It's Good To Be Home

We are back from Holiday Haul 2006.

For those of you who are not familiar with the concept, it is where you pack all of your children, all of Santa's gifts, and all of your clothes and necessities into the family minivan and embark upon a 750 mile, ten day, two family, holiday extravaganza.

First up. My mother's--about three and a half hours north of our house. We took my brother Shaun with us, he had flown in from Seattle, his first Christmas home in four years.

Christmas morning, it was hard to get a still shot of the Bug, as he was constantly moving. My niece Ryleigh is in the pink, my sister Taylor in the black tank, my sister McKenzie (Ry's mom) in the white, my brother Aaron and his girlfriend Kami in the background.

Campbell didn't understand the concept of opening all the gifts and then playing with them later. He wanted to unwrap them one by one, and then open them and play with them all one by one before moving on to the next.

This is him, mid-wail. He was giving me what his father so eloquently calls, "The Stink-Eye".

My mother had all six of her kids under the same roof for three days, the first time that has ever happened, as we are so spread out in age. I never lived at home at the same time as my youngest sister Taylor (she is actually nine days younger than my oldest son, Patrick). So Mom was happy about that. Although there were rough spots where she was doing her "Martyr" thing, where she won't let anyone help her, and then gets pouty and overwhelmed that she has too much to do.

We all just drank more when that happened.

Sigh.

You have to love the holidays, yes?

My brother, Shaun, wearing his Seahawks santa hat.

Connor was thrilled with his iPod.

Patrick got his skateboard that he has been pining for.

My husband wowed me with my gift. I already had my iPod, but I knew he was thinking of buying me jewelry as a holiday gift/reward for the past six months of single momming it.

Then, we were off to Cleveland (nine hours away!) for Christmas Part Deux with my in-laws.

My father-in-law wanted to buy me jewelry for Christmas, but I asked for a TV instead. This whole sharing a TV with my husband bit is getting old. I got used to not having to share while he was gone for those six months.

Wide screen. HDTV. So freakin' awesome. And all mine. hehehe.

Opening gifts.

Campbell got a train set from Aunt Laura that he loves.

Aunt Laura loves her Bug.

We stayed there from Tuesday until Sunday (New Year's Eve Day) and then drove home.

I knit quite a bit on the Simple Knitted Bodice. I promised myself that I would get it done before Christmas, so I could wear it, but that did not happen. Then, for a bit, as Amy can attest to, I had toyed with the idea of frogging the whole thing.

Don't ask. It was a moment of weakness.

Just the rest of the sleeve, and picking up the neckline stitches to go. It is really beautiful and fits like a dream. That is the beauty of the top-down business. Try as you go.

The lace detail and the waist increases. It is so pretty. I love the subtle variegations of this yarn.So. Lovely. I can't wait to wear it. I need to find the perfect shell or cami to wear underneath it.

And lastly, while at my mom's, it became apparent that she is well on her way to becoming a Crazy Cat Lady (you know, the type with about eleventeen million cats?). So my husband made an executive decision. On our next trip up there, probably in February, we will be bringing home a little something.

She is named Peaches and she is only four months old. She is very sweet and furry. I hope Daisy and Tiger like her. They are actually half-siblings/cousins. Same father, Peaches' mother is their aunt.

Hopelessly inbred, I know. I have redneck cats!