Christmas 2017 w/the Browns

We enjoyed the company of Josh's parents and middle brother, Jason, and nieces, Holly and Hannah, this Christmas for a solid week.  They just left today and it's proving hard to shift gears back to our usual routines.  I believe Noah held back tears as he admitted, "It's just lonely now."  Anna lamented, "I just wish we could see them more often."  Those two so thoroughly enjoyed their time with cousins, that they still haven't gotten around to playing with some of their Christmas gifts!  Anna, who woke up this morning throwing up, will have to wait a little longer to do that still.  Reallife!

Some pics of the holiday week relaxing and recreating with family...

 

At the movies - The Greatest Showman this time. So enjoyable!

Christmas Eve at church was such a great morning with such a great Christmas sermon.  I have heard a million Christmas messages in my life, but this one stood out - so refreshing and impactful and shiningly true.  So thankful for our church!

 

How fitting to participate in communion on the eve of celebrating the birth of that very body and blood. 

After church, Memaw got some pics taken while everyone was still dressed from church.

Much napping, and reading, and board gaming, and video gaming took place this week. So much!

 

Polar Express again on Christmas Eve night and then off to bed!  Poor Anna could NOT sleep for hours and hours, so excited was she for Christmas.

Pics of the Santa bounty once it was all set out that night...

 

I love the blur of Anna rushing to the surprises that morning.  Noah's mind was blown to receive an Xbox we had assured him was wholly out of the question this year.

 

 

 

 

Anna, mesmerized, watching this oil/water toy work.  I got sucked into it a bunch, too.  Ha!

Lasa woke up later, but was delighted by all the surprises to see!

 

 

 

Trying out Just Dance on the Xbox.  Josh included.  This and restaurant game called Overcooked proved to be a real hoot.

Holly and Anna giving her new DIY Lip Balm Kit a go.

Ohhhh, the StarWars Battlefront that got played and played and played.  Noah Xboxed his brains out.

And did I mention the dogs that came with Jason and the girls?  Yes, the dogs.  For whom Noah was counting down to see almost as much as Christmas itself.  Alas, they triggered up awful allergies in Noah and we had to restrict him from even touching the dogs several days off and on to help him survive. Poor kid! Breathing treatments were used daily and different allergy meds up to 6 times a day!

Hannah and the girls doing a gingerbread kit I forgot about until Christmas day.

 

Apples to Apples!  How is it that none of these people had ever played this?!  So glad to have brought it up and brought it out.  We all enjoyed playing this three different nights.  Noah and Anna could not get enough. Jason and Holly and Hannah won all the games between them somehow.  It was pretty interesting how that happened. 

Did I mention all the games that got played? ;)   Holly and Hannah were SUCH good sports rolling with all of Noah's and Anna's requests to play.  Holly, who is studying Chemistry in college at the moment, even got a chemistry set to do with the kids.  If I didn't know better, I would say Holly and Hannah enjoyed a week of being kids with my little kids. ❤️

The day after Christmas, we all needed to get out of the house, so we checked out the sights at Opryland Resort and the kids did some snow tubing.

 

 

 

It was freezing out!

 

 

And then it was so warm inside Opryland Hotel.

 

 

We took the fam to Chef's Market for lunch and later on we went shopping and enjoyed pizza for dinner.  The next day, we did more shopping - ha! - and then the dads and kids checked out a new archery tag place in town and it did not disappoint.  They had a blast!  The owner even let the dads try out hatchet throwing for free.

 

 

Their last day here, we all loaded up and went to a giant used book store we like in Nashville, McKays.  Everyone seemed to find something they liked there.  It was a good outing.  Then we enjoyed our last evening chillin' back at home, watching football, reading books, playing games.  Which brings us to this morning, when the party packed up and hit the road again, but not before Papa came back inside to pray over poor, puny Anna who was quarantined to the couch.  Precious moments.

I gotta hand it to this house of ours - it was crowded, but it held up just fine keeping 10 peeps and 2 dogs fed, and bedded, and warm.  I forgot to mention - it was a stinking cold holiday, so there was less outside time than the guys would have liked ... as in, almost none. So even more kudos, 167 Wimbledon Ct, for housing all the indoor activity!

Glad for a merry Christmas, glad for family to share it with, and glad for the start of a new year coming right up!  Good finish, 2017!