Christmas Part 1: Mullins Family Christmas

Last Friday we loaded up and went to Plano to have Christmas with Matt's family.  We all stayed at Melissa and Brandon's "new" house.  Matt's grandaddy moved to a VA nursing home in Norman, OK a year ago, so Melissa and Brandon decided to buy his house and completely gut it.  It was so much fun going back and seeing what they had done to it and the transformation that had been made.  I felt like it was the show "Extreme Home Makeover"....I really did want to yell "MOVE THAT BUS."  It looked fantastic and we were so proud for them.  It was so much fun having just the immediate family all together.  It was our first time to all be together since Melissa and Brandon married and it was full of noise and laughter.  The kids were not short on attention and good laps to plop down on.  The time went far too fast, but in the end it was the best weekend you could ask for.  I wish we could do it all again.

Friday night when we got there we had a yummy dinner of a Greenberg Turkey and all the fixins.  It was SO good.  Matt and I were thrilled because we left Thanksgiving week on Friday so we never had leftovers---we kind of felt jipped.  Brandon went earlier that day and bought a bazillion cupcakes from The Cupcakery in Frisco.  OH MY were they ever DELISH!  Sinful.  Totally blew the diet that weekend.  I think we all did.

After dinner we TORE into our Christmas gifts.  I don't think we could handle 'how much longer' one more minute from Miss Harper Poo.  She was SO excited....Christmas was wonderful and we were all spoiled completely rotten.  Hudson got an abundance of Harry Potter Lego's, Dallas Cowboy uniform, & wii game.  Harper got a Leap Pad with plenty of cool apps (sooo neat), & animals out the wazoo--all she wanted.  Holty, got a new Sock Monkey (HINT: 1st Birthday), cars & trucks, and a few other new little toys to himself. 

The 6 of us (Matt & I, Lauren & Tyson, Mel & Brandon) drew names back over Thanksgiving to see who we would buy for over Christmas.  We gave ideas of what we would like.  It was really fun and we were all surprised at who had who.  I drew my newest BIL Brandon.  I really wanted a redraw, but I was stuck with him (wink wink).  We have this love/hate relationship.  (Just play words with friends with him ONE TIME and any of you faithful readers will TOTALLY understand my feelings toward him).  Anyways, I was kind and got him what he wanted (a Cabelas gift card), but I stuck it in a toilet coffee mug with the kindest, sincerest of messages stuck to the outer potty bowl.  It was great and all in good fun.  I love people with a good sense of humor that's for sure!!  He's a good sport.

Such a cuddle bug.

Oh the madness...I love it.

Harp and her Leappad.  It's so cool.

I love this picture....You can definitely tell who goes with who here.  HA!

THE CUPCAKES

Lego's---Matt Mullins should go to work for Lego.  You will see why after my final Christmas post.

Tony Romo

 Saturday the 17th was Karen and Curtis' 34th wedding anniversary.  We went to Maggiano's for their anniversary lunch.  It was so good.  Family style meals are always fun when you have a big bunch like that.  It was nice to be with them on their anniversary and to celebrate their love and commitment to one another.  34 years!  WOW---that is something!

34 years and still kissing---I'd say that is one of the secrets to a successful marriage.  Keep on kissin!

Harper will hop in ANY of her 4 uncle's laps with no hesitation whatsoever.  She is so funny & not shy in the least.  She looooves all the men in her life....That dog right there in this pic is Jefferson Garfield...he belongs to Lauren and Tyson.  Well, you have never met a prettier, sweeter dog than him.  ALSO you have never met a dog that can flat clear a room. We are still gagging....and it is HILARIOUS to hear the kids talk about him.

Sunday morning we all got up early to pack up, load up, and head to breakfast at Bread Winners in Plano before heading to church.  It was our last little shin-dig before we all parted ways.  Breakfast was delicious.  We had time to snap a few more pictures before we left.

Matt, the kids and I headed to Farmers Branch Church of Christ for their late service.  It was the most unbelievable service I had been to in so long.  I don't know if it was because it was this time of year and I was feeling all nostalgic or what, but it was so good to be back and see old, familiar faces.  Just being in Plano takes us back to those early years in our marriage when we very shockingly got pregnant with Hudson & how we were broke broke broke....(but looking back on it those are some of our greatest memories).  While sitting in the sanctuary last Sunday I could picture my 24 year old pregnant self sitting where we sat back then and thinking while rubbing my growing belly, "How God are we going to be able to do this??"  Then I looked across the room to where we sat all those months later with a busy baby boy.  I thought fondly of how Hudson was our only baby and 100% our world.  I even laughed to myself at how I could remember feeling SO stressed out at getting to church on time with just Hudson.  HA....little did I know how easy it was then.  And then there we were Sunday 6 years later with a big ol' boy on Matt's right and a worn out little girl who slept the entire service in my arms.  (Holty was in the nursery).  I could not help but give thanks over and over again just remember where we came from and where our story began.  We sang many songs on Sunday that we sang all those years ago.  I'm telling you I was just minutes from being a weepy mess.  I love church, and I love going back to churches that helped shape you into the person you have become.  Farmers Branch definitely changed our lives all those years ago, and it's safe to say that visiting it again on Sunday, for Matt and I, was the highlight of our Christmas break together. 

Once we left Plano our Suburban was PACKED FULL.  I was starting to get a little nervous because we still had 2 more Christmas' to go before heading home.  The 2 hour drive to Tyler felt like a drive to the grocery store---nothing.  The kids were shocked that we made it there so fast.  I know I say it every time, but they are serous roadtrip ROCKSTARS!  I don't know how they do it, but I'm always blown away with them.

Our Mullins' Christmas was a BLAST and so memorable.  We loved every minute and wished we could do it all over again.  Thanks Mav and BIL for hosting!!  We love y'all!!