Babies' First Christmas: Part 2

Okay, maybe I can finally finish my Christmas pictures with this one. We had a wonderful Christmas in Atlanta, Georgia with Justin's family. I decided that if I was going to brave a plane ride with the babies, we were going to stay long enough to actually enjoy it, so we spent a week there. The day before we left, I got a special treat. I got to see my lifelong friend D'Lynn for the first time in over a year. The babies had fun getting to meet her, & she is now living in Dallas, so hopefully we'll get to see her more often.On to air travel! We were a little nervous about what we might be getting ourselves into.
I just thought this view of J piled down with luggage was funny. I was pushing the stroller with the diaper bag & carrying the pump bag. Obviously, I wasn't struggling too much since I managed to capture the moment on camera.
Our poor children have now been exposed to who knows how many people. We camped out in a quiet corner of the gate where we were waiting, & I thought diaper changes right there on the floor sounded much easier than wrestling babies on the changing table in the ladies' room. Mal, as always, is happy to show her belly to anyone.
As long as Jake can blow bubbles, he doesn't care what is going on.

Leavin' on a jet plane...
We fed them bottles right as we were taking off, so the pressure change didn't bother them. They both took good naps after that & were so good during the whole flight. Thank you, Lord!

You might have noticed in some of the earlier pictures that Justin was sporting his mountain man look. I think it's funny how quickly he can grow a beard, so I always encourage it whenever he doesn't have to go to work. Once we got to Atlanta, he decided that it was driving him crazy, so he would have to shave. Unfortunately, the first time he shaved, he left this sick mustache. Can you say child predator?
This was my first time to meet our sweet niece, Ella Grace. It's hard to believe that my kids were this tiny only a few months ago.
The Scobey clan (J's aunt, uncle & cousins) came over to see all of the kiddos. Ashley & Mal became best buds. Maybe Mal already knew that Ashley's baby on the way was a girl! They just found out this week.
Jake's favorite snack during this trip was Ella Grace's head. She was a very good sport.
Sweet cousins
J with his hands full
Playing under Mimi's Christmas tree


Belle was interested in the twins, but not quite enough to slow down & look at them. She kept cruising around the table & just caught a glance of them as she passed.
On Christmas Eve, Pops read Twas the Night Before Christmas to all of the grandkids. At least Belle listened intently. The rest are still a little young.

Happy girl!
Ella's daddy decided that she made the perfect present to go in this stocking.
He likes her just a little bit.
Belle's other famous face, the stink eye!
Jake hanging out with Grandma
Leaving cookies for Santa & carrots for the reindeer
Mimi found these great stockings for the kids & had their names monogrammed on them. The one with the bigger stripes is Jake's. He got to be special since he's the only boy.
Here's the whole stocking setup. The coat rack to the right of the fireplace held all of the adults' stockings, complete with Nerf guns for the "boys."
Aunt Amy getting to know Mal
Me with sweet Belle
She gave me LOTS of kisses that morning!
Rachel outdid herself with wonderful food all week for us. This lovely tree is made of cranberry orange rolls that were to die for!
Me & my sweetie
J got a remote control for our new camera, so this is him trying it out & taking a picture of himself.
Rachel made this beautiful frame for Karen.
Jake is hypnotized by the stacker.


Our attempt at a picture of all four kids was hilarious. We took so many pictures & had many great laughs in the process. Here, Jake found his snack again.
Ella says hi
Since Ella was too little to open her presents, her mommy & daddy had fun posing her with them.
Mal watched the present opening from Mimi's lap.
Jake chose to hang out with Daddy.
Ryan, Amy & Ella Grace
The Nerf guns provided endless entertainment
Our gift from the Scobey clan was an afternoon of babysitting so that the eight of us could go to lunch & a movie. We had a great time, & I think they did, too! I don't have any pictures from it, but Ashley posted some cute ones.

I know I'm probably a terrible mother for putting this on here, but it was too funny to pass up. While we were there, Jake had gone nine days since his last poop & decided that he was rather uncomfortable. We had to give him a suppository, which I graciously let J be in charge of. In less than five minutes, he had found relief!
Sweet kids before church Sunday morning
And it's back to the airport. They did really well on the way home as well, so we were very thankful. I did almost have a breakdown when, after loading up luggage & babies, our car wouldn't start, but luckily the airport assistance guy was very quick in coming to jump our battery.


If you made it all the way to the end, thanks for loving my kids so much!