Over the mountains and through the woods...

We just arrived back home yesterday after a 6 day trip to the other side of the state to celebrate Christmas with many of our family members. As much as I'd like to be a "fly by the seat of my pants" sort of girl...I'm just not, and this is especially true when it comes to traveling. I stress the week before a trip about what to bring and I create lists so I don't forget anything. And then, once we are actually on the trip, I remain uptight because I have a hard time living out of a suitcase and having my belongings all over the place. I'm working on it though because Joel and I really love to travel and see new places.

Anyway, that was a long explanation about something that I wasn't really planning on writing about. Sooooo.... we had a wonderful time celebrating and spending time with our very special family. I'm amazed that we've been so blessed with such kind and generous family members on both sides. We exchanged gifts with everyone and this was the first time that Parker really got into opening gifts. And boy, did he get into it! Now he thinks every package he sees is his and starts ripping open the paper! We'll have to work on this part, but it was very exciting watching his eyes light up as he opened his new toys! Not only are these new toys fun for Parker, but for mama as well...because new toys=more entertainment for these cold winter days=less hanging on mom's leg begging to go outside:) Any other mama out there know what I mean?

One of the best parts of the trip was watching Parker interact with his great cousins. Sean and Mattison are quite a bit older than Parker, but I'm so impressed that they will take the time to play with and love on him. I can tell that Parker loves them both and really admires them. We were also able to spend time with my brother, his wife, and their little girl. Audrey and Parker are around the same age and they are just so cute together. Parker likes to show off with his jumps and spins and thinks Audrey is absolutely hilarious and Audrey likes to give Parker lots of kisses--which Parker accepts with a grin:)

Oh, I almost forgot the not-so-great part...I got sick! Nothing like being sick away from home! Thankfully, it didn't last long and I'm feeling much better. However, if you are a friend that maybe should have heard from me while we were over in your area, now you know why you didn't. This was one of those little bugs that I certainly didn't want to share....:)