Mission Ruidoso Christmas...Accomplished

This Christmas was such a snow cluster! Plan A was to leave Papa and Nana's and head to Ruidoso to meet Pops and DD and the rest of the Taylor clan in Ruidoso. But it snowed. A lot. The roads from Midland to Ruidoso were closed, and the roads from El Paso or Pecos to Ruidoso weren't exactly the safest. We went to Plan B. We decided to leave here and head to Midland. Then I got a text for Plan C. We were leaving the day after Christmas and meeting in Ruidoso.

Monday morning, we activated Plan C and headed to Ruidoso. Plan A included the kids staying with Pops and DD at their cabin while the grown kids stayed at a rented cabin. Since we were the first to get to Ruidoso, we went and got the key for the rented cabin and started Fiesta stackups there. When everybody got there, we welcomed Dawn's parents, Don and Pauline, to the madness. Yes. Pops and DD have been married 13 years and some of us had never met her parents. It oughtta be a crime. I mean, really!

Then we activated Mission We're Starving
followed by Hurry Up and Open Presents So the Kids Will Shut Up

The rest of our Christmas day in Ruidoso was just as it should be. There was lot of joking,
playing pool,
hanging in the clubhouse/closet,
grand pictures,
and playing favorites ;-).


Then the littles went to spend the night with Pops and DD, and the bigs hung out at the rental and were silly. No comment on that at this time...or anytime.

The next morning, Joey left EARLY to get back to work. Kyle, Myra, Michael and I had breakfast and then headed out to Pops and DD's to see the littles. They had snow fun.
Then Paige and Ryan came to join us and while Don and Bandit napped Pauline taught the rest of us how to play hand and foot. I'm addicted. I love it. Maybe because Pauline was my partner and we kicked butt and took names!!

Then they left. Kyle, Myra, Michael, and McKenzie went first. Then Paige and Ryan. Kellie stayed with the kids and I, though, and we were excited about that. McKenzie was going to stay, but it was naptime when they left, and she wanted her Mama. We're told she woke up in Roswell rested and wanted to come back. She didn't get to.

That night the kids and I headed back to the rental and hot tubbed it. I have no pictures, though, because I was in the hot tub with them. We also found some of Kyle's clothes he had left behind, and Kellie dressed as her Daddy. Girlfriend is fun-ny!

We spent the rest of the week being with Pops and DD and hanging out in Ruidoso. Wednesday, the kids baked a from-scratch, homemade German chocolate cake for Pops' 59th birthday, and then we went to Ken and Jaye's for a yummy dinner and birthday celebration.

Pops and the kids ended the night in the game room,

and we ended our trip to Ruidoso with great memories.

iHeart Christmas

After Christmas morning at home, we headed to Papa and Nana's for lunch and time with them.

See that confused look on Papa's face? He told Joey (in my presence) a while back that he needed something bigger than a cd to hold all his favorite songs. I remembered and got him an iPod shuufle, but when he opened it, he had no idea what it was! He was so confused. It didn't take him long to understand, though, and after opening their calendar
he and Joey headed back to the computerto get it loaded.
Kylee and Nana decided what kind of cake to have for desert while Blaine played his new 3DS.
It was a fulfilling, lazy Christmas, and just what we needed before heading out for our next Christmas. Yes, we're blessed...and spoiled. iHeart Christmas!

Home For Christmas

Gifts from Santa
Gifts from parents
Stockings
Puppy love

Mom's Favorite Day of the Year

Christmas Eve is my favorite day of the year!! It's relaxing yet full of anticipation, excitement, and nonstop chatter.

After we got dressed for our second annual Christmas Eve party with the Onicks,
we continued with our own Christmas Eve tradition. The kids exchange gifts from each other and give us our gifts from them. Although they had given each other enough hints earlier in the day that they had both guessed what they were getting, it really did not dim their excitement.

Kylee got Blaine walkie talkies to go 16 MILES! And Blaine got Kylee an art set that he spent at least 30 minutes on the floor of Hobby Lobby with all the art sets they had spread out to pick the perfect one!

Another reason this is my favorite day of the year? I get to see what my kids pick just for me. Kylee spent her own money at school with a teacher and bought me Scentsy bars. Be still my beating heart! And Blaine picked bath salts, because "I know how you love your bath and smells, Mom." My heart may just burst.


Then we moved to Dad. He got a Wii game from Blaine and a Grumpy sweatshirt from Kylee, both carefully thought over and picked out.


Before we left for the party, we got a picture of the kids with their best friends.

Don't be fooled by the near perfect picture. This was quite a feat to get!

While at the Onick party, we tracked Santa on the Santa Tracker on my phone. Blaine was obsessed! He carried my phone around all night with updates on where he was. Chili, Argentina, Valenzuela, New York, and then...

Time to head home!!

I Caught Him!

Merry Christmas, y'all!!

Crowded Christmas Eve

It's gonna be a crowded Christmas Eve in the Onick house tonight. Somebody will be visited by both Santa and the Tooth Fairy! This tooth has been hanging on by little more than a thread for a little over a week now. He has never let us pull his teeth; they have to fall out on their own. He was eating an orange this morning and all of a sudden started singing, "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth!" When we looked over, his tooth was in his hand. Joey told him he pulled his tooth on purpose so he could be visited by both Santa and the Tooth Fairy on the same night. Blaine said, "I really didn't! It's a Christmas miracle!"
I sure hope it doesn't get too crowded in our house tonight!

e

'Tis the Season...

...for no school and fun with friends.

Kylee and Kaitlyn met at the movies Monday night, and then Kaitlyn came home to spend the night with us. You may remember Kylee's friend, Kaitlyn, from our trip to Balmorhea for Labor Day.

Kaitlyn spent that night, the next night, AND Wednesday night! I'm not complaining! She's a joy to have, and it was nice to have her around for Kylee while Joey and I worked this week. Blaine went to Terry's a couple of days and then with his Daddy to work.

The girls had a blast. Doak and Andrea got Kylee a pie pop maker, so the girls and I went and got the ingredients from a couple of the recipes for them to make. The first day, I got this text.

The second day I got home to find them like this.

And the third day, while Blaine was at the farm, they SWORE not to tell him if I took them to the Fred Loyahouse for the light show. Kaitlyn had never been, so I agreed.
There wasn't really much to tell him, it turns out, because the shows are only on the weekends. I figured they would be disappointed, but they didn't act it. I think they were just happy to be together, as it should be.

Forrest Gump Revisited

OUR Courtney Love

Twas the Weekend Before Christmas...Always

We always have their Christmas the weekend before.

There are always beautiful girls

and handsome boys.

(please ignore the girl. Michael hides from the camera!)

There is always silliness

and tender moments.

There is always chaos
and great presents to show for it aftewards.

And there is always, always family love,

four generation love,

and GRAND love!

So, as always, Merry Christmas from the Tribe!