Merry Christmas to All and to All a Goodnight!

Wow, Christmas is over and we are tired! We've had a busy couple of days. We spent Christmas Eve at Jerry's aunt and uncle's house. It was a very bitter-sweet time. Jerry's grandpa passed away peacefully in his sleep the day before. He was in his late 80's, but it still came as a shock to everyone. We had a nice time, but the missing presence was felt by all.

As if we didn't know this before, we quickly learned that Grayson is one spoiled little boy. Grayson got so much attention from his cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents (in addition to the toys galore he received).

Grayson hanging out with his cousin, Ivan. Ivan is soooo good with Grayson. I know that when Ivan is with Grayson, then he is in good hands. Ivan was ring bearer in our wedding almost 5 years ago. Man, time flies.

Our first Christmas Eve as a family.

Grayson with his Grandma and Grandpa (Woestman).

On Christmas morning, we woke up and went to church. We came home and Jerry made the yummiest breakfast. Restaurants do not beat Jerry's eggs benedict. Jerry's parents joined us for breakfast then it was on to the presents. Having a 10 month old makes it easy for a leisurely morning. I'm sure after this year, we'll have to rip into the presents much earlier.

Here is Grayson with some of his many presents.


The best reaction we got was from a set of "Baby Sesame Street" board books. Grayson received many, many books for Christmas (along with oodles and oodles of toys, clothes, etc.). He absolutely loved these books and would shriek with joy every time he saw them.


Another favorite was this walker. It actually looks like the walkers that some of his great grandparents use, except this one really does have all the bells and whistles. He walked across the living room with such a determined look on his face.

After opening presents at our house, we headed east for El Centro to see my parents and sister's family. My aunt, uncle, and one cousin also came and brought my grandpa. We, along with a great uncle, had a wonderful (and very filling meal) and then opened more presents! Did I mention that Grayson was spoiled?

Here is Grayson with two of his best buddies who just happen to be his cousins;
Benjamin (5 months) and Sammy (3).

We took this family shot with everyone there. My Grandpa Souza is the man on the left. He turned 93 on December 1st. He spent the day at the DMV where he got his driver's license renewed for another two years!

After doing the Fisher Family Extravaganza 2009, we stopped by my cousin's house on our way out of town. We stayed there for a little while then headed home after a long, but fun day. On Saturday morning, we took it easy. We watched the movie "Four Christmases", then got ready to drive to Temecula for another family get-together. This time with Jerry's mom's side of the family. Mostly everyone made it so there were about 30 people there. We had a good time eating and visiting with everyone. Unfortunately, I did not take pictures at this event, but I think Carrie did. Grayson had a fun time being fawned over by all the aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents and great-grandparents. Did I mention that he is spoiled?

All in all, over the last three days, we've traveled about 350 miles, seen about 85 relatives, eaten ham, tri-tip, more ham, turkey, even more ham, kielbasa sausage w/ sauerkraut, cheesy potatoes, mashed potatoes, scalloped potatoes, sweet potatoes, broccoli, asparagus, green beans, carrots & turnips, corn, cesar salad, green salad, bourbon pumpkin cheesecake, cheesecake w/ blackberries & strawberries, pumpkin pie, chocolate caramel cake, cookies, candy and more. Now we are all ready to take a nap!