I cry the day I take the tree down . . .

Well- we have had an eventful Christmas season- and it was wonderful!! On Friday the 18th- after Philip got home from work, we packed up the car and headed to Joeys (Phils brother) in Ohio. We got in about 4 am and crashed. Because we were in a new place, Orion needed my hair to fall asleep, and William needed to nurse, so the first "night" this is how we slept. Imagine me in the spot next to the wall.

Saturday night we accompanied Joey and Carley (& kids) to their ward Christmas Party. It was one of the BEST Christmas parties we have ever been too, and that is saying a lot since we only knew our family.

On Monday all the boys and I went to an airplane museum. It was a lot of fun. We got to tour some of the old Air Force One planes that different presidents used. Talk about first class!! Orion and Levi had a lot of fun. We also got to see several different planes used in different wars and such. It really was very interesting. At one point Orion had the opportunity to go into the cockpit, but I guess was to scared. ( I was off in an indiscreet area feeding William so I missed the tantrum. )

For lunch, we went to Chick-Fil-A. Orion was less then impressed with the food but loved the play place.

This picture has no real place in this post- I just thought it was super cute!

Bright and early Tuesday morning- we packed up the car again and headed down to Tennessee, to see Philips parents. We got in at about 2, unloaded some of the car and then headed to the closest Chick-Fil-A for lunch. We stayed there for almost two hours while Orion played.

Wednesday, we spent the day doing last minute shopping and setting up the Christmas tree and decorating. Grandpa got out the train that goes around the tree and Orion had a ton of fun with that.
Philip had to climb up into the attic to get the tree down, and Orion LOVED going up with him. He called it the cave.

It was fun going through all the ornaments and looking at all the old things that Philip made as a kid.

Christmas Eve brought more shopping. Philip and Mom were gone most of the morning while George and I baked some Christmas goodies. After dinner we opened our Christmas jammies. Somehow we only got the one picture of the Christmas Eve festivities.

After opening our Christmas pjs we watched Christmas Eve on Sesame Street. Then we read the Christmas Story. Reading the recollection of Christs birth is always my FAVORITE part of Christmas Eve. After we said night prayers Orion went to give Grandma a hug and the following conversation took place.

Grandma: Orion do you know who is coming tonight?

Orion: Uh . . . no?

Grandma: Yes you do. Who's coming down the chimney?

Orion : Uh . .. Oh!!! The Big Bad Wolf!!!!

You can tell which stories we read to him!!!

Christmas morning brought lots of new toys, clothes, and fun. We were all sufficiently spoiled!! It was a great day!!

On Saturday we took the two hour drive to Nashville to visit the Children's Science museum. About half way there, we stopped for lunch at . . . Jack in the Box.

The museum was a lot of fun! George, Philip and I were able to try out a contraption that simulates weightlessness. It was pretty fun, but kinda painful.

I am not really fond of these pictures because I totally look pregnant in them.

Orion really enjoyed the musical portion.

I think my favorite part with the part all about the body. There was a slide that every boy would love. It represented the small intestines- and made noises all the way down.!! The very last think we did was see the Holiday Lights show in the planetarium. It was a little long- but both the boys enjoyed it.

Monday we took the tree down and put away the Christmas decorations. We also went to several different stores to exchange different things for different sizes. We had Chick-Fil-A for lunch.

One of the things that I loved about Tennessee was that it was warm enough for Orion to play outside.And Orion found out one of the many joys of watching TV with Grandpa.Tuesday we packed up the car in the morning. And then Philip and I left the kids with Grandma and George and went on a date, out to lunch at Chick-Fil-A. When we got home we squeezed into what little space was left in the car and drove back to Joeys place. We crashed there and left Wednesday morning to go home. For lunch we stopped in Indianapolis and had Chick-Fil-A one last time. We got home at about 8pm, and unloaded the car.

Yesterday we stayed home and played with all of our new toys and relaxed and just had a nice day with our own cute little family. I am so thankful that we had the opportunity to visit family for Christmas, but it is nice to be home again.

I didn't know Phil was behind us taking pictures and videos, or I would have been singing softer so you could hear Orion singing too.