Christmas in Dixie...

Things have finally settled down from Christmas in Alabama. There is much to catch you up on, so I will start from the beginning.
We left sunny FL on Monday before Christmas. I insisted that we needed to leave first thing that morning because I felt that Silas would travel better. Well, I made the mistake of letting him sleep until he woke up. We got to Montgomery, and the crying fest began. He cried from Montgomery to Alabaster, where we stopped for a quick lunch, then from Alabaster to my mom and dad's house in Section, AL. It was miserable, but thankfully, I decided to sit in the front seat.
Our Christmas celebrations began on Wednesday night at Nathan's Granny Pauline's. They decided to have their Christmas a day early, which made everything less stressful for all. We had a great time seeing all the aunts, uncles, and cousins. Nathan's dad got us rocking chairs for the front porch, so we can't wait until spring. Silas got a set of John Deer dishes and a book that makes noises. The first of many noisy toys. We play Dirty Santa there, but no one opens their gifts until all trading is completely over. This was so funny because Nathan bought a fart machine, and some of the girls passed it around the entire time. I felt sorry for the girl who ended up with it because if was her first time playing with us. She was a good sport about, and even ending up trading with another girl after the game.
Next, we had Nathan's mother's on Christmas Eve morning. This was great because she go Silas a jumperoo. Nathan and I were so excited about getting it for Silas. We were hoping he would like it as much as we wanted him to. Thankfully, Silas loves it. He can't get enough of the bouncing. We have laughed and laughed at him. We have caught him falling asleep twice. It is the cutest thing I have ever seen. Nathan's sister also got Silas a Bumbo seat, which helps him sit up without falling over until he learns to sit up on his own. This has been great. We take it with us everywhere.
That night we went to my grandmother's. Silas racked up on noisy gifts. He can't play with a lot of them until he can sit up by himself, but I have put them away and can't wait to give them to him to play with. He will think he has gotten a new toy every month.
We had Christmas morning at my mom and dad's. It was so much fun to put out Silas's stocking and gift. Nathan and I couldn't wait for him to wake up. Of course he would sleep until almost nine o'clock. Nathan and I were busting at the seams. When he finally woke up, Nathan and I helped him open his stocking and his basketball toy. He loved it. He immediately started trying to play with it.
From there, we went to my Granny Jones's. I look forward to eating there because my granny makes the best chicken and dressing in the entire world. Next, we went to Nathan's Granny Jenny's. We played Dirty Santa and got some cool treasures.
Finally, our day ended at my mom and dad's for Christmas. I love our Christmas because my mom prepares a stocking for all of the kids, and my dad hands them out. Getting the stockings has always been a great thing at her house because she keeps them a secret until the very last minute. She has even gone as far as covering them with blankets so we can't look inside. Silas racked up here as well. We came home with so many noisy toys we don't know what to do with them. My mom said this was our easy year. They are already looking forward to next year. We are too.
Nathan had to leave on Saturday to come back and preach on Sunday, but Silas and I stayed until after the new year. We had a blast. I was able to watch two of my nephews play basketball, and I also got to attend a baby shower for my cousin who is due at the end of February. While we were there an extra week, I gave Silas some rice cereal. It as been a total flop. He has stopped sleeping through the night, and now he will not even attempt to eat the cereal. We have decided to wait on the cereal for now and try again at six months. When we traveled home last Monday, Silas did not make a sound. It was a great trip. We were sad to leave AL, but we were glad to get back to FL and our normal routine.