Christmas 2009--Dallas bound!

Our Christmas card for 2009 turned out great. Thank the good Lord for my amazeingly talented friend Karen. Leeza would NOT sit still and kept running away. She was a real PITA, but thank goodness, the few shots she got were keepers.




I am a lil late with my Christmas post, since TOMORROW already is my 28 month post, I realized I had better "get on the stick". So, even though I still have not unpacked completely from Dallas (we've been home 8 days) and my kitchen counter is covered under a ton of clutter), here I sit, to immortalize Leeza's Christmas, 2009. :)

We headed to Dallas on December 18th, right after Sean's last day of school for the break. Joe had to go up the day before, for work. Flights were tight, so we had to go when we could get tickets. On the flight there, Leeza was not behaving like the angel she appears to be in our Christmas card photo in her angel dress. She had a total meltdown when I had to take my Iphone back when we were landing. It was the biggest meltdown she's ever had, and it was loud, and embarrasing, and lasted an eternity. I think maybe her ears really hurt too, as she still had a cold and NASTY cough, so I will give her the benefit of the doubt. At the beginning of the flight, she fell asleep for about 20 minutes, and peed all over my jeans. Happy Day!! Of course, I had extra panties for her, but nothing for mommy. So, I smelled really pretty for the entire flight.

We spend every other year in Dallas,and all of the sibs come home too. Noelle and Chris and Holt (8 months now) from Austin, Stacey and Jan,and Will (5) and Jan (8) from Fayetville, Arkansas, and Laura and Scott (my sister in law Elizabeth's sister) and their kids Daniel (almost 5) and Sara (almost 3) from Rogers, PLUS, my brother Carlton, his wife Elizabeth, and their 2 girls, Giulia (11) and Georgia (9) and my sweet sissy Nicole, (Noelle's twin) who lives in Dallas already.







Leeza had a blast with everyone.It's her third trip to Dallas, the first one last July, then just a brief weekend trip in October, then 9 days in December. I am so proud of Leeza because she did a KILLER job remembering everyone's name! It's a huge family and she did really well. She had a blast with Will (age 5) and with Giulia and Georgia. Georgia is 9 and spent a lot of time playing with Leeza. It was AWESOME for them, and for mommy to get a lil respite to drink some vino. :) She is a social lil girl....often staying up way past her typical bed time, and eating way later than what she's used to. She's a party girl! I'm so glad she's so flexible, as it makes it much easier for mommy, too. :)

We celebrated my Dad's birthday on the 22nd, and the whole crew (23 of us) headed over to my brother's house. They prepared a DELISH dinner of polenta, with portabello mushrooms, and hatched chili's, and melted cheese, plus Mac and cheese for the kids. Leeza chowed down on Chex Mix and Goldfish.


















It was my brilliant idea to have all the kids have matching jammies for Christmas eve and Christmas day. I was having a hard time, until I asked on Facebook and Trudi, a friend, suggested Pajajamagram! They had FAMILY MATCHING PJ'S! So, EVERYONE got them, except for my parents, who refused. They are not the jammy wearing in public type.








It was crazy weather. The day before Christmas eve, was warm and balmy, 75 degrees. The kids went Christmas caroling in Nicole's neighborhood, and they got homemade cookies, and homemade Santa cupcakes!! On Christmas eve, IT SNOWED!









AS warm as it was that night we caroled with the kids, the next day got colder,and colder, and the rain turned into SNOW! It was really cool for the Floridians to have a White Christmas.






Christmas day, all the kids gather upstairs and descend downstairs together to see the loot Santa brought. It was a lil crazy, with 6 kids from ages 11 to 8 months. Leeza was a lil overwhelmed, and was really interested in EVERYONE else's presents. She loved her cousin Will's "scary robot" and Sara's "Elmo Live" and Holt's ride on toy and grocery cart. :) She got a cabbage patch baby, and a double stroller with 2 babies, and a fancy Nancy purse, with sunglasses and a tiara. Santa also came to Florida, and we had Christmas here on the 27th, the night we arrived home. :)




















I love these pictures of Leeza and Will on Christmas day, having a "tea party". My mom got this lil table in Germany when the twins were lil. It's gotten a lot of play. :)





Since I am always the one taking pictures, it was nice to have my sisters there to get some family shots. :)

Here are a few of my favorites "pics of the season"

















The day after Christmas, we took the kids ice skating. Leeza went home with Daddy after lunch, and Elizabeth, Stacey and I took the other kids. I wasn't going to ice skate, because I tried it once as a kid, and my ankles are weak and I hated it. However, my mean sister, told me that "I was a marathoner" and to get out there with her and the kids. Ugh, I shouldn't have listened! I went around the rink twice, with my ankles killing me! My sister was a natural,even teaching Will how to skate. Sean did really well too, and he looked cool in his Kazakh hockey jersey. :)







We had a great time. Leeza was in heaven with so many people to play with her. Mommy actually got to watch 3 movies (New Moon at the theatre with my nieces), and the New Harry Potter movie and Julie and Julia, and I read a book. :)

We came home on Sunday, the 27th, just in time for Christmas #2 with Nana, Papa, and Joey and Jillian. That will be a new post, for a new day, as this has taken me all day. :)