Christmas vacation was just what we needed! We really enjoyed getting out of the city again and spending time with family. We had a week to decompress in beautiful Missouri with Annie's family. If was refreshing to see all the open spaces and wildlife. We flew into the area on Christmas Day. Annie's mom picked us up at the airport and drove us straight to Christmas dinner.
We celebrated Christmas officially two days afterwards when we went to visit Annie's sister and her family. Annie's sister is married with five kids. The moment we walked in the door we were showered with hugs and questions about when they got to open their presents. Having children around makes Christmas much more fun. Annie's sister made a delicious brunch including her now famous cinnamon rolls. We could have eaten ten of them! Finally, we opened presents. Annie's sister recieved "Mama Mia!" on DVD. We forced Brian and Annie's brother-in-law to watch it with everyone. They were very good sports! And we were all humming Abba songs the rest of the night.
For a large portion of this trip we were just relaxing and visiting with family. What a joy! We really enjoyed playing with Annie's nieces and nephews. Brian has quickly become accustomed to being called "Uncle Brian." We went on a walk through the Nature Center where we saw a lot of wildlife. At the "cave park" the kids ran around in the caves and fed the ducks in the pond. We have really treasured all of these moments knowing that next year we won't be in the U.S. at this time.
Here are some more pictures of our fun:
Baby on the blanket that Aunt Annie made.
Uncle Brian!
Hiking at the Nature Center.
The wildlife at the Nature Center.
"Sisters! Sisters! There were never such devoted sisters."
Annie's mom trying to win at Apples to Apples.
Ugh. Too much Christmas.
