Fowler Christmas

I was off work from Wednesday through Monday for Christmas.  It was great being able to spend some time at home with my boys doing absolutely nothing.  I'd wake up in the morning and sit in the recliner drinking coffee and watching the Christmas movies I DVR'd.  I had to watch them before Jay and Cade got up because there would be lots of grumbling from those two.  I don't understand why they don't enjoy a good Christmas movie like I do?  On Christmas Eve I made a rule that the only thing that could be on the family room TV was something to do with Christmas.  You would've thought I asked Cade to cut off an arm.  I told him it was one of those things that he could tell his kids about some day....how his terrible mother made him watch Christmas shows for one whole day.  Pure torture!  I had planned to keep up with all of the Christmas pictures while I was home, but our internet went down AGAIN Wednesday afternoon.  I had just got the pictures downloaded but not posted yet when it went down.  So here are the pictures that were supposed to be on here a week ago... 

We had Christmas with my family on the evening of the 21st.  It works out easier to do it seperate from Christmas day.  We've tried that before and we just end up with tired, cranky, over stimulated people....and the kids are pretty crabby too!!!(ha ha)  That's no fun for any of us.  It's worked out pretty well doing it this way for the last couple of years.  We all met at my mom's house, which used to be my grandpa's for the evening.  

Here we tried a group picture with my dad.  Cade has started this really annoying thing when you want to take his picture - he moves into some sort of a dorky pose.  I spent a lot of time over the holidays yelling at him to stand normally!  As you can see it didn't work here...and he was a bad influence on Avery

This was attempt #3 for a picture with my mom.  I decided to give up.  None of them would hold still.

A sweet little family picture of Justin, Charity, Avery and Lawson.



This was the highlight gift of the evening.  We got Avery an Easy Bake oven.  Jay was pretty fired up about it.  He opened the box for Avery so she could gaze at the beauty of the oven...



Then they baked a cake together....



After 4.5 years I think Avery has finally warmed up to her Uncle Jay.  She told her mom she wasn't afraid of him anymore!  I think Jay and Avery have plans to fire up the Easy Bake again at Lawson's fast approaching first birthday party.



Jay had to taste his tiny piece of yellow cake



Here Avery is giving Papa Kerry one of the samples of her first try of the Easy Bake


Just a cute picture of Lawson     

Here is Cade while we were opening presents.  He was on the other side of the room from Jay and I.  He no longer needs our help with opening the gifts.  Wasn't it just yesterday he resembled this at Christmas.....

My  advice (which is a little late!) to those with small children at Christmas is ENJOY ENJOY ENJOY it.  Embrace the chaos, the mess, the noise, the toys that take up every square inch of the space in you living room floor, the fact that there are so many people who love your kids that they buy way too much stuff, etc.....It goes too quickly!!!!