Bowers Blog: Christmas Part 2 and January pictures

Sorry for the photo overload. This is the last of the Christmas pictures, including Chancey Christmas and our Christmas celebration with the Bowers in Athens that was a couple of weekends ago. I've also included some random January pictures at the bottom that were too cute not to post.

CHANCEY CHRISTMAS: This year my mom hosted at her house. Every year my mom's extended family gets together the Saturday that follows Christmas to just be together and celebrate the holidays. Sadly, some years this is the only time the entire year I get to see these aunts, uncles, and cousins. My mom had a white elephant gift exchange this year for us to play. She provided all of the gifts - which were left over items from her small booth/shop she just closed and random items of trash/treasure that she had around her house. It was so much fun, and even better to spend time with my family. We were minus 2 people this year, but we could certainly feel Mimi and Aunt Pat all around us that weekend.

Mack and Will - Double trouble

Emma happened to get the gift with a boa and a tiara (I think my mom helped her cheat when she picked it out of the pile!)

The guys

This is the look on my mom's face throughout the entire game - she thought she was so clever with some of the gifts. And, actually the gifts and who they ended up with were hilarious!

half of the crowd

The teenagers. Chancey, Cole, Micah

My cousin Haley and her precious little diva Molly Grace

My cousin Mark (Haley's dad) got the funniest gift. It was a box full of random items including lamp shades, an old purse of my grandmothers, and an assortment of other items.

This (The Hannah Montana game) wasn't the gift Ellie picked out. (She picked out the grass skirt that is in her hand)The Hannah Montana game happened to be one of the items in Mark's box, but he immediately handed it to Ellie thinking it was perfect for her. Ellie had no idea who Hannah Montana was. The game is still sitting unopened in our playroom.

Jaime and baby Rhett

Amos got a light up cup/straw combo. Couldn't have been a more perfect gift.

Worth got a home accent decorating piece - "a stick" as he called it. He secretly hid it back in my mom's house so he didn't have to bring it to our house.

Jesica and Will

Add caption

Emma ended up with Amos's cup

Uncle Jim opening his gift. Not sure what it was, but I was so happy to see a smile on his face. It's been a tough year for him. (He's the husband of my Aunt Pat)

CHRISTMAS WITH THE BOWERS CREW: We celebrated Christmas late with Worth's side of the family because we were busy waiting on our newest nephew to arrive. Sweet baby Banks arrived on December 29th and we headed up to Athens on January 10th (we had to wait on Worth to have a weekend off) to celebrate Christmas with them.

All the Bowers cousins: Mack, Bo, Ellie, Banks, Emma

A very adorable baby Banks

Banks was not bothered by all the activities swirling around him. He was such a good baby! I'm not very familiar with good, quiet, sleeping babies.

Mack loving "Christmas Morning" again

Bo was unwrapping pro this year

A sister and her brother

Another sister and her brother

Ellie looking cute except for her extremely chapped lips. It was frigid in Athens that weekend.

Emma stayed warm

Bo showing off his tractor

Aunt Kate measuring everyone

Getting Mack still in one place for more the 0.5 seconds is a physical challenge these days and usually requires 4 hands.

This just cracked all of us up. The cartoons were on, and the kids stopped in their tracks to watch. Assuming these positions. I can't believe that can be even remotely comfortable for Emma.

Mack and Bo in the bath. Mack wasn't so sure about sharing a bathtub. He bathes on his own at home now.

Biggest and littlest cousin

Checking him out

Ellie discovered a bad diaper, I guess.

Bowers -Berryman trio

Sleeping like a log.

JANUARY PICTURES: These are just random phone pictures I've snapped this month.

Ellie did this all on her own. She normally cleans off the table after dinner as one of her nightly chores, but this particular night she decided to wash them out and load the dishwasher. I was impressed, especially with the towel over her shoulder.

The girls got golf clubs for Christmas from E.W.,(Worth's dad) so Worth took them out for their first golf course experience. It went as expected. Ellie was over it after about 5 min, and Emma would have been fine out there all day.