The Year of Different Fall/Winter Holidays

Last Thanksgiving was different so why should Christmas be any different? This Christmas we traveled down south to spend Jesus birthday celebration with Jim's Mom, sister and her children and don't forget about the three dogs and one cat.
The trip down was relatively calm and the trip home was a little more active with accident back ups and more traffic but still both ways we made it there in 9 hours driving time even with the hour time change. So it was 9 going and ten hours coming home. Still the trip is tiring and long. Elena is watching DVD's less and less and just spend most of her time in the car both times sleeping rather than anything else. I guess she is a teenager now. I remember when she was smaller traveling down to Mississippi and how we used to try and make her car seat more comfortable than sitting continuously on that hard plastic which was covered with a thin fabric covering. It is much easier now to travel with her. Still, the complete back seat is covered with only Elena's things and I wonder how parents with more than one child can pull it off! LOL I guess maybe that is why she hasn't learned how to organize and keep up with her stuff as well. Why should she?
Christmas Eve we went to their church for a Christmas Mass. Christina and Breanne both served as altar workers and it was very pretty.
All but the last two nights Elena stayed over-night at her Aunt Lisa's house. Even Christmas Eve. Jim and I were at the house at 7:00 a.m. Christmas morning to be there when they woke up to discover what Santa had brought them. And low and behold Elena's stocking made it to the house in Mississippi! ;0) I did not like this arrangement and I will not as long as my daughter is being visited by Santa be away from home again unless I have to. Lessons learned. We sat in the driveway at 6:53 and waited till at 6:58 Lisa's soon to be Ex-husband drove up and let us in the back of the house. Lisa was waiting to let the kids in the room that was locked off from them till we all arrived. The kids had been up since 2:00 a.m.!!! Or so they said. Elena seemed more interested in what every one else got other than herself. It's just something to see with four kids tearing into presents all at the same time so I guess she didn't know what to do. Todd was picking up wrapping paper which was a big help. He was around 7 mins. then off to fry 7 turkeys. We had turkey AND ham. My sister inlaw really out did herself this Christmas. Although I made a breakfast casserole (she did LET me do that) and stupid me forgot to add two cups of milk that was supposed to be in it it also overnight. Still we improvised and it all worked out. Lisa made so much food it was unbelievable. I hated that she worked herself that hard. We did bring some things but not enough to even compare to all she did. I don't know if it's the truth but she said she would of done all that even if we weren't there.
Now we are home. I am so glad to be home.
Have many pictures to share. I will probably post them on facebook instead of here.
Hope all had a Merry Christmas.

Donna

P.S. The car was just fine!!