Christmas in Dixie

Every year around Christmas we try to get the whole family together. We have to juggle around our schedule, and the schedule of our kid's inlaws who seem to think they should get to spend time with their kids, also :-)

Disclaimer:  My daughter-in-law, Vanessa is a very disciplined blogger, using that medium as sort of a family journal. So she is usually first to post and gets all the good pictures from our activities before anyone else gets a chance. To see her pictures, click here to link to her blog The Turek Family . Scroll towards the bottom of her blog to see us.

Texas Roadhouse

This year we gathered first in Biloxi, at the home of Matthew and Vanessa, on the weekend after Christmas.  JoAnne, Kira and I left Rock Hill after work on Friday, 29 December and drove about half way, and then got up the next morning to get to Biloxi by 10am.  Jessi, Peter, and Christopher drove down from Oxford, Mississippi, arriving around 2pm that same day. We always do a mini-Christmas together were we exchange gifts from each other. We managed to get everyone out of the house long enough for Nani Claus and her helpers to get everything out, then met them at Texas Roadhouse for dinner.

After eating, we all went back to the house for Christmas, Part II.

Nani Claus has been here!

One disadvantage of having  your son as the bishop, especially in a small ward, is  you get to talk in sacrament meeting. On Sunday, JoAnne and I were the sacrament meeting program. The stake president showed up and we left him a little time to speak at the end. :-)

Cracker Barrel for breakfast

One of the things we try to do every year when we get together is take family pictures. One of Matt's counselors is a photographer and so on Monday morning we dressed up for pictures, then went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast. After that Peter had to head back to Ol' Miss for classes on Tuesday, we went through that annual ritual. It was pretty cold outside so we took most of them inside this year.

Nani's boys!

On Tuesday, we took a road trip. We had a cabin rented in Pigeon Forge Tennessee for a couple of days. Drive was not so much fun. We got on the outskirts of Birmingham Alabama, and there was an accident on an overpass that blocked the Interstate. We were four car lengths short of getting past the accident before emergency crews closed the road. So we sat for nearly an hour while they did their thing. We finally got to the the cabin around 5pm.

The cabin was pretty nice. Three floors, with a bedroom and bath on each floor. There was a fireplace in the basement and main floor, a home theater (with xbox) in the basement, kitchen on main floor, hot tub on the deck, and air hockey and video games on the top floor. And warnings about bears!

Joshua challenges mom to air hockey

Nathan takes Aunt Kiki for ride in his Cadi

Wednesday was the last day of Dollywood season. It was cold so we bundled up and went anyway.  Most of the rides were closed because of the cold (temperatures in mid-20s, wind chill in mid teens), but we got to see a couple of the Christmas shows, eat way overpriced hamburgers, ride a couple of rides that were open, go to some of the shops, and ride the steam train. The temperature never got above freezing, so we in turn about froze. But we had a good time anyway.

Lunch

Waiting for the show to start in warm theater

Air temp about 19°F, water 90°F

Thursday was shopping day. Jessi had a project due that she was working on for mormon.org so she had to stay behind and work.  I am not a shopper so I stayed to help with the baby.

After a dip in the hot tub just as it was starting to snow (no accumulation!), all the rest of the headed into town to ride the ferris wheel.

PopPop and the boys chilling in the theater

We all met for lunch, then I brought the boys back to the house so they could watch movies and play games. Had a hard time convincing Nathan that sliding down the stairs head first was a bad idea.That evening, after Jessi was finished for the day, we went back for a little more shopping. It was COLD!

Aunt Jessi has to work :-(

Extra shopping trip for Jessi

Early Birthday Celebration

Kit likes everything

Friday, vacation was over. Matt, Vanessa, the boys, plus Jessi and Christopher headed southwest toward Mississippi. Peter would meet them in Birmingham to take Jessi home. That was the plan. But his car developed problems going through Tupelo and he limped to a service station. Matt ended up taking Jessi over to Tupelo, getting there about the time the car was fixed. Added about 2 hours to their trip back to Biloxi. JoAnne, Kira and I headed back over the mountains to Rock Hill.