Christmas in Arkansas

This year we went to my hometown for Christmas. Before that, though...we ice skated. The Man's group rented out the ice rink for the evening, and we all quite enjoyed it. The Boy skated and skated!

Then we opened our stockings on Christmas Eve, per tradition, and had our Bethlehem dinner that night. The rest of the day was spent getting ready for Arkansas. 

We left on Christmas Day. Not my favorite plan, but I must say, everything ran on time. 

 Still, we had to get up pretty early and it was a long day. We were glad to be done with that.

We got to see both aunts, our uncle, all the cousins, grandma, and great-grandma the next day for family pictures!

 The Boy could be found doing what he would always be doing if I let him.

Finally we had Christmas. I got to see my cousin that I was roommates with my first year in college! I hadn't seen her in nearly a decade. We opened presents and had a really nice dinner together.

The Man had to go home early to work, but the kids and I stayed an extra two days. The Boy went to the trampoline park with his baseball buddy from last summer while Aunt Jo and I took the Girl bowling.

On New Year's Eve it was time to go home. Another long day ahead, but my kids are absolutely amazing travelers. The day was made a bit longer by a monumental error on my part that serves as one of the low points of my life - I missed our last connecting flight for no other reason than lack of brain activity. I don't want to dwell on that. We made it home alive very late in the evening and that's what's important. I fell asleep just as the fireworks went off to ring in the new year. Happy 2015! 

I am so grateful to have spent it with people I love doing the things I love. We are truly blessed by the Lord.