Christmas was a little different this year...Not different in a bad way, just out of the norm. We had planned to drive down to California to see my family over the holidays. Driving, of course, requires a few days of just travel time (if you're planning an 18hr drive, minus any food or potty stops and esp if you're traveling with little ones) in order to sanely reach your destination. *Dad, I don't know how you managed to road trip it all those years with us while we were little over Christmas breaks (well, yes I do...I remember climbing back and forth between the cab and the bed of our truck to sleep and play, with little concern for seat belt safety. Definitely more fun than being strapped in a car seat... (o; ). We've stopped at friends houses along the way during past trips, both to visit and break up our drive. Traveling so close to the holidays made it a bit of a challenge for this...
So, we decided to fly (yes an expense, but only 3 tickets instead of 4 since Calvin isn't yet 2). God bless airplanes. An 18hr+ drive cut down to 3 or so hrs...lovely (although the plane ride felt like 18hrs...but that's a different story).
We flew out Christmas day around noon, which meant we were able to spend the early morning with Bruce and Marsha to enjoy the Christmas tradition of Cinnamon Rolls at the Stroh House....Um, yeah, let me just pause a moment and share a picture...
...yum. What a great Christmas tradition (o;
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| The three "littlest", enjoying the feast. |
Then, we were whisked off to the airport to head South.
We flew into LA where my parents picked us up and we were able to enjoy an extended family Christmas at my Aunt Debbie's house with a lot of my dad's side of the family.
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| "You think you're gonna make me ride in this thing on the plane?!?!" |
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| "I wanna see out the window too brother!!" |
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| "So, Mike, whatcha been doin' lately?" |
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| My Cousin Ry-already teaching William how to "head-butt" his brother...This Mama thanks you! |
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| All squeezed onto the couch while Grandma opens her Christmas gifts... |
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| Hey, when you've got active kids, you take what you can get (o; I still love this one of Auntie Mel and my boys even if Calvin is a blur. |
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| "Hey Mom...I think there's somethin' on my head..." |
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The expression on Audre's face is priceless..."Hah! He thinks he likes my sister more than me! Hah!"
Not sensing any bit of sibling rivalry here at all...none at all. |
I have to say, this family trip was one of my most absolute favorites. My mom AND dad were able to take the entire time we were there off work, my sister Mel was off of work the week of Christmas leading into New Years, my brother in law Thomas is without work right now (not that that's good, but yay for us!) so he was able to be around most of the time, my brother Maurice was off work for the week and so we got to see him, and the only one we weren't able to see most often was my brother Chris and his family because he was working-although I felt like we got to see you guys quite a bit! It was just all around good family time. Only wish it happened more often (o;
I could post about 50 pictures of our trip, but here are a few of my favorites...(okay, there are quite a few here...sorry! I couldn't decide!)
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| It wouldn't be a trip to see Grandpa Greg if William didn't get to ride on something with four wheels... |
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| Checkin' out some nifty games with Auntie Tata (o; |
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| Playin' games with Auntie Mel. |
And then there was our ever so last minute, but oh so very fun trip to LEGOLAND. Mel really scored us a deal on this one. She had a friend who's twin sister works at LegoLand and was able to get us ALL free tickets! My goodness...I didn't realize how big of a gift that was until we checked out the ticket prices when we got there. William alone was gonna cost $68! THANK HEAVENS FOR FRIENDS (o;
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| Well, William doesn't look very excited, but Gma and Auntie Mel do! Waiting in line for their first ride... |
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| Two of my absolute favorites (o; |
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| Most of the water portion of Lego Land was closed down forwinter, but there was still plenty of water fun to be had (o; |
One of my favorite parts of the whole experience was the MiniLand. Incredible. An entire city made of legos...down to every last detail. Amazing. You truly can't capture it in a picture, but I took a few anyways...
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| Believe it or not, it actually was a bit chilly...in Southern California! |
And then, the LegoLand SeaLife Aquarium!
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| Hello Mr. Wyatt Man! Such a cutie patootie... |
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| Just inches from all the creatures...Calvin was lovin' it. |
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| This one's great...Yes, once again blurry with all of the activity (and there was lots!), but it captures Grandpa and ALL of his grandkids (including Mr. Wyatt (o; ) just hangin' out, havin' a little Grandpa wrestle time. |
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| William got the special privilege of staying the night (by himself) at Uncle Tom and Auntie Mel's house (o; Here he is eating his pop tart and hot chocolate (o; Such special memories. |
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| And then we attempted ice skating...William wasn't too fond, so they allowed me to use his ticket. Surprisingly, I think this was my first time ever going. I wouldn't call myself graceful, but it was fun to try! |
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| Stretch out the table, add a few more chairs, and we all fit in. | Enjoying Christmas dinner. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
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| Yudi and "Tata" (o; |
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| Chris, Amber, Khyleigh and Kaycee (soon to arrive). |
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| Dad blessed each one of us kids with a blessing he had written-definitely from his heart. How many other daughters can say their dad has done something like this. Yep, I'm pretty blessed. (Hey Dad, I'd like a copy of this if you could...) |
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| William, Khyleigh, Calvin and Wyatt, all takin' a bath in Grandma's tub (if that's what you call it...it's HUGE!) |
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| Beautiful Eva and Mr. C. I was so glad to get to meet you Eva. And I loved watching our little guys play (o; |
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| Cookin' up some Brazilian food. So, this isn't my specialty...notice Yudi in the background?... |
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| And a special visit from the Gregor Clan (o; Me and Lexi bug! |
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| The infamous "Smile Khyleigh so I can take your picture!" face. |
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| Although we didn't get to meet her while we visited, we're glad she's healthy and safe for now. Hang in there Amber! |
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| William and Ry! |
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| The" original" four of us snuck away for a brunch outing...I love this picture. |
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| Hangin' at Grams (o; We spent New Years eve with Grandma so that we could enjoy the Rose Parade the next morning-a definite Pile Family tradition (Grandma, how many years have you been going to the parade...?) |
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| An early morning wake up, bundle up, and head out for the parade! |
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| The CARS float! (and yes, it really was that cold outside...I don't think it ever really warmed up) |
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| Our curbside view...just like when we were little. |
We all walk back to our cars, pile in, and then head back to Grandma's for the infamous burrito lunch after the parade. And then we enjoy winter in California outside in the sunshine (definitely not as warm this year, but still some sun!).
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| Calvin's oh so famous trick-pulling his socks off. |
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| And then another tradiiton...demolishing the Gingerbread House. Go Brenden Go! |
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| Calvin wanted a whack at it too. |
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| Love, Love, Love, Love, Love this picture. I've got one with Calvin only a few months old. It was time for an update. |
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| And finally, our journey home. Definitely a bittersweet moment. |
I ended our vacation very thankful. The family I have is something I definitely thank God for. And it's trips like these that remind me of just how thankful I truly am. I love each and every one of you and look forward to the next time we see you...Even if we're not sure when that will be.
...yum. What a great Christmas tradition (o;
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