I don't have as many pictures as I would like to remember Wearden Christmas 2011, but I had my hands pretty full juggling three kids and everything, so I can be okay with the pictures I got :) Generally speaking, pictures are especially helpful for remembering what everyone got and funny stories, things of that nature, but I will recollect as best I can and hope that will do!
This year, we had Christmas Day with Michael's family here in Lubbock--we are on an alternating holidays with our families, where one gets Thanksgiving and the other gets Christmas, and the next year it switches. Now that my parents have moved four hours closer to us, we may be able to start having less major holidays like Easter and Halloween alternating as well.
The Sunday before Christmas, Ken and Rhonda picked all of us up to go look at Christmas lights. We got McDonalds and drove around town--it was a lot of fun. Rhonda knows all the correct ways different lights are supposed to be hung and it's funny when she gets annoyed when someone hung them all sloppy or mismatched or just plain wrong. Not many neighborhoods were lit up this year; normally you will see whole neighborhoods joining in the Christmas spirit, but fewer and fewer houses are decorating. It is kind of sad, but people are probably trying to save on their electric bill.
This year was the first that we had Christmas lights on our house--Ken came over and hung red and green ones, much to Emerald's delight. Our electric bill scarcely changed for the lights, but that may be because the air conditioner is officially off and that saves just tons.
Tuesday before Christmas, Glo and Pawpaw kept the kids while Michael and I went out to buy their presents. Toys-R-Us is absolutely crazy this time of year--nothing was in the right place because people would pick them up and then drop them wherever they were instead of taking them back, and half the price signs had been removed for one reason or another, so you didn't even know how much anything cost!!
Finally, Christmas Eve we took the kids to Walmart to pick out gifts for one another. Besides the fact that Gabriel tried his very darndest to get naked (and very nearly succeeded--he managed to get down to just his pants!) it was a fairly smooth trip.
Christmas Eve night we had over at Glo and Pawpaw's with Grannymom and DadDad. Uncle Patrick had said that he didn't want the traditional turkey, so Rhonda tried her hand at making some sort of herb-crusted loin (I think--I can't remember what kind of meat it was, except beef), plus mashed potatoes and green bean casserole and strawberry pretzel pie. Rhonda thought it was a big fail, but everyone enjoyed it--I think she is just too hard on herself. Even Emerald ate some. Gabriel didn't, but he sat quietly which is good.
After dinner, we opened presents. Gabriel struggled with that last year, so Grannymom held Benjamin next to me and Ken helped Emerald with her presents so that Michael and I could take turns holding Gabriel and keeping him calm. Besides a rather strong disliking of the sound of tissue paper crinkling, Gabe did quite well I think. He remained fairly uninterested in the actual unwrapping of gifts, but he got a red soccer ball he liked to hold and pat and a bead track he played with quietly for a long time. One gift he got very enthusiastic about was a veggie tales bag full of books, for which he ripped off wrapping paper and jumped up and down clapping his hands, before sitting down and looking at every one of the books.
As far as I can remember, Gabriel got a Ralph Lauren blue polo shirt, a lime green under-armor shirt (that he is mildly obsessed with--he loves the way it feels and hates to take it off), a big bead track, veggie tales books, two long sleeved shirts, a pair of sweats, a pair of cargo pants, a soccer ball, and--coolest of all--a special hammock.
Ken and Rhonda had heard about this from another family member with an autistic son--it is a hammock made of stretchy material that hangs from the ceiling. They crawl inside, and the fabric envelopes him in a comforting hug like sensation that he will find soothing. I am super excited about it--this is the first step to having a sensory corner for him!
Benjamin got a really cute white and green monkey outfit complete with onesie, soft pants, bib, and socks, as well as a hoodie sweatshirt and pair of jeans. He also got a lullaby seahorse like the glowworm we used to have growing up--he spent most of the night just staring at that thing. My favorite is a great big baby bathtub so that I don't have to bathe the little guy in the sink any more; he also got some bath toys including a rubber ducky and some teething rings. and a set of hardback Dr. Seuss books.
Emerald got some adorable new clothes--this white and black outfit with a sweet little belt; two flowery tops and a pair of jean leggings (jeggings), plus a green and brown outfit with giraffe like spots, stripes, and a precious little button. With some of the shirts, she got necklaces, and Emerald LOVES accessories. From Glo and Pawpaw, she got a big horse and a girl that she named Sierra and Ella (respectively), as well as some magnetic dolls and outfits that her and I have a great time dressing up together. The big hit of the night was a polar bear that is bigger than she is that Uncle Patrick picked out for her--she named it Puff. It sort of made me sad that she doesn't call it a "po-mer bear" any more because that was stinking cute, but I know she had to grow up sometime :)
Michael got really nice new shoes for work, a gift card to Gamestop, a shower mirror/radio, and some Old Spice stuff; I got adorable new jeans, fuzzy-boots that make my feet super happy, a black and white striped top with a belt, a roasting pan that thus far has been used to make our voices amplified in the kitchen (lol), measuring spoons and new cooking utensils, and Nivea stuff. :)
It was a really good night, and we all had a lot of fun. We noticed Gabriel was calling Rhonda "Mama", presumably because Michael and Patrick call her Mom, so she is now Mama-Glo!
Sorry if I left anything out--it has been about a week and a half at this point and my memory ain't what she used to be :D
--Andie!--
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