Fox Festivities

It was finally time for our Christmas. Kyle had all day off on Christmas Eve, so we got up, ate a nice breakfast together and exchanged gifts before hitting the road. It's our first Christmas with Oliver and he isn't always sure what to think. He has warmed up to the tree, though, and loves to lay under it now that the presents are gone. 

 Oliver did not like his elf hat one bit. 

 He did like his edible Christmas card, though! 

And just in case there were any doubt of me being 100% dog crazy, this is the picture I painted for Kyle for Christmas. 

It was our year to celebrate with the Foxes on Christmas day, but Greg and Stacie's work schedules didn't allow for travel, so we came to them a day early for a little pre-Christmas celebration. The guys spent their afternoon skeet shooting while us girls kept warm inside. It was so fun to watch Conner and Henry together. Before Conner got there, Henry would walk around the house saying, "Where's Conner?" Once he came, all they wanted to do was run around and play.

 Ella did not want to nap while we were there, but she was still in a pretty good mood most of the day. 

 Cuddles with Papa. 

 Henry was all ready to watch the gun show. 

 And Oliver was wishing he were out there with them. 

 They had something that exploded when they shot it. I did not appreciate the noise, but I have to admit the video they took was pretty cool.

 The boys were far too busy playing to pause for pictures.

We opened gifts after dinner. Ella got a tricycle from Nana and Papa, which she will probably be riding before we know it. She has grown up so fast and changed so much in the last few months. She's reaching out for things and sitting up on her own. She is also a great eater, putting on a few pounds since the last time we saw her. I just love her chubby little cheeks!

 She's practically ready to roll!

 Look at this little Christmas cutie! 

 Ella was watching a video of herself and she found it hilarious! 

 Family pictures in front of the tree. 

 It's pretty hard to get everyone looking at once these days! 

 Ella had a great time watching the boys, so we saved all of her gifts for last. 

 The boys got to help Papa open, too. 

 They did really well sharing this time. Even their new toys. 

 Ella loves her giraffe. 

 Kyle finally broke down and agreed to hold her! :) 

We stayed until bedtime and then headed to Ponca for a little Christmas Eve sleepover. It's been WAY too long since we stayed the night, and it felt like the old days. We woke up to a lovely breakfast of sausage and eggs, and then headed over to Grandma and Grandpa Fox's for lunch.

 On our way to Ponca, we drove through the lights at Winfield. 

 Oliver liked it.

Brad and Tasha were able to join us this year, and they surprised us by bringing three puppies with them! They have seven right now but thought it might be a little much to bring them all. Conner had already picked out the one he wanted, and he held him all day, pointing out his ears and nose, and one body part in particular that he found especially fascinating. Did I mention it was a boy puppy? :) Kyle's Aunt and Uncle decided they wanted a puppy, too, so they picked one of the little girls. That left one for us, but Kyle and I agreed we have our hands full with Oli.

 Before the puppies got there, Conner had fun playing with Grandpa's car collection. 

How could you not love these two handsome boys?!

 

  This is the calmest puppy I've ever seen. He just sat still in Conner's arms all day. 

 Time to dig into the presents! 

 It was a beautiful day so the boys decided to throw the football around. 

 Kyle loves his Grandpa and I do, too! 

 All the excitement wore Oliver out! 

We concluded the holiday festivities with the extended Taylor family Christmas that weekend. I made it to Hennessey in time for brunch at Grandpa's and then spent the afternoon with Mom, Dad and Zach. It was his last day before heading back to Maryland, so I'm glad I got to see him one more time. We headed over to Terry and Cheryl's for dinner, but it was a small crowd this year since 7 out of the 10 cousins had conflicts. It was definitely different but actually kind of nice to have less chaos and more time for conversation.

It was a nice surprise to wake up to snow on Saturday morning. It didn't stick around long, but it was nice while it lasted.

Christmas 2014 was just the way I like it, full of family and fun. We are so blessed to have so many people in our lives who love and care for us.