20240103 081331

Christmas was another wonderful, exciting and exhausting day. Well, more like week.

On Christmas morning we opened Christmas stockings with my grandparents.

Graham and Royal in matching red-and-white pajamas holding their Christmas stockings
Nanny and Papaw opening their Christmas stockings

We left my grandparents to rest and prepare for the afternoon shrimp boil and drove over to Grandpa’s house for brunch and gifts.

Graham and Royal excitedly holding their Christmas gifts
Julie, Tom, Panda and Ty in matching pajamas holding their Christmas gifts

Then it was back to the house to prepare for the shrimp boil (or as Royal calls them, “shimp”. Amie’s mom was sick and couldn’t be there to help in the morning, or attend the party 😢, so there was a lot to accomplish in a short time.

This year Dan and Judy were able to make it, and we invited our friend Andrew from Westgate. Turns out he grew up with Amie’s cousin Elizabeth!

Most of the partygoers seated at the table with the shrimp boil strewn across the middle

Amie discovered a YouTube channel with party games and replicated one for us to play. Prizes line the sides, hidden in boxes, and you roll an ornament down the center and choose the nearest box to where the ornament stops.

Andrew, Barb, and Elizabeth playing the ornament game

Amie made a hot cocoa sensory bin for the kids. Graham and Royal went around delivering hot cocoa to all the guests.

Graham and Royal's sensory bins filled with cocoa puffs, marshmallows, straws, and candycanes

With so much happening on Christmas day, we opened more of our presents on the day after. And again a few days later after Amie’s mom recovered.

Graham opens a gift with Nanny and Papaw in the background
Ty, Grandma Jaynne, Tom, Julie, Royal, Alex and Amie pose for a Christmas picture at the table
Grandma Jaynne poses with her grandkids, Ty, Royal and Graham

Finally, Graham and Royal went to Target to spend their Christmas money on a robotic dinosaur and snake.

Graham and Royal in their carseats holding their Target toys bought with Christmas money