Christmas in Munford - Part 1

Dear Abigail,

This year, we started a new tradition. You see, both Mommy and Daddy love spending Christmas with their family, but, unfortunately, they live 4 hours from each other. So, in the past, we've spend Christmas eve with Daddy's family and then got up early Christmas morning (missing half of the fun stuff) to do Mommy's family Christmas. This year, we decided we had to choose, and then going forward we'd swap every year. There is good news and bad news to that. The good news is we get to spend a whole lot of time with one of the families, without being rushed, just enjoying the holiday season. The bad news - we don't get to see the other family... But, we decided this was best for our family. Fortunately/Unfortunately, we (me, you and Daddy) are the only ones out of both our families that have to deal with this, so we got to make the ultimate decision as to where this tradition would start! So, since Mimi was sick last year during Christmas, we decided the first Christmas would be in Munford with Mommy's family vs. Cookeville with Daddy's family. So, here's how it went....

Sunday, after the Clark Grugett Christmas party, me you and Mimi packed our car full and headed to Munford. We were in a bit of a hurry because we had a show to catch!!! Papa Rob was the star of his church play and we were headed to see his debut! You, unfortunately had to go to the nursery because there is no way you would have sat still THAT long, but you did good and Ash-ash's friend's little boy, Rece (who you dyed easter eggs with!) was in there, so you 2 played together ( and you borrowed one of his diapers because Daddy forgot your diaper bag in the car and the show was starting!!!). Anyway, you did great and after the show Mommy got to show you off to all of Daddy's church friends. You even got to meet Mommy's first grade teacher - Miss Brown, or well, we call her Miss Susie, but at school she had to be called Miss Brown. She was Mommy's next door neighbor while growing up so we were on first name basis!! Anyway, you met several people, and we ventured back into the reception area where everyone was gathered around eating and socializing. Well, Gramma, bless her heart, got several different dips to try out, and decided to give you a bite. You typically aren't real hesitant on trying foods, although you make it clear when you don't like them - and this was the case. So you ate the dip, and within seconds you literally spit it out all over the table and started raking your tongue. I immediately got you your water, which you gulped down, but that didn't seem to help because you started wailing with big alligator tears and continued raking your tongue. Also, keep in mind, it's pretty quiet right now because the choir director is making a speech - anywho - you didn't care. So all this is happening fairly quickly, and Gramma takes a bite to see what the big deal is. Well she all but spits it out saying how terrible it tasted and then it hit her, too! She said her mouth was on fire, so I knew if Gramma was scrambling for the water, then your poor little mouth must me hurting! So I send Papa Rob off to get more water and he brings back punch, which I would have loved but NOT YOU! You needed you water - so more tears, more loud cries and several glasses of water later and you have cooled down. You didn't eat anything else, though - which I can't blame you. No one could get over A) how awful tasting that dip was and B) how dern HOT it was! It literally had chopped jalapenos in it! So, we recovered from that, and decided we'd better head on home to Papa Robs. It was pretty late as it was, and then when we got to Papa Robs he insisted he have a pillow fight with you!!!

Monday day was fairly entertaining. We woke up at Papa Robs but because he had to work and so did Gramma, we headed over to Mimi's house. We decided we needed to go ahead and head to the grocery store that morning so we could enjoy the rest of the week and not be all rushed. Ha!! I went to the store every day that week, just so you know! But, we did go, and you were not in the mood to be in a shopping cart, no doubt. Those dum dums only worked so long. And then Mimi decided you needed french fries (which btw, when asked what you wanted for Christmas, french fries were your response!) so those worked for a little bit, but sooner rather than later you were ready to get out. So that non stressful day at the grocery store turned into a CRAZY day! But we got the majority of stuff, and got home safely for your nap. Then when you woke up, guess who was there!!! Clara Lee!!! And Aunt Ash-ash adn eventually Em and Katie and John Michael! You girls play so well together, minus the mess you make, but we'll take it! Poor John Michael doesn't stand a chance either - he's going to be having tea and dressy up and playing dolls with the rest of you!! That night, Mommy and you had a much overdue visit with the Bibbs! Member Audra babysat you and Clara Lee a couple months ago - well, we decided to go visit her parents and older brother, Austin, who was home from college!! I've said it before on this blog, and I'll say it again, those Bibbs are some of Mommy's favorite people, and I grew up watching Miss Cindy raise her kids exactly the way I want to raise mine (that's you!). And looking at those kids now makes me want to do it even more!!! So we went to visit and tour their new house (which they've been in for quite a while now!!). You were a little shy at first and then decided to let everyone know you were hungry, so Mr. Joe asked you what you wanted, and you said "Bread". Well, he didn't get you bread, and Mommy didn't know what you were getting, but after several minutes I went to see and he had pulled out the whammy! M&M's!!! As I was telling him how much you love M&M's he said he could tell, and then i noticed how many he gave you!! A WHOLE BOWL!! You have never been so happy in your life!! You just sat at the table like a big girl eating every single one of those!!! Well, that was all fine and dandy because it gave Mommy a chance to catch up, but about 30 minutes later, the sugar kicked in, and you turned crazy. Thankfully it was all funny crazy and not angry crazy but you were spinning and sliding on the floors and running back and forth from the tree to me! I kept pointing at Mr. Joe telling him he was responsible for you for the rest of the night!

Soon after the explosion of energy, we headed back to Papa Rob's house to get some dinner in that sugar belly! I told Papa Rob he couldn't have a pillow fight that night, so he saved it for the morning...

After the pillow fight, Papa Rob head to work and we headed back over to Mimi's - for BAKE DAY!! That's right. Mommy and Mimi and Aunt Ash-ash and Aunt G have been planning to have a day of nothing but baking. And we got what we wished for!! We started at 10 that morning and the baking continued until at least 4 and we didn't even do everything we thought we'd do!! We made fudge and sugar cookies and peanut butter resse cup cookies and cheesecake bars and we tried to make carmel popcorn, but Mommy decided we'd stick with the kind from the can!, and oreo truffles and then to top it off we decorated those cookies!!! WOW is an understatement!!! It's best to describe this with pictures...

Unfortunately, you kiddos became uninterested after about an hour, so Mommy and Aunt Ash-ash had to continue on without you. And, after a lunch full of sugar, you went down for a nap. Thankfully Aunt G showed up with a craft (i.e. something non-sugary) so she helped you with that while we STILL kept baking!

Finally, we were close to being done so we let you girls decorate the cookies. That, too, didn't last too long, but all in all, it was a fun day!! Mommy and Aunt Ash-ash were exhausted though and the last thing I wanted to see was the inside of a kitchen!! So me and you headed to the park and met Papa Rob for an afternoon swing! That was a breath of fresh air, no doubt!!! And, since it had been such a busy week so far and hadn't gotten to bed at your normal time since like last Thursday, I had you bathed, dinner eaten, teeth brushed and in bed by 7 that night!! And you conked out!!! (PS - i wasn't far behind you!!)

On Wednesday, Mommy had planned on having a nice relaxing day; however, as I always expect, I had to do some last minute shopping for others (i.e. Mammaw, and while I was out and about, Mimi). So, Mommy dropped you off at Mimi's house and I headed to the mall, with Katie. I have to say, it turned out a million times better than I ever planned, and a lot of that was my company! And I think you enjoyed yourself at Mimi's, too. You were so good about going to the play room and just playing! Your becoming so independent now, makes me happy, but kind of sad, too... But that's another blog.

SO, back to Christmas - so after I got back from my day of shopping, we were supposed to all head back to Memphis to Starry Nights. Well, Aunt Ash-ash was sick with a bug (that CL, Mimi, Em, and Aunt Ash-ash all got!!), so she was out. Aunt G either worked or was goign to work, but anyway, she was out, and well, Mommy was exhausted and Mimi wasn't feeling it either, so we decided just to take you girls to Christmas City! Now, you've never been to Starry Nights - which is this huge park filled with all sorts of Christmas light with music and everything. And Christmas City is sort of like that - maybe with a little more Griswold put into it... anyway, we wanted to get out and look at lights but not drive 2 hours for it, so we just went right down the street! So we loaded you and emily and Katie and Mimi and Mommy all in Mimi's car and headed to get CL, who was SUPER excited to say the least. Poor baby had been locked up at home with 2 sick parents, so she was ready to get out of that house!!! And when she was Christmas City you would have thought she saw Santa himself!!! So we turned the heat up, rolled the windows down and gazed out the windows at the massive amount of lights- EVERYWHERE! Oh, and we saw Baby Jesus and Clara Lee went BALLISTIC!! It hands down was the funniest thing ever. So after one spin through, we decided that wasn't enough - so we headed back through it! By the time we got done with our second round, it was clear Clara Lee's energy had faded, as well as the rest of ours, so we took her on back to her house and headed to Mimi's to eat dinner (btw, on the way home, right past CL's drive way, 8 deer passed us. That's right - 8! The first one almost got hit, and the second one almost lost a leg, but Mommy rolled her window down and watched the rest of the group just leisurely cross in front of the car, as if I were supposed to stop for crossing deer!! It was quite the scene, to say the least!!) So back at Mimi's we had us a nice supper with Uncle Bubba and Aunt G and the rest of us!

A great week of Christmas activities so far, huh!!! Stay tuned for the rest of the week and all the Christmas celebrations you can imagine!!!

XXXOOO