I'm back!!

Hola everyone! Hope you all had an amazing Christmas! The past few days have been very busy here---but wonderful nonetheless. Friday brought only half of a day of work and then to the boys school--Marlon to chaperone a bowling trip and me to help run Elijah's Christmas party. Friday night Jordyn had a babysitting job and we went to my niece's "Holiday" concert. Very cute even though it was total chaos & over an hour long! Afterwards we all went out to eat. Did a lot of wrapping that night.

Sat. we ran errands, I took Jordyn to her dad's (it was her year to sleep at his house on Christmas eve)I did some laundry, went to Christmas Eve service, watched my nieces for a few hours and finished the Christmas shopping. Marlon's awesome gift for his family almost didn't work--so there was a lot of praying on my part on Sat. that it would come together. After everyone went to bed Marlon helped me finish the wrapping.

Sunday we were able to sleep in a little, so I was so glad we had decided to go to church on Sat. We make Mexican food at my Grandma's house (who lives next door) so I spent the day going back and forth helping them and getting the taco meat going (my job for the last several years) It's so awesome because Marlon and I both come from close families, but our traditions complement each other so well that we didn't need to change anything when we got married. My dad's family celebrates at my Grandma Calderon's pretty much all afternoon and into the evening. His family opens presents right at midnight. So we head out to Milwaukee at about 9.

My Grandma's house. Now this is hard to explain to anyone. My dad is the oldest of 10 kids. I am the oldest of 25 grandkids, there are already 21 great grandkids!! Just about everyone-except occasionally my uncle, cousin/wife who live in Cali.-comes to my Grandma's for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Including all in-laws and boyfriend/girlfriends-there are 73 people!! All in one 4 bedroom house! This year we took a picture outside of her house when the majority of us were there--I think like 10 are missing. As soon as my aunt e-mails it, I'll post it. It's so hard to describe and do it justice. There is Mexican food for days--chicken mole, tamales, enchiladas, tostados, tacos, sopa, fidejo, beans...when we open gifts--everyone sits and waits and watches as my Grandma opens hers first. Even the kids. Patience is a good thing and they can whine all they want--it's the way it is. Actually because it's been our tradition for so long, nobody is really too out of hand about it. The "grown-ups" (or aunts and uncles) all exchange names and then all of the cousins older than 14 through me exchange names. Everyone younger gets a gift from Grandma. There is so much sound--kids yelling, babies crying, men yelling at some game, me and my aunts yelling at Jr. (my cousin) for sneaking in the kitchen and eating, laughing at stories and loud heated debates around the dining room table. This year was even more wonderful because two of my aunts who have not been speaking made up and it ended with my Grandma and her three daughters in the kitchen crying and hugging. I love them all-warts and all.

Then we head to the Pitchford's. They are a hoot too. His uncle Jerome falling out while he passes out the gifts, breaking into song, his uncle Keith and Marlon and their witty verbal sparring, dominoes or spades, Miracle on 34th St. Our boys are really the only kids that come-so they are usually pretty spoiled there with gifts. Sometimes Micah (Marlon's cousin Nori's daughter) comes too. Marlon's slide show gift was a big hit and everyone was so thankful that he took the time to do that for them. Again lots of food and laughs, noise...I love it! We finally head home around 1:30am and by 2:15 we're all in bed and ASLEEP--at least this year we didn't have to run around and "be Santa"!

Christmas day we usually get up around 8ish and open gifts with the kids. Jordyn's dad brings her about 10 and then she gets to open all of her gifts as well as the one from Grandma Calderon's and the ones from the Pitchford's. By noon we're all dressed and packing the car because we head over to my mom's to celebrate with her family. My uncle and his family and my Aunt and hers all come. We have more finger food there and do a white elephant gift exchange. There we also played Dance Dance Revolution and the kids had a dance off! After everyone else leaves my parents, our family and my sister and her family all stay to exchange our gifts.
Whew! Now you know why I slept until 10 today and then stayed in sweats all day...lol! I did get a lot of the gifts put away and of course did a load of laundry. There were a ton of leftovers to eat and so Marlon and I didn't have to cook-so that was nice. I have vacation all week so I plan to have a few friends over for lunch--Marlon and I were given a gift certificate to the Cheesecake Factory (which we've never been to) so maybe we'll use that.

Now we're caught up and my goodness what a long post! Who knew so much could happen in such a few days!
God bless!!