School was out a bit later this year on Dec 22nd for the break... so, we had the car ready to go and left early morning on Dec 23rd for a week in Round Rock. Jingle our elf was already in the car waiting to hitch a ride to Round Rock. The week was packed full of fun, and I was surprised that we had so much fun I actually did not take a ton of pictures. Mom had the house all decorated for Christmas with all the toys and Santas. The kids loved checking out all the decor with sleeping Santa's, flying Santa's, trains, nativities and more. My favorite part was the dining room table that Mom had set with all of Grandma Parks' Christmas China. It was a surprise to be able to all eat at one table together and be "fancy" on Christmas Day. On Christmas Eve, we opened gifts, read the story of the birth of Jesus, and read "T'was the Night Before Christmas (Hall tradition). Highlights of gifts for Cade included: Lego Boost from Nana, Nerds books, Garmin smartwatch, Transformer Autobot, and Roblox. Caelin enjoyed getting her Fuji camera and accessories, foot spa from Nana, Little Pet Shop Kitty named Cuddles from Nana, clothes for Willow doll, bracelet making kit, and a Lego friends Surf Shop set. The best was watching Kennybug and Jax get their surprise...a new dog named Savannah! She is just the sweetest little girl and loves to cuddle. Bear and her were instant friends and we are so glad to have her. Kennybug cried when she saw her and I will always remember that moment. Santa came with lots of spoiling as well including a Harry Potter Clue game, Lego Dimensions for Harry Potter, and books for Cade. Caelin had the widest eyes ever when she saw Santa brought her the Rapunzel bow and arrow set, Hatchimal game, Fingerling, and books. I guess they were good this year. The 4 cousins were inseparable the entire time with numerous sleepovers and playing with all the new toys. Being 6,7,8, and 11 years old...I thought they played pretty well together despite the wrestling and a few fights. We had plenty of time to play cards/games, decorate sugar cookies (thanks to our elf Jingle for the supplies), make ornaments, cook lots of yummy meals (including a traditional shrimp boil), watch movies, go to see Jumanji at the theatre, Starbucks run as Sisters, shop, football, etc. It was nice not having major plans and just relaxing each day. My favorite part was the morning coffees in pajamas. There was the usual silence and missing of Daddy. Hard to believe this is the 3rd Christmas without him there to put BYOB on a Christmas cookie, make us laugh at his antics, or watch him yank his hearing aids out when the grandkids run by. I do know we were so blessed to not only have had a father like that but to have so many cherished memories in the time we did have. No matter how much I tell myself these things, the pain is still there and he is still gone. I was blessed this year to be reminded of what a friend once said to me. They said that the pain never truly goes away (and I don't want it to), you just learn to smile and laugh more as time passes. Merry Christmas to our sweet "Daddy" in Heaven. We were able to stay through Dec 29th so that we could enjoy Mendy's 40th birthday. The entire week was just a true blessing to spend time with family. Our hearts were full as we drove home. What a great week celebrating the true Christmas miracle and all our family blessings.
