Christmas :: the recap

Christmas Eve...

we did things a little different this year, and i have to say i loved it.
we drove over to my parents house on the 24th to celebrate christmas.
first on the agenda was: feed bennett.  {which is always first, second, third, and fourth on the agenda.  always}
after a quick meal, the entire fam piled in the den for the opening of presents {bennett style}

this was his first experience with opening presents since last year's birthday, and he wasnt too interested back then.
this year was a completely different story.  he tore into those presents like it was his job.


family was generous and bennett racked up: a slide, tricycle, elmo puppet, books, and a pair of tractor boxers {ha!}.

then it was nap time for the littlest and lunch time for the rest of us.  beef wellington, spinach madeline, corn salad, butter beans, many other delicious things that i have now since forgotten... all topped off with coconut cake and chocolate chip pound cake.

we spent the rest of bennett's "nap" {and i use that term loosely...he closed his eyes for maybe twenty minutes, but entertained himself in the crib for another two hours} opening presents.  ever since santa claus decided we were too old for his special deliveries, we have wrapped everything and always do it one-at-a-time to make the experience last longer.

{as a side note i have to say: my pictures from christmas are some of my worst ever.  either all blurry or stark from the flash.  they just dont design dens with no-flash photography in mind now do they?}

how ben "took care of" the wrapping waste


then it was time for church and a quick meal of gumbo back at my parents house before we headed home to await the big man with the white beard, or "ho ho ho" as he is fondly called at the roe household.

Christmas Morn...

per my request...and to some grand-parental-dismay...stephen bennett and i had our own little christmas morning at home - just the three of us.
it was relaxing and special.

bennett thanked "ho ho ho" at every turn. 



santa was thoughtful and gave bennett a pre-breakfast snack in his stocking


please dont judge bennetts christmas by his expression - he was so overcome with emotion that he frequently sat dazed at it all.  christmas is a lot to take in so early in the morning! :)


after santa's gifts had been scampered through, we opened presents from each other.

then the boys headed outside for wagon rides and bubble blowing while mama headed to the kitchen to whip up some french toast.  i have never made french toast before, but wanted to do something "special" for breakfast that we usually would never have.

it turned out pretty well and bennett ended up eating more than stephen and i did.  honestly, i dont know where he puts it.  {but i must note that stephen and my stomachs were still recovering from the most heinous form of a stomach bug i have ever experienced.  HEINOUS i tell you.  i will spare you the details, but if i ever run into someone who propositions me with a memory-eraser, sunday night the 20th of december, 2009, will be the first date that comes to mind}

after a leisurely breakfast and showers, we headed over to stephens parent's house for


Christmas Day...

after not knowing if there would even be a "roe family christmas" this year {since stephens mom had been in shreveport LA with her mom and sick daddy for about two weeks}, we felt so lucky that La decided to come home for the holidays.  we pretty much repeated the schedule from the day before since it worked so well with bennett.

and just like the day before, bennett learned once again what it means to be spoiled.

he received elmo happy dance hands,

a chair with his name on it {with a KHAKI cover from HERE - seriously why did pottery barn stop making that color cover?? makes no sense to me...took us forever to find this one},

some awesome books,

a fun toy, and a "basketball goal bennett cant sit on" from uncle awesome {as bennett can now sit on the bball goal he gave him last year}.


however this time, bennett actually slept and took a really long nap.

while he was sleeping, we enjoyed another delicious meal - including broccoli which, while it may sound simple, im serious when i say stephens mom makes the best broccoli ever...and it is just steamed...but for some reason she does it perfect and it is really the only broccoli i like.  sometimes you just need "mom's touch" on things i guess.
we opened presents, made a lot of noise {that bennett miraculously slept through}, got rid of hiccups,

played a bass fishing game on wii

and enjoyed visiting.

it was so nice this year not traveling to several houses in one day.  its a wonderful blessing we are so close to both families and both families live in the same city, but it can get hectic as you can imagine!  we loved being able to really sit and relax and enjoy our time together.

i have loved reading everyone's christmas posts...
sorry family it has taken so long for me to get mine posted!
:)

2010 here we come!