Christmas with the Williams

Every year on Christmas Day Night, we head to Amory to spend Christmas with the Williams side of the family (Granddaddy's side). When all are present, I think the number is around 65. We eat a lot, talk a lot and the kids open presents - again. Just like on the Ashley side, it's hard to beat the food, but the fellowship wins out. After the kids open their presents, the grownups play a game of Dirty Santa. It's a fun time with some definite conniving going on! I have some great Christmas memories of Grandmama's house as a kid - a room packed full of people opening gifts - Daddy sitting in his spot at the dining room table with Mama (Gran) and a cup of coffee waiting for his gift -Grandmama sitting in her spot in the living room taking in the love of her family and opening about a hundred gifts - the yearly picture of the grand kids - the tree and the decorations - one year a very, very hard fruitcake........ It's different now. Not better or worse, just different. There are many of us and each one is a blessing. I know the blessing of a family this big and every day I'm thankful for it. Daddy (your Granddaddy) loved us and his family more than anything. Through his and Gran's example, I was fortunate to grow up with a very strong sense of family. It's something I try hard not to take for granted. That strong sense of family is something your Dad and I want you kids to have too. I hope you think of these years and are blessed as much as I have been - and am.

All the kids on the Williams' side

Santa Came! Santa Came!

Yes, Santa did decide to make a stop by our house this year. I guess Eddie the Elf made some good reports to him, although at times, I wasn't so sure ya'll would be on the "nice" list. Every since ya'll were born, our tradition is for ya'll to come wake me and Daddy up before you go into the den to look at Santa stuff. I want the reactions on tape, so this is the reason for the that. The kids - after the go ahead - headed in to see their presents. From glow-in-the-dark balls (soccer, football and basketball) to Wii Fit to Peace necklaces to pogosticks to DS games to a bug vaccum - they had a blast checking everything out. Our family gift this year was a keyboard that is pretty cool.

Checking it out

Tanner got a bug vacuum - very cool!

Avery got a Peace necklace she wanted

Anna got a NY Giants shirt she had asked Santa for

Tanner opening one of his presents

Avery gets an MP3 player that plays videos too!

Is this I Spy Spooky Mansion??

A new keyboard

Once the excitement of Santa wore off for a few minutes, we settled down to read the story of the true meaning of Christmas - the birth of Jesus. Every year we get our Nativity scene and play out the parts as we read out of the books of Luke and Matthew in the Bible. It's a special time for me as a Mom. I really want our kids to think about the birth of Christ so long ago and to realize what that means for us as Christians.

This year we did an Advent wreath with a weekly devotion, for the first time. Every week we lit a certain candle on the wreath, read Scripture, and talked about what the candle stood for. On Christmas morning, we placed the "Christ" candle in the center and talked about the love God had for us by sending His only son - while knowing even before Jesus was born that His purpose was to die on a cross for our sins - so that we may live in Heaven eternally - with Him. Wow. It awes me even now to think of that - that tiny, precious baby - and what He means to this world and to me.

The Advent wreath was such a blessing. Our good friend, Lori, was so thoughtful to bring it to us and I have loved every devotion. It helped us to focus on those special verses we have heard all our lives, but focus in a way that we REALLY understood how God brought everything together for the miracle of Jesus's birth to happen just the way He wanted it to. This will definitely become a tradition for our family from now on.

Christmas with the Ashleys

On Christmas Eve Day, the Ashley clan (Gran's side of the family) gets together at Mama Bert's house to celebrate Christmas. It has been that way all of my life and I am very thankful that we still get together every year. Last year, every one of us was there - all 54 of us - and we had a great family picture made. This year, we did as always. Everyone arrived for a 1:00 lunch where we ate and ate and ate. It's hard to beat the sweet potato casserole and the fried turkey, but the fellowship beats the food hands down. Somehow we all cram into Mama Bert's house, but luckily it was warm on this day so some of the kids eased the fit by playing outside.

After our bellies were full and we sat around talking for awhile, we hit the gym! Yes, THE Ingomar gym! As a kid, some of my favorite memories of Christmas were from the Ingomar gym where all us cousins played pickup games for most of the afternoon. We don't go there every year, like we did when I was growing up, so we (or I was anyway) were excited. Once we arrived it wasn't long before a game of "Knockout" was under way. I had never played this game before, but Terry and I jumped right in - me, as usual, being the only girl. Avery and Anna won awards for their success in this game in a basketball camp one year, but we couldn't talk them into playing for some reason. It was a blast!! We played again and again. It was the most exercise I've had in 6 months! Pitiful, I know, because there's not that much running.

Shooting the hoop at the Ingomar gym

Getting ready for a little "Knockout" competition

Look at Mama's form!!

Cousin Todd shoots next in line

Daddy's got some game too!

Cousin Ben trying to "knock" me out!

Anna, Tanner and Avery taking it all in

Tanner gets in on the action!

Reed, Tanner and Jake taking a turn

David and Hunt in some fierce competition

Avery and Kate posing for a pic

Tanner and Anna

This cracked us all up!

Ben, Mike and Shannon from the peanut gallery

After the fiercely competitive "knockout" games, we moved on to a family game of "Horse". The girls DID participate in this game, along with Uncle Mike. Reluctantly, we wrapped up our basketball playing and headed back to Lone Star. Presents were the next order of business. We all found a spot to sit - where we could - and my aunt Zet (ya'll's great aunt) got busy playing Santa (which she does every year!). We draw names for you three kids, so ya'll happily got your present and dug in. We really got a kick out of seeing Kelly - Jonathan's new wife - open the present of the GIANT panties! It's a tradition where the newest member of the Ashley clan gets the giant panties on their 1st Christmas. Terry got them when it was his turn years ago. It's pretty funny!

Part of the clan waiting to open presents

"Santa" Zet handing out presents

More of the Ashleys

Kelly and the giant panties

Avery and Anna checking out the loot

I love our family!!

Christmas at Mama Bert's is a special time. Even though Mama Bert is no longer with us, I know she's so proud that we are all together and I know she's smiling down on us. God has blessed us in so many ways and this Ashley side of the family continues to be a blessing to me.

And yet another Christmas craft!

Does it ever end?? Just kidding. We have had this Gingerbread House kit for about 3 years now and I finally got the energy to try it again. Thank goodness the house was already constructed because our first attempt at a gingerbread house years ago was a disaster! We could NOT get the house to stand! It was truly pitiful. Due to that experience, I was not anxious to do this one -- therefore, it has sat in a closet. When I unearthed it this year, I thought we might try again. This kit was MUCH easier. The kids did all by themselves! It turned out really good!

Christmas Card Shoot

Our Christmas Card Photo Shoot was short and sweet this year. I am very proud of myself for getting our cards out before the week OF Christmas, like I usually do. The kids donned their Ole Miss T-shirts and we got busy. Since our Rebels will be playing in the Cotton Bowl this year, we, for the first time, had a theme. Below are the shots we got. It was pretty funny and even though some of our family and friends may not understand the shot with the bowl - we figured the Ole Miss fans would. Check it out! The kids thought it was great!

Our card had 3 pictures on it - this was one of them

This is cotton for the Cotton Bowl - not snow

This was a good pic - but not on the card

This was pic #2 on the card - get it - Cotton Bowl?

I just liked this picture

These were the shirts from Ole Miss's big wins against Florida,

LSU and Mississippi State - and also the 3rd pic on the card

Anna - 8 1/2 Avery - 11 Tanner 6

Merry Christmas!!

Christmas Crafts

We have been crafty since school has been out! We had decided to make Mama Jane a painting for her bathroom, and Paige had requested artwork from each of you, so ya'll had some painting to do! Mama Jane's painting was a collective effort. Ya'll worked so hard on it and each had a special part. I helped pull it all together with some little touches at the end, but let it be known that this painting was made by each of you! It turned out great!

After finishing Mama Jane's painting, we moved on to Paige's. Each of you did a canvas using melted crayons. After choosing what you wanted to do, ya'll got to melting and stamping. They turned out so great, that ya'll did 3 more for us to keep and hang up in our house. Here's the final masterpieces!

Tanner melting his crayon

Stamping the wax on the canvas

Anna wanted to do a "P" for Paige

Tanner's canvas for Paige

Avery's circles

An encore performance for us to keep

A Flower Garden

The sunshine

Ya'll did a GREAT job!!!