as well. We bought him a ton of tools and goodies that he opened at home, and my parents have a few fun things for him here, and my dad said he'd take out tool shopping tomorrow too. :) He still needs a new truck too, so we may even look here in TX and if he finds what he wants and gets a good deal, we may buy it and just pull it behind the van home! haha That would be a great gift for him! He's had the same truck since 1998 when we bought it - I've had 3 new cars now since we got married. This truck is the only car he ever got that was HIS - not passed down. It's a very bottom of the line V6 Dodge Ram, and it's served him well all these years, but it's coming to a point where it's just wearing out and he really needs something better. He really deserves something nice, so I hope we can get him what he really likes this time.

So this afternoon my SIL is coming over to eat Christmas dinner with us, and we have a few gifts for her, plus my mom has some for her that my brother had mailed here. We'll probably just relax and enjoy the time with family (and not driving! lol) today. Tonight or maybe tomorrow I think I'm going to try to take Alyssa to see Santa Clause 3 - just me and her (my mom might come too) while Eric keeps Kyleigh. We haven't had much time to do any me and Alyssa things since we moved to IL, so I need to make up some time with her while we have an opportunity.

Tomorrow we'll meet up with an old friend of mine and her boys. We'll be doing a book exchange with the boys and prolly let the kids play for a little bit. Then on Wed, we'll head back up to my inlaws for Christmas up there for a few days. All of Eric's siblings will be there by then and all our nieces. We're looking forward to watching all the girls play, especially to see how Ky enjoys playing with the other little girls her age.

Well, I suppose I should stop rambling and go help mom get ready for this afternoon.
I hope everyone else is having as wonderful a Christmas as we are.