Christmas Parties Galore!
We attended three different Christmas parties this year - not too bad considering we've got an infant to cart around with us!
The Culver Christmas Party
*FLASHBACK*
This photo came up in my memories feed on Facebook this week. This is the old UCI IV college gang at what I think was the first Culver Christmas party back in 2007! Front Row L to R: Kat, Sara, Tiffany, Yvonne, Linda, Second Row L to R: Richard, Bev, ME!, Back Row L to R: Matt, Jared, Roy, & Jeff. That was a really fun get together! And here we are almost ten years later, still celebrating together.
Well, here's our kids at least! The adults in attendance has gotten smaller due to friends moving away or friendships dwindling due to distance and time spent apart. But still, it is great fun to get together with the Culver family, Yamaguchi family, and Linda for the Christmas party this year! It fills my heart with joy to watch these kids have SO MUCH FUN together!
Johannsen Family Christmas
We celebrated with the immediate Johannsen family (Papa, Gramma, Great Grandma Barbara, Uncle Jonathan, Aunt Becca, Uncle Jeremy, Aunt Jennifer, Evelyn, & Caroline). Audrey spent the entire night playing with her cousin - very sweet. Oliver was fussier than normal when we arrived and he boycotted an evening nap. But he stayed awake and played with a new Lamaze soft book he got as a gift during the whole gift opening time in the evening. I can't complain - he slept 9 hours that night!
Isn't this the BEST picture ever? All the cousins have matching Mickey/Minnie Christmas p.j.'s. So cute!
I also love this picture. Talk about Christmas joy! :-D
And finally... Our little family!
Oliver is wearing a "Baby's First Christmas" onesie and Audrey picked out her outfit (can't you tell?)
Williams Family Christmas Party
This was party was in Orange at my Grandma's house. It started at 2pm and we ate "dinner" at 3pm! That was.... different. I was in charge of bringing a game so we played a round of a kid-friendly "Would You Rather?" holiday edition. That was pretty funny. After "dinner" we opened presents. Audrey LOVED her new Trolls toys from Andrew and Mckenzie! She talked about them the whole rest of the night! :) It was fun getting together with the extended Williams and Hoffner families - my Uncle Jim and his wife Linda were there. Uncle Jim is Grandma's brother so he is a Hoffner, not a Williams. Anyway.... some photos!
After that whirlwind weekend of party after party, I had both kids by myself on Monday and Tuesday of this week. It was a little trying at times as I needed to care for Oliver and also entertain Audrey... My car had a service appointment on Monday but we used Jeff's van to run errands so we could do some baking on Monday. And then we had a play date with their cousins Evelyn & Caroline on Tuesday. Oliver had a meltdown on the way home. I had to pull over and nurse him before we made it home. After I nursed him, I opted to drop Audrey at the "Smaland" at IKEA and walk Oliver around so he could nap. It was nice little respite and I picked up a few more sleep sacks for him.
All that to say, we are surviving the holidays! There are wonderfully pleasant moments mixed with screamy, fussy, meltdown moments.... But we get through those and forge ahead!
Only four more sleeps 'til Christmas!
The Culver Christmas Party
*FLASHBACK*
This photo came up in my memories feed on Facebook this week. This is the old UCI IV college gang at what I think was the first Culver Christmas party back in 2007! Front Row L to R: Kat, Sara, Tiffany, Yvonne, Linda, Second Row L to R: Richard, Bev, ME!, Back Row L to R: Matt, Jared, Roy, & Jeff. That was a really fun get together! And here we are almost ten years later, still celebrating together.
Well, here's our kids at least! The adults in attendance has gotten smaller due to friends moving away or friendships dwindling due to distance and time spent apart. But still, it is great fun to get together with the Culver family, Yamaguchi family, and Linda for the Christmas party this year! It fills my heart with joy to watch these kids have SO MUCH FUN together!
Johannsen Family Christmas
We celebrated with the immediate Johannsen family (Papa, Gramma, Great Grandma Barbara, Uncle Jonathan, Aunt Becca, Uncle Jeremy, Aunt Jennifer, Evelyn, & Caroline). Audrey spent the entire night playing with her cousin - very sweet. Oliver was fussier than normal when we arrived and he boycotted an evening nap. But he stayed awake and played with a new Lamaze soft book he got as a gift during the whole gift opening time in the evening. I can't complain - he slept 9 hours that night!
Isn't this the BEST picture ever? All the cousins have matching Mickey/Minnie Christmas p.j.'s. So cute!
I also love this picture. Talk about Christmas joy! :-D
And finally... Our little family!
Oliver is wearing a "Baby's First Christmas" onesie and Audrey picked out her outfit (can't you tell?)
Williams Family Christmas Party
This was party was in Orange at my Grandma's house. It started at 2pm and we ate "dinner" at 3pm! That was.... different. I was in charge of bringing a game so we played a round of a kid-friendly "Would You Rather?" holiday edition. That was pretty funny. After "dinner" we opened presents. Audrey LOVED her new Trolls toys from Andrew and Mckenzie! She talked about them the whole rest of the night! :) It was fun getting together with the extended Williams and Hoffner families - my Uncle Jim and his wife Linda were there. Uncle Jim is Grandma's brother so he is a Hoffner, not a Williams. Anyway.... some photos!
After that whirlwind weekend of party after party, I had both kids by myself on Monday and Tuesday of this week. It was a little trying at times as I needed to care for Oliver and also entertain Audrey... My car had a service appointment on Monday but we used Jeff's van to run errands so we could do some baking on Monday. And then we had a play date with their cousins Evelyn & Caroline on Tuesday. Oliver had a meltdown on the way home. I had to pull over and nurse him before we made it home. After I nursed him, I opted to drop Audrey at the "Smaland" at IKEA and walk Oliver around so he could nap. It was nice little respite and I picked up a few more sleep sacks for him.
All that to say, we are surviving the holidays! There are wonderfully pleasant moments mixed with screamy, fussy, meltdown moments.... But we get through those and forge ahead!
Only four more sleeps 'til Christmas!