Christmas Eve Shenanigans

My boys showed up at Mal's bright and early on Christmas Eve and we had plans to spend the day together.  New traditions.

First up, we exchanged gifts.  Everyone loved everything and no returns were wanted or required!  Hooray!

Two things I got them as gag gifts were really big hits!  Harry and his obsession with all things Kyrie Iriving.  I got him a basketball face mask like Kyrie wears and he swears he is going to wear it during intramural basketball.  He probably will.

Chip ALWAYS finds one of those color changing pillows when we go to Target or Walmart and so I got him one in Crimson Tide colors.  They were writing mean messages to each other and playing tic-tac-toe on it.  Who knew?

After the gifts were open we headed out to a Japanese Steak House for lunch and a show.  Good food and entertaining.

Then we hit up Walmart to spread a little Christmas cheer with some random acts of kindness.  I gave the kids some money and they hid it in all kinds of inconspicuous places for someone to find.  

It was really fun.  No one had more fun than MM.  She was all over that store. She would hide the money somewhere real elaborate and then change her mind and go back and get it.  We got into a rhythm of her picking up something to hide money in and I would start a dialogue of "MM, you are not getting that the day before Christmas, you are going to have to put it back."  She would go along with it, begging to get the item the whole time trying to find a way to hide her money in it.  Finally, when the money was hidden she would say "Fine, I will put it back but I am going to add it to my Christmas list."  She thought we were so sneaky.  I don't think she ever wanted our afternoon to end.  Great way to spend Christmas Eve and I hope that money blesses lots of people when they least expect it.  Awesome new tradition.

I sent the boys back to The Bad Farm after our fun filled day and headed down to my parents.  We had another delicious shrimp dinner and prepped a couple of items for Christmas dinner the next day.

Then we made an executive decision that cutting into Ms. Ellen's coconut cake on Christmas Eve instead of waiting for Christmas Day would be a great new tradition!  It was delicious!

Finally, we ended the night with a scavenger hunt for The Queen. She was getting a new fancy camera and they wanted her to have it before Christmas morning.  She raced through the scavenger hunt and was soon snapping photos of all the people and all the things. I was a willing subject, but wanted veto power!  I kept saying ewww, ack, delete, delete, delete!  She did get this shot which I kinda loved.  Not sure it really looks like me, but maybe that is why I like it!  The happy in this picture....that is real. 

At one point over the weekend when I was lamenting about who that old lady was in a picture with my kids, Harry said "Mom, I think at some point you are going to have to come to grips with the fact that is actually how you really look."  Cracked me up!   Damn you, Harry!  Hold that camera out there with your long arms and aim it downward with a slight angle and don't even think we are only taking one!  Momma needs a reality check.

Another, busy, wonderful, laughter filled, heart full day with the people I love and who love me right back.  All the while I was in Alabama, I was getting the kindest, sweetest texts from my people in Texas.  They knew I was worried about how the weekend would go and they were praying for me.  It worked.  Man, did it work.  Prayers were answered ten fold.  I would get teary eyed reading the texts they were sending and my heart would hurt a little. The good hurt.  Where you just don't know you got so lucky to have such beautiful people in your life and your heart maybe can't hold that kind of blessing.  I love that kind of hurt.  Definitely another night where I laid my head on my pillow and sincerely thanked God for giving me so much!