Monday, January 11, 2010

The Lewallen Christmas Adventure Part 4....Wrapping things up in JC

The party was over and C.G. and Grandaddy loaded the boys up and took them to Junction City. Kyle and I stuck around in North Little Rock and had dinner with friends and spent the night with Monk. I didn't take any pictures I guess because I was so exhausted from the day and so thankful to have an evening without kiddos that I just wasn't even thinking about pictures.
I did get this one cool picture of Monk's Christmas tree.

Isn't it fun? Totally a tree that captures my Kid Sister....I told Kyle that it just made me smile to look at it.
The reason we sent the boys home with C.G. and Grandaddy and stayed in North Little Rock wasn't just to get to have the night "off". There was a bigger purpose.
The next day we got up and went to see where Dr. Williams practices optometry.
And we let her practice on Kyle!

Very cool place that she works and some really nice people that she works with. It was fun seeing her office and getting to have lunch with her. But we knew that C.G. might be overwhelmed with the busy-ness of our two boys so we hurried on down to Junction City to rescue her.
Of course she didn't need rescuing! They were having a big time when we got there. In fact, that is what they had the entire time we were there. A BIG TIME!

Just check it out:

Ryne's favorite thing to do was to play with Grandaddy's hats. And just one wouldn't do! He had to have them all.

C.G. took the boys here:

To the "Ice Cream Store" as Kade calls it.
They had ice cream, no doubt.

Chocolate for Kade!

And a little bit tamer with the vanilla on a spoon for Ryne.

Then they got to ride the horsey:

Giddy-up!

Yee-Haw!

Then we had Christmas with Mrs. Nancy....

What better place for Christmas than on the floor at the Flower Shop?

Kade certainly remembered how to open presents.

Ryne had no problems,either.

Now isn't that a face of gratitude?
Thank you Mrs. Nancy and Mr. Johnny!! We love you lots!

Remember I said we were having a BIG time....

More chocolate for Kade...his first piece of Chocolate Pie! Aunt Peggy's chocolate pie nonetheless! The Aunt Peggy chocolate pie that was on the grooms table at our wedding! Yummy!

Then on to Pirate Ship Building...

Monk Monk had found a foam pirate ship kit and she and Kade set to work putting it together.
After a few steps it ended up being Mommy and Monk Monk putting the ship together as Kade carefully watched to make sure it was looking like he wanted it to look.

He came running to pose for a picture with the final product! Look at that silly boy thinking that he needs to be a pirate saying "AAARRGGG" for the picture.

Then it was Ryne's actual Birthday and we went to meet Monk for lunch while she was working in El Dorado.

C.G. had to work and couldn't go with us so she gave Kade money to buy everyone's lunch. He was so excited that he wanted to get all of his money out of his pirate wallet and count it before we ordered. Guess he wanted to be sure we had enough for him to order what he wanted.

Ryne, on the other hand was studying the menu hard. I think he figured being the birthday boy and all he could just have anything he wanted. Besides, Kade was paying :)

And this is my favorite shot from Ryne's birthday lunch:

Not sure why he was making that face but I laugh everytime I see it!

Something that was not a laughing matter......

Driving by a Sonic during Happy Hour and questioning whether we should even stop since we just had lunch??? Of course, we stop!!! We can't pass up a Sonic Happy Hour when we are just driving by. If you recall, trips to Sonic have to be very deliberate here. Our one Sonic, that I am very thankful for, is not in a convenient location. Not a place that we ever just "drive by". Thus the necessity that I felt it was to stop for Happy Hour. And my Vanilla D.P. was
D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S!

Then back to visit the Flower Shop where C.G. was working hard...

Kade was content to sit in a chair with his snack and watch C.G. work.

Ryne, on the other hand, had to investigate...


Tried out a pair of reading glasses.


Found some kind of "flowers" to carry around.

And then he discovered the hanging Christmas tree...

He crawled right under there and played for probably an hour before coming out.

I'm so glad the ornaments hanging low on that tree were not the breakable kind.

Because this little guy was fascinated by them!

Since it was Ryne's actual birthday we couldn't let it go by without singing "Happy Birthday" and having a little cake!

I think he better understood the candles this time around.

After the mini birthday party we had a little Christmas party.
If you recall, C.G., Grandaddy, and Monk Monk came to see us in Washington at Thanksgiving and they brought the boys their Christmas presents then. So, we had already done our big Christmas. So this time we just did a little bit of Christmas.

The boys had a present for Grandaddy and C.G.

Now that is probably the best "teamwork" I've ever seen on opening a "together" present. Nice job Mom and Dad!

A "We Love You C.G. and Grandaddy" blanket!


Then it was Monk Monk's turn.

A "We Love You Monk Monk" blanket!

Then Santa Kade made an appearance...

And he passed out stockings for everyone.


C.G. and Grandaddy unpacked their stockings.


Kyle and Kade unpacked their stockings. I think at this point Ryne had already dumped his out and moved along to do something else. One-year-olds!


And here is me and Monk with our "stockings". Mom was two stockings short because she didn't plan on her and Daddy. Silly C.G.! So Monk and I rounded up some pretend stockings for ourselves because we wanted Mom and Dad to have real ones.

And Monk unloaded her stocking, too!


Here was Ryne's favorite thing of the night...A little tin box that came in my stocking. He opened and closed it probably 100 times. Again, One-year-olds!
It was a fun Christmas celebration in Junction City....not very traditional....but then again there isn't much that is traditional about my family....we have always enjoyed "go with the flow"!

Speaking of flowing,

I'm not sure what was going on here except that water was flowing in the kitchen sink and C.G. must have been doing something exciting because both boys had to be right in the middle of it. And of course, C.G. let them join right in. We don't call her Crazy Granny for no reason!

And there were a few other crazy things going on as well.
Ryne was pretty crazy for several days and it was because he was cutting teeth poor guy.

Just look at those jokers! I think he got five new teeth while we were gone!

And the other bit of crazy? Well, that had to do with the crazy packing skills of my sweet husband when it got time for us to leave! We had quite a bit more stuff to take back with us than we left Washington with. I guess that's what can happen when you have Christmas and birthdays on a trip home.

So here we are at the airport in Monroe on the very first day of 2010 with our two extra boxes of stuff. Just hoping that we see them again in Seattle.

And there it is! All of our luggage and two big boxes made it to the luggage carosel in Seattle! And we made it back, too!

We had a fabulous time on our Lewallen Christmas Adventure and many times it was just that, an adventure! Thanks to all of you who made time to be a part of the adventure.

We have now been home for ten days and I have yet to get caught up. Obviously, I am ten days behind on blog updates. And you won't believe how much stuff we have packed into the past ten days. I will fill you in as soon as I can!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Wow!! Ya'll are busy!! And Vanilla D.P. is what I mostly get at Sonic...I have to stop when I pass by too although we now have 3 or 4 Sonics in Columbus and one 2 miles down the road from work. I'm so glad ya'll had a great Christmas and made it everywhere safely!