Christmas with the Howards

After lunch on Christmas Day, Samuel and I left with Grandma and Gramps to go spend a week at Aunt Jennifer & Uncle Scott’s house along with Uncle Jon, Aunt Kristin, baby Cora, Uncle Steven, Lyla, and Noah & Jack.  Adam had to stay home because he was on call for work and Aunt Lydia had just started a new job and couldn’t take off.  We got to meet Cora for the first time and had fun just being with family.

Cora wanting some “real” food

Lyla enjoying her spaghetti

Noah, Samuel, and Jack – three crazy boys!

Samuel loved holding Cora!

Noah & Uncle Jon playing some Just Dance on the kinect

Uncle Steven & Gramps

Uncle Jon & Samuel being crazy

Me & Noah

Lyla showing off one of her smiles

The boys and their girls

Cora didn’t seem to excited about her gifts

Letting Aunt Lydia and Adam participate in the adult gift exchange via Skype

Samuel loved climbing the trees in their yard.  We don’t have any so he doesn’t get to do it at home

Christmas at Home

Christmas morning, we woke up and Samuel was ready to open his gifts. 

He was excited about all of them but I think his favorite was the Xbox & kinect!

Christmas with the Gray’s

Nana, Uncle Kevin, Aunt Wendy, Jacob, and Sarah Beth came over on Christmas Eve for dinner and to open gifts. 

Samuel’s Christmas Musical

The children’s choirs sang the songs they had been working on for Christmas in church Sunday.  They did a few songs with the K-2nd grade choir & 3rd-5th choirs together, and then a couple separately.

I took some videos of them singing but couldn’t get them to upload.  Maybe I’ll try again later.

Decorating the Christmas Tree

Fieldtrip to Ripley’s Aquarium

We went on a fieldtrip with our homeschool group to Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies.  We hadn’t been there since they had added the penguin exhibit.

Touching horseshoe crabs

Trying to touch a stingray

A Day at the Zoo