The best part of Christmas is always family. Well, the best part of any day of the year is family, but especially at Christmas, and with this being our first Christmas without Chelsea, family is everything.
We were so fortunate to have my YaYa spend the holiday with us, which was awesome; C's parents were not able to make it to our house, so we decided to drive 10+ hours to their house on New Year's Eve for a quick 36-hour visit. It also happened to be our wedding anniversary, so it was fun to spend the day together in the car heading north.
We also brought our three dogs with us, which was a first. The longest ride we've ever taken them on all together was about two hours total, so all day in the car was really a big deal for them! To be honest, we were a little nervous about how they would do; Chelsea had always been the most perfect traveler, but these three? Not so much. Well, they completely surprised us and were so well-behaved! Both in the car, and at C's parents' house! As I am writing this, they are curled up between C and me, snoozing on the couch in their family room. We are departing at the crack of dawn tomorrow, so I hope they are just as well-behaved for the ride home.
We were also able to spend part of today with my grandma. Those of you who know me, know that I love my grandma. I mean I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my grandma and I was SO happy to see her!!!
Although it's been a short visit, we always have a great time with C's parents and I wish we could stay longer. Unfortunately, work is calling! Hopefully we will be able to come back this summer for a much longer visit.
We also spend a weekend earlier in December with my dad, so over the span of a few short weeks, we were able to spend time with some of the most important people in our life. The gravity of this is not lost on me, as I know not everyone is as fortunate, and I'm very, very grateful.
On to the photos...
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| Decorating complete! |
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| One of our favorite games to play as a family... as the night goes on, the cards played become more and more amusing! ('elephant' was the winner, in case you're wondering) |
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| our angel dog, from one of my sweetest and most thoughtful friends |
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| pens created on a 3-D printed with the names of our seven girls...such amazing pens! |
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| Best.Coffee.Mugs.Ever. |
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| gift box from my mom |
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| the contents of the beautiful gift box... hand-made Merida and Elinor dolls! |
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| our Up chairs We received these from my mom a few weeks ago, and they are so beautiful! |
I'll end with some photos of our four-legged friends:
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| Ginny, waiting for family to arrive |
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| Maddy & Ginny, exhausted from the excitement |
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| my mom's dog, Carmen, possibly with visions of sugar plums in her head |
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| Maddy in a Dachshund burrito |
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| Ginny and my brother's dog, Max |
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| Maddy, apparently waiting for someone to entertain her |
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| Max & Ginny |
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| Maddy in a food coma after Christmas dinner |
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| Sadie napping peacefully on Christmas night |
Happy Tails to you!
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