Christmas: in five acts

Prologue: 

Our house, with the quickest lighting job in east Nashville.  The 8 foot star (heralding wee Jesus, of course) is made from bamboo garden stakes, the trees, stage left are from tomato cages.  We heart tacky lights.

Act One: Christmas Eve, the location is Acworth, GA and the scene is impeccably set for a Latin Christmas Fiesta by Chara (Bryce's sister), Alejandro and Preciosa Sofia, as well as Al's family who are here from Venezuela.  We celebrated Venezualan style (read: lots of people, scotch and cigars, a late night feast, and presents opened at midnight.)

Chara and Bryce with their wee ones.

The lovely Sofia and her doting dad.

Fiesta Garcia!

Act Two: Maysilles Christmas Morning.  We wake up whenever we feel like it- in laid-back Maysilles fashion, and then get straight to the sausage balls and moravian sugar cake.  Actually, we are so laid back about it, we don't get around to presents and have to open them later, after we get back from the Eichelberger-time.

Wee Christmas Elf awakes! 

Aunt Emily meets Eli.  He already loves her.

Act Three: Eichelberger Christmas Dinner.  We recognize that we won't be able to do all of this every year- since all of these celebrations are 45 minutes apart, but Elijah really enjoyed meeting his family...or we enjoyed showing him off- same thing, right?  We went to Bryce's dad's sister's house and saw the Eichelbergers.

Three Generations of Eichelberger Men.

Bryce's dad was the only son, as was Bryce- so the pressure was on to have a boy!

Great-Grandparents. 

Please note Elijah's business man outfit.  It really cracks us up. 

Texting with First-Cousin-Once-Removed (or FCOR) Erin 

Wee One finds people time a bit exhausting.

Act Four: Eichelberger/Maysilles/Garcia Christmas Night.  Now we get to the melting pot, when the Venezualan inlaws come over to the Maysilles house for gifts and red velvet cake. Sofia enjoys the Christmas beast, Eli wears his elf costume and Beth talks too loud in Spanish.

Presents with Grandad Dunc

The Christmas Beast

Act Five (whew! This really wasn't as tiring as it sounds): A Dickson Christmas Carol.  We went to my family's house on Saturday.  It was as relaxing and lovely.  Mom and Dad's house in Dickson will always feel like home to me.  Elijah is so proud of his new cloth diapers... he just can't quit wearing them!  Smiling and giggling... I am sure it is all about those diapers.

Eli and Obi.  And his elephant from F.A.O. Schwartz from Aunt Katie.  

A pink elephant.  He is very secure.

Katie is surprised at the overwhelming cuteness.  He is in the outfit that Aunt Sarah got him for all his Christmas festivities.

Now: home again, richer and happier.  

We are so thankful for all the people that love this little man.

Reading with Baby

... not reading TO baby, mind you.  Neither of these books would be appropriate for his young mind.  Pillars of the Earth is entirely too tawdry (and I am ready to be finished with it!)  Bryce was especially excited about the post-apocalyptic father/son journey in The Road, and I think he would highly recommend it. But not to Elijah for another fifteen years or so.

Lil Gordo

I don't think I ever posted these pictures of Elijah wearing a hat that was my dad's when he was a wee one.  He is working that sailor look.  He comes from a proud line of Gordon men.  Can you tell that my dad is glad to finally have a boy in the family?

Sing it!

Okay, I know what my blog is: all baby, all the time.  And truly, I have no idea what is interesting to just me and what is actually interesting to the world at large... i find the little man fascinating.  With that introduction, I share a video of the song I enjoy most these days.  You will need audio for this one...

Aunt Sarah loves to shop

She bought me this outfit, plus a big fluffy white coat.

Then, they realized I looked a bit like Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers- what do you think?

A word about our dogs...

Friends

Cash and Kentucky are peas in a dog-pod.  Kentucky has shown her the ropes, so instead of being a mellowing influence, she is now keeping up with him in attention-getting.  They have each other to play with all day, though- which makes me happy.  And whenever Bryce goes out for a ridiculously long run with Kentucky, he says "Johnnycash" (that's what he calls her- one word), "stay here and protect my wife and my firstborn son."

Christmas Crafts!

Well, it's December!  I haven't gotten out a single Christmas decoration... but I HAVE started up the sewing machine (and knitting needles) for presents and such.  I always have such an ambitious list of things I want to make for people for Christmas, and this year is no exception.  We'll see what I actually get done.

Here is an elephant I am working on.  I have wanted to try making stuffed toys ("softies" as they are called by crafty bloggers), but I am too cheap to buy a book to tell me how.  So this is my attempt at making up a pattern, and it definitely has some weirdness to work out...

A group from church has gotten together twice to sew together. We just bring our machines and get cooking!  I always get the least done of anyone (in this picture I am really just nursing, not actually sewing) but love to visit!

Here we all are with our goods... my favorite little craft is in his car seat sleeping and not in the picture.  He was so good while we sewed all day, just looked around and cooed.  

And here is the requisite cute kid picture.  Like you want to hear about me!

Thanks for the Giving

Have I mentioned how much I like Thanksgiving?  It is by far my favorite holiday, so much better than my birthday.  Just tons of family and tons of food- what more could you ask for?  Our family really does it right.  Cousins and Uncles and Aunts come from across the street and across the state and from Wisconsin and North Carolina and stay the whole weekend. 

 And there is a whole new generation taking over!  I can't wait for Elijah to play with his Eichholz cousins.  Isn't it odd that two of the Gordon girls have married Eich-men? Those four kids from the great white north keep us hopping (and doing lots of other silly things) and are truly precious people... we love them so much!  I am so thankful for my family... odd as we may be.

Haere are two of my greatest blessings.  Such handsome men!

Wee Bethany is such a little bird.  Notice that both of us Beths have "stripes" (what she calls braids.)

And birds MUST have fabulous manicures.

Mamaw was very serious about getting time with her great-grandson.  If a few hours went by and she had not held him, she would go and hunt him down. Then we would find her teaching him some new songs about going to the woods to eat worms.

Mom works all weekend to make sure that we are all well fed and that the dishwasher is always running.  She just doesn't know that she means so much to so many people.

Ben and his brother Wyatt are the coolest little men.  They are definitely going to have to show Eli the ropes.  Wyatt will explain for him the way it all works, in detail, and Ben can show him what is worth eating!

Wyatt and Ben love some cousin Katie! Here they have in hand their favorite toys of the weekend... our cell phones. Later Wyatt made a phone out of legos and was texting the president.

Sarah and Bethany are peas in a pod.  Both are firecrackers of fun and both have smiles like a lightbulb.

It has been a while since Dad has been in his chair with two little girls on his knee... I've known for a while that he would be a stupendous grandfather from watching him with these Eich-kids.