Christmas 2017

It's January, and I'm finally posting pictures of our Christmas. It was a celebration that extended over 2 weeks, and we are exhausted but fulfilled. Santa was really good to the kids this year as well as to Worth and I. It was wonderful to spend time with (most) all of our family members, and we also celebrated a UGA win over Oklahoma in the Rose Bowl. Next up for the Dawgs, the National Championship in Atlanta!

A little fire side reading by Emma. We did amores this night and rode around and looked at Christmas lights in our neighborhood. 

Mack in his classroom before his class Christmas party      

The spread of sweets for the Christmas party

Mack and I went out for some Christmas shopping one morning when the girls were still at school. This is what he wore. 

Before the Christmas Eve morning service at St. Anne's in Tifton, I took the kids to see "Little St. Anne's." This is the church I was baptized in as a child and that my ancestors built. It sits on the same campus as the bigger "new" St. Anne's sanctuary. It is a beautiful building that reminds me of my childhood. 

Even baby Hardy joined us for the service Christmas Eve morning. He was so good! 

The new parents and baby Hardy. 

Grandma and Papa with their grand babies. 

Hardy was all dressed up after church and ready for a Christmas Eve lunch. 

Meanwhile, Mack and Amos were busy sword fighting 

Back in Valdosta, throwing out the reindeer food to make sure they found our house! 

To say Mack was excited about Santa coming this year, is an understatement. 

These three were a hoot Christmas Eve night. 

 I got some great video of Mack in his room once we made him go to bed. It took him FOREVER to get to sleep. Ignore the dark video, I was standing in the hallway outside of his door. Just listen to him!

Santa came! 

The Bowers kids lucked out this year!

Ipods for the girls and a Batman utility belt for Mack

Emma was thrilled with the Vivo Fit watch Santa brought her. 

These trucks kept Mack busy ALL morning. Santa knows how to make this little boy happy! 

New boots from Mama and Daddy

Emma got Mack a back scratcher. 

Worth and I scored giving the girls a box FULL of Bath and Body Works goodies. 

The girls shopped at a Candy Cane store at school in which all items were $2. (All of the items were from the Dollar Tree and it was a PTO fundraiser.) In this picture, Worth is opening a gift from Ellie which is a small bluetooth speaker. 

iPods were a hit. 

The Tifts came for an afternoon of gift opening, then dinner.  Baby Hardy was once again a charmer.  (He doesn't get this from his father if you can't tell.) 

Emma was obsessed with a baby in our house. 

More Batman gear for Mack. 

Uncle Amos is known for his crazy Christmas shirts/sweaters. 

a Mermaid blanket from Grandma

Grandma and Papa also gave the kids this mini claw machine. The song it plays while the kids tried relentlessly to get candy out of it will never leave my head. 

Ellie got her own lab coat, 

and she got very serious doctor play set. She was so surprised and excited about it. 

More fluffy things to go in the playroom baskets. 

The biggest and littlest of Tift cousins. 

Emma in full mermaid attire and Poppy (not boppy) pillow in place is holding Hardy for Aunt Anna. 

This kid didn't lay anywhere all weekend. He got held the entire night by everyone! 

Mia and Dubs came to our Christmas Day dinner. On the menu: Whole Beef Tenderloin, lobster tails, bacon wrapped carrots,  baked potatoes, salad, and green beans. We had pecan pie and German chocolate cake for dessert. It was all DELICIOUS! 

One of his Christmas presents. He has followed in his sisters' footsteps and LOVES to be in costume! 

Our annual Chancey family Christmas gathering was held at our house in Valdosta this year. The theme was "Mele Kalikimaka" because it's normally 75 degrees in south GA around Christmas time. This year, it was around 55 at the warmest, but the family still pulled out all the stops with their costumes. This is my cousin Mark. 

My mom with the girls. The girls had really cute T-shirts, but it was a little too chilly to go without their jackets. 

We had tables near the fire pit and my Dad brought his stand up heater for outside dining. 

From left: Ginger (wife of Mark,) Mark, Micah (Mark's son.) 

Mack and sweet Will. These two are best buddies when they get together and are growing up so fast! 

Grandma and Papa

My cousin Matthew (dad to Will, Mack's buddy.) Oh, and Worth to the left in the background. 

These were the winners: Matt and Haley with Molly Grace. Matt's belly was actually a  fanny pack. It was hilarious! 

It became even funnier when my Uncle Courtney decided to compare his belly to Matt's fanny pack. 

Everyone that made it this year! 

The kids got to do their white elephant gift exchange first. 

Molly Grace really liked her gift. 

Mack got a poop emoji pillow. Just what we need, another poop pillow in our house. 

Will picked the blue bag! 

Emma was the last to pick, and since we don't let the kids steal (mainly because they are too young to understand and not fight about it) she got one of the gifts we brought. She was less than thrilled but ended up being ok with the tattoo pens that were inside. 

Getting ready for the adult gift exchange. 

From left: Uncle Dale, Aunt Telie (ok, I invited some Tift family as well since it was at my house this year) Uncle Jim, Lou (Uncle Jim's new wife,) Grandma, Papa, Worth, Chancey, Mark, Courtney. 

Chancey, Micah, Mark, Courtney, Ginger

Mark scored a poop mug which Worth promptly stole later

Matthew got a good gift, a drill. 

Haley got the gift I bought. Potty basketball with a bottle of poo-pourri. Yes, poop is always a recurring theme in our family. 

Grandma got some chocolates and a waffle house gift card. This was also later stolen. 

Ellie just wanted to do hula dancing. 

Ginger got a double sweater. This one got stolen later 2 times!!

Uncle Jim got a blanket. 

Papa got a head scratcher. I'm pretty sure no one stole this one, because he is very skillful  in his ability to immediately put his gift in a safe place. 

Ellie recruited MG to hula dance with her. 

My gift. I stole it. A MERRY sign. I thought it was cute. 

I can't remember what she got, but Aunt Telie looks excited/scared about it! 

Round 3 - New Year's Eve at Mia's to do Christmas with the Bowers/Berryman crew! 

A yummy lunch started us off right! 

Emma loves a baby! 

Never a dull moment!

Sweet Cousins! 

Emma was able to do the reading from Luke this year. 

It was pretty hard to get everyone to sit still long enough to listen, but they did it!

We let the kids open gifts first this year and we opened after they went to bed. This is the aftermath of kid opening. They all open at the same time. I'm pretty sure we didn't come home with 3-4 gifts and a gift card was lost in the mix. It was crazy!!

Auntie Kate got Emma a pogo stick. She is obsessed. 

We gave Banks and Bo these blocks. They kept the kids entertained the whole time. 

Lots of team building skills here. 

The cousins once again before heading up in the cousins' bedroom to watch movies while the adults rang in the new year. 

A little dance party before settling in for the night.

Worth popped our bottle of champagne from Buena Vista winery for the new year. It was really good.! As you can see in the background of this picture, the kids had yet to go to sleep. 

New Years Day we had to hunker down for the Dawgs. I was hoping these earrings I got as a Christmas present from Amos would bring us luck! 

Worth was beyond emotional during this game, but it was worth every jump, scream, fist pump, and couch hurdle. The Dawgs won the Rose Bowl and we are headed to the National Championship!!

Not only did the Dawgs win this week, but God delivered snow to Valdosta. The first time since 1989!

The girls were still asleep, so Worth had to go wake them up.

It started getting heavier, 

and heavier. 

Then it started sticking to everything. 

Footsteps on the front porch

We then gathered enough for a small snowman. 

Mack had to take a short break inside just before this. Us being south GA people and all, excited about the snow, and running around in it, we didn't make him wear  gloves. He had frozen hands that we had to pack adult gloves on and fill them with hand warmers. Poor thing was on the verge of frost bite. 

Then we had enough snow for a snowball fight. 

It was a good ground covering. 

A real snow angel, not a beach sand angel! 

Mack was more interested in throwing snowballs than making snow angel. 

Sown the street in our neighborhood. 

The front of our house. 

We were able to make an even bigger snow man! 

Mack was learning about tire traction in the Frozen jeep. 

I didn't realize that we have never bought Mack  gloves. All we had that would fit his hands were Minnie Mouse gloves. He wore them without complaining though, he was cold!