I looked forward to it this year the way I look forward to vacations- everyone in my family came to our house and that gave me lots of prep work the days leading up to their arrival {and I loved it! Baking is one of my favorite things!}
I made the usual staples a few days ahead- Chex mix, sausage balls and homeade rolls as well as a breakfast casserole and banana bread. Tuesday was a low point; Dillon woke up sick and that meant he couldn't watch Reese while I cooked, which had been my plan so I might have been a little cranky with him when he sweetly asked me to run buy him some saltines and 7-up. In the end, all the foods were cooked and his fever only lasted the one day.
My parents and sisters arrived Wednesday afternoon- it was especially exciting because Katie and Mollie hadn't seen Reese in 3 months. We spent the evening enjoying Chili while everyone fought over who got to play with the baby.
Thursday came and we continued with some of our favorite Mathis traditions- the boys fried a turkey while the women slaved in the kitchen. We decorated our table with pinecones from the tree out front and I dressed Reese up in a precious Turkey onesie made by my sweet friend Emily. After enjoying the delicious meal we retired to the living room and, after much pleading from Katie, we all took turns reading aloud 'The Gift of the Magi'.
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That night my parents watched Reese so we could go see 'Breaking Dawn 2'- which we all agreed was better than we had anticipated. I felt a little bad that my parents wouldn't be able to go to the movies and gave them a couple of options- they could keep Reese up and play with her after we left and try to put her to bed themselves and run the risk of her screaming or, I could nurse her and put to her sleep as part of her usual routine before we left. My dad said he chose the option that didn't involve a screaming baby.
Friday Mollie requested to do a little Black Friday shopping at some of the local boutiques downtown which was another fun tradition to continue {we historically shop on main street in Fredricksburg on Black Friday}. Dillon stayed home and worked on his sermon while Reese slept, but the rest of us enjoyed partaking in the madness. For lunch we all went to El Sabor for some TexMex, followed by afternoon siestas for all {except for Katie who retreated to the basement for some Bar Method exercising}. That afternoon a few of us ventured to Cabellas and that night we munched on leftovers and Mollie's pumpkin cookies.
Saturday we woke up and got beautified for Christmas pictures. It was perhaps one of the better Mathis photo taking experiences we have had, I think in part because Reese added an element of urgency as she is a ticking time bomb and so everyone snapped into position. For lunch we dined at Buffalo Wild Wings and the grandparents took turns walking around with Reese since she was a little fussy.
That afternoon we did a token tourist activity and visited Mount Rushmore. I hadn't been in 12 years so it was even exciting for me- I still can't believe this is where we live! That night my parents cooked steaks, baked potatoes and salad. Afterwards we played '20 questions' - Mama was Michelle Obama, Dillon was Jesus and Daddy was Mama. Then we watched 'Country Strong' in keeping with the randomness of the night.
Sunday morning began with a heavy snowfall, Dillon preached at church and we all got to worship together. We had lunch at Quedoba before they left for the airport.
It was a fabulous time. I am so thankful that my family was so helpful with dishes, cooking and cleanup, Reese did SO well and actually maintained her routine which made her happy most of the time. We made lots of memories and avoided family drama that can sometimes accompany the holidays. I am looking forward to Christmas already!
