Christmas in Kansas

So we flew from Maine to Texas the day after Christmas. We thought all along that we had an 8 am flight, however we quickly figured out that our flight wasn't until 4 pm. This caused us to lose the day of unpacking and repacking in Texas since we didn't get to the house until after 11 pm. We wanted to get up and make an early start to our drive to Kansas. A bad winter storm had gone through Kansas and Oklahoma a few days before we headed up there. We saw quite a few cars and trucks in the ditch - luckily we were not one of them. The roads weren't bad, just a little ice under the bridges.

We ended up having Christmas on Tuesday. This was not a traditional Christmas for us. First of all, this was the first year in my entire life that I did not spend Christmas day with my family. I think that was the hardest part to get over for me. Second, we didn't have a traditional Christmas meal. Mom ended up making ponset and wontons. The other new thing was the fact that our family has been the same size for so many years and has actually grown quite a bit in the last few years. It had been over 10 years since our family had "grown" last. I guess all this change is why I'm in such a search for traditions for my new family.

Here's part of the family getting ready to open presents. Left to right - Todd (my brother-in-law), Cory (my niece's boyfriend), Buddy (my Mom's dog), Derek (my brother), Ashley (brother's girlfriend), Maddy (my newest niece), Duke.

My niece Maddy and my nephew Cole.

I love Maddy's little outfit.

My other nephew Drake and who I believe to be Marley. My brother and Ashley have 2 black labs that look a lot alike and I have a hard time telling them apart unless they're standing up. It's very obvious then.

Maddy was having a great time playing in the box. Notice the use of Daisy and Zoey (my sister's dog) to aid in her balance.

Maddy got a new bike and she knew exactly what to do with it. Boy does she look like my brother!!!

We headed back to Texas on the 30th because we were hosting a New Year's Eve party and needed to get ready for it. It wasn't before I got the opportunity to hit my favorite after Christmas shopping spots, visit my Grandma Smith and visit Craig and Amy. The trip home is a story of its own to come later this week.